Not "complaints" just "comments" on how the G37C could be better.

[Potomac-Greg]

I've logged my first 1,000 miles and I'm enjoying the car more and more every day. There are a few STOOPID things they did that could be improved.

1. The detents that stop the door when you open it are poorly spaced. The first one is too close to really use, and then the second one is WAY out in door-ding territory.

2. They really didn't sort out the shoulder belt issue to allow people to enter the rear seat. The snap-on loop is lame. The whole friggin' roof is robotic, but you have to relocate the seat belts manually!

3. The typical Nis-finiti honking exhaust (I compare it to the sound of burping through a long, cardboard tube) resonates when chugging along at very low RPM (1600).

4. I think I have all the technology sorted out. Having four audio input options and three tiers of six pre-sets can be confusing (but I will not be keeping Sirius/XM so that will be one less option). The touch screen could be better integrated to give easier access to the 18 pre-sets.

5. Even with seven speeds, the transmission periodically has a wacky shift, especially if you confuse it with manual mode. Rolling acceleration from 40 mph seems to engage a 2 or 3 gear downshift that can be slow and harsh.

But, damn this car looks good, top up or down.

[Cobra_Kai_84]

Just about to hit the 1k mark as well... love the car... haven't seen a single one on the road besides the dealership.

I don't have many complaints either, and I know there will be some "growing pains" with the car being the first year of production, but here are mine so far...

I have the convertible with premium, sport, and navigation packages.

1. when top is up, I hear a consistent rattle in the right side of the rear window whenever I go over any bumps... its pretty noticeable, and the service guys can't figure it out at this point when I brought it in. any noise from the rear window when the top is up?

2. outside temperature gauge is not very accurate. not sure if it is because of where it is place on the car (near the engine) but it always runs high (usually displays 3-5 degrees higher than the outside temp) it's a silly thing, but I wish it was more accurate.

3. Manual says you can operate the roof (up to down) from outside the vehicle buy holding the driver door request button until it opens. Mine doesn't do anything when I press the button. Why is it in the manual??

4. GAS MILEAGE. it's not good. I have a very short commute to work (about 3 miles) and its local streets and lights, but I do manage to get it on the highway from time to time, but I'm averaging close to 15 MPG. They say it gets 17 city and 25 highway, but I'm always near 15 MPG, even with highway driving...

any thoughts?

love the car. love the way it looks and sounds. nothing else like it on the road that costs around the same money...

ps: I got the rear deck spoiler ( with built-in radio antenna) put on a couple weeks ago. I fully recommend getting it. totally changes the way the back of the car looks. looks great. and no more rubber antenna crap!!! I took that off the day I got the car, but still had to drive around with a black rubber stump! Now it is gone, with the exception of the XM bump, but it looks sweet.

[Potomac-Greg]

Just about to hit the 1k mark as well... love the car... haven't seen a single one on the road besides the dealership.

I don't have many complaints either, and I know there will be some "growing pains" with the car being the first year of production, but here are mine so far...

I have the convertible with premium, sport, and navigation packages.

1. when top is up, I hear a consistent rattle in the right side of the rear window whenever I go over any bumps... its pretty noticeable, and the service guys can't figure it out at this point when I brought it in. any noise from the rear window when the top is up?

2. outside temperature gauge is not very accurate. not sure if it is because of where it is place on the car (near the engine) but it always runs high (usually displays 3-5 degrees higher than the outside temp) it's a silly thing, but I wish it was more accurate.

3. Manual says you can operate the roof (up to down) from outside the vehicle buy holding the driver door request button until it opens. Mine doesn't do anything when I press the button. Why is it in the manual??

4. GAS MILEAGE. it's not good. I have a very short commute to work (about 3 miles) and its local streets and lights, but I do manage to get it on the highway from time to time, but I'm averaging close to 15 MPG. They say it gets 17 city and 25 highway, but I'm always near 15 MPG, even with highway driving...

any thoughts?

love the car. love the way it looks and sounds. nothing else like it on the road that costs around the same money...

ps: I got the rear deck spoiler ( with built-in radio antenna) put on a couple weeks ago. I fully recommend getting it. totally changes the way the back of the car looks. looks great. and no more rubber antenna crap!!! I took that off the day I got the car, but still had to drive around with a black rubber stump! Now it is gone, with the exception of the XM bump, but it looks sweet.

