I'm so glad to find you guys!
My hubby thinks I'm nuts, but I've fallen in love with a very used 1991 Q45 we bought last summer for cheap. It was supposed to be a 'drive-til-it-dies' purchase, but I haven't felt this way about a car since my first - a thrillingly fast '72 Dodge Coronet (also used). The Infiniti is cream colored with tan leather interior and has 207,775 miles on it as of today. What a lady!
Many things I'm reading here on the board fit symptoms I've noticed with "Frieda." We took her in to the local Infiniti dealer last month, and they showed us $10,000 worth of estimates and said they couldn't advise us to put any money into her at this stage. However.....we did find a nearby shop that has done the front brakes, changed the transmission fluid, cleaned the fuel injectors and today replaced the fuel pump. They have been quite assiduous in trying to diagnose all her little problems, including the shuddering during acceleration I see referenced in a recent thread here. That just started happening after the dealership left off the transmission fluid hose and all the fluid leaked out. We replaced the fluid and had the small shop get it to the right level, but it has not really stopped shuddering since. We had taken it into the dealer due to a catalytic converter smell after going up hills, but that's gone away for now.
It is refreshing to have the mechanics at the small shop actually appreciate this car and work hard to find out what can be done to prolong life. Although, after looking in my trunk after today's repairs and finding every item in it completely and thoroughly crushed, I think maybe they are doing more on-the-job learning than anything. They did mention they had to remove the back seat to get at the fuel pump, but boy, that trunk must have gone through some trauma somewhere in the process....
Anyway, I have noticed several references to the timing chain guides. This was the most expensive repair mentioned at the dealership at $2800. They said there are metal particles dripping into the engine. I will have to read through the other threads to find out about this one, and whether it is worth fixing or not.
The other big issue with Frieda is the suspension, or should I say struts. She squeaks a lot now and I get a lot of bouncing in on the highways. The shop has said they will repair them for ~$400, which sounds like a pretty good deal.
Thanks for all your great stored knowledge here, and I look forward to learning lots! If anyone knows of any low-mileage, early-90s era, cream-colored Infinitis in the Northwest....naaaah, I haven't given up on Frieda yet! By the way, if I could afford it, I sure like the new M45! It's hot, and reminds me of all the best of my car. Happy Driving!
Well Met!
Welcome! Great to see such appreciation and enthusiasm for such a well-weathered Q. I'm certain that few, if any, people would be willing to spend much to have a shop do much work on a Q with over 200k. But many of us do a lot of work on our own because we love the cars so much. My car has 218k, and at least a couple members have over 250k.The chain guide is a definite issue, and I have to believe you are VERY close, relatively speaking, to a total failure if you do not have it fixed. Also, I fear your dealership may have cost you a lot of money if they damaged your transmission. That's the 2nd most expensive component, aside from the engine.
The suspension repair for $400 is such a good deal, I can't believe it would include everything you would need, since the parts alone cost more than that. Struts are about $250, and all boots/bushings are well over $100. The squeaking, I'll wager, is from bad upper links, which cost just over $200 for both of them.
Not trying to bring you down, because Qs ARE wonderful cars. But you need to be aware of what you have in front of you if you intend to have it for a while.
There is a wealth of knowledge on here relating to probably any problem you're likely to see, so don't be shy about using the red search button, above. If you and/or your husband have the aptitude and time to work on the car in your spare time, you can save a LOT of money.
Welcome again!
The suspension repair for $400 is such a good deal, I can't believe it would include everything you would need, since the parts alone cost more than that. Struts are about $250, and all boots/bushings are well over $100. The squeaking, I'll wager, is from bad upper links, which cost just over $200 for both of them.
Not trying to bring you down, because Qs ARE wonderful cars. But you need to be aware of what you have in front of you if you intend to have it for a while.
There is a wealth of knowledge on here relating to probably any problem you're likely to see, so don't be shy about using the red search button, above. If you and/or your husband have the aptitude and time to work on the car in your spare time, you can save a LOT of money.
Welcome again!
Seattle Area Mechanics?
Thanks for the welcome! And the list of repairs, while somewhat daunting, is still doable. I just don't WANT another car after driving this one. She has spoiled me in just under a year (we bought it last July).
