maintenance costs?

[giltmaster]

Hi,

I'm interested in buying a 2003 G35, but I've heard some bad stuff about replacement costs for tires and brake pads, etc. Can someone let me know what i should expect in terms of yearly maintenance costs? I do'nt expect to be driving that hard all the time. thanks

[J-Owner]

I assume we are talking about a coupe? I am not sure about the brakes. I know there have been problems in the past on the '03 and '04's with brakes wearing out fast and it seems like I read on here that Infiniti was paying to replace the pads becuase of the complaints or something. Others could tell you more about this as I have an '05 and it doesn't apply to me so I haven't paid close attention to the topic.

As for tires they are not cheap. You can expect to pay about $1200-1400 to replace them and you can't just pick them up at your local tire place either. They aren't hard to get it is just most places don't stock them full time so they have to order them. I haven't had to pay to replace any yet but people say that some of the sponsors that advertise on this site can get them for you cheaper but I have not personally tried yet.

All in all it is an excellent car but remember you get what you pay for. If you don't want to pay high maintenance costs them stay away from Luxury car lines. If you want cheaper then I suggest a ford or chevy.

Good luck whatever you purchase.

[rydwhite]

Infinit was replacing brakes on the 03 model for excessive wear under warranty. Replacement rotors and pads aren't too terribly pad in my opinion. Of course it is more expenssive than domestic cars, but it not out of the norm for it's class. Tires are the same way. The dealer can replace the tires, but they are a little more expensive than most places. If you would want and I would never recommend this you can go to Goodyear or Tire barn and get cheap tires. I would recommend spending the money to get nice tires though which will run over 1k on average.

[jhoke]

Was Infiniti replacing the pads or the rotors, if you know. I have a new set of Hawks to go on but wouldn't mind a new set of Brembo Rotors to go along with them. Not a wear problem, a dust problem.

[jhoke]

Tires:Michelin Pilot Sports $222 front $263 rearAvon Tech M550 $129 front $152 rearBFG g-Force T/A KDW2 $162 front $169 rearRead the Tire Rack reviews and decide what is best for you.

[szh]

I also recommend Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 ... range is in the high $100's to low $200's per tire (depending on the correct size). I just got four 245/45-18 for my M45 for less than $850 including shipping.

If price is an issue, the Avon Tech M500 and M550 (mentioned above) from Tire Rack are awesome deals. The M500 is a better tire than the M50 probably.

Z

[joe603]

What is the best tire combo you can buy, with grip and wear resistance? What's everybody running out there?

[Q45tech]

Grip and wear resistance are at the exact opposite ends of the tire design parameters! YOU MUST SACRIFICE ONE TO GET THE OTHER

WET GRIP [braking] IS EVEN MORE SENSITIVE.

Strange [but common] when people buy a performance vehicle and redesign it to reduce wet braking [or braking in general] and handling to save a few dollars.

[rydwhite]

I've been running the Yoko AVS ES1000, a very nice tire.

[jhoke]

I had the Goodyear F1's on the BMW roadster I traded for my coupe. Can't ever recall having a tire with more dry grip WHEN HOT. That is the key to these tires. I'm talking not only tire temperature but also ambient. I'd say below 80 degrees the performance falls off drastically. I used them year round and they were exciting in the winter. Can't beat them for the price. I'm sure all summer high performance tires react similar but several ot the Z3'ers acutally discussed this with the Goodyear tire engineers. They acknowledged the tire characteristics. Just a part and parcel of a high performance summer tire. Start compromising this hot/cold characteristic and you also compromise other performance.

[Q45tech]

Summer Performance tires are designed to run 150-170F [tire road interface temp] for optimum friction.............as you stated about 80F it starts to go downhill fast---------------- falling off the cliff by 50F.

Study the plasticization point temperature. SUMMER ROAD TEMPERATURE is the key word.

[joe603]

Grip and wear resistance are at the exact opposite ends of the tire design parameters! YOU MUST SACRIFICE ONE TO GET THE OTHER

WET GRIP [braking] IS EVEN MORE SENSITIVE.

Strange [but common] when people buy a performance vehicle and redesign it to reduce wet braking [or braking in general] and handling to save a few dollars.

Totaly agree with you! I used Yoko A4s on my firebird, and didn't have any complaints. I guess i'm looking for a supertire...lol Not really in the market yet, but I definitly want to go wider in the rear, with lots of grip...keeping the stock 19" rims.

[BigWill]

Anyone heard of a solution to the uneven wear?

I just had to replace a front driver's side tire because when I got under the car to do the Gordgee wire connection to the transmission, I saw that the tire was almost bald on the inside, but the outside was perfect still. The passenger side had been replaced by the dealer only two months earlier. The guy at America's Tire said that he recommeded that I go in about once every 6 months to have the tires un-mounted, flipped, and remounted on the other side to keep the tire wear even. I guess that the sport suspension tuning is such that the camber is constantly a bit positive, causing faster wear on the inside.

I had a lowered Acura Legend a few years ago that had the same problem even with a camber kit.

[Q45tech]

IF YOU DON'T set [and keep it there] alignment to the perfect midpoint in camber you will see excessive camber wear.

The demount and flipping on wheel will equalize the wear somewhat every 3-5,000 miles.

Add $70 alignment every 6 months and flipping and rebalancing every 3 months adds $500 per year to tire maintenance cost.

Another factor is many wheels [especially aftermarket] are not strong enough to not stay in spec for long under rough conditions [non perfect roads] so you get to replace wheels or straighten them frequently.

Performance cars cost more to drive than an Accord or Camary. V6 cost more than I4 besides gasoline.