The 100K Club

[MaxBolus]

Well, on the countdown to 100K miles on my M- just rolled over 99K this weekend, should hit the century mark later this month.

I know we had a mileage post a few months back, just wondering how many of us have hit the hundred thousand mark?

----------------btw- for the old-timers out there , I remember my first Datsun ('81 200SX) had the first 6-digit odometer I had seen. My buddies dismissed it as a sales gimmick, hahaa. Now, of course, these are commonplace..even our 'transportation appliance' 98 Windstar is running well at 140K.

As a kid, I recall my parents being happy to get a car to 60K before the darn thing rusted to pieces.

[RBote]

105,000 on mine

[Mark Linkous]

Very cool. Have either of you had any major repairs? There are so few of our cars that hearing from folks who have higher mileage Y34's provides valuable insights.Cheers,ML

[M4T5]

I dread the day mine nears 100K miles!

J

[szh]

Very cool. Have either of you had any major repairs? There are so few of our cars that hearing from folks who have higher mileage Y34's provides valuable insights.

An excellent question! It is also a question that some of the 2002+ Q45 owners might be able to address, since the engine and drive-train are similar ...

Z

[RBote]

Mine drinks oil almost 1 quart per 1000 miles. I just keep feeding her. I have the trunk opening problem, just need to manually raise the trunk immediately after pressing the open button, otherwise, it locks itself. Air bag light on which I blacked out, she will never come back on again. I drive her for approx. 50 miles per day with no major problems. I was scared when it was time for inspection last month but she passed the emissions test in TX.

[M4T5]

Wow, a Spring, TX neighbor! Why don't we tear out the engine in your M45, increase the bores, place some new pistons and rings in it, get some custom ground cams, have some head work done, increase compression some, and put it back in its home? Then wallah! Oil consumption eliminated!It's so easy to post this than actually do it isn't it! It kind of makes you wonder though doesn't it?

J

[CakeDaddy]

100K I almost dont feel worthy posting here. Im approaching 35k on mine, but nice to see these can go the distance. Props to you all.

[schu300]

I realize Im just a drop in the bucket, but....

2006 M45 sport with 30,445 on her....Bought it October 2007 with 5,400 on her.....a few trips from Wichita to Denver tend to add up quickly!

[MaxBolus]

Sorry been away so long, but while I was in SanFran on business, my son took the honor of rolling over 100K. Today I'm at 100,881

It's holding up well, I have many of the common issues others have seen (and I've moaned about some on this forum). Biggest issue is the rough running/occasional rough starts, just living with it for now. Also many of the minor annoyances like squeaking seat, rattling back shelf, and flaky gas gauge.

A new one is the tire pressure system seems to lose its mind when it's wet outside..I get the tire pressure idiot light and the display shows all "*" for the pressures. Ah, well...

The front bumper is kind of beat up from stones and such, but otherwise the car is remarkably free of dings.

oh yeah- the Windstar I mentioned above bit the dust two weeks ago. Shouldn't have tempted fate..
Modified by MaxBolus at 5:29 PM 3/14/2009

[fiveliterbeater]

i would like to someday be part of this club but my situation is a little weird. my car has 53k on it but the engine only has 11k on it. what would be the rule of thumb for a situation like this?

[M45Caliber]

hummm -- let's see. My 2003 M45 just rolled over 40K this week... it's 5 years and 5 months "old"... so that's about 616 miles/month. 100K divided by 616 = 162 months or about 13 1/2 years... minus the 5.5 years already... so I will check back on this thread in March of 2017 or so and let you know how it's going!

[cruise8]

So everyone with 100K never had major repairs? Just the occassional checkups?

[szh]

So everyone with 100K never had major repairs? Just the occasional checkups?

Well, some people have had major problems, but the majority of cars have been relatively trouble-free (of major problems that is). The most expensive problem I have heard about is the NAV system going bad - costs a lot of money to replace.

But, the qualifier "major" is relative, I suppose! Some folks might consider the gas gauge to be a major issue for example (because of the work/cost involved in the repair) - my car is at the dealer having this work done right now under the extended warranty.

A small percentage of the 2003 M45 model years have had engine oil consumption problems to the point of needing a replacement motor. Very few 2004 and almost none of the 2006+ M have this problem though.

Z

[xerexabante]

An excellent question! It is also a question that some of the 2002+ Q45 owners might be able to address, since the engine and drive-train are similar ...

Z

02 F50 80k miles, both cats, rack and pinion, idler pulley, timing cover gasket, both exhaust manifold, srs recall, headlight ballast all done under warranty.

all in all no other problems. all fixed now.