So my hubby is tentatively considering doing come work himself, but he's more of a car lover than a car fixer. Do you know of any experienced Q mechanics in the Seattle area? My short list is:
- timing chain guides/oil pan clean and re-seal- suspension work all around
I'm also going to ask whether or not the transmission was flushed the way other threads have recommended, or just topped off.
So my hubby is tentatively considering doing come work himself, but he's more of a car lover than a car fixer. Do you know of any experienced Q mechanics in the Seattle area? My short list is:
- timing chain guides/oil pan clean and re-seal- suspension work all around
I'm also going to ask whether or not the transmission was flushed the way other threads have recommended, or just topped off.
Don't drive the car until the guides are done! if you have "metal pieces dropping in the engine", which I don't really understand, it should be plastic pieces, which are equally harmful, you are only a few miles away from complete engine lockup. That will cost you more than all the repairs you mentioned and probably more than you paid for the car. It is the "Terminator" of most Q's and the main reason you see most parts cars available. Just get this done first and quickly and you will have time to deal with all the other stuff. Call Joe at Scottsdale, Arizona Infiniti for his price on the kit you need, you are probably being quoted for parts you do not need such as the chains, you need to fix the GUIDES. He can set you straight, then locate someone to do the job. $2800 is high. I paid a little over $2000 and an Infiniti dealer did it with Scottsdales part prices. The best place in the country is T3 in Atlanta and they would be WAY cheaper than I just quoted but you are a long way away from there.
I'll weigh in here with my take on the economics of driving a older Q.
Depreication on these things is pretty low. Let's say you paid $3000 for it. In 100K it will be worth $500 at the junkyard. So that's 2.5 cents a mile.
Frankly a 90-93 Q will need about 12 cents a mile in parts to keep it running well.
So far you need just under 15 cents a mile. This is doable, but actually a bit high. A five year old sedan with less than 100K will cost about this much, but with a higher front end cost.
The tipping point is labor. Imagine 10 hours in repair for every 10,000 miles. I think this is probably a hair low for these cars. Changing the spark plugs takes more than 2 hours. Changing the alternator takes about 3. At a medium shop charging $50 an hour that's 5 cents a mile.
So for the non DIYer - I think this car really costs about 20 cents a mile to operate. (plus 8-10 cents a mile in gas) - over 100K miles that's $20,000 + gas.
My recommendation to the non-DoItYourselfer driving an older Q - religiously save 15 cents a mile to the purchase of newer Q. Get a 95 or later when you have half the cost, in 50,000 miles. In the meanwhile spend 5 cents on basic matainence and be bold with learning to change the oil yourself.
The one exception is the timing chain guides - this is a $1500 repair, but it is essential for even the short term. If buying an older Q mentally add this to the price unless the seller can demonstrate they've been done.
How do drivers beat these numbers? Basically by ignoring their Q. Living with low power, putting in 87 gas, ignoring squeaky brakes and squealing radios and lots of fluids dripping on the driveway. These cars aren't safe. They drive them till they get really bad news and pass it off.
Depreication on these things is pretty low. Let's say you paid $3000 for it. In 100K it will be worth $500 at the junkyard. So that's 2.5 cents a mile.
Frankly a 90-93 Q will need about 12 cents a mile in parts to keep it running well.
So far you need just under 15 cents a mile. This is doable, but actually a bit high. A five year old sedan with less than 100K will cost about this much, but with a higher front end cost.
The tipping point is labor. Imagine 10 hours in repair for every 10,000 miles. I think this is probably a hair low for these cars. Changing the spark plugs takes more than 2 hours. Changing the alternator takes about 3. At a medium shop charging $50 an hour that's 5 cents a mile.
So for the non DIYer - I think this car really costs about 20 cents a mile to operate. (plus 8-10 cents a mile in gas) - over 100K miles that's $20,000 + gas.
My recommendation to the non-DoItYourselfer driving an older Q - religiously save 15 cents a mile to the purchase of newer Q. Get a 95 or later when you have half the cost, in 50,000 miles. In the meanwhile spend 5 cents on basic matainence and be bold with learning to change the oil yourself.
The one exception is the timing chain guides - this is a $1500 repair, but it is essential for even the short term. If buying an older Q mentally add this to the price unless the seller can demonstrate they've been done.
How do drivers beat these numbers? Basically by ignoring their Q. Living with low power, putting in 87 gas, ignoring squeaky brakes and squealing radios and lots of fluids dripping on the driveway. These cars aren't safe. They drive them till they get really bad news and pass it off.