Mold Issue

[angelfire]

I've got a moldy Infiniti M45, which is literally making me sick. At age 47 I've been diagnosed with asthma, which my doctor and I link to the mold in my M45. Read the whole sad story at http://www.BadNissanInfinitiCars.com

[gniknave]

You're the first I've heard of this. But how do you prove that your asthma is linked to mold?

[Jesda]

Wow, first I've heard of it too. This is the biggest Nissan/Infiniti site on earth and I'm really surprised it hasn't come up.

[Jesda]

"White Smoke. On a cold start, sometimes a cloud of white smoke comes from the exhaust system. I’ve reported this before. I have never owned any car that has ever emitted any smoke in any conditions. The cooler the outside temperature the longer the car smokes, I can see it in rear and side view mirrors at stops."

That, by the way, is completely normal. Are you sure it doesnt have a blue or gray color to it at all? Imperfect break-in procedures can result in poorly seated piston rings.

[elwesso]

I have noticed that the Q seems to have a little more steam that most cars (note its just steam)..... Dont know why.....! but who cares!

[elwesso]

Great, once people find one thing wrong with a car they will start finding other things... OH NOES A CD CHANGER DIED, THE CAR IS A LEMON!!!

Honestly, I bet your problem is due to a clogged drain in the AC evaporator box... In our old Qs, this is NEVER a problem and we have no filters..... The dealer doesnt know what theyre doing, thats not the car's fault!

Honestly, im surprised you got this far with the dealer... Most other dealers (yes, even lexus/toyota/BMW/MB) would probably do the same thing or just deny or find no fault.....

My question to you is..... WHY didnt you go to another dealer to get a second opinion...?? I mean, if one docotor says you have a broken knee but your arm hurts, you might go for a second opinion, right? Thats what I would have done, see what the other dealer had to say.. Now if BOTH dealers gave you the same bologna then thats a different story...

[driverdriver]

This guy reminds me off the old guys who own an RX8 and complain about oil consumption, engine flooding resulting from short trips and the premium gas requirement on their vehicle.......duhh its a performance car with a rotary engine. It's not a grocery getter.

[1993TanJ30]

^Agreed...

I dont get it - if it needs be removed, and cleaned, why not spend the $1000 (at absolutely most) and get your cars AC system working perfectly again...?

Is this permanent or something?

I mean, spending 1K to protect a 46K investment makes sense to me...?

I may be dumb though!

[Jesda]

I finished reading the site this morning (I dozed off last night) and it seems like Peak Infiniti is mildly incompetent.

Warranty work is usually much less profitable than service paid with cash, so some dealers brush off warranty work to earn more per hour. Ford dealers are notorious for this. Saying that they don't trust themselves to remove your dash should be the first sign of a problem. They're either trying to brush you aside to make room/space for cash customers, or implicitly telling you how sloppy their work is and how woefully inexperienced they are.

Please take your beautiful M45 to someone who actually knows what they're doing. Peak Infiniti seems like the equivalent of acupuncture for a broken leg.

Best of luck to you.

And speaking of M45s, I saw a gorgeous black one today on my way to the lumber yard (yes, I hung huge wooden pallets out of the back of my Q). It was lowered and on 18s with gold badges. I -must- have one of these cars! One of these days...

[szh]

"White Smoke. On a cold start, sometimes a cloud of white smoke comes from the exhaust system. I’ve reported this before. I have never owned any car that has ever emitted any smoke in any conditions. The cooler the outside temperature the longer the car smokes, I can see it in rear and side view mirrors at stops."

White smoke on a cold start is just water vapor condensing ... same as clouds!

After the exhaust components warm up (and, yeah, it takes longer on colder morning ... no surprise there), the white "smoke" stops.

This is indeed totally normal!

Z

[Bwana]

Try Infiniti of Denver down in Aurora. They're the original Infiniti dealership around here, and they seem to be more competent.

[nchopp]

I have noticed that the Q seems to have a little more steam that most cars (note its just steam)..... Dont know why.....! but who cares!

I'd noticed the same thing...

[nchopp]

Man, great graphics on that there site...

