G35 Repair Costs - Extended Warranty?

[MichaelMarshall]

So I've had my 2006 Coupe for a couple months now. I swapped out the intake and exhaust. I have about 27k miles on it.

With that said, I also purchase an extended warranty to cover me to 100K. If I canceled it right now...I could probably get 11 hundred bucks back and use for my stereo project.

Here's my question: Are the G's notorious for racking up costly repairs under the first 100K? My last car was a Camry and I beat the hell out of it for 210K miles with nothing more than oil changes. Should I keep my warranty or pocket the cash and buy the Eclipse AVN-726E?

[pfarmer]

Originally Posted by MichaelMarshall

So I've had my 2006 Coupe for a couple months now. I swapped out the intake and exhaust. I have about 27k miles on it.

With that said, I also purchase an extended warranty to cover me to 100K. If I canceled it right now...I could probably get 11 hundred bucks back and use for my stereo project.

Here's my question: Are the G's notorious for racking up costly repairs under the first 100K? My last car was a Camry and I beat the hell out of it for 210K miles with nothing more than oil changes. Should I keep my warranty or pocket the cash and buy the Eclipse AVN-726E?

One question, did you read the warranty carefully to see if you are covered at all with mods such as the intake and exhaust? Even if the original warranty would cover you (which it may not) the aftermarket may well not.

Generally I would not get an aftermarket warranty in the first place since typically they are betting they will win. I say generally since there are other reasons to get one such as piece of mind. Consider that if you can cash one out for $1100 then the company that sold you a warranty may figure it pays to give you the cash so that may be a sign that it would be worth keeping it.
They figure that it is going to cost them less at this point to give you the money versus their risk.

Depending on your finances for your optional stereo project if you are just going to do the project anyway then the $1100 may be a good way to go if you would normally be financing the project with credit cards, etc.

[MichaelMarshall]

That's kinda what I'm thinking... They are in the business in the same manner as a Casino is... They've weighed the odds and concluded that they can actually profit from it. Here's the rub...we still gamble, but we may gamle with games that have a higher probablility of success...

I guess the analogy here is: Is the G35 an "repair prone" vehicle where by owning an extended warranty is a good bet? Having read a couple threads on repair costs here on the forum, I'm trying to understand if these are particularly unfortunate owners or if the vehicle itself is costly to maintain. This answer influences my decision to hold onto the policy.

To your original point..."Did I read the fine print" for the modifications that are already made... Sadly I did not. I got bit by the mod bug and everything got blurry there after...

[pfarmer]

Originally Posted by MichaelMarshall

That's kinda what I'm thinking... They are in the business in the same manner as a Casino is... They've weighed the odds and concluded that they can actually profit from it. Here's the rub...we still gamble, but we may gamle with games that have a higher probablility of success...

I guess the analogy here is: Is the G35 an "repair prone" vehicle where by owning an extended warranty is a good bet? Having read a couple threads on repair costs here on the forum, I'm trying to understand if these are particularly unfortunate owners or if the vehicle itself is costly to maintain. This answer influences my decision to hold onto the policy.

To your original point..."Did I read the fine print" for the modifications that are already made... Sadly I did not. I got bit by the mod bug and everything got blurry there after...

Funny since I just quit a casino. In a Casino lets say you are playing video poker. You know the odds since it is posted on the machine (you have to figure it out but a good machine will pay back 98% if played exactly right, a bad one about 91%). I play video poker since I know up front what it pays and I know how to play video poker correctly. If you win early then your chances improve after that as well since your chances are based on number of hands played. In video poker your chances are based on playing the maximum bet for the payout (usually 5 times, after that it is basically the same) and that payout is the royal flush which is usually the only hand where 5 times pays off greater than 5 times. So if you play x number of hands you will win 98% of what you invested (on average).

With a car it s just the opposite. At the start you are on the manufacturers warranty so the insurance company really isn't worried about much there at all, plus the car is new. As the car ages then the chances go up that you will make a claim and they will have to pay, but upfront they took your money and invested it and have already made their money off of you. Now you want to cash in, they are willing since you are now getting into the area where they will have to start to pay on the warranty claims.

So basically I would state that you need to figure out your comfort level. So if the warranty is good then you may want to keep it since the odds are swinging to your side at this point. On the other hand if the mods voided your warranty and you are determined to keep them, then the warranty is worthless, take your 1100 bucks and run.

