Looking at 06-08 M35/M45 - Advice?

[combsatl]

Hello all -

I've been a fly on the wall for a few weeks now and finally registered an account. Being perfectly honest, I've never been much of an Infiniti fan - I always sort of saw them as rebadged Nissans and never really gave them a chance, until recently.

I've recently become quite fond of the 2006-2008 M35/M45 models and am wondering if there are any common problem areas or if there's a 'new owner buyers guide' or anything out there (I searched but didn't see anything).

I've been reading up and amazed at how relatively reliable these cars seem to be. I've had six German cars (just put my Audi S4 up for sale) and am used to all sorts of quirky and bizarre issues. I do the majority of work myself, unless it calls for expensive specialized tools. I figure I'll make a move as soon as I sell my current car but want to make sure I'm getting the right one.

Any help and/or advice is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance!

[svard75]

Like with any used car pull the carfax, inspect it thoroughly, and test drive it. If you have a scanner tool read any codes, drive it in a tunnel with open windows close to a wall on your side then the passengers side. Ask for records and history.

I have the 06m35 awd and have been quite happy with its reliability. Since 09 ive changed the dvd player in the console, drivers seat rail, pass side mirror, 2 wheel bearings all under warranty. Out of pocket ive only had to pay for 1 new cat (my fault). Ive performed oil changed every 6000km, front and read diff every year, transmission and transaxle every 2 years along with brake fluid, and coolant. My original battery lasted 7 years and so far my interstate is going strong. I replaced my shocks with the D2 coilovers. Tires 3 times. Of all of these things i believe tires were the most expensive wear and tear item. Pehaps michelin primacy would last longer.

Unfortunately i feel the v6 is underpowered. The v8 is less reliable but more up to the task of haulin.

I think you would be happy with an M. The gadgetry is quite reliable.

Good luck.

[jiggersplat]

Seems to me that the biggest thing to watch out for is the oil consumption on the V8. The piston rings had a tendency to go bad at like 60-80k. Shocks seem to give up early compared to most cars I have owned. Other than those two things, just watch out for the normal used car stuff as far as I can tell.

[combsatl]

Thanks for the quick replies!
Of course, Carfax is a must and I'll be sure to inspect for any leaks (valve covers, power steering, etc). I normally try to drive over a speed bump or something to hear how the control arms and mounts sound and get it on the highway and test the steering at speed.

I guess I'm just so used to issues BMW's have where you need to replace the cooling system every 60-80k or the coolant tank, hose, stat housing, or waterpump may become so brittle that it breaks, or how Audis seem to chew up control arm bushings every 50k. I've been amazed at how reasonable replacement parts are for these cars.

I'll be very happy once I find the right one. I have a few in my sights but, like I said, I have to sell my car first.

Thanks again!

[pedsemdoc]

may want to look over these threads:

thinking-of-trading-in-for-06-m35-sport ... 83145.html

opinions-on-purchase-of-2006-m45-t580363.html

what-to-consider-with-a-used-m-t578253.html


But to summarize what I think I've seen/read:

1. A "rattle" under acceleration which is caused by micro cracks in the Y-pipe...you should take the car out and listen to it at idle, accelerating slow, hard, going into a turn, etc.
2. Some folks have had issues with the driver side seat rails breaking causing the seat to wiggle, rock, and move
3. There is a TSB for adjusting the Bluetooth microphone, poor sound/reception
4. The M has an issue with tramlining for some with certain brands of tires- lots of threads on tires
5. Oil consumption (I would want to see records of oil changes and regular maintenance items, especially if done at the dealer), more so with VK compared to VQ
6. Problems with filling up the gas tank only halfway before pump shuts off and obviously not completely filling up - this has happened to me about 2 times in about 4 yrs...I just pull the nozzle out, place in back and pump slow
7. Warped rotors from OEM setup, try Brakemotive kit, you won't be sorry
8. Wheel hubs going bad (just had to replace my front passenger after about >90k miles, though) pretty easy job - look at FAQ and DIY thread
9. If the CEL, VDS, RAS lights (basically if your dash looks like a Christmas tree) and you can't drive it or it's stuck in "limp" mode, the crank position sensor and/or camshaft sensor has gone bad and needs to be replaced (recent thread about that too)

Another thing to think about is bolt-on go fast parts, if you're thinking about modding: more aftermarket stuff for the M35 (VQ35DE) vs the M45 (VK45DE) but the M45 has more HP and torque stock, and only about 1 mpg less than the M35 (although Dean has demonstrated you can squeeze some great gas mileage out the '45 - very recent thread) !!!!

Good luck, you won't be sorry with either the M35 or M45.
If you pull the trigger, post pics of the ride and Welcome to NICO.

Craig

[combsatl]

Wow, thanks for the reply, Craig! I'll definitely keep all that in mind. I'm probably leaning toward a M35 or M35x. I know the v8 really helps the car come alive but the 3.5L is plenty quick for my purposes. I just need a nice, reliable, reasonable daily driver.

Thanks agiain - all great things to check out. How well does the bluetooth work in these cars?

[jiggersplat]

Ah... yeah the seat track thing. I forgot to mention that one.

The bluetooth supports phone only... No streaming audio which is my only real gripe about my car. There's a s*** ton of threads on it.

[combsatl]

Interesting about the seat tracks. I'll make sure to test that before making a purchase. I saw about the bluetooth streaming but there are some add-on modules I could get which would allow for it.

Thanks again!!

[svard75]

Bluetooth is phone only. You can send your contacts to the cars addressbook, you can issue voice commands to dial a number or set addressbook entry, you can tell your car to adjust the temp and curse at it when someone pisses you off on the road (kidding about that part). I dont have nav so not sure if voice commads can control any nav settings. There is an add-on ipod/bluetooth module http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/removi ... 5-m45.html