Hi,

I am seriously thinking purchasing the G35 in the next 2 weeks. I have seen a lot of posts regarding brake pad/rotors wearing fast. Are there any other maintenance concerns I need to be aware of? This may make or break my decision to buy one.

I talked to a salesman and he said other high performance cars brake pads wear out faster too. He said if brake pads wear out at 15K the car is being driven really hard. He also said the I35 pads probably wear out at 30K, where the G35 wears out at 22K. He said the G35 has high ratings regarding not being high maintenance. Also he said the brake pads/rotors is the only thing that wears more than the average car. So I would save in the long run because other cars would have more things wrong with them. (Of course he is trying to sell me the car)

I wanted to stay in the Nissan/Infiniti family because I've had my '89 Maxima did not have many major problems for its first 7-8 years. I probably change the pads 3 times, and the rotors once. I now have 200K miles.

Any thoughts about the maintenance costs of the G35?

Thanks

 

Tires will likely wear faster as well. There is some level of increased maintenance cost that is simply the logical result of having performance parts. The brakes and tires are designed to perform better and wear out faster.

However, what constitutes "reasonable" wear is something only you decide.

You can change brake pads yourself, however, to save money and have a qualified brake specialist (not necessarily a dealer) turn the rotors as needed.

--Steve

 

Owners on this board have started using a replacement ceramic pad sold by tirerack. Initial observations show much less brake dust with no discernible change in performance. As far as longevity is concerned, it's too early to tell.

I still have my original pads at 18.5k... but I'm thinking of switching to ceramics just to address the excessive dust issue.

And as far as maintenance costs are concerned... nothing more than regularly scheduled, and I do not expect any. That's the main reason I returned to the Nissan family, (my TL didn't live up to expectations) my last car, an Altima, is still on the road running great 7 months after I sold it with 170K miles. During that time, other than a distributor and 3 sets of brake pads, no other costs than what's regularly scheduled.

<font color=red>chinee</font color=red>
2003.5 G35s

 

this is the best case for the first 30k miles and assumes you do the work yourself:

Oil change every 3-5000 miles=35.00 x 7 = 245.00
rotate tires free
replace brake pads at 20k miles or so = 110.00
replace tires at 25k or so = 800.00 assuming stock or better tires
change in cabin microfilter at 15k and 30k miles = 70.00
change air filter =50.00 (either for one K&N or two stock filters at 15k and 30k.
flush radiator fluid at 30k = 50.00 for fluid and flush kit/radiator purge valve rig thingy
Other than inspections which are free and tools which I didn't include, if you do your maintenance yourself you should buy an ESM for your car for torque specs for various things. = 240.00 for a real one or 20.00 for a download from the infiniti technical publications website.

So what is that? 1300.00-1500.00 dollars for the first 30k miles or: $0.05 per mile plus $0.08 per mile in gas or $0.13 per mile in consumables. 3900.00 to drive the car for 30k miles plus two years in payments and insurance. for me that works out to about 18,900.00 for the first two years, counting my down payment and tags/taxes.

If that is reasonable than yes.

remember, taking your car to infiniti dealership will triple your maintenance costs and will not be worth 7800.00 on the resale (the diff between dealer and do it yourself cost)

let me know if I am out to lunch on these numbers


Better Life thru Chemistry<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by 3point5SE_Auto on 09/16/03 07:35 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

My bro has a BMW 330i and my mom has a 740iL and they both go through brakes more often than most cars. It seems to be a characteristic of performance vehicles. Tires I think are totally dependent on the way you drive. I go through both much more than average but I also drive very aggressively.

Everything else should be ok if you keep up with the maintenance.

BTW, do any of you guys think that Infiniti should have included scheduled maintenance like BMW, Audi, Mercedes and others? I almost bought an Audi A4 due to that.

 

Ditto that Chinee. The only reason I'm driving a G35 is that
some crazy woman plowed into the rear end of my 1993
Nissan Altima at 40mph (1st production year BTW) with 154,000
miles on it and over 10 years road life. I expected to drive
it 1 more year before I replaced it. That is a pretty good track
record for a First Press Automobile. I expect even more from
the 2003 Infiniti G35!

2003 Twilight Blue 5AT Sedan, sunroof,
Graphite Leather, splashguards,
GG/DB red 12 wire Hyper-grounding kit,
350Z intake duct, Stillen Hi-Flow Airbox

 

I too had a first production Altima SE 1993.

Car was great and no real problems

Had to sell because new wife could not drive stick

Looked new after 5 years and ran great. Not bad for a first production run

Have a healthy day!
93 J30t, Black on Black (sold as of 9/10)
03.5 G35, Black on Black

 

At least now the sales person is taking into account the cost of pads and rotors as an annual cost. When I asked, they did not mention it. That is because they didn't expect the pads and rotors to wear so fast. I heard that they had a big training session about this issue. I personally think it is premature wear for both to go in 15,000 miles. The rotors should not need replacing. The cost thru the dealer is between $500-$550 for rotors and pads. An oil change thru my dealer is $35 and the 15,000 mile service was $225-$250. Hopefully this helps you in your decision. Don't get me wrong, I really like driving my G35. My only big concern is the extra $500/year that I was not expecting. I need to find a mechanic in San Diego/Carlsbad. Anyone know of a good one??

ETicketRide
2003 G35 Sedan/Ivory Pearl/Willow Premium/Sport/Tint

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

BTW, do any of you guys think that Infiniti should have included scheduled maintenance like BMW, Audi, Mercedes and others? I almost bought an Audi A4 due to that.

<hr></blockquote>
Yea, Infiniti should offer free maintenance for as long as the car is under warranty.

 

I think those deals are for scheduled maint

Nothin in most manuals ever states replace brakes jus tinspect with an * to replace when needed. The warranty considers them a wear and tear item. I doubt things other than rotation, oil, filters and such would be included

Anyone have exeprience with the free maint?

Have a healthy day!
93 J30t, Black on Black (sold as of 9/10)
03.5 G35, Black on Black

 

Juiceman,

In shopping for my G I also took a long look at the A4. Audi's maintenance program covered everything but gas and tires.

Drew

 

BMW also covers wear and tear items such as pads and rotors. Although they do state "Full Maintenance includes items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear, provided wear and tear exceeds BMW specifications. This includes items such as brake pads, brake rotors, and wiper blades that are not covered by the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty". Not exactly sure what "exceeds BMW specs" means. Maybe a BMW owner can elaborate...

ETicketRide
2003 G35 Sedan/Ivory Pearl/Willow Premium/Sport/Tint

 

smcallis-
Thanks, I would love to do a lot of the work myself. I just don't have the time. I would rather spend the time with my family.

ETicketRide
2003 G35 Sedan/Ivory Pearl/Willow Premium/Sport/Tint

 

i spend that time with my family. My 6 year old helps me take off the tires, my nine year old likes to spray the brake cleaner and tighten the lug nuts down afterwards. I just loosen the lugs, jack the car up and bs with them until the tires are ready to come off.

RE: brake rotor wear, no there is not much wear on the rotors. There is no reason you can't machine the rotors, it is just that there is so little allowable wear that once you wear a little, machine a little you are halfway to the min thickness (only 14 mm on the rears, and about 22 mm (IIRC) on the fronts. Thats not very thick)

Better Life thru Chemistry