Infiniti is NO help- no comparison to Lexus

[O5Q45]

After getting off the phone with Mia the regional district manager at Infiniti Consumer Affairs, I realized that not only are my feelings about the Q45 compared to the engineering and development of the Lexus LS430 we own; that the level of customer service is also bottom of the barrel. I researched the origin of this so called Infiniti and boy have we been taken! It's nothing but a mid grade Nissan Cima- in ref to the 2002-2006 models.. Infiniti wonders why the car continued to flop? Anyone with an ounce of intelligence and a drivers license that goes and drives a Lexus and then An Infiniti can tell there is ZERO refinement in this Nissan. None of you here can argue that point and say anything but I am 100 correct. Half the parts are unavailable for this car and Consumer affairs doesn't even have access to there own service bulletins- ludicrous. My car has 100,010 miles and every f ing month it's always $1,000 need of repair. Driveshaft/propeller shaft last month, headlight ballast this month, and others.. let's stop pretending we own a luxury car any anything other than a v-8 Maxima. Yay- I wish this Q45 was worth a decent amount of money, I can't even trade it in or sell it, it's both worth it's weight in tin cans according to any blue, black or online book value guide. The cars flopped and have low value because the general public isn't stupid and can actually feel the difference in quality- let's not get it twisted and fall for the it's so rare that is has nothing to do with the cars quality but it's lack of advertisements. Bull- it's a shame Nissan didn't spend some money and build a car from the ground up like Lexus did, and decided to rebadge a car about the same size and almost the same features. I guess the Renault venture when they about went broke shows in the poor poor lack of developing a equitable car to Mercedes Benz and Lexus and Jaguar. Infiniti is never ever goIng to fit with those brands. It will continue to be some bizarre niche brand of over powered over priced Nissans.

[sandydennis11]

I can't agree with you more. Infiniti service is the worst. Luckily I have a 1996 Q and have kept up all service requirement and much more, so my Q is running fine. And I have a great local service gentleman.
The newer Q's (after) 2000 are just plain junk. And accordingly parts on my Q are getting harder and harder to find and their service departments couldn't care less.

I also have a 2006 Lexus LS 430 and have not had one issue in 10 years, not one. But it looks like Lexus has been taking advice from the bean counters and cutting back on quality parts like leather and plastics. But their service has been excellent .

Give your car away before you lose more.

[qship96]

Infiniti threw in the towel after the 1st generation {1990-1996 g50} series lackluster sales and starting in 1997 just rebadged the lower level,less expensive Japanese Cima as a "q45" for the US market.....well known here.I agree though,Infiniti as a luxury brand is pretty much a laughing joke in todays market- they have nothing for those cross shopping MB,BMW,Audi,Jag,etc in the "true" full size premium luxury sedan market- and have not since the mid 1990s.....over 20 years without a top level sedan is no way to try and build a "luxury" brand.Sad.

[94Q45Beast]

Apparently the soon to be released Q80 is suppose to be the "TOP" luxury full size sedan

[Skibane]

let's stop pretending we own a luxury car any anything other than a v-8 Maxima.

Actually, Maximas are pretty decent cars.

[Q451990]

I'm sorry that you're not happy with your car. I agree that Infiniti and Nissan are not what they used to be. I also think you are expecting a bit much from a manufacturer in terms of support on a 12 year old car with 100K+ miles. I hope you find a way to dump it and get another car that you like better. In my opinion, cars now are 5 year disposable excrement box propositions. How many LCD touch screens and features can we pack in to a car powered by a 2.0T hamster wheel...

[EdBwoy]

I agree that cars don't age the way they used to back in the day. As they say, they don't make them like they used to. I was just responding to another member giving my opinion of the last gen Q45 and how perceived quality changed just within a 5-year period.

Again, what's the mileage on your car? I mainly buy used cars and it just depends on how old they are exactly. For example if you buy a 150k-mile vehicle, a lot of mechanical parts might be due for replacement soon. However, buy the same vehicle at 200k, and it's likely all that could break has broken and been replaced and you have another 100k of trouble-free driving.
To bring it closer home, I know if I bought your car specifically it would be a pretty stress-free experience.
1. You've replaced a lot as you've said.
2. I do most of the maintenance & repairs by myself
Although, I must say you seem to be dealing with issues that are not common problem areas to these cars. I don't doubt that you're paying for all these things. Either you have an anomaly, or there's something goofy about the history of this vehicle.

