Looking to Buy an 08 EX35...A Few Questions.

[netwreck94]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking into upgrading from my 01 Qx4 to a 2008 EX35. I had also considered buying one of the 07+ G-X's, but just can't bring myself to like the body style enough. The EX on the other hand is right up my alley, and frankly I'm shocked that they aren't more popular than they are. That said, I'm making a drive to see an 08 with 40k that's priced as 22k. I love the color scheme of Dark Currant with the "Chestnut" leather...it's a shame that I don't see many for sale with that combo. It looks like it has every single factory option (lux elite, nav, prem & tech) and with the mileage and options the price seems to be good...almost too good. The car has also been for sale at different dealers since February, going to an auto auction twice in between Feb and August. I'm hoping that the color combo being "un-normal" is simply turning people off, but it seems odd that it's been through auction twice regardless. It's a two owner car, the 1st owner took amazing care of it with carfax showing infiniti dealership servicing every 3-5k miles. However, the 2nd owner (owned for about 14 months) is where I'm a bit afraid. There are only 2 oil changes shown in a 20k mileage period, although carfax obviously doesn't show them all.

One of my main concerns with the VQ35 motor is the oil consumption issue. It's not a problem if you keep an eye on the level and get regular changes, but I'm nervous that the 2nd owner didn't pay attention to it. I know that the G's have TSB's for oil consumption, so obviously it goes for the EX too. Does anyone have any experience with the oil consumption issue, or is it less frequent than I'm thinking? If the vehicle was run low on oil and then traded in/sold, is there are tell-tale signs or things I can look for (other than the obvious knocking or SES codes?) Also, I believe it's still under the factory powertrain warranty for the next 10 months...if something were to happen between now and then would I have to just have oil records for my ownership period, or would I need to prove oil changes for the life of the car?

I was also wondering what things I should be looking at in general for a pre-purchase inspection. From my research I've seen that some of the problem areas are the fuel pump, the steering wheel motor, a programming issue with hard sport shifting and poor rear brake pad life...am I missing anything? Unfortunately there isn't an infiniti dealer anywhere near the car so I can't bring it there for an inspection, although I am hoping to find an auto shop to give it a once over prior to purchase.

Any input would be much appreciated, and I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be joining the EX "club" later on this week.

Thanks

[NJGuy]

I haven't paid attention to the amount of oil my EX consumes, as my oil change intervals have been right around the 3,750 mile mark. I also haven't had the time to do my last few oil changes, so I let the dealership handle those for me. So I can't help you much there.

I have a feeling that the long oil change intervals by the second owner didn't hurt the engine that much. If you like the car that much but are still a bit worried about it, I'd try to find other '08-'10 models for sale in your area and test drive them as a baseline. Then, I'd give a long and thorough test drive in the specific EX you've been eyeing. That way, you can kind of gauge if something is amiss with the EX you want.

In the event of an engine failure within the factory powertrain warranty period, I think what matters most is how good your servicing dealership is. A better dealership will go to bat for their customer, while a sub-par dealership probably wouldn't care. So I'd make sure that your servicing dealership has a good reputation. If for some reason the engine suffers some sort of failure I would play dumb with the vehicle history and see what the dealership says. If you tell them that the car didn't get frequent oil changes, that may give them a reason to deny your warranty claim. The burden to prove that the engine failed due to poor maintenance falls upon Infiniti.

I'm not sure about this, but the fuel pump might be a recall item. If not, I'd pay attention to it during your vehicle inspection and test drive. I think that most of the fuel pump issues showed up early in ownership of the EXs. If you don't notice anything wrong, the pump will probably fine for a while. Ditto with the steering wheel adjustment motor.

I can't comment on the sport shifting, because I hardly ever use it. Yes, the rear brake pads usually don't last too long; but if you're a bit mechanically inclined the brake pad changes aren't difficult on this car. Otherwise, expect to pay the going rate for shops in your area for brake pad replacement.

Good luck.