MPG Concern on newly purchased 07 M35

[gavnator]

MasterFoo and to Enigma's point just because they can't find service records does not mean the car wasn't serviced. Looks like she put a hell of a lot of miles from the Feb '09 to Nov '10. If your that interested about the service (I would be) and you have her name, look her up on bulletinboard or some other source and contact her. A lot of these leased cars will end up at the Infiniti auctions when the lease ends. There picked by various dealers and moved all over. Actually my M was purchase new a Holman Infiniti in NJ, however I purchased it from a dealer in MA. I even contacted Infiniti, gave them the VIN and it had a spotless service record up to the time I purchased it. I even know the guy that leased it new because all his info and the window sticker came with the car. I wanted black with the Bourbon interior (like yours) and did a 125 mile Autotrader search. Regarding the Elite Extended program; make sure you get a quote from that dealer before you buy. All of the guys posting will tell you that. Shop the Elite extented Warranty. Look at the posts. There a lot of good info on this subject. I know guys that have bought from Infiniti if Scotsdale, Az but I can't remember her name. I wanted to do business with my local Infiniti dealer that gives me great service but these guys wanted $600 more for a 4 year 48,000 mile Elite Extended Warranty. I ended up doing business with an individual named Daniella at Circle Infiniti in NJ. She was very helpful. They were $600 less expensive. And don't worry about no entries in the book. Do you really think Infiniti dealers fill that out. It's all online. The problem is when you lease a vehicle and specifically an Infiniti and don't bring it in for the very basic oil changes and inspections; I think that just stupid from a good will perspective. You pay a few bucks more for the oil change but they go through the whole car pretty much checking things out. You didn't mention how the car runs at least I didn't catch it. Did you check out that air filter on your car? It's probably one of the easiest air filters to change. I do air filters and wipers. That's it. LOL.

[MasterFoo]

MasterFoo and to Enigma's point just because they can't find service records does not mean the car wasn't serviced. Looks like she put a hell of a lot of miles from the Feb '09 to Nov '10. If your that interested about the service (I would be) and you have her name, look her up on bulletinboard or some other source and contact her. A lot of these leased cars will end up at the Infiniti auctions when the lease ends. There picked by various dealers and moved all over. Actually my M was purchase new a Holman Infiniti in NJ, however I purchased it from a dealer in MA. I even contacted Infiniti, gave them the VIN and it had a spotless service record up to the time I purchased it. I even know the guy that leased it new because all his info and the window sticker came with the car. I wanted black with the Bourbon interior (like yours) and did a 125 mile Autotrader search. Regarding the Elite Extended program; make sure you get a quote from that dealer before you buy. All of the guys posting will tell you that. Shop the Elite extented Warranty. Look at the posts. There a lot of good info on this subject. I know guys that have bought from Infiniti if Scotsdale, Az but I can't remember her name. I wanted to do business with my local Infiniti dealer that gives me great service but these guys wanted $600 more for a 4 year 48,000 mile Elite Extended Warranty. I ended up doing business with an individual named Daniella at Circle Infiniti in NJ. She was very helpful. They were $600 less expensive. And don't worry about no entries in the book. Do you really think Infiniti dealers fill that out. It's all online. The problem is when you lease a vehicle and specifically an Infiniti and don't bring it in for the very basic oil changes and inspections; I think that just stupid from a good will perspective. You pay a few bucks more for the oil change but they go through the whole car pretty much checking things out. You didn't mention how the car runs at least I didn't catch it. Did you check out that air filter on your car? It's probably one of the easiest air filters to change. I do air filters and wipers. That's it. LOL.

Both you guys are right, it could be that she had her own mechanic but wasn't sure how strict lease vehicles are.

You're referring to Courtney in AZ, I've seen her and Daniella's name float alot on this board and will be calling them both. Should I wait until I'm 59,900 miles or May 2011 to buy the extended warranty?

The car runs good to a certain degree, I know it has much more potential because of all the M's I test drove the last couple of months shopping. It's not very responsive on the low end and I've read similar experiences a few times on here. You really have to push it to get it going but once it does........it's growling and gone.

I already ordered a K&N drop in filter and should be arriving next week this should help a bit.

[EniGmA1987]

The bets way to get more responsiveness would be an UpRev tune, this will increase your HP a bit (better gains from mods too if you tune it after mods) and will also get you a little better mpg since the car is running more efficiently.