I also have a rattle with the top up. Mine is on the driver's side, and it sounds like it's in the framing behind the passenger window. It is a "light" sounding rattle, as if it was a plastic washer or aluminum piece. It's very audible about 80% of the time, but mysteriously not there 20% of the time. I've not brought it in yet.

I might try the deck spoiler. I hate the rubber antenna and I actually don't like the chrome spoiler either. I'll have to see a black car with one first.

[toplessG]

This car is fantastic! The odometer just rolled over 2K, and gas mileage is improving with every fill up. I only have a few issues.

The Seat Belts and Holders SUCK! My door panel has permanent dents, from closing the door, and the latch getting pinched between the seat side and the door. Also the belt tensioner locks when simply leaning forward. A simple fix would be a flared plastic insert, with another snap to shorten the loop. If anyone from Infiniti reads this, I would be happy to help you engineer it!

The automatic transmission downshifts when acclerating and manual shifts are slow. When accellerating from 50-60, it seems like the transmission doesn't know what to do. I am learning to pull the shifter over to sport mode, which seems to help.

Lastly, the driver side mirror vibrates when you have the amazing stereo cranked up.

Everything else is Perfect! My neighbor should receive his in two weeks!

[SteveTheTech]

This is a great thread with some very valuable information I really hope the people responsible for this type of update get the information here. If I come across anyone that can actually do something with your suggestions I will pass it along.

One thing I made a note of was the fact that just about all of you have some type of noise somewhere but none of them have the same point of origin. To me that shows a few things. Initial build quality is slightly improved but some post production alterations will be needed to keep these cars quite. As you travel through the initial break in period normal vibrations and shock that the car drives along help some components settle in. Although with the hard top vehicles this is usually a non issue. The way this car has to dissipate harmonic vibrations without the structural components of a fixed roof.

I think many dealers will be more than willing to work with you the owners in trying to isolate noises with the top up or down. If you can pin point the point of origin or be able to find a way to replicate the noise without driving the car it will make the job of the technician much easier and require them to drive it as much. This may sound like a tall order but throughout my travels in this forum I see so many people get frustrated to the point of litigation over noises and other annoyances that cannot be easily replicated or located.

Like many of you when I first had the pleasure of seeing several G convertibles at the Nissan training facility the first thing that caught my eye was the seat belt attachment point. It's sewn into the seat in such a weird way. The only thing I can think that makes any real sense is since there is an airbag located in the upper part of the door panels, the designers do not want any items between the driver and passenger and the airbag in the event of a deployment. It seems like a safety device more than anything else.

The destinct growl from the exhaust is something that makes this car a real Infiniti. Every Infiniti has an exhaust note that was specifically designed to suit the vehicle. That really started with the original G and FX but now every model has its own pitch and tone. The G37xS sedan sounds like an angry beast when it is started cold, but the convertible is the quietest in the line. Unlike the BMW and Lexus offerings the Infiniti constantly reminds you that is alive and ready to go. This is not appealing to all but there are some people out there who would consider the noise of a VQ37VHR to be music to their ears.

I saw that fuel economy was mentioned by redsox13. On the other side of this if your commute is primarily short city streets where you are constantly accelerating and idling fuel economy is not going to be that great. It's still a large coupe with a trunk full of roof and hydraulic cylinders. Although the car would be warm about half way through you commute I doubt it has a chance to get into its ideal operating range where economy ratings will actually increase. With this car split city highway driving is actually where the VQ and the 7 speed really work to increase economy. Hopefully you get a chance to get out and let the car stretch its legs sometimes.

Two members mentioned shifting errors and poor timing. I will look into this further when I have access to the database at work to see if the reflash for the transmission control module to resolve some of the hunting issues. redsox got it right with the growing pains. Although the RE5R05A was been used in some variations in almost every Infiniti since 2002, the seven speed has one more planetary set and a host of new sensors but the basics are still pretty much the same. You will most likely never see an actual mechanical issue with the car. Fortunately the software has the capability of being altered and upgraded although it lacks the open source to be able to be freely adjust by dealer personal.