On quality:
Every car manufacturer makes the most money when they sell you a brand new car. I think it's the dealerships that make money on service. What is the point of Infiniti trying hard to make you a car that will last 35 years if they see Chevy selling multiple brand new disposable cars at $15k? We live in a very profit driven world and the consumer is just a means to the investors' goal. I might not like it either, but I understand why some business decisions are made. Ask any BMW owner. It costs an arm and a leg, then eat some massive depreciation and can only trust & rely on the manufacturer for the length of your warranty.

On being overpriced Nissans:
I disagree. Again, it's possible for Nissan to sell the new Infiniti Q70 for $40k and make a profit still, but why bother if Hyundai is now selling a 40k car? All they have to do is undercut Jaguar, Benz, BMW, Lexus etc... you want bang for your buck in performance and technology, get a Nissan. You want modest power and a reliable vanilla ownership, get a Toyota.
As much as they set MSRPs, the laws of supply and demand still apply. As long as people are willing to go into debt to give the manufacturers their asking prices, the prices will keep going up.

Again, my opinions only.

[PetersQs]

I agree with Infiniti going downhill. I believe the best car they ever made is the first gen Q45. I just bought a brand new MB CLA 250 4 Matic. The professionalism of the salesman was off the charts the car is perfect in fit and finish and even though it's a baby MB, it's seems larger inside than the Q (it's an illusion and there is no rear seat room). I test drove a Nissan mid level SUV and it was a plastic piece of junk. I turned the car around after three blocks it drove so badly, went to MB dealer and bought the baby B.

[reggiebrown40]

While agree with you that Infiniti service (and cars) have gone down in quality since the first gen Q I will say that I totally disagree that we have been taken. I owned my 2002 Q45 for 9 years and yes, spent a lot on repairs, but that's the price of admission with any luxury car. I enjoyed owning my Q and I decided to part ways with it once it started becoming a money pit. Same situation that you're in, it seems. I'm sure Lexus' cars break down at some point as no car is designed to run forever. Just curious -- what were you on the phone with Infiniti consumer affairs regarding?

[O5Q45]

My car has 102,700 miles, and yes Ed there are many new parts, a lot replaced out of OCD and not due to failure- I've replaced -
Nissan driveshaft/propellor shaft (silk smooth now)
Royal Purple diff gear oil full syn
Centric/Powerstop slotted rotors and pads
New radiator with All new Nissan Long life (Blue)
Plugs- Bosch Double Platinum
Coverking dash cover (dash is perfect)
New Nissan Panasonic/Matsushita Ballasts L&R
Osram d2r 6000k CBI bulbs
ALL other bulbs in front are Philips LED
Philips LED 921 center mount stop lamp
Goodyear Comfortread tires (5k on them)
Nissan cabin filter and air filter
Magnaflow exhaust (muffler with 2 resonator delete)
Sears Die-hard Gold (4 months old)
Collonite wax every three months with Adams paint sealant
Fuel tank never allowed below 1/2 to lube pump
Techron black bottle every 2500-3k
Liquimolly 5w30 full syn with Lubegaurd Bio additive pack and Royal Purple extended performance oil filter. Everytime, all the time. Oil consumption has GREATLY diminished to 1/2 quart per 3-4k

I wish I could sell it for 8500-9k only because I miss Toyota.. yeah ownership is vanilla, but I enjoy the peace of mind - I don't want any sport in my sedan because I don't drive sportingly, I rarely ever creep above 2500 RPM's.

I am sure there's something I'm leaving out, but after all I've had inspected and done the car should drive to the Southern most tip of South America no problem!

[PalmerWMD]

With all that maintenance done your car will sell on an Infiniti forum for that price.
used car prices presuppose they were owned by average consumers and this means even for "very good condition" lots of deferred maintenance.

[AZhitman]

Wow.

Yeah, I don't really know how to respond to that rant - and I'm a pro at ranting on Nissan and Infiniti.

I've gotta say, you bought a car that was built almost 14 years ago, with over 100k miles, and think Infiniti Consumer Affairs is going to somehow make you happy? Honestly, I'm surprised they even spoke to you.

There's no telling what your car went through before you got it, so it's absurd to think it's a bad car.

I understand you've already dropped the "I'm right, everyone else is wrong" gauntlet, so you don't leave much room for discussion.

I'm also wondering why you didn't research the car before you bought it. I've messed with both cars (Q and LS400) and while the LS is a well-put-together car, it's also very different. Heavier, slower, quieter. Longevity is certainly in the Lexus' favor, but I'm seeing 02-05 Qs at the local auction with 200k on them.

I hate to put it this way, but you can't generalize with a sample size of 1, and you can't crap on an entire company because you bought a car with an unknown history, nearing the end of its useful lifespan.