Hey everyone. 1st post. TLDR at end. The most I've done myself on this car is install a new battery + the air filters, everything else mentioned has been done by mechanics. That said, I want to begin doing work on my own. This post may be a bit lengthy, so my apologies.

I have a fully loaded '07 AT coupe (DE engine, sport suspension + wheel/tire package) that I bought brand spanking new in '08 and currently has approx 48k miles on it. Aside from having new belts installed, I've only had to do routine maintenance, i.e. oil, change brake pads once, new battery, air filters, and a new set of tires.

On to the recent issues:

1: My rear diff bushing are now giving play. When I shift to reverse, I hear a minor clicking noise. I'm being told this is like a 5.5 hour job, $600+ (mostly labor). One mechanic says to replace them, one mechanic says they're giving play but it's nothing to worry about. They've both lifted the car and showed me the issue. I don't know what to believe. The car is driving absolutely fine, and I'm experiencing absolutely no wheel-hopping or car drifting/odd movement. I've done some research by members here, and I'm seeing some have done the whiteline bushings in 2.5-3 hours. Is this something a novice (very technical) could do with a lot of caution and spare time? I don't have the tools for the job or a driveway, but I'm willing to purchase things considering I plan on doing work on my own go forward.

2: After replacing tires with all-season Continental Extreme Contacts, my tire pressure monitor is always on. How can I reset/set this? Also, if anyone has these same tires, what pressures do you run? I keep reading conflicting info...

3: Musty smell from AC. I thought this might be solved by replacing the air filters, however it hasn't. I'm assuming it's something in the engine bay.

4: My rear passenger caliper is starting to seize. The brake pad is worn down completely, and there's now a groove in my rotor. I had no idea this was happening until Thursday this week when the car started to squeal and vibrate under braking. Now the noise is consistent, and gets even worse when braking. It releases the first few times the brake is applied after hopping into the car, but then bites a bit. It has not seized completely, but it seems like it's going to eventually.

I have ordered Akebono pads and some Centric rotors from Tire Rack. I noticed the pads are MUCH smaller than the OEM and Hawk pads previously used. Is this normal? Is this due to them being ceramic? Now, once again, me being a novice, how exactly are these small *** pads going to be attached? Do I need some sort of bracket? The clips and pads are tiny compared to the other brands of pads I've used, and the clips seem to be at an odd angle where the others have been straight.

As far as calipers go, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. I've been browsing here, and looking at the rears, but I have no idea about brands. Any recommendations? Once again, as a novice, with DIY's from this site and others, do any of you think this would be that difficult of an install?

Brake lines...most people tend to recommend stainless steel. Is this the way to go now? Should I be buying some kind of fluid when attempting to install new lines/calipers?

I've done some searches, but can't really find specific answers to my questions. Either that, or I'm blind.

TLDR:

'07 AT coupe, driven approx 6k miles a year, if that.

1. Rear diff bushings have play. Car just driving fine, no wheel-hop, no odd movement. One mechanic said do it, one said no need at this time. To replace or not? Quoted 5.5 hr job $600+. Would like to do myself. Ok for novice to attempt?
2. Had new tires installed. TPM now always lit. How to reset/set to new pressures?
3. Musty smell from AC persistent after air filters changed. What to check next? Engine bay?
4. Rear passenger caliper seizing. Need to do new rotor/brake/caliper install. Akebono pads ordered are MUCH smaller than OEM or Hawk. Will they fit right in? What caliper to buy?
5. Stainless steel brake lines. Yay or nay?

 

Axle click can be fixed by simply greasing the stub axles. There are DIY write ups on here. As for the rear diff bushings...you should look into the Whiteline diff bushing kit >>>http://www.tollboothwilley.com/#!pro...ial-kit-kdt911
It will improve the contact and feel in the rear end. Not "necessary" but will make everything feel better. I recommend all the whiteline bushings.. Take a look at the "ESSENTIALS KIT"

TPMS light is one because tire shop did something wrong or didnt sync them up. I'd take it back to the tire shop and make them fix it. It's their fault.

Musty smell from AC is from mold growing due to AC not being vented out before turning car off. You can find products that spray into the ventilation system to clean/kill the mold and will freshen up everything.

Rear caliper if it is seizing (not very common) can be found used, bought new, or rebuilt. It could also be a problem with the brake line collapsing.

I am a fan of SS brake lines. I have Stoptech on my car.

 

TBW,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Yes, I've seen the DIY's regarding the whiteline bushings. I'm just confused as to whether I do in fact need to replace them or not since one mechanic said do it, and the other said don't bother right now.

Since you're the only one to respond, any clue about the brake pads and why they are so tiny compared to OEM? I've never done a brake job before, so I'm going at this kinda blind. Tire Rack assures me this will fit the car. Just looks plain silly/wrong to me though.

Noted on the brake lines. I'll check that before ordering a set of calipers. Noted on the TPS.

Noted on the axle click. They were showing me how this little piece underneath 'pops' when shifting into reverse. This is when they told me the bushings need to be replaced, and that if that goes the gears in the rear diff may be damaged, but they mentioned nothing about the axle.

 

Those look like the rear pads vs front pads, which explains the size difference.Also rear are more square and front are curved - the front will be almost identical in size.


I wouldn't worry about the gears in your differential - they are pretty strong. As far as bushings - you can replace them at your convenience. You can basically drive on them like they are for a while, which is why the one mechanic told you not necessary. Axle click is a quick enough DIY that you should do that sooner rather than later, but its not dire.

