M37X going in for checkup - 49k miles, areas of concern?

[mrnix]

this spring, I bought a Malbec Black 2012 M37X with 49k miles currently, and really like it so far. The factory warranty expires next month, so I am taking it in to my local shop to have them do a good once over on it and see if there's anything I would need to have the dealer look at or repair. I have not noticed any areas of concern, but I wanted to see if anyone here had suggestions of something that might be worrisome going forward, so I can get it looked and and hopefully fixed under warranty if applicable. Thanks.

[Ilya]

There's nothing really common on the Y51 (other than the M56 chain) like there was on the Y50 (front seat rails, M45 oil consumption, etc.).

Just have them look it over and give you the bill of health.

[mrnix]

Thanks. That's what I gather, but wanted to see if anyone suggested any latent troublesome spots. I got the Blackstone oil test kit, so I will send that off as well when I change the oil.

[moneyteamlouis]

i got the same car and color how you liking it so far? not to many Malbec Blac in my area

[mrnix]

Mechanic noted only a couple of things, but 1 sounds significant. The transmission fluid was "dark", but probably just needs to be changed via regular maintenance. They said one of the ball joints needs to be replaced, and it would fail a safety inspection. Would this be covered under warranty, or is it a maintenance item?


Money, I do like it so far. I had a G for almost 9 years, and the bigger car took a little getting used to, but I'm a fan and hopefully I get the same dependability I got from the G. What part of town are you in? I'm in west county.

[M37xfan]

There's nothing really common on the Y51 (other than the M56 chain) like there was on the Y50 (front seat rails, M45 oil consumption, etc.).

Just have them look it over and give you the bill of health.

I have a little over 57k miles on mine and it has been to the dealer twice for oil changes since I have owned it. So far nothing has been noted of concern...

[ArmedAviator]

Ball joint will be a wear item. It'll come out of your pocket.

The trans fluid should be changed by the dealer and should be good to go after that for atleast 30k miles.

My 2012 M37x with 86k I've owned since 82k miles....
So far had to fix a rain sensor that was improperly I stalled because the windshield was replaced prior to my purchase, install new brake pads and rotors, replace S-belt, and replace a fog light that was dead.

Other than that, I only did all the preventative maintenance at once so I know it's all fresh and ready to rock for quite some time. Engine runs great, trans shifts great (although the shift schedule is less than stellar but that's a programming issue).

[mrnix]

Ball joint will be a wear item. It'll come out of your pocket.

The trans fluid should be changed by the dealer and should be good to go after that for at least 30k miles.

Crap. I have an appointment with dealer on Monday, who said they'd need to look at it first to determine if warranty covers it. Mechanic suggested the whole control arm would need to be replaced, since he can't just replace the ball joint. I know very little about suspension and steering, so I hope this was a correct assessment. Would there be something I could hear or feel to let me know it's a problem? I have a road trip coming up in July, so I'm wondering how urgent of an issue this is.

[ArmedAviator]

To test a ball joint, you Ned to have the car lifted off of the wheels and use a long arm against against a pivot to gain leverage against the tire and see if the wheel hub assembly moves. It'll be apparent by motion and maybe a clunk from the ball joint. Thats a very general way of doing it.

You will need an alignment after replacement as well if that price isn't I closed in the replacement

They can go for some time while being "worn," but of course there's a limit where it will fail and you do not want to be stranded. Usually ball joints are designed to fail at low speeds (wheel turned hard left or right, which generally is at low speed). You do not want this to happen.

[Debonair]

Crap. I have an appointment with dealer on Monday, who said they'd need to look at it first to determine if warranty covers it. Mechanic suggested the whole control arm would need to be replaced, since he can't just replace the ball joint. I know very little about suspension and steering, so I hope this was a correct assessment. Would there be something I could hear or feel to let me know it's a problem? I have a road trip coming up in July, so I'm wondering how urgent of an issue this is.

If the ball joint is bad get it fixed. You don't want to experience a failed ballpoint. It could go for a long time without issue, or it could fail soon. Best not to risk it in this case.

[mikedamageinc]

How do they know the transmission fluid is dark? Doesn't seem likely that they pulled the fill plug to check it.

[Debonair]

Dark fluid is normal.

[lovemycarM35]

OK I'm confused, you should have power train warranty for much longer then next month I have an 2011 with 59K and I have in till January of next year? and is it common for ball joints to go at 49K

[mrnix]

Dark fluid is normal.

thank you sir. I appreciate that. One less thing to worry about.