[angelfire]

Please take your beautiful M45 to someone who actually knows what they're doing. Peak Infiniti seems like the equivalent of acupuncture for a broken leg.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks. There are two Infiniti dealers here in Denver. One is Peak Infiniti and the other is Infiniti of Denver. It was Infiniti of Denver that turned my I35 into a rattler when they tried a simple CD-CHANGER replacement. So I traded the rattler I35 in for the M45 (at a dealer in Kansas - they had the model and features and price I wanted).

Because I KNOW HOW BAD THE SERVICE IS at Infinti of Denver, I've been taking my M45 to Peak Infinti for work. And overall they've been pretty good. And I do believe they've been "strong armed" by Infiniti Consumer Affairs into lying about the defects, deny deny deny.... even in the fact of conflicting evidence.

The putrid odor is so intense sometimes it makes my eyes water. This is not just midly musty, it's putrid and unhealthy. I can't describe how bad it is.

My 4 year/60,000 mile warranty is not worth the paper it's printed on.

[angelfire]

Try Infiniti of Denver down in Aurora. They're the original Infiniti dealership around here, and they seem to be more competent.

Infiniti of Denver is the dealer that turned my almost perfect 2002 I35 into a "rattler". After 2 years of no problems, my cd-changer started skipping, no problem it was under warranty. Infiniti of Denver put in a replacement changer and the rattles started. Over and over again they worked on it, adding more rattles every time. When they removed the dashboard, the rattles were intollerable. And I'd get my car back with oily fingerprints all over the dash parts, improper assembly and damaged parts. I will never ever go back to Infiniti of Denver for anything.

See http://www.BadNissanInfinitiCa...y.htm

[angelfire]

White smoke on a cold start is just water vapor condensing ... same as clouds!

After the exhaust components warm up (and, yeah, it takes longer on colder morning ... no surprise there), the white "smoke" stops.

This is indeed totally normal!

Z

All I can say is that I've owned lots of cars in my lifetime and not one car put out the white smoke like this, the quanity and for as long as it does.

Sure all cars put out some vapor on a cold start, not smoke, vapor. This is more by a huge amount than I've ever experienced before.

[angelfire]

^Agreed...

I dont get it - if it needs be removed, and cleaned, why not spend the $1000 (at absolutely most) and get your cars AC system working perfectly again...?

Is this permanent or something?

I mean, spending 1K to protect a 46K investment makes sense to me...?

I may be dumb though!

The car has 12k miles and should still be covered by the 4 year/60,000 warranty...

According to the "Center for Auto Safety" (founded by Ralph Nader and Consumers Union) in Washington DC, once a car has mold, it's there for the life of the car.

I want Infiniti to BuyBack my car. Putting up with this putrid smell and the health issues it caused is unreasonable for any car, let alone a 46k luxury car.

Infiniti has dropped the ball on this, I think they'd sell their mothers to avoid a BuyBack.

[angelfire]

You're the first I've heard of this. But how do you prove that your asthma is linked to mold?

Check out the "Moldy Links" menu choice on my website http://www.BadNissanInfinitiCars.com

I'd never heard of it either until the car started stinking and I got the asthma, it took a while to make the connection.

Newer cars have smaller AC evaporators with tighter fins, a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew.

[gniknave]

I worked at an Infiniti dealer in a pretty big metro area and sold these cars for 2 years. Also spent some time in the Infiniti service department as well. Never heard of one mold or any mildew related incidents in ANY model new or old.

As far as the vapor, that's pretty normal. I even questioned it when I first started working at Infiniti and even drove one of the cars into the service bay thinking something was wrong with it. The master technician said the "smoke" when cold is normal even if it seems excessive. It's common on the VK45DE, VH45DE, and even the VH41DE (though not as much on those).

[Jesda]

What did they say when you called Infiniti North America about the problem?

