Tustin Infiniti Rocks!

[brymax]

I finally took my Q into the dealer this past weekend.

When I bought the car from a broker I was told the car had a 70K / 4yr. factory warranty.

Not true! 70K - Yes. But 7yr. warranty.

The guys at Tustin Infiniti really went out of their way to try to fix various things and find ways to get paid by the warranty rather than me.

I'm paying the $800 for the 30K service it never got before my owning the car.

Tustin Infiniti is covering the exhaust leak. "Common on the 02's".TCM reprogramming is being worked into something else.New seal belt retractors.AND.... They're going to see about dealing with the burning oil issue through warranty. They're going to run some kind of controlled test and then report their findings to the factory and "Try to get factory assistance".

And to top it all off, I was given an 06 QX56 as a loaner, that I have had the extreme pleasure of driving since Friday.

What a truck!

When I go back to pick up the Q I'm going to see about trading in my Mercedes ML350 for a QX56.

[Jesda]

So you dig the QX? I like the styling but the interior always bothered me. I assume its pretty darn quick. Is it quiet?

[konatown]

I finally took my Q into the dealer this past weekend.

When I bought the car from a broker I was told the car had a 70K / 4yr. factory warranty.

Not true! 70K - Yes. But 7yr. warranty.

The guys at Tustin Infiniti really went out of their way to try to fix various things and find ways to get paid by the warranty rather than me.

I'm paying the $800 for the 30K service it never got before my owning the car.

Tustin Infiniti is covering the exhaust leak. "Common on the 02's".TCM reprogramming is being worked into something else.New seal belt retractors.AND.... They're going to see about dealing with the burning oil issue through warranty. They're going to run some kind of controlled test and then report their findings to the factory and "Try to get factory assistance".

And to top it all off, I was given an 06 QX56 as a loaner, that I have had the extreme pleasure of driving since Friday.

What a truck!

When I go back to pick up the Q I'm going to see about trading in my Mercedes ML350 for a QX56.

Thats awesome, congratulations on the good service.... although we shouldn't have to celebrate it, in theory.

The QX56 is a monster sized vehicle but I loved the one I drove. We currently have an '05 on the used lot that dwarves our new LX/Sequoia.

[AlabamaDan]

Good to hear. One of the perks of owning a newer model Q is the dealerships still care more about you. Congrats!

[brymax]

So you dig the QX? I like the styling but the interior always bothered me. I assume its pretty darn quick. Is it quiet?

No, I'm going to try to maybe work a trade for my Benz when I go back in.

They still have my Q.

As far as the drive of the QX...It truly is the most luxurious SUV I've ever driven. And I've driven and owned quite a few. 1 of the things I hate about my ML350 is how bouncy and like a truck it is. It's a freakin Benz for cryin out loud. They couldn't of made it smooth?

Well, that's exactly what the QX is... SMOOTH!And FAST?..... Hell yeah it's fast. It must have like a 7speed transmission, cuz it just glides through the gears. But depending on where your foot is on the pedal the transmission just kinda seems like it does what it needs to do to give you what your foot is asking for.

Sorry, I don't know how else to explain it. My Q doesn't do that. That's for sure.

"Is it quiet?" Uh, NO! It's freakin loud. I kinda like it actually. But I think this 1 might have the same exhaust leak my Q does. I kinda liked the way my Q sounded too.Until they explained to me that's not how it's supposed to sound and that the leak is probably the source of some other issues I'm having.

All in all, I'd say the QX56 is definitely the nicest to drive SUV I've had the pleasure.

Down side.... This things got 17K miles on it. You'd think the dealer would clean it up a bit, knowing that loaners are potential future sales. The whole reason I asked for the QX as a loaner is cuz I was thinking about buying 1. But my loaner is wrecked. Leathers' all stained, trash all over, dash is all F'd up.

What's up with that?

At the risk of going on and on.....

Up, too late!

Later.

[mhoepfin]

When I bought the car from a broker I was told the car had a 70K / 4yr. factory warranty.

Not true! 70K - Yes. But 7yr. warranty.

That's not the standard warranty for the 2002 Q is it?

[brymax]

That's not the standard warranty for the 2002 Q is it?

You know what, I don't know. I might have miss quoted what they told me at the dealer the other day.

They did say that I was covered until Sep. of next year and the calc'd. that buy checking to see when my car was 1st. sold, and I thought I heard them say it was 1st sold in July 02. So what's that, like 70 months?Maybe he said 70K / 70 months.

I don't know.

What I do know is they called me back yesterday after having my car for a week and said the exhaust manifold is being replaced, TCM reprogrammed, throttle positioning replaced, and oil burn issue fixed all under warranty.Yeah baby!

