Just bought a stock 2006 M35x Fully Loaded [Suggestions]

[sawgy]

This car is in near mint condition, with everything working and having been serviced at the dealership most of its life. I want this to last me AS LONG AS POSSIBLE as this is my first "real" car purchase. Ideally I drive this for 10+ years

As I mentioned, this car is completely stock, although it contains the Premium Package. The car has 150,000 miles, and is using non-synthetic oil. Should i change this?

Anyhow, I want to hear what YOU would do in my situation. I'm not worried about performance, unless it is highly recommended and will not hurt my car. I got the car for a steal of a deal, so I don't mind putting a few dollars into it.

I am still looking around the site, but consider this my introduction.

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum.

I would use some good non-synthetic oil geared for high mileage (not sure what todays best non-synth oils are but I remember Castrol GTX being a great one) and change it religiously (3kmi).

[Larz]

Welcome to the forum!

Obviously the car did fine on non-synthetic oil for 150,000 miles so I agree with Ilya. No need to change to synthetic unless you 'feel' it is warranted. I always advise people to bite the bullet and take the car to your local dealer to get an oil / filter change. You will get the free inspection of brakes, tires, suspension, fluids, etc and thereby get a starting point for your maintenance moving forward. Since the car was services mainly by a dealer, your service rep can access the maintenance history so you know what has been already been done, etc. At the minimum, I recommend all fluids changed - oil, brake, coolant, diff, transmission. Not all at once, but as quickly as your budget allows. You may also want to replace the cabin air filter and seat filters. There are posts in here with where to buy them and how toi change them yourself. Do NOT let the dealer do it - their prices are unbelievably high for such a simple chore.
Oh ... and we will require pics of your new acquisition - there is a DIY on how to post pics in the FAQ section along with most popular mods that members have done. Anything you have a question about, just use the "search" box and you should find whatever you need. Otherwise post a thread and members will respond.

[airmanhoward]

Congrats on the buy. I would suggest USA Spec for your M. It will enable you to stream music from your phone. Amazon has them for $165 well worth the money and very easy to install.

[Ilya]

I don't know if I would do the transmission fluid on a car with 150kmi...unless I knew it was done within the last 50-60kmi. If it was last done at 50-60kmi (so it's been 100kmi), I'd leave it.

[sawgy]

Thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate the support.

I plan on making my mechanic familiar with the car by having him do a full inspection (he advertises as specializing in Japanese imports), but should i instead have the dealership do a full inspection? What would be the upsides to this? Update firmware that my mechanic would not have access to or anything?

One of the first things I want to do is add either a 3.5mm jack or bluetooth audio. Is this the guide to follow? /archives/pa15-infi-ipod-module-installation-infiniti-m35-m45 html

I heard of people having trouble A/C or something not functioning properly after installing some sort of audio playback, I want to make sure this isn't a possibility using this method!

[airmanhoward]

No issues with my a/c after my USA spec was installed

[Ilya]

Thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate the support.

I plan on making my mechanic familiar with the car by having him do a full inspection (he advertises as specializing in Japanese imports), but should i instead have the dealership do a full inspection? What would be the upsides to this? Update firmware that my mechanic would not have access to or anything?

One of the first things I want to do is add either a 3.5mm jack or bluetooth audio. Is this the guide to follow? /archives/pa15-infi-ipod-module-installation-infiniti-m35-m45 html

I heard of people having trouble A/C or something not functioning properly after installing some sort of audio playback, I want to make sure this isn't a possibility using this method!

Your dealer likely won't perform any work for you regarding firmware because you are WAAAYYYYY out of warranty. The reason why Larz said to get an oil change there is because they throw in an inspection for free. So you get an oil change + inspection for $50 or so. Not sure what your local mechanic will charge for an inspection like that.

As for the music...

I and another member 'wrote the book' on the USA Spec. for this car. There is zero issues with it. Now, if you go with a Grom (crap) or other unit, then who knows what'll happen. I only vouch for the USA Spec.