Infiniti Consumer AffairsP.O. Box 191Gardena, CA 90248800.662.62009:00am - 6:00pm Eastern / Central Time8:00am - 5:00pm Pacific Time

[gniknave]

Infiniti Consumer AffairsP.O. Box 191Gardena, CA 90248800.662.62009:00am - 6:00pm Eastern / Central Time8:00am - 5:00pm Pacific Time

Ask them if you can get a hold of Eric Luen. Though he just works the Northern California district, he's very helpful at answering questions and connecting you to the right people.

[JDMEnthused]

eh.. **** happens.

[angelfire]

What did they say when you called Infiniti North America about the problem?

Infiniti Consumer AffairsP.O. Box 191Gardena, CA 90248800.662.62009:00am - 6:00pm Eastern / Central Time8:00am - 5:00pm Pacific Time

I asked for a BuyBack and they declined. I have an open case at the BBB AutoLine for arbritration - waiting for it to be scheduled. They didn't say much at all, they just said NO, NO and HELL NO.

[angelfire]

I worked at an Infiniti dealer in a pretty big metro area and sold these cars for 2 years. Also spent some time in the Infiniti service department as well. Never heard of one mold or any mildew related incidents in ANY model new or old.

As far as the vapor, that's pretty normal. I even questioned it when I first started working at Infiniti and even drove one of the cars into the service bay thinking something was wrong with it. The master technician said the "smoke" when cold is normal even if it seems excessive. It's common on the VK45DE, VH45DE, and even the VH41DE (though not as much on those).

Thanks for the info. The problem now is that I know there is a putrid smell which they deny, and I know the wipers are not right, which they deny. So anything which I'm not sure about, and they deny, it's hard to know if they are right or lying again.

[Jesda]

So, no one is willing to open up the dash and take care of it out of fear they'll screwup?

[angelfire]

So, no one is willing to open up the dash and take care of it out of fear they'll screwup?

That's what Peak Infiniti says, and I already know that Infiniti of Denver WILL screw itup, like they screwed up my I35.

But my research shows that even if they do open the dash to clean the AC evaporator, the mold will not be eliminated, it will return. I seem to be screwed all ways.

[Q451990]

There is a lot if mis-information and histeria about mold at this point. I can not see how replacing the evaporator, ductwork, fan box, etc. would not eliminate the mold. Mold abatement in homes is accomplished by removing the moldy surfaces... can't be that much different in cars.

I agree that removing a dash is a good way to cause creaks and rattles that can never be found or repaired, but they should take the risk and then go forward from there. A dash can be carefully removed and reassembled if the tech. is willing to take the time and effort to do it correctly.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues... I guess every company grows a lemon or two - and it tends to sour the owner forever. I will never, ever, ever, buy (or even own if it was given to me) a Ford product due to warranty issues.

As for the white "smoke" I have to say that it is indeed normal. Two Q's and it still alarms me sometimes... it's particulary apparent when it's very cold, or moderately cool and humid. Kind of embarrasing when the guy at the Burger King Drive-thru says "your Q is smoking" - but other than that it's harmless. Just a by-product of the exhaust design I guess.

Good luck with everything...

Heath

[Rex]

... According to the "Center for Auto Safety" (founded by Ralph Nader and Consumers Union) in Washington DC, once a car has mold, it's there for the life of the car...

Once you dropped that name I stopped reading and quit caring.

Do yourself a favor and don't mention his name on any car enthusiast baord.

I edited your thread title to make it easier for someone to find in the future if they'searching for "mold issuses", plus it's displayed (like all threads) as a lionk, but doesn't take you to that URL when clicked.

Also, moved to the M45 forum.

[99q45t_vl]

According to the "Center for Auto Safety" (founded by Ralph Nader and Consumers Union) in Washington DC, once a car has mold, it's there for the life of the car.

And you believe the words coming from organization founded by RALPH NADER ???????

[angelfire]

Ralph Nader is not one of my favorite people either for so many reasons. The Center for Auto Safety was founded by Nader and Consumers Union but is now independent of both.

Among their many accomplishments are the Lemon Laws in 50 states and the recall of the infamous Ford Pinto for exploding gas tanks and the Firestone 500 tire for tread separation.

They have done some good things, so lets not dismiss them for all things, there is always good and bad.