[mrnix]

Dealer said ball joints look good and no concerns. recommend a brake fluid flush, front and rear differential service, front sway bar link replacement, and fuel induction service. I have done differential fluid on other cars, so I expect I can handle it on this one, just a little surprised it needs it at 50k, I thought they lasted longer. I have changed brakes, but never brake fluid, any tips on that job? He downplayed the sway bar replacement, but I don't think I have ever heard of this needed replacement.

[Ilya]

Dealer said ball joints look good and no concerns. recommend a brake fluid flush, front and rear differential service, front sway bar link replacement, and fuel induction service. I have done differential fluid on other cars, so I expect I can handle it on this one, just a little surprised it needs it at 50k, I thought they lasted longer. I have changed brakes, but never brake fluid, any tips on that job? He downplayed the sway bar replacement, but I don't think I have ever heard of this needed replacement.

Diff/transmission fluids should be changed every 60kmi or so...so depending on how it was driven, it may be time. I do mine every ~60k.

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry -- EDIT: DON'T DO THIS, THIS IS INCORRECT INFORMATION CORRECTED BELOW) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

Sway bar links will result in little (or big depending on how bad they are) clunks...if you aren't hearing any suspension noises you can probably hold off on that for another 20-30kmi. I just had mine changed and I'm at about 80kmi and I wasn't hearing much noises but dealer offered to do them when I was there for the timing chain recall for $100 (which is what they'd cost me in parts alone) so I let them do it.

[M37xfan]

Dealer said ball joints look good and no concerns. recommend a brake fluid flush, front and rear differential service, front sway bar link replacement, and fuel induction service. I have done differential fluid on other cars, so I expect I can handle it on this one, just a little surprised it needs it at 50k, I thought they lasted longer. I have changed brakes, but never brake fluid, any tips on that job? He downplayed the sway bar replacement, but I don't think I have ever heard of this needed replacement.

Odd...my vehicle has just over 57k and was just in for oil change and inspection not too long ago. My dealer did not recommend any of those things above.

I don't even recall the maintenance guide recommending those items unless it falls under the 'Severe' Schedule

[mrnix]

Diff/transmission fluids should be changed every 60kmi or so...so depending on how it was driven, it may be time. I do mine every ~60k.

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry -- EDIT: DON'T DO THIS, THIS IS INCORRECT INFORMATION CORRECTED BELOW) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

would sucking the fluid out with a turkey baster result in air in the lines? Isn't this a bad thing? (pardon my ignorance) I have a pump that I have used to replace the differential fluid, I suppose that would do the same thing, since it's not a lot of fluid in there.

[Ilya]

Dealer said ball joints look good and no concerns. recommend a brake fluid flush, front and rear differential service, front sway bar link replacement, and fuel induction service. I have done differential fluid on other cars, so I expect I can handle it on this one, just a little surprised it needs it at 50k, I thought they lasted longer. I have changed brakes, but never brake fluid, any tips on that job? He downplayed the sway bar replacement, but I don't think I have ever heard of this needed replacement.

Odd...my vehicle has just over 57k and was just in for oil change and inspection not too long ago. My dealer did not recommend any of those things above.

I don't even recall the maintenance guide recommending those items unless it falls under the 'Severe' Schedule

Also depends on roads. If you live in FL, for example, where the roads are better than NY, you'll get more life from your suspension. If you live where I live (where roads are utterly destroyed in the winter thanks to salt/plows/freezing temps), you'll get less life from it.

Diff/transmission fluids should be changed every 60kmi or so...so depending on how it was driven, it may be time. I do mine every ~60k.

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

would sucking the fluid out with a turkey baster result in air in the lines? Isn't this a bad thing? (pardon my ignorance) I have a pump that I have used to replace the differential fluid, I suppose that would do the same thing, since it's not a lot of fluid in there.

It will. That's the point. You get all the fluid out so all you have left is air. Then, you fill the brake reservoir and start bleeding and eventually you get all the air out and get left with fresh fluid only.

EDIT: My information was incorrect, do not bleed the system completely dry.

Instead, just keep bleeding your brakes as is and just keep topping up the reservoir with fresh fluid. Eventually you'll have fresh fluid.

Bleed the brakes COMPLETELY...BEFORE driving the car.

[mrnix]

It will. That's the point. You get all the fluid out so all you have left is air. Then, you fill the brake reservoir and start bleeding and eventually you get all the air out and get left with fresh fluid only.

Alternatively, you can just keep bleeding your brakes as is and just keep topping up the reservoir with fresh fluid. Eventually you'll have 95% fresh fluid.

So, basically, there are two ways of approaching it. Either way, you need to bleed the brakes COMPLETELY...BEFORE driving the car.

Thanks. I understand and heed your warning. As I mentioned, I have changed pads before, but never fluid. I will do some research on this, but it does not sound overly challenging if I am careful.

