Fixing / Replacing a 2004 G35X Headlight

[Superpike]

Hey all, My name is Brandon. I've had my 2004 G35X since 2007 and it's been the best car I've ever owned. I now have my first and only ever issue with my car. My passenger side headlight will quickly flicker when my lights come on but it won't stay on??? I can't tell if this is due to a bad bulb, bad ignighter etc. Also, I am not sure of the best way to access the headlight itself, i.e. by taking the bumper off or going in through the back of the wheel well behind the headlight. Anyone with any experience in fixing this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Guju Rider]

this is what i did

1) started on the left side and turned the wheel all the way to the right
2) unscrewed a bolt at the bottom of front bumper on the left hand side
3) unclipped 4 tabs (might be more depending on if you want to take the whole shroud off)
4) unscrewed the screw that holds the fender shroud to the fender
5) pulled back the plastic
6) unscrewed the top dust cap (the top one is the hid, and the bottom is the fog light)
7) disconnect the wire that comes from the ballast that connects to the bulb
8) released the spring type clip that holds the bulb in and carefully removed it.
9) then place the new bulb in there (i got the 8000k)
10) reattach the spring clip
11) connect the ballast (no need for a new ballast because the G35 already comes with HID's from the factory which has bulb and ballast, so only new bulbs are required)
12) screw on the dust cap (pay attention here, there are little arrows on the cap that you want to line up when placing the cap back on)
13) place the shroud back and place the clips back in place and screw on that last bold from the bottom of the front bumper

and repeat for the other side.

but what i found is that it is a whole lot easier if you dont have to hold the shroud back with one hand cuz the wheel is there. I should have jacked the car up and taken off the wheel and did it that way, which gives you a lot more room to work with and you can see everything a lot better. might be a little bit more work than the way i did it..bit trust me, when i flipped on the new 8000K hid's..it was all worth it...and seeing that i didnt buy a ballast, everything works fine. headlights start up everytime, no flickering, takes a few seconds for aftermarket HID's to get to their tru color.
Guju Rider

[Superpike]

Guju Rider

Thanks a ton for the info. Any advice as to where to buy the bulbs and if need be, the ignighter? I'm going to jack my car up and take both front wheels off so that I can test my good light on the bad side to see if it lights up, if so then I know it's just the bulb. If not, then I'll know it's the ignighter and them I'll really be spending some $$$$$. Damn cars are all too expensive but I can't complain. My old car was an Audi and that damn thing was a money pit. At least I know I can get 250+K on an infiniti if I keep it maintained. I can't wait for the day when I can walk into the Dealership and pick up an M56X. That thing is a sweet rocket ship. I'll probably try to get one in Cali though. We only have one Infiniti Dealer in Utah and they use their monopoly to keep shop prices way too high. Thus, guys like me are forced to work on their own cars. Whatever........ Point is, thanks again for the info. I always appreciate a little help/advice from a fellow Infiniti driver.

Brandon.

[Guju Rider]

I changed from 4100k (stock) to 6000K aftermarket and for about 2 years, it was all good except recently I had the same issue, and just bought some new bulbs. As far as ballasts going bad, think they'll outlast the car itself!... let me know how the bulb swap works