New Member with Q45 ??'s

[SHR XTC]

I'm so glad I found this forum.I've been reading alot of the posts, it's very informative.

I have a 93 Q45a, and been getting it serviced with OEM Nissan/Infiniti parts. Is there a Nissan or Infiniti dealer that forum members use to get discounts?? How about aftermarket stuff??

Also, how so I know if the active suspension is no good?? Also how much to fix?? I read that it costs alot.

Thanks~~

[greg_atlanta]

Can get 25% off OEM parts at:

http://www.infinitipartsusa.com

Usually if active suspension is bad people say "it rides like a truck". The nitrogen gradually leaks out over time and the ride gets harsh. Some people opt to remove the system and convert to a standard suspension, or there's a guy in Texas who can recharge the accumators with nitrogen to save the current system. Rebuilding at dealer would be $5000+.

Where's the car located? Do you drive coast to coast?

Generally best to take care of the car as designed (OEM parts). There are very few advantages to aftermarket parts.

How many miles?

'93 Q45a is best of everything!!!

[Q45tech]

"nitrogen gradually leaks out over time and the ride gets harsh"............Over time is defined as 60k or 4 years the bumper to bumper warranty period.

I haven't been in a fully working active car in 5 years except the four we rebuilt and we must have at least 20 active customers still with the system installed. ....... and 14 conversions.

You see them on the road everyday .....slam, bam, crunch, wallow, undilating down the road but they are driving a Q ....MAN.

We get our share of failed Lexus Air Ride LS400 too.

[landtodd]

If the plenum comes off you might as well replace all under the plenum hoses at that time they probably need it anyway.

Congratulations on your "free" Q! I got my '92 as a present -- I found myself in a similar boat. I didn't know quite what I was getting into, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. I'm about $1500 into the car's rehab after 18 months (almost exclusively preventive maintenance), but so far I've done all my own work. The bill would have been about $6000 at the dealer, maybe $4000 at an independent. Unfortunately, at prices like that, I probably wouldn't have done the preventive things I've done. Like chain guides, fuel pump, and under-plenum hoses. The car would have suffered and become unreliable and more expensive with time. Maybe even self-destructed.

I'm about to drop another grand on it for tires.

The Q is an "in for a penny, in for a pound" kind of car. Very rewarding, somewhat demanding, but usually less demanding than its peers -- BWM, MB, and Lexus, none of which are cheap to maintain. You'll find that you have plenty of opportunities to drop a grand on it, but you can save money and/or prevent unscheduled service over the long haul with smart preventive maintenance.

If you plan to keep the car, I believe it's worth investing in. Maybe "over-investing" in. If you don't plan to keep it long enough to recover an investment in preventive maintenance, maybe, just maybe, it would be best to sell it.

How "hands on" do you want to be? As Fred mentioned, the $5000 (?) you saved *not* buying it can go a long way toward rehab. This is particularly true if you do your own work. If you have your work done, $5000 won't get you through the guides and active-suspension. The guide job is about $1500 at Atlanta's T3 (truly an excellent price), as much as $4500 at some dealerships. You can DIY it for about $500 in parts, but I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-of-heart. Please don't try it without lots of advice from this group.

If you're shopping for a technician, it may be difficult to find someone who will replace just the guides (the chain itself may last 300K miles). A shop may insist on replacing the chain, at increased cost of course (+$700?), because to touch the chain and not replace it is, in many peoples' minds, an invitation for you to blame them for a subsequent breakdown (CYA). There aren't many people who know the car well. It's difficult for me to let anyone work on mine locally because I know more about it than any tech I've talked with here. The guy writing up service at arguably our highest regarded Japanese-specialty repair shop started out by asking in all seriousness "Is that a 4 or a 6?" That was the day I decided I was on my own.

I don't think anyone should open the motor without the 1000-page *factory* repair book, if only for the torque specs and exploded diagrams. Your car came with a "half-size" repair book which contains all the info, just much harder to read. Check the trunk and the binacle between the rear headrests.

Removal/replacement of the plenum is something like 6 or 8 hours book labor. You'll most likely end up cutting some expensive ($20-$30) hoses getting it off. No one wants to do this job twice, so owners do a lot of preventive-maintenance when the plenum is off, to avoid another $500-700 plenum R&R the next time something under there needs attention.

If you order the 20 or so under-plenum hoses from Scottsdale, you'll have to add the "coolant bypass hoses" if you want them. These weren't part of the kit when I ordered. If you're under the plenum it makes some sense to replace them. Also, there are two large metal-armored vacuum hoses, ditto. (The armor is internal, to prevent collapse under vacuum.)

Knock sensors! They (2 of them) are expensive, but if the plenum is off, that's the time to inspect them at least. Prime time to clean the interior of the plenum, too.

Incidentally, it's time to replace the oil pump's drive chain, sprocket, and guides -- a perfectly good reason to remove the front cover, even if it turns out you do have all metal-backed chain guides. Dennis (q45tech), guru of all things Q45, recommends replacing the oil pump if you have the front cover off and your car shows 150K miles or more -- see what I mean about "in for a penny?"

It's a very rewarding car. There's nothing for the amount of money you'll spend that can touch it, but strictly speaking, you may end up spending more than it's worth. Is that a bad thing? There's no similar experience you can get for that kind of money. Buying a newer car is throwing money away (depreciation) just like over-spending on an older car. At least with the older car, you get to control your losses. Or draw the line somewhere. Or walk away when things get too hairy. Great car, and you certainly got into it right.