One last note for now is toplessGs statement about the mirror vibrating. Is the actual mirror on vibrating against its joint or is the mirror assembly vibrating against the body? There is a full range 10" open air sub mounted about 12" away from the mirror. Although that is not justification to vibrate something just may need to be tightened a little.

[Cobra_Kai_84]

Hey Steve!

thanks for replying to our comments - very insightful and appreciated.

I know my gas mileage will get better over time, I was just a bit startled seeing the lower numbers. (my last car was a Lexus IS350 and it always got around 19-20 MPG city with my consistent short work commute and 25-28 MPG when I did alot of highway driving) But the added weight and strong accelerations and bigger engine make sense.

I will finally be able to stretch my car's legs in a couple weeks with a road trip to California. Looking forward to driving it on the Pacific Coast Highway!

I haven't had much time to enjoy top-down driving yet. Being in Arizona, our good weather is just about to start! temp was 104 today! but it is starting to cool down, and I will be able to have the top down all the time from now until next June!

I do like how the convertible handles with the top down. To me, it just seems more responsive to my actions. Maybe better weight distrubition? Maybe because my senses/alertness are higher with the top down?

Do you think the addition of the rear deck spoiler affects the car's overall weight or weight distribution? performance? or is it negligible?

I'm trying to be patient with the "rattling" when the top is up. But to be honest with you, I haven't driven it a single time with the top up and not thought about the rattling - it's there. it's fairly consistent, and I have tried to pay attention to see if it changes upon each time I operate the roof up and down... to see if the top settles in differently each time the roof is put up. Its pretty consistent.

I brought the car in to get the spoiler put on and had them check out the rattling. When I picked up the car the next day, they said they can confirm that the rattle is there but couldn't really fix it without taking stuff apart. I'm the first one who has brought up this issue, and I think they don't really know what to do because there has been basically no history with convertible issues yet. So they told me to sit tight while they wait for information on it, and if it got worse to bring it back in. It's not a back-breaking deal for me, I just want it to be fixed if it can be fixed.

[Potomac-Greg]

I'm going to live with the rattle for a few months and let Infiniti develop more experience isolating the sound and coming up with a fix. It's no fun for owners or dealers to have multiple trips; and I really don't want a temporary fix (gob of grease). I'll bet dealers are told not to mess with anything structural in the roof given its complexity. In other words, I'll let the other owners be the guinnea pigs!

[Cobra_Kai_84]

yeah, I agree with you Potomac. I'm going to wait a while with the rattling issue as well. My convertible was a custom order, and it was not part of the initial production lines that came out June 19th. I wonder if the timeline of production affects any of this or if there are any differences in production between custom orders and non-custom orders...

Thankfully, the weather out here in AZ will allow me to keep the top down most of the time for the next 8 months.

It's not worth it at this point to have service start taking things apart when not much is known about it right now. But I think it is good for all of us convertible owners out there to address our issues in these forums. If many of us have the same issues, it will show that these are not isolated issues, and hopefully get the wheels rolling for Infiniti and their techs to figure this out.

Anyone else have this rattling issue? let's see how widespread this problem is... How about any issue? Speak now!

[Potomac-Greg]

Thankfully, the weather out here in AZ will allow me to keep the top down most of the time for the next 8 months.

Lucky you. I'm in DC and I'll probably have the top shut for the next 6 months!

[SteveTheTech]

If this upcoming winter is anything like last years you will be able to put the top back on a number of occasions. You may have to try the Open Air AC system and seat heaters but it can and should be done.

I'm going to live with the rattle for a few months and let Infiniti develop more experience isolating the sound and coming up with a fix. It's no fun for owners or dealers to have multiple trips; and I really don't want a temporary fix (gob of grease). I'll bet dealers are told not to mess with anything structural in the roof given its complexity. In other words, I'll let the other owners be the guinnea pigs!

That is a very interesting way to look at it. I envy your cool headed approach.

I was speaking with the "suits" from corporate today about this car and it seems the general conscientious is to put these types of repairs off among the dealers. Top and window fitment related concerns are not fun and don't pay nearly enough to make it worth it to some techs. However I like this type challenge personally and frequently do this for free. Today I got a chance to resolve LadyGs issue, but there is no operation code for warranty that includes measuring,testing and repair of this type of incident. The service manual has very detailed instructions on this repair and the majority of technicians in the field should be able to handle this repair without an issue.