[officerdbag]

Extended warranty saved my *** on my 03 coupe.. My window motors went out 3 times.. Both door lock actuators.. My drivers side front brake caliper seized at one point. Rear diff went out and was whining loud.. Oil pan cracked and got it replaced.. All were replaced under extended warranty.. If it wasnt for that I'd have to pay all of those out of pocket which means huge $$$$$

I am also in the process right now of getting a new motor because of oil consumption, a new bose head unit (CD error) and new rear axles (axle click) all under extended warranty too. If I get these three things done on top of all my other stuff I'm estimating and easy 8-10,000 dollars worth of repairs done for free.

[tragedycat]

Originally Posted by officerdbag

Extended warranty saved my *** on my 03 coupe.. My window motors went out 3 times.. Both door lock actuators.. My drivers side front brake caliper seized at one point. Rear diff went out and was whining loud.. Oil pan cracked and got it replaced.. All were replaced under extended warranty.. If it wasnt for that I'd have to pay all of those out of pocket which means huge $$$$$

I am also in the process right now of getting a new motor because of oil consumption, a new bose head unit (CD error) and new rear axles (axle click) all under extended warranty too. If I get these three things done on top of all my other stuff I'm estimating and easy 8-10,000 dollars worth of repairs done for free.

Sounds like you got a lemon. I know these cars are built like **** but geez man, I would've traded that car in already. I'm betting my window motors and door loc actuators are going to go out at some point next year, I'll probably just order the parts and DIY though since it's not my DD.

[pfarmer]

Originally Posted by officerdbag

Extended warranty saved my *** on my 03 coupe.. My window motors went out 3 times.. Both door lock actuators.. My drivers side front brake caliper seized at one point. Rear diff went out and was whining loud.. Oil pan cracked and got it replaced.. All were replaced under extended warranty.. If it wasnt for that I'd have to pay all of those out of pocket which means huge $$$$$

I am also in the process right now of getting a new motor because of oil consumption, a new bose head unit (CD error) and new rear axles (axle click) all under extended warranty too. If I get these three things done on top of all my other stuff I'm estimating and easy 8-10,000 dollars worth of repairs done for free.

Your extended warranty was not free. Most of what you are stating (assuming car was new) was covered by the factory up until the time the extended warranty came into effect. So if you had a 100k extended warranty your exposure was for maybe 40k or whatever the difference between when the factory warranty ended and the extended began.

The cost is not only the upfront cost of the warranty but also what your money could have been doing for you (ie lower loan payments on your 'G', purchasing a house..........). Still it sounds like it may well have paid off for you, but only if it wasn't already covered.

[MichaelMarshall]

Originally Posted by tragedycat

Sounds like you got a lemon. I know these cars are built like **** but geez man, .

So "these cars are built like ***" is your opinion, or a widely accepted truth? I've had a reliable CRX, a reliable RX7 and a reliable Camry, had a reliable Lexus... I've never owned a Nissan or Infinity before.

Is Infinity and/or the G35 in particularly lousey from a reliability standpoint? Should I wipe out any notion of "reliability" as I know it based on the successes that I had with my previous vehicles??

Oh..not sure if I mentioned, but I dont even have 27K on my car...if I was to cancel, it would be now...good health and large pro-rated return on the policy.

[greatdane2]

no warranty, they wouldn't sell it if i were a gamble they think they'd lose. just get a reliable honest mechanic.

[tragedycat]

Originally Posted by MichaelMarshall

So "these cars are built like ***" is your opinion, or a widely accepted truth? I've had a reliable CRX, a reliable RX7 and a reliable Camry, had a reliable Lexus... I've never owned a Nissan or Infinity before.

Is Infinity and/or the G35 in particularly lousey from a reliability standpoint? Should I wipe out any notion of "reliability" as I know it based on the successes that I had with my previous vehicles??

Oh..not sure if I mentioned, but I dont even have 27K on my car...if I was to cancel, it would be now...good health and large pro-rated return on the policy.

It is my opinion. There are people who've had nonstop problems with their G35, others have had a perfect record. I'm somewhere in between, however coming from Toyota and Honda background, this car has given me more issues than anything I've had before. Particularly if you're coming from a Camry (like I did) and Lexus, you may be in for a surprise with your G35.

Like others have said, make sure to read the terms of your warranty. Tons of people here have had their warranty claims denied, engine replacements denied, VIN's blacklisted, etc. because of aftermarket modifications. Nissan/Infiniti doesn't really stand by their warranty unless you never modify your car and take it to a dealership for oil changes from day one. So definitely keep that in mind.