Nate on these boards is/was also developing a ground kit that helps shifting response quite a lot. I have one of the prototypes installed in M35.

[MasterFoo]

Just got back from the Service Dept.

I was told the MPG is normal "for these cars". Highest MPG I can get is 12.9, my old 96 Ford Explorer had better gas mileage. Does anyone have a picture of their cars MPG read? The service manager was surprised anyone got over 20MPG. I definitely don't drive it that hard. My last car (00' Toyota Solara V6) gas would last me a month, now I can barely get by a week with less driving.

They ran a diagnostic, checked the fluids, didn't find anything wrong except for my rotors need resurfacing. It wasn't a total waste of time, they are changing the seat assembly since I have travel when braking and washed my car......on a rainy day. I guess it's the thought that counts.

I am keeping an eye out for the grounding kit and it's completion. Not sure about the UpRev, I would have to do more research on that. I am going to do an oil change, and transmission drain/fill to see if it helps. (he also told me NOT to use Synthetic oil).

[EniGmA1987]

My Infiniti dealership uses a 70/30 oil mix, 70% synthetic, 30% real. So try that and see if it helps. Here are my MPG pictures taken from different days and times the past 3 weeks between 3 different fill ups. This is with my wheels slightly out of balance and in need of an oil change. Tires are at 34 psi cold. Not bad for a big V6 and a 5-speed transmission


This one is the first night home, from gas station where I work to my house 24.6 miles away, slightly downhill over half of the way:



This one is the next day right before I left work to go home, so that first shot plus some city driving, and driving to work which is slightly uphill over half the way:



And then the morning after I put some gas in the tank again, 5-6 days after the first two pictures. I dont think I filled it up all the way I think I put just $20 in if I remember:



And lastly this is that same tank as the last picture but after using over half the tank of gas, I think it was like 2 days later:






I have since filled it up again and done 90% city driving on this tank of gas, with sitting in drive-throughs every day which is a huge MPG killer on that screen, and get an average of 19.5 mpg over a 4 day period of driving. Quarter tank of gas left right now. I can take a picture of my miles driven over the last 2 fill ups if you want so you can see I am not just cheating on the numbers. It also has the total time driven in that same screen. If you dont believe me ill go take a picture of it.

[MasterFoo]

Almost all my driving is city (don't tell my future buyer lol ), highway on weekends.

On my way to the gym I took these pics, half tank, mostly downhill, getting it up to 40mph and coasting. This is after changing the oil today and new air filter.






I'm going take the suggestion of filling her up, writing it down and measuring the MPG old school.

[jhuerto23]

A little silly worrying about mpg when buying a car with a lot of punch. The only way to fix this problem your worrying about is to trade it in for a smaller size engine. I have a m45 I don't mind at all about how fast it eats my gas as long as arrive to my destination early.

[EniGmA1987]

MasterFoo, did you reset the average MPG screen when you filled up to see what you got as your average for just that tank of gas?

[mmm..good]

Everyone's results are different but the "averages" should hold true. With the 35X and a moderate foot, you should get at least 16 in town. I average close to 19 with mixed use. But then again, I don't have a lead foot - most times.

[mcrews]

I have a 02Q45Sport and have done some reading/testing on mpg. ecomodder dot com is agreat site for factual results on mpg.
As I read the posts, I have to agree with some of the issues.
1. It's all about the 'nut' behind the wheel. (smile) I know the Q's transmission ecu adjusts to shift according to the driver's style. If you drive easy, it will respond and adjust. If you like to 'get on it' it will sent the programming for that style.
2. THe next biggest issue is rpm. THe lower the rpm when you are cruising, the better mileage you will get. I run a tire one size up a 255/24/18 instaed of 245/45/18. The tire is 3.4% more diameter than factory which lowers the rpm. Also, the 02Q45 had a 2.87 (or 2.78...can't remember exactly but it is below 2.9!)rear end ratio. Much lower than the M's. I do about 65% highway driving so the larger diameter works for me. (and I really don't need a quick start!)
3. Actually, the 91(cal) 93 octane does run better that 87 or 89. I have taken several long trips to texas from Ca and get better mpg w/ the highest octane. The higher octane allows the ecu to set the highest retardation which corresponds to better mileage.
4. Keep the mpg screen on all the time.....It's like a video game.
5. I have gotten 27mpg consistantly on 300 mile highway round trips. I have gotten 30mpg on long trips highway only. But I had to stay at 61mph to make that happen. the rpms are 1728rpm at that point.

