Long Term Expectations

[schaffs04]

All,

I have a 2008 EX35 Journey AWD I purchased in May. It was a one-owner car with 81K on it, and I now have just less than 90K miles on the clock. The previous owner appeared to keep up on maintenance before trading it. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I enjoy it just the same. I've had an I30 and a G35 in the past, with a few other cars in between.

So far, I know it will need spark plugs at 105K, and tires sooner than that. Brakes are done, and battery and steering rack were replaced as part of the purchase (dealer). There is one troubling item though, a cold hesitation/slip in the transmission. Goes away when warm, reduced or eliminated altogether using snow mode. I now only drive about 700 miles/month.

Assuming for a moment I will need a rebuild on the transmission at some point, is there anything else on this car I should take into account before taking that plunge? Just want a general idea of what people have seen in the 100-150K mileage range. My last car was a Mercedes and a massive cash suck, just trying to avoid good money after bad.

Thanks in advance!

[NJGuy]

For the transmission, I'd say to get a quick look at the fluid level and condition first. When I had my radiator changed, the mechanic forgot to top off the transmission fluid, and my EX had some hesitation when accelerating after startup. The hesitation did go away after the car was warm. After filling it to the proper level, it was no longer an issue.

When checking the fluid level in a 2008, the engine is supposed to be running. Check out page 20 of the 'MA' pdf file of the factory service manual for instructions on how to check the fluid. When I check mine, I like to do it before the fluid warms up.

Other than the steering rack (~94K) which I coincidently had to replace on my '08, the two other major issues I've encountered were a leaking radiator (~115K) and a throttle body that went bad (~94K). I don't think these issues are widespread across the EX, but they aren't uncommon either. The other issue I've seen that isn't uncommon is an oil leak at the timing cover gasket. Mine has small traces of oil there, but it doesn't concern me enough to address it. I believe that there are other problems (such as failure of the power tilt/telescoping steering adjustment, and movement of the driver seat), but they seem to show up earlier in the car's life.

There isn't a large number of EX owners on this forum with over 100K on their vehicles, so reliability beyond that mileage is still a bit unknown. While I expect Infinitis to cost less for repairs than German luxury cars at a similar age and mileage, I wouldn't expect them to be as reliable as a Lexus either. At least for you, your EX appears to be well maintained and it had an expensive repair done prior to you purchasing it. It doesn't guarantee you won't have any future problems, but it should give you some peace of mind for you and your wallet.

[schaffs04]

NJGuy, thanks for the reply. I failed to mention that I had the transmission issue checked out, and in doing so they dropped the pan, replaced the filter, and obviously replaced the fluid. They said they had a small amount of nonmagnetic dust in the pan- my mechanic described it as if someone had thrown a pinch full of glitter into the pan. They otherwise found the fluid to be quite dirty, but not burned.

They also found two of the bolts holding the pan on to be crossthreaded, indicating the pan had been dropped once before.

Last night while putzing around the garage, I took a chance and pulled the negative battery cable for about half an hour. Reattached and left it overnight.

Driving to work this morning? Not a hint of hesitation or slip. We'll see how it does this afternoon on the way home, but here's hoping the ecm/tps/tcu just needed to be put in a time out.

I'll close the loop once I know for sure.

Thanks!

[Teknical]

I have 150k on mine. No real issues - it's been a great car! And I kind of expect it to last forever. Any friends who ride in it comment on what a nice new car it is and are shocked to learn it's an 08. How can it be so much nicer and newer looking than their '14, etc.

I did have my radiator crack in the same place that some others here have had the same issue. I also have a little bit of a transmission issue where it seems like it "shifts hard" sort of like a hesitation. Almost feels like when you drop the clutch too fast between gears on a manual. Maybe it is the same kind of thing you are describing. I don't think the ECUs on these cars can be reset simply by disconnecting the battery like ~2001 Toyotas. You can pay to have the ECU reset and it's on one of the high mile service recommendations.

[schaffs04]

Tekical, thanks for the insights! I'm hoping to get to 150k myself and it sounds doable.

Update on the hesitation issue I had. It's back after about 5 days of driving. Again, putting it snow mode eliminates it. I now no longer think I have a physical issue with the transmission thank God, but a sensor someplace that is going bad. It seems to go back to normal after a battery pull or a pedal reset of the ecu, only to reappear about a week later. My current theory is that something isn't working right and as the system learns and tries to adjust for all the things it does (air temp, gas quality, etc,) that it's coming off the rails.

The saga continues.

[sev]

I have a 2010 with 100k on it, had since new. No major issues, only two things was the front timing cover leak covered under warranty and the radiator cracked around 90k mi.

[XIS]

My 2008 has about 85K and has been wonderful. I have managed to keep the paint nice and it is still 100% door-ding free. A little wipe-new on the black plastic and it looks like new again.
I have replaced my radiator and brake pads.
I have had to go into the headliner twice to re-tighten the sunroof motor.
I had one front strut replaced a year ago.
I only use Mobil 1 and change it myself. Sun Devil auto flushed my brake fluid for the first time last month.
It has been more than reliable and sexy.