Now they did also say that the belts need to be changed, the fuel filter needs to be replaced, the right front wheel hub is leaking and for all that they want another $900 in addition to the $800 for the 30K service.

So ah what the hell! I told em go ahead and fix that shizel I got my bonus yesterday, why not blow all on the woman I love, right?

[Jesda]

I've been wondering why Tustin sounds familiar. Now I remember! My 90 Q45 was serviced there quite a few times.

I also really like Infiniti of Costa Mesa. One of their service advisors is a cutie.

[brymax]

FINALLY picked up my car a few hours ago!

Man, what a difference.

Hey, quick heads up. Any of you out there that think that kinda throaty muscle car sound your Q is making is kinda cool, like I did or think the sound is coming from the resonators and it's supposed to sound like that, like I did?

Uh, You're wrong!

The car is supposed to be quiet. Like mine is now.Man I thought it was supposed to sound that way. I actually grinded the starter today right there at the dealer, cuz I thought the car died after I turned the key the 1st time. It used to do that, so I turned the key again.OOPS! I hate that sound!

Well I know now. That car is freakin quiet. And fast. Faster! And smooth.Damn I'm stoked!

And dig this.... After getting the run down of all the cost for all the work adding up to $1700 the dealer wanted another $117 to program a 2nd key I bought off ebay. I told them "No Thanks, I'll just stick with the 1 key."

They went ahead and programmed the key for free anyway!Detailed the car AND fueled it up

Tustin Infiniti Rocks!

[Q45man1]

Now enjoy your revitalized Q! I know that you can feel the difference. It feels a lot quicker and stronger.My TCM was replaced and not reprogrammed. You must have the late production date model.

[Lakeshow24]

When I go back to pick up the Q I'm going to see about trading in my Mercedes ML350 for a QX56.

What year ML350 do you have? The '07+'s are vastly superior to the prior ML350 trucks, and vastly superior to the QX56! If you care about size, the Mercedes GL450 is absolutely incredible! Keep us posted.

[Jesda]

You really liked the QX interior? I know Infiniti did an interior refresh for 07, so maybe that helped.

[brymax]

What year ML350 do you have? The '07+'s are vastly superior to the prior ML350 trucks, and vastly superior to the QX56! If you care about size, the Mercedes GL450 is absolutely incredible! Keep us posted.

I have an 03 ML350.

Yeah I know they're quite a bit different now but also very expensive.I'm a big believer in NEVER buying a brand new car. Just get 1 a year or 2 old with low miles and you buy the car for sometimes 1/2 of what it originally sold for.

Which is the reason I didn't get the GL. They were still fresh on the market when I bought my ML. Couldn't touch even a slightly used 1 for under $35K. I picked up my ML for $27K, and it was a certified pre-owned that came with the MB 100K mile warranty. Which has paid off a couple of times now.

[brymax]

You really liked the QX interior? I know Infiniti did an interior refresh for 07, so maybe that helped.

Yeah, actually I did.

What I really liked was the space between me and everything around me in the car. Even in my Q, my legs rest against the door and the center console. Elbows on the door and the center console.

In the QX you're just sitting in the seat driving. You're not touching anything.

And the drive was just so freakin smooth for "a truck", I just couldn't get over it. I had the QX loaner for 8 days. So I really got to know the feel. Too bad you can't do a test drive prior to buying a car, under those conditions, ya know?

It doesn't look like we'll be getting one anytime soon though.I just kinda through it out there with the wife while enjoying the drive in the QX with her and here response was, "You bought a god-damn Mercedes Benz AND the biggest luxury car Infiniti has to offer all in the same year, and now you're already talking about buying another car?Bryan, stop-it! Just F'n stop-it! The next big purchase better be a house or you can go live by yourself in your brand new QX56."

So there endeth the dream my friends.

[Lakeshow24]

I have an 03 ML350.

Yeah I know they're quite a bit different now but also very expensive.I'm a big believer in NEVER buying a brand new car. Just get 1 a year or 2 old with low miles and you buy the car for sometimes 1/2 of what it originally sold for.

Which is the reason I didn't get the GL. They were still fresh on the market when I bought my ML. Couldn't touch even a slightly used 1 for under $35K. I picked up my ML for $27K, and it was a certified pre-owned that came with the MB 100K mile warranty. Which has paid off a couple of times now.

I sell Mercedes Benzes for a living. Mercedes makes a great car, so I was just trying to snipe a sell off of you.

And if you decide to upgrade your ML, give me a call and I'll give you a test run of it. The new ML is so much better than the previous model it's ridiculous. I would argue that the ML550 is better than Porsche's Cayenne in everyway. The prior ML was built like a truck, was too heavy, too slow, too harsh, and too archaic. The NEW ML is a superstar.

