Hello from my "new" 2012 M37x

[icrf]

I'm just stopping by to say hello. I picked up my M37x last week with all the bells and whistles on it (namely, the Technology Package), and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. I was eyeing a G35 back in 2006, but couldn't justify the expense at the time, so I went with a 2004 Mazda 3. A fun, efficient little car, but pretty basic. It was getting up on miles (146k) and I was looking for something nicer. I was all set on the G37 until I sat in the back seat. Dear lord, I would not wish that on anyone I cared about. M37s don't run that much more, so what the heck. Silver outside, black inside, looks nice. I even get cooled seats and a heated steering wheel this way, too.

I have some history with Nissan, as my first vehicle back in high school was a 1993 Hardbody. This was as basic as it gets, the only, and I mean only, option it had was 4wd. Otherwise, 4-cyl, manual, short cab, it didn't even have intermittent wipers. I beat the ever living hell out of that truck, modified it and then some (ever put a set of gears in a vehicle where you paid more for the gears than the vehicle was worth?). I still own it and take it out occasionally, but it's pretty far from daily driving duties.

I'm glad to be back in the Nissan fold.

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum!

[withomps44]

Congrats!! Now get to work swapping out that lighting for LED. ;0

[icrf]

I swapped halogen headlights for Toyota OEM HIDs on my Mazda, and that was a bigger PITA than it was worth. My truck has standard H4 halogens instead of the stock big sealed beam enclosures (can get a whiter color temperature this way). My brother swapped all his interior lights on his Tacoma with red LEDs, which looks funny. What lights are all the kiddies swapping out on their Ms these days?

The only things I'm even considering at this point (less than a week's ownership) are adding remote start, and finding some way to get more bass out of the stereo. From what I've read, both can be complicated and come with compromises.

[GM Joe]

I'm a fellow newbie...bought a 2012 M 37 2 days ago...only had 11,500 miles! Great ride.

[icrf]

Got me beat, mine has 24k miles. 2012 model year, but first registered in fall 2011, so as far as warranty goes, I've only got six months left of the intial four years. But, you don't buy a car this nice and anticipate warranty problems. Anything that goes wrong, I'll either fix it myself or learn to live without it.

[RichMarth]

Congrats and welcome! How about some pics...

[SwissCheeseHead]

Welcome to the forums!
Here's a link for LED lights:
m56-interior-exterior-led-lighting-over ... 93913.html

Here's a link on audio upgrades:
replacing-speakers-in-the-m-t593802.html

Problems I've run into that I'm mostly SOL for because I've run out of warranty:
-Front distance sensor working intermittently (only paid labor for this since I had just bought the car and discovered during warranty period (the last week) and brought it in shortly afterwards. Had to go through Consumer Affairs. The sensor is a $2K part).

-Possible malfunctioning heater core - symptoms include no heat in the front passenger vents and little heat in driver's front foot vents (I think it's something else but in any case, it's all out of pocket). Parts/labor was was quoted around $1600.

[icrf]

Thanks for the audio link. All I'm interested in is a sub. I'm less picky about the rest, so long as it's not horrible, and it isn't in the M. Years ago, I made a tiny sealed MDF box with my brother for his Infinity Kappa Perfect 10 with some random amp bolted to it. When he got rid of the vehicle it was in, I got the sub and amp, and eventually put it in my Mazda3. I tapped into rear speaker level lines behind the head unit and got a cheap LOC and it worked fine. I pulled all that out of the car before I sold it, so it's all sitting there in my garage and ready to go into the M. I'll probably need a little longer power line with the longer car, but that's probably about it. I have the rest already. It's mostly a question of willingness to tear into my shiny new car. I had my Mazda a year or two before I did it there.

I had read about the distance sensor problems, too. My boss has a GX35 and had to take it in for warranty work related to the adaptive cruise control. As to heat, if the steering wheel and seats still heat, I don't know that I'll care about the vents.

It's been raining constantly the last week, so maybe I'll get out Sunday and take a few pics. Speaking of, I really need new wipers.

[SwissCheeseHead]

If you go about 3/4 of the way down in the audio thread, I posted a little guide on how to tap into the stock amp lines to wire up an aftermarket sub. I've got a sub sitting in my shed right now that I had in my G coupe. I'm still debating on whether or not I want to put my sub in (and take away some trunk space) but there are times where I want a little more low end as well.