One less Q45 on the road

[hockalougie]

My high school Q45 is no more.

I drove a 1991 Infiniti Q45 through high school, we bought it with a blown engine in 2004. We replaced the engine twice (first time we didn't know about the chain guides and it ate it in about 1,000 miles) had about 80k when we bought it, traded it in with about 118k.

It was traded in under the Cash for Clunkers program, so if you are sensitive about your Infiniti, don't read the following.

Upon trade in, we got a $4500 credit towards the purchase of a new vehicle, a 2009 Chevy Cobalt for my brother. The appraised trade-in value of the car was $400, so we got a pretty good deal.

The day after, the dealer drained the oil, put two quarts of a mixture of sodium silicate, sand, and water in the crankcase, and fired it up. Ran it at two grand until it seized. Afterwards it was sent to an automotive recycling facility, where it would be later crushed. This is required by the CARS program to prevent the vehicle from being resold.

What makes it okay: This Q had lots of problems. It recently just started to fall apart and it seemed for every one thing you fixed, three things broke. It was on it's third engine, and developed a miss that couldn't be diagnosed, and then developed a crack in the head at 114k. The transmission lost overdrive at 115k, and then lost first at 117k. It had loads of electrical problems towards the end. Tail lights would suddenly stop working, sunroof and windows would be stuck open, and the A/C worked intermittently. Even the driver's door lock had worn out. The brake pedal would randomly drop to the floor in regular driving. The steering was going out too, so when you turned right corners the steering wheel wouldn't return to center for a couple miles. We pumped thousands and thousands of dollars into this car, and were very faithful to her, but she just completely fell apart. All these problems started to turn up at around 110k. Then she failed emissions. That was too much to bear. A car that did not want to be fixed and now could not be driven legally. It was time to say goodbye to the battleship...many memories in that car.

[maxnix]

With decent care, it was barely broken in.

Good luck with the Cobalt. Probably own't need the sand to destroy that engine as soon!

[Infinitiguy19]

So you traded a Q45 for a new Chevy Cavalier?

I know it seemed like a lot of problems but they COULD have been avoided I think with some basic maintenance and understanding of the vehicle.

Sorry for your loss.

[Skibane]

Quote »had about 80k when we bought it, traded it in with about 118k. [/quote]Yeesh - Talk about being ridden hard and put up wet!

The car's previous owner(s) must have been talented - There aren't too many ways to ruin an engine in just 80K, even if you're trying...

[hockalougie]

Yeah, we traded in a Q45 for a Cavalier. Decided to go for something that would run and had a warranty...there's no telling how hard it was run, we bought it with a blown engine. Oil leak.

Proper maintenance was performed on this car.

It had just trashed its THIRD engine. Three engines.

This car was cursed.

We put about $7,000 into this car just in parts. Redid the chain guides, replaced knock sensors three times, a/c compressor, water pump, fuel pump, ran on synthetic oil that was changed every 5k, new master cylinder, all new rubber on the engine...we kept this car in PRISTINE order. The problem was that the car just didn't much care for the idea. Even had the leather replaced in some spots as it was cracking. But it had electrical problems, leaked water in the sunroof, and had clogged its cats. It looked great too, factory pearl paint was in amazing condition, and it had wheels from an m45 (the earlier gen)

my dad actually used to use this website for the car... he got all the help he could need, and even tried to sell it before deciding just to junk it.

Dealership offered us $400. For a car that cost 38k new and still looked great. He said even if it ran perfect, he could only give us $1,000. Not the only dealer that said that either....

Sad, really. I loved the car. But you can only throw away money for so long.

[hockalougie]

And I agree about the cobalt engine...but it wasn't my purchase decision. If it makes it any better, my dad went and bought a 2008 G35 Sedan after driving the Q for a while.

I miss my Q. I have a Corolla now...it's like driving a shopping cart. It's alright, but doesn't have the character that nissans do. I had a 1987 300ZX for my first car. Brother had an xterra that was traded down from my sister. 15 years apart and they had the same engine. VG series. After I graduate college, I'm sure I'll get a G sedan of my own. I really love that car.

[maxnix]

The Corolla is a good car. Perfect for a student, but maintain it like you should have learned here and you will save tons of money for investing in a home or your next car. It may not be gasoline powered.

[Q451990]

Your only mistake was not pulling all of the parts you could to sell here or on ebay. These CFC deals just suck in that perfectly good cars are being destroyed for absolutely no good reason except political fundraising.

Good luck with the Cobalt.

Heath

[tmak26b]

I was lucky, only had to patch the fuel pump controller unit, tires and a radiator in 18K miles (about $750 in total). The car did well for me, but it was indeed falling apart. Rather than waste more money, I decided to end its mystery with a new ride.

[greg_atlanta]

It was time to say goodbye to the battleship...

Ha-ha... mine was called the mothership, so maybe they were related.

[DrewQ45]

And I agree about the cobalt engine...but it wasn't my purchase decision. If it makes it any better, my dad went and bought a 2008 G35 Sedan after driving the Q for a while.

I miss my Q. I have a Corolla now...it's like driving a shopping cart. It's alright, but doesn't have the character that nissans do. I had a 1987 300ZX for my first car. Brother had an xterra that was traded down from my sister. 15 years apart and they had the same engine. VG series. After I graduate college, I'm sure I'll get a G sedan of my own. I really love that car.

You made the right decision in taking it in. You got a lot more than the car was worth and saved yourself future headaches. An unreliable Q is a very expensive proposition. ANY new car you buy nowadays will be reliable if maintained properly and you'll have a warranty for years. You are in a Q45 forum so you can expect to get mixed reactions, deep down you know you made out like bandit and that's all that matters.

...Drew...