[MasterFoo]

A little silly worrying about mpg when buying a car with a lot of punch. The only way to fix this problem your worrying about is to trade it in for a smaller size engine. I have a m45 I don't mind at all about how fast it eats my gas as long as arrive to my destination early.

That's the problem, it's not providing that punch I expect. To get it up to 40 requires alot of pedal effort, not responsive at all. I allow it to slowly climb up in speed or roll into red lights so that I never really stop.

MasterFoo, did you reset the average MPG screen when you filled up to see what you got as your average for just that tank of gas?

I did reset it, just to be clear. When I reset it, on the main fuel economy screen, I highlight "Reset" and do so. Within the "intervals" screen I am not able to reset the intervals for some reason.

I've signed up with Fuelly and will be keeping track of my fuel ups and mileage. Next fill up I will know for sure. I'm not really trusting the onscreen display.

Everyone's results are different but the "averages" should hold true. With the 35X and a moderate foot, you should get at least 16 in town. I average close to 19 with mixed use. But then again, I don't have a lead foot - most times.

I have a very "moderate" foot, though big (size 14) it is not that heavy. I've practically made it a goal to get over 13mpg onscreen.

I have a 02Q45Sport and have done some reading/testing on mpg. ecomodder dot com is agreat site for factual results on mpg.
As I read the posts, I have to agree with some of the issues.
1. It's all about the 'nut' behind the wheel. (smile) I know the Q's transmission ecu adjusts to shift according to the driver's style. If you drive easy, it will respond and adjust. If you like to 'get on it' it will sent the programming for that style.
2. THe next biggest issue is rpm. THe lower the rpm when you are cruising, the better mileage you will get. I run a tire one size up a 255/24/18 instaed of 245/45/18. The tire is 3.4% more diameter than factory which lowers the rpm. Also, the 02Q45 had a 2.87 (or 2.78...can't remember exactly but it is below 2.9!)rear end ratio. Much lower than the M's. I do about 65% highway driving so the larger diameter works for me. (and I really don't need a quick start!)
3. Actually, the 91(cal) 93 octane does run better that 87 or 89. I have taken several long trips to texas from Ca and get better mpg w/ the highest octane. The higher octane allows the ecu to set the highest retardation which corresponds to better mileage.
4. Keep the mpg screen on all the time.....It's like a video game.
5. I have gotten 27mpg consistantly on 300 mile round trips. I have gotten 30mpg on long trips highway only. But I had to stay at 61mph to make that happen. the rpms are 1728rpm at that point.

I don't think I will ever get MPG that high out the M, but then again I haven't been doing much highway driving.

[EniGmA1987]

Well you will have an even more difficult time now in winter.

I always got 29 mpg on the street by my house cruising at 40 mph, the past few days I get 25 mpg

[MasterFoo]

See below, confirmed by fuelly. I'm getting probably the crappiest MPG on the board.

Does the transmission affect MPG?

[EniGmA1987]

Cant see anything below.



One of your problems might be that you spend a long time slowly getting up to speed. The majority of your time is on the gas and at low speeds. I suspect that you might get a lot better gas mileage if you were to floor it for 2 seconds to get up to speed really quick and then coast at 40mph or so with just the tiniest bit of gas to maintain speed. When cruising at 42mph on level ground I normally get 27-28mpg. You might want to try getting up to speed really quick and then cruising around at speed for longer, while doing LONG coasts to a stop when you see a red light coming. Then after a tank or two of gas let us know if your gas mileage improved or worsened.

[seldomseen]

My '03 Q45 can get 23 mpg on the highway without/with cruise control. City driving will yield between 16-18 mpg though. The M/Q actually gets pretty decent mileage considering the engine size and horsepower.

[MasterFoo]

Cant see anything below.



One of your problems might be that you spend a long time slowly getting up to speed. The majority of your time is on the gas and at low speeds. I suspect that you might get a lot better gas mileage if you were to floor it for 2 seconds to get up to speed really quick and then coast at 40mph or so with just the tiniest bit of gas to maintain speed. When cruising at 42mph on level ground I normally get 27-28mpg. You might want to try getting up to speed really quick and then cruising around at speed for longer, while doing LONG coasts to a stop when you see a red light coming. Then after a tank or two of gas let us know if your gas mileage improved or worsened.