It all comes down to your comfort zone, nobody can say definitively that your warranty will pay off in the end. If you have 27k on your car and have had minimal problems, chances are you won't have anything catastrophic. But things like window motors, locks, etc. and other small things are known to break in these cars, and it's not a matter of "if", but "when". So...just weigh your options and good luck with your decision.

[MichaelMarshall]

Thoughtful answer, thanks man. If it's about what I'm comfortable with, I think I'm more comfortable with my AVN-726e rockin. I'm sure there will be minor failures along the way, but I doubt a 1100.00 worth. If so, I'll roll with the punches...I want my tunes bad...the non-Bose stock stereo is one of the worst I've ever heard!!!

[pfarmer]

Originally Posted by greatdane2

no warranty, they wouldn't sell it if i were a gamble they think they'd lose. just get a reliable honest mechanic.

A good insurance company would be running off tables for autos the same way they do for humans. But in reality they could pay out exactly what you initially paid in and come out ahead. The key is they invest what you paid in when you paid it in but they pay out later. In between your cash is earning them cash.

If you paid something like $2000 for a warranty then at 10% interest they would make about $209 the first year and pay out nothing. After 3 years at 20k miles per year they have still paid out nothing but earned nearly 700 bucks. So at this point even if they gave back your entire $2000 they have made $700. At 72 months about $1635. These is pretty much a simplied set of figures.

Put another way, lets say you purchased a car for $40k and put down $10k and financed it for 72 months. At 8% interest you pay about $526/month. Now you add on a $2000 warranty. You now pay about $561/month. Over 72 months this ends up being about $2525. So over the lifetime of your loan you need to make a claim of $3635. At their interest rates above you could have made $1635 bucks by just paying into an investment an additional $2 a month over what you paid additional on your loan to stay even.

My guess is another factor enters into their income picture. That is that the warranty is probably rarely transferred to another owner upon trade in of the vehicle. If anything a new warranty is purchased and the circle continues for another round.

[officerdbag]

Originally Posted by pfarmer

Your extended warranty was not free. Most of what you are stating (assuming car was new) was covered by the factory up until the time the extended warranty came into effect. So if you had a 100k extended warranty your exposure was for maybe 40k or whatever the difference between when the factory warranty ended and the extended began.

The cost is not only the upfront cost of the warranty but also what your money could have been doing for you (ie lower loan payments on your 'G', purchasing a house..........). Still it sounds like it may well have paid off for you, but only if it wasn't already covered.

I bought the extended warranty for 1800, EVERYTHING bumper to bumper covered.. 4 years 48,000 miles.. When I bought my 03 the factory bumper to bumper was already expired.. My powertrain warranty expired about 5 months after I bought the car.. As soon as my infiniti powertrain went out all my issues began happening and they were all covered under the extended warranty I have. So it definitely paid off and some.

I also have just realized my power seats have gone out.. I can only slide the seat back and forth the other switches dont work.. Looks like thats going to be fixed too.

[MichaelMarshall]

Originally Posted by officerdbag

I bought the extended warranty for 1800, EVERYTHING bumper to bumper covered.. 4 years 48,000 miles.. When I bought my 03 the factory bumper to bumper was already expired.. My powertrain warranty expired about 5 months after I bought the car.. As soon as my infiniti powertrain went out all my issues began happening and they were all covered under the extended warranty I have. So it definitely paid off and some.

I also have just realized my power seats have gone out.. I can only slide the seat back and forth the other switches dont work.. Looks like thats going to be fixed too.

Ya killin me officerdbag! Man....I wanted to hear..."cancel it and take the money!!!! Kidding...but serious...testemony is what I wanted and I'll certainly have to consider yours. Let me ask you this...do you think your situation is exceptional and rare? It's weird how hit or miss peoples testmonies are... It's almost as though the entire assembly line (and suppliers product), have had real crappy days every once in awhile. Unfortunately for you...perhaps the day your car was born.

[officerdbag]

I honestly don't know if its hit or miss or common.. Let me tell you that a forum member here that I know "princess_jen" has had pretty much nothing but trouble with her car too.. She has the 05 6MT revup.. New motor replaced under warranty, new tranny under warranty, new gas tank under warranty, air bag light kept flashing and that got fixed under warranty.. Her front tires keep on getting chewed up on the inside and she is aligned right.. Control arms have gone out on her and her passenger seat controls were not working the last few times I was with her in her car.

Lucky for her all that was done in factory warranty which is now expired for her so she's all by herself now.