In any case, by far the best SUV to purchase on the used market is hands down an Isuzu Trooper. Look for a 1998 and newer model. Every large SUV is a wannabe Trooper, check out Honda's Pilot, Nissan's Xterra, even Mercedes' GL. The tall and boxy profile is hot, and even though those are all newer models they are still not half as useable as the Trooper. IF you get a fully loaded Trooper, it's the biggest steal on the used market since our very own Q's. Even better? Troopers are known to give you 300,000 plus miles in their sleep under routine maintenance because Isuzu builds a quality product regardless of what the stupid consumer magazines say.

Gotta love depreciation so long as you're a used car buyer.

[Lakeshow24]

They still have my Q.

As far as the drive of the QX...It truly is the most luxurious SUV I've ever driven. And I've driven and owned quite a few. 1 of the things I hate about my ML350 is how bouncy and like a truck it is. It's a freakin Benz for cryin out loud. They couldn't of made it smooth?

Well, that's exactly what the QX is... SMOOTH!And FAST?..... Hell yeah it's fast. It must have like a 7speed transmission, cuz it just glides through the gears. But depending on where your foot is on the pedal the transmission just kinda seems like it does what it needs to do to give you what your foot is asking for.

No, no, you're totally wrong here. The problem with your ML is that it was really built on a truck chassis. It uses ladder frame construction. There is not a mid-size SUV in the world built with more strength than the ML you own. The QX pales in comparison in terms of the overall strength, rigidity, and durability of the previous ML350 that you own.

The reason the QX is much smoother is the fact that it is built like a car. It's unibody construction, disguising itself as an all-out luxury truck. It shares the same platform as the Nissan siblings, so there is no comparing a QX to a Mercedes.

The QX is a good SUV, but you're comparing apples and oranges. If you want a vehicle designed for driving on paved roads, the QX is your vehicle. Your previous ML is capable of feats no Nissan would dare attempt.

The new ML is totally redesigned and is now built on unibody platform. You really owe it to yourself to at the very least check it out, because it is 10,000 times better than the prior model (ONLY in terms of street driving, like a car. if you want a truck, then the ML took steps backwards). The handling characteristics of the new ML are flat out amazing. I've literally hopped out of Porsche Cayenne's and the new ML and the ML flat out gets the job done.

Quote »"Is it quiet?" Uh, NO! It's freakin loud. I kinda like it actually. But I think this 1 might have the same exhaust leak my Q does. I kinda liked the way my Q sounded too.Until they explained to me that's not how it's supposed to sound and that the leak is probably the source of some other issues I'm having.

All in all, I'd say the QX56 is definitely the nicest to drive SUV I've had the pleasure.

Down side.... This things got 17K miles on it. You'd think the dealer would clean it up a bit, knowing that loaners are potential future sales. The whole reason I asked for the QX as a loaner is cuz I was thinking about buying 1. But my loaner is wrecked. Leathers' all stained, trash all over, dash is all F'd up.

What's up with that?

At the risk of going on and on.....

Up, too late!

Later.[/quote]Look for a fully loaded Trooper. If you like the steal of a deal you got with your Q45, the Isuzu Trooper is far and away the equivalent vehicle for the SUV market. It does have a slight bit less depreciation though, which may or may not be a good thing as a used buyer. Be aware though, that the Trooper is built like a real truck though. But it isn't nearly as harsh as the previous Mercedes ML. It's softer, quieter, more comfortable, even the rear seats recline for comfort dating back to the 1992 models, there's tons of options for a third row (you can find JDM and European market third row seats via a google or ebay search) both oem and aftermarket too.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The reason the QX is much smoother is the fact that it is built like a car. It's unibody construction, disguising itself as an all-out luxury truck. It shares the same platform as the Nissan siblings, so there is no comparing a QX to a Mercedes.

The QX56 is not unibody. It is a full size 1/2 ton truck. Body on boxed ladder frame.

However, the QX4 was a unibody "car" along with the 2nd generation Pathfinder it was based on.

[Lakeshow24]

The QX56 is not unibody. It is a full size 1/2 ton truck. Body on boxed ladder frame.

However, the QX4 was a unibody "car" along with the 2nd generation Pathfinder it was based on.

The QX56 is not unibody. It is a full size 1/2 ton truck. Body on boxed ladder frame.

However, the QX4 was a unibody "car" along with the 2nd generation Pathfinder it was based on.

My mistake. I'm not here to diss the QX56, it's certainly a beautiful truck. And I'd take it anyday over the old ML. But certainly, the reason the old ML is not appealing is because it was originally designed to be as rugged an SUV as any worldwide. The new ML wouldn't come close to the offroad prowess, or in terms of long-term durability.