If your car has active satelite radio (meaning you can turn it on right this second), you need the USA Spec. PA15-INFI (gets wired to the back of the car by the tuner). If your car does not have satelite radio but is CAPABLE of it (usually denoted with a CAT button on the radio unit I believe near the preset #3 button, just below it), then you will need a PA15-NIS (gets wired behind the radio in the dash).

Recently USA Spec released a bluetooth adapter of some sort and there is a thread on here about it, but I have no experience with it. IMO, I recommend the hard wired PA15-xxx. I'd stay away from using something with a 3.5mm jack too. Why? Because the car is made for iPods and iPhones and your better of using a PA15-xxx and a small iPod (I have a 16GB that fits ALL of my music). And I don't even like Apple, in fact I'm die hard Android user.

As for the install guide, use the FAQ/HowTo link in my signature and go to the electrical section. You'll see my thread and the other one as well.

[steve_c]

I have an early build 2006 M35x (July 05), 120k miles. Best car I have ever owned hands down.
Dino oil since new. OFC's have varied between 3.7k and 7k miles. Did a complete transmission fluid change out at 60k miles with Nissan Matic S.

Their was a recall on the 06's for an accelerator pedal issue, check your local dealer or call them with your VIN # handy to see if your car has been done.

Enjoy the ride!

[sawgy]

It already had the accelerator pedal replaced, I have the receipt
Transmission fluid replaced at 73kmi, should i do this again?

I'm looking at good all-weather rubber floor mats, any suggestions?

As for the music, would i be better off getting a compatible ipod that can connect via bluetooth?

I want to make my tail lights look like this. What do you guys think?

[Ilya]

It seems like your car was well maintained (due to the service history you have) so at 73kmi and now at 150kmi, I'd say you might be okay doing the transmission flush. Really up to you. Most guys (from all car makes and models not just us here) will tell you that the general rule of thumb is to not touch the transmission fluid after 100kmi if it hasn't been done before...since yours has and it's been technically 70kmi since, you might be okay to do it still.

I would get an iPod and a USA Spec. unit withOUT bluetooth...unless the BT offering from USA Spec integrates with the steering wheel controls, etc. Trust me, controlling the iPod via the wheel is much better than having to control it from the device itself...which is why I am anti-BT in most applications like phones, etc. because you have to control most of it from the phone.

As for the tail lights, I don't like it lol. But aesthetic mods are 'eye of the beholder' type .

[sawgy]

Ok, when I was reading the post about the compatible ipods I thought it meant they could use the stock bluetooth already included. I am now realizing those are ipods that can take advantage of the wheel buttons while using the USA Spec. Thanks for clearing that up! I will order my USA Spec now

[Larz]

Far as the tail lights go, I think that is a mistake. Why would you want reverse lamps to shine red?

[Ilya]

Ok, when I was reading the post about the compatible ipods I thought it meant they could use the stock bluetooth already included. I am now realizing those are ipods that can take advantage of the wheel buttons while using the USA Spec. Thanks for clearing that up! I will order my USA Spec now

Make sure you have the CAT button somewhere on your radio switches...if you do you're good to go. If you don't, or don't have a satelite tuner in trunk under the amp, you will be SOL with the USA Spec.

[sawgy]

I have the CAT button and when i press it there are 5 options: top 40, traffic, news, public, and rock. Does this mean i am satellite capable and can use the usa spec? Or do i still need to check in the trunk? This car has the premium package so i assume it's capable

[Ilya]

I have the CAT button and when i press it there are 5 options: top 40, traffic, news, public, and rock. Does this mean i am satellite capable and can use the usa spec? Or do i still need to check in the trunk? This car has the premium package so i assume it's capable

Yes. You should be good. Another test you can do is to see if you press the "Radio" button (I believe) on the top panel 3 times, it should go to the XM1 channel I believe. I may be mixing up my devices though, that test might be for a Grom (crap) but it should work right now.

[sawgy]

Found out my car has functioning xm radio, so i purchased a used NA15-INFI on ebay for $70. Should be here within a week. Hopefully setup goes smooth. I might wire a second amp and pair of subs at the same time. Is it safe to splice these with the other speaker but have an independant knob for controlling sub volume?