NICO Newbie - 2002 Q45 with multiple minor issues

[phdacademylive]

Greetings all, I am new here to NICO. I have a lenghty read here so if this is too much info for one topic, feel free to delete and I can arrange the info accordingly. This is also my first forum ever in my life.

I am comparatively uneducated on Nissans/Infinit's compared to everyones comments I am reading on this board, as yes, I have read the "read this first before posting" and have scoured many pages before posting here. Hopefully with the NICO community as a significant source of research I can gain more understanding on my Q on how to maintain it for less-than-dealership prices when possible, as well as learn more about automotive in general. Thanks to all you guys for making this a great place!

I have an 02 Q45. This does not have premium package or sport package.

So here is my F50 story proper. I bought my 02' in 2008 with 110k miles for about KBB wholesale value from a used retail lot. Whoever owned it before me took it to a jiffy-lube type place for an oil change. As you can imagine, they grinded out the threads and put their own 'cork' in it. This, as I found out later, was cause for my first issue, an oil leak. I took it into Nissan for an oil change, and they put their own piggy back in it which seemed to fix the leak problem from that particular location (now we are getting into my issues with my F50). I still love the car, bear in mind. None-the-less, here they are.

1. My Q leaks oil now out of my 'valve cover'. I have read here that this is a common problem with this year of F50. This leak was shown to me with a flashlight by a tech (not Nissan/Infiniti) when I was having my tires rotated and balanced (and nothing more) about .25 miles from my house. He had it up on a lift and I was watching through a window the entire time these guys were working on my car (it's a local trusted good-ole-boy family auto place). I could see a corraboration of oil and dirt on the left front side of the engine, apparently where the valve cover is 'failing.' He also showed me....

2. ... broken lower control arms (right and left). I figure once the car was lifted and the pressure was taken off these arms, the cracks got worse, especially on the arm. Immedietally after getting the car back, there is a seemingly dangerous amount of play in my steering as one can imagine. I suspect how and when they could have broke. My apt complex has really big speed bumps. I rode over them at a normal cautious speed with wife and kids in the car and the whole front end bottomed out on the ground really hard.... really hard. My wife tells me she ran over a pothole another day by herself. CAN I work on these repairs myself with my more-knowledgeable-than-I father-in-law, or does this repair require some sort of mod/sensor programming when finished?

3. Supplemental airbag (Infiniti/Nissan want approx. $1200 for this)

4. Broken Gas Gauge on dash (Infiniti says whole gauge cluster needs replacement, also about $1200 all-in)

5. Transmission slips when driving about 65 to 70 mph on the freeway. When I put my foot into the throttle to make a pass, the transmission (sometimes) doesn't really respond. First couple of times around, I didn't know what was going on, and I'd smash the throttle it to make it downshift, then BAM, the transmission would slip and smash as if a bomb went off in my transmission. Can I swap this out for the quicker shifting 2005 Q45 transmission (according to Edmunds product review, 'the transmission has been recalibrated for better response.') ??

6. My front supsension is very soft (as mentioned above). Can I swap out my shocks, struts, and other parts with M45 (2003-06) parts? For example, Infinitipartsonline.com says my control arms are compatible with both the M45 and Q45 cars, and about $100 bucks cheaper if I buy the 'M45' parts instead. Or, can I equip the 'performance-tuned active dampening suspension' from the 05' F50 to my 02?

Effectively, can I turn my 02 Q into an 05 Q if I wanted to, or does this get into computer programming electronics and such at this point? Thanks everybody for your patience, and I look forward to your responses.

-Phillip

Modified by phdacademylive at 11:56 PM 11/26/2009

Modified by phdacademylive at 10:34 AM 11/27/2009
Modified by phdacademylive at 10:39 AM 11/27/2009

[Infinitiguy19]

That car has WAY too many problems for a 2002 Q45!!!

Sorry I can't be much of help but I can say SELL IT WHILE YOU CAN!!!.

[Q451990]

First of all, welcome to NICO!

It sounds like your Q was "rode hard and put up wet" by it's former owner. As Paul indicated, I think you need to make a decision on if you want to keep this car and put $10K or so to get it back to good condiiton, drive it until the wheels fall off, or dump it. If you can find a low mileage rear-ended wreck and a good technician, you might be able to do this for less, but for the most part there aren't many shortcuts.

Heath

[qship96]

The car needs too many expensive repairs, totalling MORE than what a well maintained low mile 02-03 Q can be purchased for......I say leave the keys in it while parked in a bad neighborhood and hope somebody takes it and use the insurance $$$ to purchase a well inspected replacement.