Weird why it isn't showing up.




But flooring it, I'll try it....I'll try anything right now. There has to be something wrong with my engine.

[EniGmA1987]

I can see that image you posted now. Wow man, 9.9mpg is just awefull. What brand of gas are you using? And are you using 81 or 91? Also what tires do you have?

[MasterFoo]

I can see that image you posted now. Wow man, 9.9mpg is just awefull. What brand of gas are you using? And are you using 81 or 91? Also what tires do you have?

yup!, and it is eating at me, something is really wrong with my engine even though the dealership says otherwise.

I'm using Shell since I bought her, 91 Octane.

My tires are fairly new Falkens (just put on 2 weeks prior), I'm running 35psi all around.

The engine isn't running as smoothly and I'm thinking I need to change the plugs, it just takes alot of effort to get the car moving.

Does the dealership normally pick up on faults like this (bad plugs, misfiring, piston issue, etc..) when they do the Diagnostic/multi-point inspection?

[EniGmA1987]

Does the dealership normally pick up on faults like this (bad plugs, misfiring, piston issue, etc..) when they do the Diagnostic/multi-point inspection?

I am not sure. If the engine feels sluggish it might be something like the spark plugs not firing properly. Or something else wrong with the car.

Try switching to another brand of gas. I never buy Shell gas as the 5 times I have bought it with my M35, twice (from different locations and months) I have had engine pinging and sluggish performance.

[EniGmA1987]

BTW I prefer Arco 91 octane gas. Now there are a ton of people who are all like: [stupidvoice]ehhhh meh Arco gas is horrible[/stupidvoice] but I have good reason for buying Arco.

Shell has the worst quality gas I have ever used. Sluggish performance and pining problems, also costs more. So I am never buying Shell again as it is damaging to my nice car.
76 station gas I have very often seen being filled up at 3am with an Arco truck. So why would I ever pay more for what is Arco gas?
Chevron is just too expensive for me. An average of $0.35 per gallon higher than Arco. I try to save as much as I can in every area and switching to cheaper gas among other things have saved me $100 a month on just little things here and there. The price difference for me between Chevron and Arco is $408 per year.
Arco has never given me sluggish performance or pinging, and is a lot cheaper than everyone else.


Thus until I have a problem with Arco gas, I will be sticking with them. You should really try another brand besides Shell as well. Even if you dont trust other stuff, what you are doing now is clearly not getting you very far so you really have nothing to lose.

[MasterFoo]

No Arco gas in NJ, I'll try a different gas next time. Thinking Hess since it has ethanol, which cleans. But Shell is a top tier gas and has always done me good.

[themacs]

"The newer models have a 7 speed and I wonder what type of mileage those are getting? "

I have an '09 and ave. 22 mpg in town and highway. Best tank was 28 mpg driving from LA to San Diego. General highway is 26 mpg. I keep the tires at about 32 psi (30 cold and 33-34 warmest per sensor). I don't drive the car hard.

Just an FYI.

Scott

[relentless1]

Recent trip from San Diego to Palmdale.
About 175 miles one way with some stop and go traffic in the LA area. Trip showed 25mpg average.
Tire PSI is at 36 cold and 40 warm.

[moshennik]

Ok, i just got a 2007 m35x, reset everything and after 100 miles of city driving i get 7.5MPG!!! ( more then half of the tank is gone ).
this has to be wrong, right? I will take it to the dealership on monday and have them take a look at it.

[mexillis]

BTW I prefer Arco 91 octane gas. Now there are a ton of people who are all like: [stupidvoice]ehhhh meh Arco gas is horrible[/stupidvoice] but I have good reason for buying Arco.

Shell has the worst quality gas I have ever used. Sluggish performance and pining problems, also costs more. So I am never buying Shell again as it is damaging to my nice car....

You should really try another brand besides Shell as well. Even if you dont trust other stuff, what you are doing now is clearly not getting you very far so you really have nothing to lose.