[Q45tech]

How reliability has improved since 1990 Q45. It cost me $8,000 out of pocket to reach 100k even with a Nissan 100k extended warranty.The next 100k [3 .3 years] costs $17,000The next 100k [6 years] costs $18,000The next 22k [2 years] cost $5kAveraging 15 cents per mile.

Currently 322,000 miles and 19+ years of ownership.

[szh]

Dennis, are you also including regular maintenance costs and gas in this above post? Yes, those are part of the cost of ownership.

Z

[peter_rabbit]

Mine drinks oil almost 1 quart per 1000 miles. I just keep feeding her. I have the trunk opening problem, just need to manually raise the trunk immediately after pressing the open button, otherwise, it locks itself. Air bag light on which I blacked out, she will never come back on again. I drive her for approx. 50 miles per day with no major problems. I was scared when it was time for inspection last month but she passed the emissions test in TX.

RBote, i swear if you weren't in TX i would think you're driving my car

[RBote]

PR, if you still have the trunk problem, you could fix it with the NAPA struts. They will raise the trunk completely when you press the trunk button. I am approaching 110,000 miles on my black M.

[SteveTheTech]

I have the trunk opening problem, just need to manually raise the trunk immediately after pressing the open button, otherwise, it locks itself.

Hey I was reading the thread and had to comment on this. Next time you open the trunk open it fully and push it slightly more open. Apply a good amount of pressure, not enough to damage anything just to reposition it a little. That should resolve your issue for a while, I have done this on several Y34s and 02+ Q45s and it works well if done right. It's cheaper and easier than replacing the struts and unless the trunk won't stay up the struts arn't to fully blame. There are torsion rods under the parcel shelf that need to be repositioned. Try that first.

Great to see you guys keeping your Y34s in top shape. Of the few that are still out there so many of them have fallen into serious disrepair, it's a shame.

[MikeMiersma]

Just like RB, I rolled over the 100k mark last month. Im at 105900 right now. No major problems whatsoever, but recently lost the underneath plastic engine cover on a road trip, have the squeaky driver seat problem, the engine rattle in gear, the trunk that wont stay unlocked and its drinking about a half quart of oil every 2000 miles. I also had to black out the airbag light though. Some reported Infiniti would fix the airbag problem for free regardless of warranty because it was a safety factor, but I have not had this done. She also passed inspection with flying colors and the body/paint/invisible bra are in immaculate condition.

Only complaints are small. Theres an engine rattle that seems to be the alternator, but I cant tell exactly what it is. It generally occurs when a lot of electric load is on the vehicle and its warmed up. Another thing, does anyone have the windshield defroster vent rattle? This is driving me absolutely nuts. It happens at 67 mph after the car has been driven a while, and nothing kills the noise other than turning the sound up. I hate it. Other than that, driving like a champ.

Anyone have a fix for the seat squeak?

[M45Runner]

So, are you going to replace the under engine cover? It seems to be important (to protect all the moving parts from the engine compartment). Mine is a bit out of shape and I want to have it replaced, but the dealer quoted me $339 and I want to order it and put it on myself, but have not find a place that sells it.

Let me know what you find out.

[RBote]

I solved my squeaky seat problem with help from CakeD. Try raising the seat up a tad or so, ensuring that you are not on the bottommost seat position. I hope that works for you.

[szh]

So, are you going to replace the under engine cover? It seems to be important (to protect all the moving parts from the engine compartment). Mine is a bit out of shape and I want to have it replaced, but the dealer quoted me $339 and I want to order it and put it on myself, but have not find a place that sells it.

Check out http://www.everythinginfiniti.com ... for the cheapest OEM parts (new) on the Internet.

They are a NICO sponsor and do right by us.

Z

[fiveliterbeater]

Check out http://www.everythinginfiniti.com ... for the cheapest OEM parts (new) on the Internet.They are a NICO sponsor and do right by us. Z

....will they do us right on discounts if we order the AERO kit from them too?

[ellis]

122k on my 03. Had to replace the gauge cluster (when I replaced the fuel level sending unit), mass airflow sensor, and two O2 sensors so far. I drive this car alot. It's been VERY reliable, quiet, smooth, and fun to drive.

Blake
Modified by ellis at 11:05 AM 5/31/2009

[Mark Linkous]

Hey I was reading the thread and had to comment on this. Next time you open the trunk open it fully and push it slightly more open. Apply a good amount of pressure, not enough to damage anything just to reposition it a little. That should resolve your issue for a while, I have done this on several Y34s and 02+ Q45s and it works well if done right. It's cheaper and easier than replacing the struts and unless the trunk won't stay up the struts arn't to fully blame. There are torsion rods under the parcel shelf that need to be repositioned. Try that first.

Great to see you guys keeping your Y34s in top shape. Of the few that are still out there so many of them have fallen into serious disrepair, it's a shame.

