Picked Up a 98 Q yesterday

[Rex]

Very nice car, I keep thinking about getting an FY33, in the next year or so, versus waiting 3 years to get an M45 off lease. Oh, the decisions we must make.

Still, great looking car and maxnix is right, get that puppy back to spec, so you get the full feel and set things up for lots of miles.

[airman]

Welcome to the club! Mine is in dealership today getting a fresh cup of Mobil 1 and healthy coolant flush.

[elwesso]

Beautiful car!!!!! Those wheels fit the character of the car very nicely!!!

[dougs98Q45]

Sah-weet ride! Looks really clean. Don't get stuck behind a gravel truck though! The little chips really show up in the black....

[Falkdesigns]

Thanks people. As for bringing it to OEM spec, I don't know what I should do. Everything works perfectly. It was originally sold at the same dealer I got it from, and I have the service history on it and everything appears to have been done on time. In Dec. I can see that the TPS and one O2 sensor was replaced, so I need to replace the other one, but other than that it's great. I've read about the BG44k, but I put Redline cleaner in it since we do their racing teams uniforms we get free stuff from them. I am a firm believer in the quality of Amsoil and used it for 4 years in my Civic. In independant tests, Amsoil beats EVERY other synthetic, and it spanks Mobil One. I sent some to Oil Annalyzers that had been in my car for 8 months once and it came back "suitable for continued use" and passed all tests near the top. So I will convert it to Amsoil and do a transmission flush fairly soon. It starts and runs beautifully.

Fortunatley for me, I have access to a garage and all the tools, (I'm not a ASE certified mechanic, but I've worked on my own cars for 18 years or so and I spent a summer working at the garage I use), so I've done some pretty deep, complex work, and anything I don't feel up to the task, I can just ask Jeff, the owner and best mechanic I've ever known, to help me out. I look forward to spending years driving this thing and I'll be on here to ask questions and help when I can.

Kev

[VA99Q45]

That's beautiful! I wish my car is black now

You can save $20 - 30 each on 02 sensor if you get it from Joe (Scottdale). Another thing you may want to do is remove the 02 sensor and clean them first. Sometime it requires some cleaning.

[Falkdesigns]

Thanks, and don't wish your car was black, I think your car looks great, I'd already checked it out in members rides. Thanks for the tip on the O2 sens. So far, so good, the motor feels like silk, power is great and my mileage has been pretty good (18 ish in mostly traffic, ahh, L.A.).

[BadQ45t]

Where are you in SoCal? LA, if you're getting 18mpg that is good, I always lose 2-4mpg when I drive in LA versus the Bay Area. I'm orginally from LA but moved up here 5 years ago. If you need service and Ventura isn't too far, Cars 101 service team used to all work at Infiniti of Ventura and their rates are very good. My dad's friend owns the dealership and they are great.

[Falkdesigns]

I'm in the West L.A. area right off the 405. Ive been driving with a very light foot, keeping in mind that I want to get around 18 mpg. I still mash the pedal when those rare openings in traffic happen though and I cruise at 75-85 when traffic permits.

Ventura is too far, besides I've used the same garage for about 5 years. I worked as a mechanic there and he still lets me use the shop to work on my cars. Thanks for the tip though!!

[Chrisfrend]

Congratulations on your purchase -- I bought a very similar 97 touring model several months ago in a dark green color that often looks black in some lighting conditions.

You mention that your old car had a thicker stabilizer bar. The 97 touring model has an 18mm rear stabilizer bar, compared to 24mm on the standard model. Oddly, the touring model has much smaller bar, but the standard one fits and will firm up the suspension and pretty much eliminate the mushy/boaty feeling.

[Falkdesigns]

Thanks! I gotta track one of those down.

[Chrisfrend]

I got one from Scottsdale Infiniti. The standard, non-touring 24 mm bar was only $118, plus bushings and brackets. Very inexpensive considering the significant improvement in handling. There is a thread on this board with parts numbers if these are needed. I still don't understand why they downgraded the bar on the touring model, even with the stiffer rear springs it also has, although the ride admittedly is not quite as soft with the thicker bar -- it is still quite comfortable.