However if I were in your shoes I cannot say turning the keys over to someone I don't know or trust yet for serious interior work would be easy.

[Potomac-Greg]

However if I were in your shoes I cannot say turning the keys over to someone I don't know or trust yet for serious interior work would be easy.

I'd hand them over in a second if I felt confident that the tech knew more than I did about the car. But how is that possible? Whatever is rattling is a little, light part and the fix should not be hard, once identified. BUT I hope it's a manufacturer fix b/c I can't see dealer's diving into a complex structure like this.

I'll let Inifinit or the dealers get smarter; or if a forum like this does what it should do, we'll all find a solution.

My old C32 AMG had a water-intercooled supercharger, and about 5 years after delivery, they consistently suffered auxiliary coolant pump failures. Benz would fix it for $600, or you could buy a Benz pump for $350. Or if you were familiar with the Benzworld forum, you would buy a Ford Lightning Bosch coolant pump (same model as the Benz part) and just swap the fittings. $59 part and 45 minutes of DIY. Forums are amazing.

[bschurr]

A couple of observations (not previously mentioned)1 - The fitment or rather matching up of the chrome trim on the tonneau cover to the chrome door trim. It just doesnt line up and doesnt look like it ever could.2 - What is the deal with the Sat radio? Is this a subscription or included for life? 3 - While using the Music box how the heck to you FF or REW? I know you can skip but no seek?4 - No tilting mirrors in reverse & no back up sensor. Sure there is a camera but I have gotten accustomed to a beep when you get close.5 - General lack of storage space (especially in the 6MT

[Cobra_Kai_84]

2. The XM radio is free for 3 months only. if it has been activated, you will get a letter in the mail from XM asking you to continue to subscribe. they got monthly, 3-month, and yearly rates. Buying for a full year gives you a little bit of a discount (basically one month free). I think it is around $142 for the year without the NavTraffic. Monthly rates are $13/month I think.

I've gotten so used to using the XM stations because I removed the rubber antenna to get that damn thing out of my sight! The radio stations didn't come in good, and the clarity of the XM sound is far better. I have the rear deck spoiler with built-in antenna now, and the radio stations come in clear, but not nearly as good as how the music sounds in XM. So, I'm sucked into spending more $$$ and keeping the XM.

3. Music Box is confusing. I have used it once. I downloaded one CD that I mixed from my Ipod and it doesn't recognize the artist or song names. It seems the procedure to get artists and names on it is difficult and confusing unless you are a computer wiz...

4. I got used to the tilting mirrors in my Lexus... was disappointed that our convertible didn't have that option. but there is a way to get around it....

you have 2 memory sets for seats/mirrors. I have memory #1 as my main one, with everything set the way I want. Then for memory #2, I kept everything the same, but tilted the mirrors DOWN. So when you are backing into a spot, etc. just put the car in park and press "memory #2" and the mirrors will tilt down. It's not as convienent, but you can get the job done by pressing the button... try it out.

[Cobra_Kai_84]

oh, and if I'm correct, if the car had back up sensors... wouldn't they be those ugly circular sensors that you see on the back bumpers on all the cars that do have them? they would look out of place on this type of vehicle, given its styling, IMO.

I think they nailed the styling of the car for their first try, and adding the back up sensors would literally put a blemish on the back of the car...

but I have never had a back up sensor, so I have not been spoiled by it....

[SteveTheTech]

I agree with the above statement regarding rear sensors and the large posterior of the G. It would require something like what the EX has on the rear bumper.

http://www.infinitiusa.com/music-update/

The gracenote software requires your library to be formatted to replace any missing data packages on your digital media. This happens when you upload an older CD or music from the internet, depending on what format it is in. The above link supplies you with a download to that will fix this new millennium style problem by replacing missing files automatically. As someone who did this one by one for each of the 8 gigs of music I switched from my ipod to the new Zune I think the gracenote software is a great idea and once its operational it will be a non issue.

The way the Gracenote actually works is it uses an online registry ( http://www.gracenote.com/ ) to look up song and artist information.

