Repair advice - expensive

[leojs]

Hello all,

I'm a proud owner of a 2004 G35x with nearly 160K mi. No major issues to date. I recently had an experience where the car bogged down and stalled (felt like out of gas, but I wasn't)-- I was able to pull over and after multiple failed attempts to restart, after sitting about 15min I was able to pump the pedal and get it going again. It had less than 1/4 tank so maybe I sucked something nasty through the fuel injector? It's been fine the past few days after a fill up.

I depend on this car heavily for work. I called my regular mechanic and he was booked 2 weeks out. So, I took the car to Infiniti for pampering, and my jaw nearly hit the floor when they gave me the results of the $99 diagnostic.

The part they suggested for the stall (I believe due to a code they pulled) was the Air Flow Meter. They wanted $452.00 plus tax for this. There were a couple really cold winter days here in PA that the car seemed to run rough on startups and sometimes stall and got check engine light. Not sure if this could also be related to the recent stall.


Here are the other items:
-Hood hinges (said they are binding) - $266.96
-Valve cover gasket (said slight leak, however there has been nothing on my garage floor) - $237.81
-Repair exchaust $118.95
-Driver and Passenger side front wheel bearings - $1,334 (WOW! and this was after an $80 discount if I did both)
-Passenger side Sway Bar Link - $67.00
-Replace front rotors $487.90
-Replace rear pads and rotors $493.42
-30,000 mi interval service $690.00
-Replace serpentine belt $156.34
-Brake fluid flush $99.95

So, about $4,500 worth of repairs...

Called my mechanic and he said some of the items they suggested may or may not need to be replaced and they tend to be on the conservative side. He did say for the parts he generally gets parts from the local Infiniti dealer twice a week.

Are there any items above I'd be better off with the dealer doing? or is this stuff any solid mechanic should be able to repair with geniune parts?

Is there any cost benefit of me ordering these parts online (so long as geniune) and having them drop shipped to my mechanic? Or are the local prices going to be the same when he gets them from the Infiniti dealer?

I love this car, being 2004 it's a little older but until the recent stall has been solid. With 160K miles, it seems to me if I do the above repairs I should be able to get some more life out of it. The exterior and interior look great still-- but concerned this may be "the beginning of the end" and wondering if it's time to bail for something newer (saw a 2008 G35x with only around 22K mi on it at a local dealer, but really not excited about having a car payment again so would rather fix my 2004 if it makes sense).

Thanks to anyone willing to take some time and provide some thoughts and opinions.

Sincerely,

-Leojs

[nissangirl74]

I would recommend that you DO NOT take your car back to this dealer. They're just trying to rip you off, IMO. Binding hood hinges? Seriously? Spray some lube on them and be done!! There's no need to trade your car in on another one and incur another debt. Unless there is something you aren't telling us, you should be able to fix this car for way less than they quoted you, and you should be able to get a lot more life out of it. It's what I would do.

If you have any mechanical ability, most of this stuff you can do yourself. We have a brake parts hook-up, we can get you parts a heck of a lot cheaper than their quote. All of those parts can be sourced online for cheaper than the dealer, you just have to do your homework and shop around. Rock Auto is a great resource. G35.com (for some stuff; some of it is expensive). Courtesy parts. Even Autozone. Just make you a list and start hitting people up for pricing. If you need help with certain projects, or all of them, let me know. We'll send you the links and walk you through it.

[kmckis1029]

you should be able to do hood hinges, brakes, rotors, sway bar link, and most of 30k mile service with just regular tools in your garage. the air flow meter, im assuming is the Mass airflow sensor, is an expensive part and is the most likely causing your stalling. But actually replacing it is so easy.

I personally do every repair or maintence i can my self before i take my car to the dealer or independant shop. Basically if it doesnt require special tools you save so much money doing the labor your self. Get the FSM for your car and see which repairs you are comfortable doing your self.

[leojs]

Thanks for the replies! I am about to place my order on Rock Auto Parts website for everything. This will literally save me thousands.

Quick question on the mass air flow sensor, I see some of them are "sensor module only" and for some more money they have "sensor with housing". Do I just need the sensor? Or is it a good idea to replace the sensor and housing together?

NissanGirl, you mentioned "We have a brake parts hook-up, we can get you parts a heck of a lot cheaper than their quote." <== Right now I have front and rear rotors in my cart along with a set of their performance category rear pads. I have not checked out yet, is there a discount code for forum users I should use or some other hookup you are referring to? I also need front L&R wheel bearings.

THANK YOU!

[leojs]

To add, one of the options on Rock Auto Parts (and less expensive than the CARDONE sensor module only option) is this:

HITACHI Part # MAF0029 ACTUAL OE PART.
Includes Housing; Base Model

Perhaps that is the best option?

Thank you for any advice

[nissangirl74]

You don't need the housing unless it is visibly damaged.
If you can tell me what you are paying for the brakes, I can let you know if I can get them cheaper. If you don't want to post the price, you can send it to me in a PM. We get them through a different vendor.

[nissangirl74]

Here is the link to the FSM.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/

[Sentientbydesign]

Be sure to bleed your brakes when you replace them. This is a common oversight when people start doing their own brakes.

As for the other repairs, I would tend to agree with becks and kareem. The only thing on that list that should be done by a mechanic/machine shop is the wheel bearings as they usually need a hydraulic press.

[SVTCOBRA]

As for the hinges, I had one that was about frozen and greasing it would not fix it.
Got a new one from Infiniti for $32
Rattle can of primer and blue paint from Autozone.
Took the bolts loose from the top of the fender and inside the door jam.
Pulled back the fender enough to get to where it bolts on to the car and removed it.
Had the wife hold the hood up on that side while I replaced it with the new one.
Was tooooo ez.

[leojs]

All - I appreciate the support. I'm out of town but already placed by order for all the parts.

I'm a computer repair tech, not an auto mechanic-- but I am not afraid to dig in, and have good troubleshooting skills and enjoy repairing things. I'll take the advice from this forum and see how many of these repairs I can pull off myself. Not only will it save money, but should be fun with the accomplishment of doing it myself.

Nissangirl, those manuals are great! Is there an index though? The filenames are semi descriptive but basically need to open each pdf to see what it is vs. knowing which one to open based on what I'm looking for. If not, maybe I'll open each one and create an index that can be put in the root of the folder for others to use in the future.

Thanks again everyone.

[SVTCOBRA]

IDX=index
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Sedan/2004/idx.pdf

I copied all to a folder on my harddrive.
IT person here too! I do software, not hardware.
Yes, you can save a bundle doing your own maintenance!!
And, the money you save can go toward more tools!

Lowes Home Improvement has some of their handtool sets on sale right now.
Might want to get a good floor jack, jack stands, rhino ramps, drain pan, torque wrench....

[kmckis1029]

I do software and hardware, mostly software, most people don't suspect i'm an undercover greese money when i tell them my job title LOL

[audtatious]

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Sedan/2004/fwd.pdf

^^^ thy this first as it will steer you to the right individual pdf's in the directory...

IT guy here too. "Solutions Engineer" specializing in backup/DR and storage infrastructures (NetApp, EMC, HDS, Data Domain, Symantec, etc)....