I'm taking my M37x to a very well-reputed local mechanic tomorrow to have some minor brake work completed (remember the scraping sound I posted about a couple weeks ago?), as well as to have an alignment performed and fluids checked/re-filled. They'll be taking care of the oil change, as well (have decided to go with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum).

I just have a few quick questions regarding maintenance of the transfer fluid & differential gear oil; I checked the manual but couldn't find much of anything regarding these particular fluids. The car has approximately 40.5k miles on it; should I plan on having these fluids changed/filled tomorrow, or does Infiniti consider them to be "lifetime fills," much as they do the transmission fluid? I see that most of the members here recommend having the transmission fluid flushed at the 60k-70k miles interval -- should I just plan on having the transfer fluid and diff. gear oils changed at that particular service interval, as well?

Thanks...

I did mine every 50k...car had 140k when I traded it in, and was ridden hard. No issues, ever.

IlyaKol wrote:I did mine every 50k...car had 140k when I traded it in, and was ridden hard. No issues, ever.

Thanks. But do you know if the transfer case and differentials are both sealed compartments? If so, would it be necessary to take the car to a Nissan/Infiniti dealership to have those fluids changed, or should I let the mechanic take care of them tomorrow?

No, they aren't sealed. You can do them at home, if you like messes. lol.

The Infiniti service & maintenance guide recommends changing the differential and transfer case as an "optional premium upgrade" at 30k, 60k, 90k and 120k. I could not see where it is "required", although I think it is prudent to follow their recommendation; for trouble-free long term ownership.

I posted on your other thread here.
http://www.myg37.com/forums/the-m-spot/ ... ost3850725

SmoovC wrote:The Infiniti service & maintenance guide recommends changing the differential and transfer case as an "optional premium upgrade" at 30k, 60k, 90k and 120k. I could not see where it is "required", although I think it is prudent to follow their recommendation; for trouble-free long term ownership.

Yeah! I always try to keep my cars for a long time, so do similar things. My current 2003 M45 was purchased new in Sept of 2003, and now has 158k miles on it.

So, I tend to change all liquids in my car at 30k intervals. So, the transmission fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant, fan fluid, power steering, differential gear oil, etc., all get replaced at those times.

I do try to spread it a bit over two, rarely three, service intervals (i.e., at the 30000 and 33750 intervals) to keep the cost per service down a bit.

Z

szh...you're a dealers dream and all they see are $$$$$ signs when you pull in. I agree with taking care of car but changing out all of the fluids you stated above every 30K miles is a waste of hard earned money according to my dealer whose a good friend.

securityguy wrote:szh...you're a dealers dream and all they see are $$$$$ signs when you pull in. I agree with taking care of car but changing out all of the fluids you stated above every 30K miles is a waste of hard earned money according to my dealer whose a good friend.

Perhaps.

But it is also the reason that I can keep my cars for many years (having been a driver for about 42 years now). My 2003 M45 is 11 years old, with almost 160k miles on it and the engine and transmission run great.

Also, to me, brake fluid every 30k miles is a non-optional change - good brakes, treads above 3/32" (and the best tires that I can afford) is what can saves lives under certain adverse situations.

Cosmetic things I tend to let slide. Door dings, broken seats, perfect wheels, don't matter to me ... but performance, handling, and braking are vitally important.

Z

My dealer charges about $300 to change tcase and transmission fluid I did it in December at 54k miles. The dealer also put felt tape around my Takeda long tube intake filter mod for free to stop it from resonating

I just had my transmission flushed and filled at 50,000 miles. Now that I am re-reading my manual, it says that the transmission fluid should not be changed on an Infiniti with a 7 speed automatic transmission. Am I in trouble? I know the mechanic did use same fluid as the dealer.

InfinitiAce wrote:I just had my transmission flushed and filled at 50,000 miles. Now that I am re-reading my manual, it says that the transmission fluid should not be changed on an Infiniti with a 7 speed automatic transmission. Am I in trouble? I know the mechanic did use same fluid as the dealer.

That makes zero sense. I've never heard anything like that before. I'd say your fine.