This past week I installed an XM radio in a co-workers Yukon and he was saying that while on the phone trying to activate the unit they tried to sell him a ~$500 lifetime subscription. I would consider that if I used it, my wife has it in her car and we are nearing the end of her 3 month trial and will most likely re-up for a year at least to avoid an issue and the cost per use drops significantly over time. I personally love the Navtraffic and fact you can listen to the same station no matter where in the country you end up is great for road trips.

bschurr- That is an interesting fix. Some models have that but for some reason the G never has. I think they are planning on replacing that with AVM in the next model line. However that does little to your car. If it takes putting the car in P for a few seconds to save your wheels kudos to you for taking the initiative.

However to you for the Jets sticker.You ruined a perfect car.

The rear view camera has something lexus lacks. It uses a wide angle lens as apposed to a fish eye. The Infiniti also has predictive angle that shows where the car will end up, with has mark that reference distance without annoying beeps that people deactivate all the time (see the EX forum for more). I have been using Infinitis rear view cameras since 2006 they take some time to get used to but you need to learn to trust it it is actually a great feature. I'm pretty bad though I rely solely on the camera most of the time. It gets addictive.

[Potomac-Greg]

The hard drive / music box really is a mystery, and I doubt I'll ever use it. If you can access your entire music inventory via your iPod, why would you sit in your car downloading all your CDs? 90% of my "owned" music is on the iPod and not on CD; and I assume that there's a copyright reason that I cannot download my iPod to the hard drive. I assume it's there for the navigation system; and not too long ago there was an effort to make a "Tivo" for satellite radio, but that got nixed by copyright owners.

PS: My wife found out that you can have a soccer ball and a folding chair in the trunk when you drop the roof. To do it, you have to ignore all of the warning labels telling you NOT TO DO IT. The roof will go down and lock. The downside is that your husband (ME) will try to close to roof and it will jam halfway up, requiring him to fish out all the tangled stuff in the trunk. Luckily, all is well, and somehow my wife blames me for not instructing her well enough.

PPS: Because I bought my car in MD, it was required to have a full sized spare. When you don't have the spare, is there more trunk room?

[Cobra_Kai_84]

tough break with the mandatory spare in MD... I didn't get one as an option.

I'm assuming that your spare tire is under the main compartment floor of the trunk, right?If so, then yes, there is more space that is available under the main trunk compartment (where your spare resides)

There is some usable space down there, but you can only access it when the top is up. So if it is something that you want to stow, but not get out all the time, that would be the place to put it (my first aid kit is in there I think) There isn't too much depth to that space, but it can be used (like the the windblocker when it is folded up and in it's case)

[SteveTheTech]

PS: My wife found out that you can have a soccer ball and a folding chair in the trunk when you drop the roof. To do it, you have to ignore all of the warning labels telling you NOT TO DO IT. The roof will go down and lock. The downside is that your husband (ME) will try to close to roof and it will jam halfway up, requiring him to fish out all the tangled stuff in the trunk. Luckily, all is well, and somehow my wife blames me for not instructing her well enough.

Oh that could have ended poorly. This roof could get stuck any way through its operation if anything gets stuck under the partial shelf. There is some room to stash things once you start to look at it. I was working on a G37c today and later in the day came across a Solora convertible. I don't know if any of you have seen these but they do stow the soft top well but the car has a cartoonish profile. The G lacks some room in the back but it looks much better than the competition.

I have to say I find it a little odd to have no spare (every other than MD) and no run flats. I guess that assume the majority of the people driving these are not changing their own tires and they are probably right. Luckily interior turbulance is pretty low even with the top down and no windscreen so that allows for some rear seat storage.

[bschurr]

I have to say I find it a little odd to have no spare (every other than MD) and no run flats. I guess that assume the majority of the people driving these are not changing their own tires and they are probably right. Luckily interior turbulance is pretty low even with the top down and no windscreen so that allows for some rear seat storage.

LOLYeah - I am now accustomed to no spare as my Volvo S80 V8 didnt have a spare either - I have a complete set of replacement rims & tires in my garage for the S80

Luckily we have roadside assistance but with 19 inch rims if you blow out a tire and cant drive you are basically F'ed anyway. You aint gonna find too many of those on the shelf ready to roll. I have a can of Fix-A-Flat in the trunk area that should contain a spare...