He ought to give the new ML a chance though. Because the new ML's are flat out amazing on our paved roads. Even if the QX56 is his choice or he believes is better, he should at least compare it to the redesigned ML.

And my bonus advice? Look for a 2001 or 2002 Isuzu Trooper. Some are still under their 10 year/120,000 mile factory warranty, and they are flat out steals on the used market.

[brymax]

Der uhm ah......

I like the QX56?????.......

All this jibby-jabby about this ML, that ML and what was that??.... An Isuzu Trooper??

Yeah, uh... All I know is I have an 03 ML and I liked the QX56 better.

Sorry if I'm not comparing the correct year ML to the QX56. Ya see, I just got the one and that's all I got's.

But by all means, carry on with ya'll's debate!

[Lakeshow24]

Der uhm ah......

I like the QX56?????.......

All this jibby-jabby about this ML, that ML and what was that??.... An Isuzu Trooper??

Yeah, uh... All I know is I have an 03 ML and I liked the QX56 better.

Sorry if I'm not comparing the correct year ML to the QX56. Ya see, I just got the one and that's all I got's.

But by all means, carry on with ya'll's debate!

By all means, get what you like. It's your money. I'm just informing you that the redesigned ML is everything you want that your particular ML isn't. That's all.

[Jesda]

Since we're on an SUV tangent, I was at the Lincoln dealer looking at the new 2007 Navigator. I was horrified by how ugly it was and how cheap the interior looked in person.

Yes, those are the ACTUAL gauges in the 2007 Navigator. They look like they came out of an 80s Town Car.

My '03, which I've fallen madly in love with, has beautiful electroluminescent gauges like the ones in the Continental, LS400, and Seville.

The '07 I looked at had the same brilliant three-row arrangement (third row fits REAL adults thanks to IRS) but everything felt so much cheaper. The switchgear was fine, but the lid on the center console was already cracked (THIS WAS A SHOWROOM CAR!) and various bits had fallen off here and there.

I'm sure with the new V8 and ZF 6-speed transmission it drives like a dream, but I had no desire to go further with it.

I need to go check out the new QX, since it has the new cream interior.

[brymax]

That has got to be the cheapest looking dash in any model car out there!

Yes, definitely go check out the QX. I looked at a new kinda lighter slightly metallic blue one with that cream leather interior. Wow, that was nice.

Possible heads up though on problems with that color interior..... The loaner I had only had 17K miles on it, and that same cream leather was stained up beyond belief. Now obviously it was a loaner, so I guess it was not being cared for properly. But that light nature of that leather did seem to show signs of heavy wear pretty early in the cars life.

Definitely not a color choice for someone with kids.

Oh, and sorry I didn't mean to pass over the apparent heart felt comments and suggestions on the Trooper. I'm sure Isuzu really outdid themselves with that one. I'll keep that car in mind when my kid turns 16 in a little more than a year. By then they should be kinda like a lighter, ya know?Runs out a fuel, you just toss it and get another one.

[AlabamaDan]

Wow that dash is possibly the worst I've ever seen. It's definately 1979, which was a low point for the American automobile industry. I bet they've got a guy with a pocket protector and black horned rimed glasses as a designer.

[qship96]

The dash design is retro,made to look like the lincolns of the 60`s and early 70`s,but it came out looking like junk.....I think they tried to duplicate the success they had with the current Mustang and its retro theme.....but here,they failed bigtime.

[Jesda]

My 03 for comparison:

[MinisterofDOOM]

The dash design is retro,made to look like the lincolns of the 60`s and early 70`s,but it came out looking like junk.....I think they tried to duplicate the success they had with the current Mustang and its retro theme.....but here,they failed bigtime.

Yet more galactic-scale failure to understand auto consumer thinking on behalf of Ford. I swear everything they do these days screams "We have absolutely no idea what our potential customers want!!!!"

The problem with that logic is it DOESN'T look like '60s or '70 Lincolns. It looks like an '80s Lincoln. And no one liked that look in the 80s when it was "in." What gave Lincoln the idea people would like it now?

The Mustang as an obvious idea: take the ONLY attractive body style from the history of a car that's been around for 40 years and modernize it. I fail to see the connection to an aged bad dash design. I guess I should be happy I don't think like Ford?

The Navigator Jesda drives is absolutely beautiful. I can't believe Ford went off in such an odd direction with the redesign. The "I wish I was an Escalade" is out there loud and clear...TOO loud: it's drowning out everything else except the '80s dash. But the 2nd gen Navigator didn't need to be an Escalade. Why does the 3nd gen?