[ArmedAviator]

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

DO NOT LET THE RESERVOIR GET DRY!!!

If the Master Cylinder goes dry, you need to remove it from the car and bench bleed it to remove air.

Turkey baster the fluid you can remove from the reservoir, top it off with fresh DOT 4 synthetic, and bleed one wheel at a time, starting at the farthest wheel from the master cylinder and moving to the closest. I use the helper method. I open the bleed valve, helper pushes on the pedal, I close the valve, and have the helper release the pedal. Rinse and repeat until fresh fluid comes out.

I do this every two years for optimum brake performance.

Regarding the sway bar end link - this isn't too hard to replace yourself. Might as well replace both sides.

The front and rear differentials are easy. Just remove the filler bolts before the drain bolts so you know you can refill once you drain. Use a GL-5 75W-90 synthetic gear oil.

Do not do a "fuel induction" service. Ripoff. If you want peace of mind, run a full bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner in your half-full fuel tank. Clean the MAF sensors with CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner. That's all that's needed. Your throttle bodies will have a tiny bit of oil and soot on the inside of them, as will the whole intake manifold but this is normal and cleaning it will not help efficiency or performance. This is caused by the EGR system.

[Ilya]

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

DO NOT LET THE RESERVOIR GET DRY!!!

If the Master Cylinder goes dry, you need to remove it from the car and bench bleed it to remove air.

Turkey baster the fluid you can remove from the reservoir, top it off with fresh DOT 4 synthetic, and bleed one wheel at a time, starting at the farthest wheel from the master cylinder and moving to the closest.

Interesting...are automotive MC's different than motorcycle MC's (much smaller)? I definitely ran my 2013 ZX6R completely dry and had no issues bleeding it and getting the brakes to be potent/properly functioning. And on my 89 KLR 650 I turkey bastered all I could out of the MC's.

But, good information to have...I stand corrected. Thanks for correcting.

I will edit my post so people using Google don't get the wrong information.

[mrnix]

Brake fluid, take a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid (or just bleed the brakes till you run the system dry) and then replace the fluid with new and rebleed until you see nice new fluid coming out. I just did this on an old motorcycle I picked up for a trip to Mexico...fluid in the cylinders was so old it was starting to thicken lol (it's an 89).

DO NOT LET THE RESERVOIR GET DRY!!!

If the Master Cylinder goes dry, you need to remove it from the car and bench bleed it to remove air.

Turkey baster the fluid you can remove from the reservoir, top it off with fresh DOT 4 synthetic, and bleed one wheel at a time, starting at the farthest wheel from the master cylinder and moving to the closest. I use the helper method. I open the bleed valve, helper pushes on the pedal, I close the valve, and have the helper release the pedal. Rinse and repeat until fresh fluid comes out.

I do this every two years for optimum brake performance.

Regarding the sway bar end link - this isn't too hard to replace yourself. Might as well replace both sides.

The front and rear differentials are easy. Just remove the filler bolts before the drain bolts so you know you can refill once you drain. Use a GL-5 75W-90 synthetic gear oil.

Do not do a "fuel induction" service. Ripoff. If you want peace of mind, run a full bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner in your half-full fuel tank. Clean the MAF sensors with CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner. That's all that's needed. Your throttle bodies will have a tiny bit of oil and soot on the inside of them, as will the whole intake manifold but this is normal and cleaning it will not help efficiency or performance. This is caused by the EGR system.

much appreciated. Are transfer case and front differential hard to get to on the X model? I know typically the rear is right there, and there's probably a hole to fit a socket extension on to remove the filler bolt.
I thought the same about the fuel service. I figured I could run some Lucas additive to my fuel, as needed, and I've done the MAF cleaning on my G, just need a new bottle of CRC.

[ArmedAviator]

Front diff and transfer case are accessed with the engine under cover removed. Not too difficult. Use the appropriate ATF in the transfer case.

Ilya, I know nothing about motorcycles but it's a very bad idea to let the MCs run dry in autos, probably because of the multiple lines feeding the ABS and individual brake calipers and dual piston internals (one for front and one for rear). The ABS system is also very sensitive to air and if air gets in, you need to run a special diagnostic command to make the system run and bleed.

[Ilya]

Front diff and transfer case are accessed with the engine under cover removed. Not too difficult. Use the appropriate ATF in the transfer case.

Ilya, I know nothing about motorcycles but it's a very bad idea to let the MCs run dry in autos, probably because of the multiple lines feeding the ABS and individual brake calipers and dual piston internals (one for front and one for rear). The ABS system is also very sensitive to air and if air gets in, you need to run a special diagnostic command to make the system run and bleed.

Yeah, bike brakes are much much less complicated. Color me edjumacated. Forget I said anything