[Potomac-Greg]

The Solara has a bad case of what I call "hump-a**." The first Lexus h/t convertible had it bad too.

If you don't want hump-a** but you want a hard top, you pretty much give up the trunk. It's one reason I almost waited for the Audi A5, which uses a soft top.

[Cobra_Kai_84]

yeah, all the hard-tops tend to have a large backside. The new Lexus ISC's back end looks enormous with the top up. Even the Bimmer's rear looks big and strange at certain angles.

I am glad that Infiniti chose to sacrifice storage space in an effort to keep the style and dimensions almost exactly the same as the coupe. It's only 0.2 inches longer than the coupe, whereas the BWM convertible is 4 inches longer than it's own coupe.

There really is no middle ground here... you either go for style or go for function, and there hasn't been a perfect blend (IMO). I knew the compromises that the G convertible was making, and I don't regret getting it one bit.

The A5 looked enticing, but it is super expensive in comparison. Its also an extremely heavy car given that it is a soft top...

[Potomac-Greg]

Here's a comment I keep forgetting to make. This may apply to all G37s.

When I bump my head back against the headrest, something kicks back into me in the middle of my back. Clearly the headrest structure has some sort of pivot so if you press at the headrest, the lower end of the structure pushes out at the middle of the seat. It's not uncomfortable at all, but it does suggest a cheapness in structure that should be easy to improve in later models.

[SteveTheTech]

Ahh not cheapness per say, what it is is a feature call Active Headrests. The purpose of this is in case of a rear end collision it reduced whiplash by transfering the energy from your head to and through the seat to a point at which it is absorbed and disipated.

I think I have an article about this at home I will pass along later today.

[Poyzinous]

I have a can of Fix-A-Flat in the trunk area that should contain a spare...

Fix a flat: big no no. It will destroy the TPMS sensor. (sometimes) And it forever ruins the tire. Fix a flat is only good for comic explosions and melting plastics.

[Potomac-Greg]

Ahh not cheapness per say, what it is is a feature call Active Headrests. The purpose of this is in case of a rear end collision it reduced whiplash by transfering the energy from your head to and through the seat to a point at which it is absorbed and disipated.

I think I have an article about this at home I will pass along later today.

But if it was better transferred to the seat, it wouldn't pivot out and poke me in the back!

[SteveTheTech]

Actually it is designed to work exactly the opposite way. As your back pushes on the seat the headrest is going to move forward to stabilize your head from moving.

It takes a fair amount of force to get the head rests to move and most people have not noticed that Infiniti has been using this since 2002.

Here is some more info. http://www.nissan-global.com/E...n.pdf

[SteveTheTech]

Fix a flat: big no no. It will destroy the TPMS sensor. (sometimes) And it forever ruins the tire. Fix a flat is only good for comic explosions and melting plastics.

However in states other than Maryland the convertibles come with a sealant that is supposed to be tpm safe and a tire inflator. The kit that actually comes with the car was specially designed although we as techs don't know much about them.

Regular fix-a-flat will destroy the epoxy that surrounds the integrated circuit.

[bschurr]

Fix a flat: big no no. It will destroy the TPMS sensor. (sometimes) And it forever ruins the tire. Fix a flat is only good for comic explosions and melting plastics.

However in states other than Maryland the convertibles come with a sealant that is supposed to be tpm safe and a tire inflator. The kit that actually comes with the car was specially designed although we as techs don't know much about them.

Regular fix-a-flat will destroy the epoxy that surrounds the integrated circuit.

Sorry Guys - That myth is totally busted.

I used to think that Fix-A-Flat was bad news too and that it would ruin the tire and TPMS sensors but actually the product is totally safe. I recently watched a segment on Truck U (Speed TV) where the dude on the show went through a complete use & overview of the product using a clear container.

Here is the video --> http://www.brentonftp.com/vide...9.mov

[Poyzinous]

OKAY!Well maybe the new stuff. I wasn't aware that there was a can of goo in the non spare tire equipped models. But it would have to be TPMS safe. I remember replacing 2 sensors because they were destroyed from fixaflat goo.

[bschurr]

one more comment- it would be nicee if the turn signal indicator automatically blinked 3 times when tapped. This is a handy feature when changing lanes while driving...