What project u have a damn solid car right there... damn i hate my self for not gettin the 2000 = ]

Thanks, but I plan on a full kit, new wheels and lots of little goodies. HID fogs etc...

^ Never gets old P-Cakes.....Lov'n it!

I bought my first Q this past January and drove it back from Atlanta to Chicago. I have been using every available moment (and heater) to clean up and restore this car to what it should look like. It's been really cold here so I have yet to snap a photo or two, but will soon.

When I bought the car, I knew it would need some TLC, but the most important thing was that it was fully maintained by Infiniti Dealers and the outside body was in great shape. Mostly original paint, but front and rear bumpers were repainted and it received new front headlights prior to my purchase. Good news so far.

When you stood next to it, it really looked nice with only two minor dings and no rust (southern car its entire life). It needed a good buff and wax and retouching on the matte black rocker strips to match the front and rear bumpers. The gold package emblems were starting to fade, but they were still acceptable.

When you saw the interior, it is hard to believe it could be in such poor shape when you consider the exterior. Even though it was a one owner, the PO must have been a complete slob and slept, ate, drank, occasionally smoked in it, but NEVER cleaned!!! The only good thing was that it did not smell like smoke at all. There were just several burn holes in the floor mats and melt marks in the center console woodgrain trim I had to wet sand and buff out. I will have to pull the cabin filter and change them soon, I'm sure......

I have spent the last few weekends cleaning and resecuring just about everything in the car. Seat belts, trim pieces, missing clips, broken pieces, dirty pieces, sticking pieces. I am just now getting comfortable sitting in it without cringing. The next step will be to freshen up the leather seats with some of that Colorbond or SEM leather spray and purchase new floor mats. No splits or holes in the leather, but they are looking realy worn next to all of the surrounding parts I have cleaned up.

Anyway, I will post photos and continue to respond to threads as I go. I am getting the suspension updated with new parts and also doing some preventive maintenance on the drivetrain. I recently found a person to re-plate my emblems so I will be keeping the stock gold package for now.

Here's what I have done since 1/12/08 (date of purchase):

New tires, new batteryrepainted and cleared OEM rimsreplaced drivers door hingeremoved peeling tint off rear windowcleaned shift solenoid switchesreplaced one window switch and some relays/fusesreplaced heated seat switches from parts carreplaced front inner and outer tie rods, stabilizer end linksperformed air induction cleaning (BG products), changed oilcleaned fuel injectors (BG44k & Redline S1)replaced PCV valvescleaned valve timing control switchescleaned MAFS and TBreplaced several HVAC unit bulbslubricated window regulators and lock assembliesfixed cupholder flip-up separator (these are always broken!)buffed out/clayed entire vehiclecut and programmed keys and remotespartially repaired damaged rear defroster lines cleaned, cleaned, cleaned interior parts and repaired/replaced several trim pieces.installed new replated gold emblemsnew factory floor mats

I will post some photos and more suggestions as I continue on. I will say I've met several helpful members here and look forward to meeting more along the way. It's always nice to know there is someone else out there going through the same headache trying to fix or diagnose a problem.


To Do:

Remove seats, center console and armrests, prep leather and recolor with factory beige tint spray (Colorbond) DONEThoroughly shampoo carpets DONEFlush/fill radiator DONEFlush/fill power steering fluid DONEFlush/fill transmission fluid DONECheck/replace differential fluid DONE Check all brake pads/rotors DONERespray matte black trim on F&R bumpers DONELocate replacement rear deck Bose amps DONE

EDIT: As of 11/06/08 I have also done the following:

Replaced valve cover gasketsReplaced Factory NGK spark plugsCleaned all ignition coil connectionsReplaced front strut mounts and bearingsReplaced passenger front ABS speed sensorReplaced power steering pump and beltReplaced all four tensioner pulley bearings (six bearings total)Replaced both knock sensors with OEM sensorsReplaced drivers front and rear door inner cloth door sealsReplaced both rear deck speaker ampsCleaned HVAC dash unit and replaced burned out bulbsCleaned BOSE HU display connectionsRemoved/recovered both A pillar trim piecesRepaired drivers seat lumbar motor

As of 10/09:

Replaced entire back window from parts car (now I have keyless, defroster and radio stations back!)Replaced L&R rear sail trimLocated correct factory floormats (sold Anniversary Edition mats)Replaced both front strut cartridgesBuffed wiper scratches off windshieldRecolored and installed front seats from Anniversary Edition QReplaced 2 upstream O2 sensorsRestored matte black rocker trim with Forever BlackUndercoated entire vehicleLocated OE rims and tires with original machine finishReplaced cabin air filtersComplete paintless dent removal on accessible dings.Replaced H4s with Silverstar Ultras

I was really fortunate to find a few decent parts cars along the way to keep costs down, and by doing most of the work myself, saved hundreds as well. I still have to buff out wiper scratches in the windshield, pop two small door dings out, finish repairing the rear defroster lines and put on a leather Wheelskins steering wheel cover, but I am satisfied so far.