Hello,Unfortunately, now that Y34's can be easily had around 10k, there seems to be many folks who can afford the note, cannot afford to service it at anything approximating optimal. In a couple more years, there will be the 16 year olds who choose it over a ten year old Civic. Prepare for gauges on the A-Pillar and kewl Neon add ons. I paid 28 for my 04 CPO three years ago. This included the Elite Warranty and is equipped with the Technology Package and Premium Package.

Now, the car is probably worth 12 with a full service history and under 50 thousand miles. And that is only because the Elite Warranty is transferrable. While I was not expecting for the car to be worth what I paid for it then, the depreciation is more than I had expected considering usually purchasing a car a few years old insulates you from such steep declines.

Given what I paid and what it is worth, I am going to drive it until it falls apart. It is worth too little to be a viable trade in and I always pay for my cars in cash.Cheers,ML

[GJEMD]

Regarding the poorly engineered splash guard my 2004 has been without it for 20,000 miles. no issues regarding cooling or drive ability. It broke off at the back corners by the transmission. I'm sure it provides some protection. It is not on the 2006 forward M45s so its not clear if Infiniti consider it important.

[DHFerguson]

This may be my first post on NICO.

I turned 100,000 miles on my silver 2003 M45 on Friday. Here is what I posted on the National Lightning Owners Club (NLOC.net) this morning:

Quote » 10 years - 238,000 miles

I turned 238,000 miles this morning. It's been semi-retired. Just use it for hauling material for projects and around work.

Still running strong, but lotsa little things have been nagging. But then I've run the s*** out of it for 10 years.

After it broke at 5:30 am twice on the way to work (35 miles one-way) in December, my wife started in on me about getting something more reliable. I looked, but nothing seemed as perfectly suited to me as my Lightning. She even dragged me around to dealers and almost had me sold on a SUV...

Then I found 2 black 2004 Lightnings on the internet with less than 70,000 miles for ~$15,000 that appeared to be stock, one near Boston and the other in Georgia. My plan was to buy one of them and sell mine for ~$5,000 for a net cost of $10,000 for a newer black (my favorite Lightning color) truck with far fewer miles and all the upgrades after 1999. She didn't like that idea as she wants something she is comfortable in when we have to swap rides.

I'd set it up with my brother to drop me at the one near Boston on a Car and Driver mileage run when they announced here a work that the hospital owned executive vehicle program was being cut and all the vehicles would be auctioned off. The Big Boss decided to buy his Cadillac CTS-V and have Lingenfelter massage it to something closer to the new model. I had my eye on a super clean Cadillac CTS-4, but one of the finance guys got it for too much money. It finally got down to a nice Touareg (that fortunately I was clued in by our ambulance mechanics had chronic electrical problems) and an Infiniti M45 with 95,000 miles that seemed to have been abused.

The M45 had a seized caliper on the right rear that sprayed metallic dust all over the right rear wheel and quarter-panel that then rusted. It was parked in the back corner of the Doctor's Lot and got plowed in after a heavy snow so that just the rusty right rear was sticking out. It looked so bad, no one bid on it, so Purchasing had the dealer give them an offer which came in at $5,000.

I happened to see the Purchasing Director taking off the plates so it could be towed to the dealer. He was pissed that we'd paid almost $45,000 for it and now it was fetching a ~1/10th of that and he had to pay for the tow. I guessed the rust was only on the surface, so, when he wasn't looking, I took out my pen knife and poked at the rust on the wheels, it flaked off. So I told him I'd give him $5,000 as-is and tow it out of there. He seemed relieved and so I wrote a check and he got me a receipt and the title with a big 'AS-IS' written on it.

The dealer wanted ~$1,000 to get it running and a complete 30,000 mile service. I had it towed to our main ambulance garage and it took them a couple days to get it running. The battery had frozen and burst and it took some computer work to convince it to start and then stay running after sitting dead for a few weeks in sometimes sub-zero temps. An hour with a high-pressure washer blew the the rust off and a rub-out and coat of wax made it look close to new. I put on new tires, replaced the brakes and all fluids and it now runs and looks great for <$7,000 total investment.

It has as much horsepower as my Lightning, but nowhere near the torque. I still like my Lightning better, and, like today, tend to grab the Ford keys first.

My wife has backed down and is letting me keep the Lightning for now, but when I mentioned my 1999 for 2004 Lightning for $10,000 idea again to friends at dinner last night, she wasn't happy... [/quote]
Modified by DHFerguson at 9:14 AM 5/31/2009

[Mark Linkous]

Hello,Welcome to NICO. That is one hell of a deal even with that many miles. I cannot imagine a better deal on a relatively young car that originally went for 50k Is the car equipped with navigation or heated and cooled seats?Cheers,ML