I dont understand how shell gas was making you ping, I use their 93 octane all the time and it helped "clean" my engine from using Costco gasoline. IDK all the top tier gasolines but I would use them instead of anything else. As for everyone with bad MPG's, the city driving will do that no matter how you drive. Im sure if I drive in Baltimore just for an evening my MPG's will drop dramatically from the stop and go lights. When you look at your gauge for AVG MPG if you reset it in the city it will show low numbers and it doesnt rise back up very quickly even if you jump on the freeway. Go to the actual MPG screen where it shows your current MPG's and look at where it goes while driving in the city that will give you a better idea of where it's at. Also when you fill up use the total miles driven divided by how many gallons it took to fill it up and that will give you the most accurate reading. GL

[SteveTheTech]

This thread is interesting, I have seen similar threads over the years and the gap keeps getting larger as these cars change owners and locations.

It would appear that no two Ms are the same when it comes to wear and tear effects on fuel economy. Fuel is the easiest variable to change.

How many of you all use the long term fuel economy monitor?



The View button shows you the last 20 or so resets of the fuel economy monitor. The Reset button should clear the memory and add a mark to the history record.

Round trip fuel average was 21, with a one tank high of 22.4. Mileage determined by dividing gallons used into miles driven.

The adaptive cruise control is a PITA.

The facts:
1. The M tank holds 20 gallons of gas.

2. The gas gauge is not an accurate indication of fuel remaining in the tank.

3. Trip computers have improved from the early days and are fairly accurate but not the definitive measure of mileage. They use throttle position, RPM, manifold vacuum, and other parameters, to calculate MPG. They do not measure the volume of gas consumed.

4. Fuel pump nozzles vary in their cut-off sensitivity. On some fill ups I have been able to nurse up to two more gallons into tank after pump clicks off. If you do not care to do this, then check your mileage by filling up at the same pump (not just the same station) and calculate your mileage. Hint: reset one of your trip odometers each time you fill the tank.

Hey there,

While I would be inclined to agree with 90% of your facts on most cars we are dealing with an M here.


I honestly thought it was 18 huh go figure.

The M has a control unit that deals with complex calculations and algorithms.
The book makes no mention of what types of calculation they are using but it seems like a standard rate calculation-
---------- Distance
Rate = -----------
---------- Time

To derive the instant econ numbers they the only speed input readily available...vehicle speed over the CAN line. There is no signal for or calculation even for manifold pressure on th M. Now they use calculated load value with is Mass Airflow sensor voltage and grams per second readings into a much more accurate assumption of engine load.


Here is a list of inputs and outputs of the little known of and often misunderstood Auto AC amp.

As for fuel filler nozzle issues there have been updates to the shutter valve on the bottom of the filler nozzle tube for some tanks but that is based on a certain vin range. There is actually a whole system inside the tank that controls the fuel tank refueling pressure. There are many things that could effect operation of this system. This actually requires the carbon canister be mostly empty. Repeated overfillings will fill the charcoal medium and slow the intake rate.
Diagnosing an error in the ORVR is complicated and most techs are completely misinformed about how this system works.



Here is a diagram. None of the parts of these other than the shutter valve and if you are out of warranty I'm betting you will be hard pressed to find someone to willingly stick their hand into the tank. That is one of the most dangerous warranty jobs I have ever done. A former co worker of mine had to get over a dozen stitches from a small slip. The edges are literally razor sharp and rubber gloves dissolve in gas. On the medical pain chart I think a new face should be added for the type of pain that comes from slicing ones palm and immediately flushing the wound with (ideally) 91+ octane and not being able to move your hand from the tank or you risk farther injury. That is what is needed to get into the area where the tank valve is.

[MasterFoo]

Ok, i just got a 2007 m35x, reset everything and after 100 miles of city driving i get 7.5MPG!!! ( more then half of the tank is gone ).
this has to be wrong, right? I will take it to the dealership on monday and have them take a look at it.

(old thread bump)

Any luck at the dealership? I see you also have a M35x with horrible gas mileage.


Fellas, does the RWD M35 get better gas mileage then the AWD?

[a.blanco0905]

Fellas, does the RWD M35 get better gas mileage then the AWD?

Yes.

[InfinitiEric]

Fellas, does the RWD M35 get better gas mileage then the AWD?

Generally I think most RWD models will get better mpg than their AWD counterparts. The AWD system makes the car heavier and uses more gasoline.

[a.blanco0905]

^Wrong Eric, the main reason AWD vehicles have worse MPG than the rwd or fwd counterparts is because it takes more power to make 4 wheels spin at the same time thus putting more strain on the engine and obviously decreasing fuel efficiency... plus the add weight, lol... but that's very minimal tho it is a factor.