This car has come a long way and I know I have been bad about posting photos to show the before and after. I tried to be as descriptive as possible so most members can use their imaginations. I definitely learned a great deal about this car and my restoration/mechanical abilities. Now, the car sounds quiet, runs/drives smoothly and doesn't clunk or rattle down the road. The stereo can be turned up with no distortion, the seats look brand new and I have a solid, reliable vehicle once again.

As of 1/21/11:

Replaced hood and passenger fender with factory painted ivory pearl parts (cheaper than having entire front end of car painted to match
Replaced all four door upper stainless outer trim (prior ones had small dents/dings)
Replaced drivers door weatherseal and window channel
Replaced water pump and idler bearing
Diagnosed intermittent shift lock solenoid malfunction -- cleaned out ignition cylinder
Began internal engine cleaning to cure lifter ticking and free up clogged oil passages
Purchased replacement used transmission with only 52K on it
Replaced driver front lower control arm


Best of luck to all of you and your never ending quest to keep these great cars on the road and looking sharp.

Modified by tfvesquire at 10:36 AM 11/6/2008[/

Modified by tfvesquire at 7:22 AM 11/5/2009
Modified by tfvesquire at 7:28 AM 11/5/2009

Picked this up on Saturday. 2000 Anniversary Edition Q45t with 110k. Stock, other than Yokohamas and tinted windows. Plans include some 19" Scaras and a tasteful kit, maybe Junction Produce.

Nice car!

Thanks!

Hi,

greetings from Finland!

I'm a happy new owner of 1998 Nissan Cima. It's basicly the JDM version of the Infiniti Q45, that's why I'm posting in this thread.

Here's one of the first pictures of the car in Finland.. It took 5 hours to get the car out of the container!

just picked up a '97 Q with 144k, black on tan. hopefully i can make it look as nice as some of these crazy *** y33's. lemme know what you think or something.

Simply beautiful guys! I am so tempted to pull the trigger on buying one but the cost of gas will surely kill me.

I have a '98 Q45t and it's wonderful, but you would be looking at $80 fill-ups. At least that's what it costs in New York. It is, however, very close to worth it.

http://my.imageshack.us/slideshow/my_shows.phpNot sure if this is how you do it. Pretty sure it isn't, but I can't figure out how to post pics yet.

No pics....

Too bad the car below has been rear ended and declared a total loss. I do have the wheels and tires if anyone is interested. In the for sale section.



It was a 98 with 114,000 with KYB SR specials and Tein dressup master lowering springs.

hello,long time 240/s13 owner, recent y33 owner (well, not really; it's been about a year and a half since i picked this one up)

it's a 2000 AE, titanium silver. beautiful car. has some goodies on it:

insurance group coiloverwork euroline n in 19x9.5 ET8, 19x10 ET-11some cheapy federal tires full peak performance rear pillowball multilink for s14pioneer avic z2

and on to the photos!

^ a lot of camber! something like -6* in the rear, -4 in the front. that's maxed out ruca and front camber plates.

since these photos, the rear has been lowered another inch, the fenders have been rolled flatter, and a slight bit more rear camber has been added.

1997 Q45t, Ivory Quartz, beige interior. Purchased May, 2008 w/75,000 miles. The car looks like it just came from the showroom floor. I love this car, and plan on keeping it for a long time. Of course, this assumes I can't find an Anniversary Edition in the same color, or Infiniti brings out a new Q45.

here is my q I bought it as a Christmas present for me!!! last year.

Very nice, but be sure to enter the year and model in your profile.

Can i have your front and back bumperss????? haha very nice but watchout if you mess up the bumpers, finding a 2 tone used one can be almost impossible.

these are some pretty clean looking Q's you guys got!

Q45T black int. 75,xxx miles. 10/10 inside and out!

the day i bought her.

and today:

and waiting in my garage to go on:

and jp stainless pillars:

i never think of myself as a veteran of a board, but look at my join date!

daaaaaaamn i'm oooooooold!

2000 Anniversary, Silver. 78k miles at the moment, 12k from me. Crappy camera phone pics.

Hmm i posted photos of my 98 in this thread a couple years ago and they are m.i.a.

Well, i'm positive that i still own the car in the physical world @ least! still strange though..

Hello fellow Y33 owners...

Been lurking for many years since my father owned the 1998 Q45t since new.

Now I am driving it.

Bone Stock Silver with 88600 miles on her.

Working on replacing the spark plugs (thanks for Joe for the great prices) and knock sensors.

Future: new struts and maybe wheels/tires

Thanks for looking.

Better pictures to follow...