 

Yeah, the smaller ones (Akebono's) are rear pads. It's just odd to me because when I had the OEM switched out for Hawks, the fronts/rears of both the OEM and the Hawks were literally the same size (I kept all of them for some reason). This is the 1st time I've seen tiny pads like this. I'm still not sure how they'll fit, but I'll worry about that later.

Understood about the axle and bushings. I'll most likely be grabbing that kit you mentioned pretty soon. I just have to figure out how to do all this crap myself and find a location to do it.

Thanks TBW. Appreciate the advice.

 

The fronts and rears should not be the same - the picture you showed should be exactly the norm for both front and rear

The bushings are pretty straight forward - for the diff if you don't have a shop press you can just use a heavy hammer/large socket to pound out the existing bushings. For the rear bushing (subframe) the easiest way is to cut a section out, like a pizza slice, using a sawzall. then you can tap the thing right out.

All in all, expect it to take 2-3 hours though

 

No...that's the thing. The pads I've had installed prior to this were the SAME size, both front and rear sets. I have never seen rear pads this small, which is why I feel confused and why I even posed the question to begin with. No wonder why people didn't respond, most probably thought I was just an absolute moron.

Now I'm wondering what the hell has been going on with the mechanics I've used and parts I've ordered. After the original OEM pads were worn, I ordered Hawk pads. The rears and fronts were the SAME size as each other, as were the OEM when removed. I kept all the old pieces after they were removed. I have them in a bag somewhere, and I can guarantee the fronts/rears are identical in size. I know I'm not crazy...

I even watched the mechanic remove the pads as I wanted to learn how to do it myself...if I saw tiny rear pads I would have never asked how these Akebono's would fit in the first place.

In any case...I'll be doing the work myself, and if I come across anything strange I'll be sure to throw it up on the site here regardless of how stupid I may look/sound. Now one of my concerns w/the rear pads/rotors is the small surface area of the pads. There's going to be a huge area of rust on the rotor where the pad doesn't grind after install....

I've been a bit busy with work, but I'll have to do more to research the tools needed to get these jobs done. I don't feel comfortable cutting anything..., but I know I can follow directions, and people have agreed some of the DIY's here are good, so....we will see where this goes.

PM me with an e-mail address. Let me buy you a beer or two via PayPal.

 

1. Don't have that problem, but the main problem would be removing the bushings without the right tools.

2. Either they didn't put new TPMS sensors in or sync them up. You can reset it, but it will come back on eventually, I think after 50 miles maybe more. When I had my winters on I didn't have TPMS and it would stay on, I'd reset it, and then come back on eventually.

3. Mold or bacteria spray Lysol in the vents? There is also a product, but I forgot the name a lot of detail shops use.

4. I've replace three of my calipers and it's pretty straight forward. Need a big breaker bar, liquid wrench, and make sure you turn the bolt the right way! Shouldn't have to bleed the whole system after doing only one caliper as well. But, I'd replace all the fluid anyway and pick up a Motive Powerbleeder. I've bled my brakes by myself about a dozen times using that. I bought rebuild calipers from RockAuto from Centric I think. Replaced all four of my rotors with Centric as well. Just require some elbow grease, liquid wrench, and a lot of whacks with a hammer.

5. I'd replace your rear diff oil if you haven't done that already. Requires about two things of 75W-90 rear diff oil and a some kind of pump device. Insert nose plugs, remove the top hex bolt, bottom hex, replace bottom hex, and them pump the new fluid in.

6. I'd do a drain and refill on your ATF (Nissan or something comparable - I used Idemitsu Type J) if you haven't either. When the car is cold drain some into a container (I used an old juice container) and replace the same amount. Do that 3/4 times every 50 miles.

7. Car will be good as new.

I've done all the above, shocks, timing chain, water pump, and everything else, since my warranty expired. This is the first car I ever worked on and it's been a good learning experience.

In your pic the left is a rear brake pad and the right is one for the front. The calipers aren't even the same size, so there is no way they pads could have been the same size; I'm not doubting you, but are you sure they gave you back YOUR parts?

 

Coffeysm,

Thanks for your response and addressing the issues I brought forth.

If I may ask, why did you replace the calipers? Some people say it's not common, but after doing a search it seems like a common thing that happens to the G35 coupe, especially the rear calipers. You said you replaced 3, so I'm assuming it wasn't for cosmetic reasons, otherwise you would have replaced all 4....

Yup, I went w/Centric rotors. Pretty cheap, look a lot better than others I bought for twice the price a while ago. Do you guys have any advice as to how I can treat the rotors/calipers to avoid rust build up? If the pads in the rear are going to be so small, I can just see a ton of rust building up on the rotor....It's going to look absolutely terrible through the stock performance rims.

No, I don't believe my rear diff oil has been changed. Is this really necessary? Nobody has mentioned this before.

-edit- Hell, while I'm here...is there some kind of mod that we can do to our cars that stop the thieves from 'popping' our doors? do shaved door handles do it? I"m betting no.... Thieves have popped my door 5+ times....and I'm tired of paying my insurance co deductible.

What's the deal w/the ATF fluid every 50 (50K I imagine)? I haven't heard/read about this.

I can't be sure that what they gave me back are MY exact parts, but I watched them remove the pads and either I wasn't paying attention or I'm just an idiot. I can absolutely admit to making a mistake, which in this case, I must have i guess... If you and TBW agree about the pad size, then I just feel like a total idiot...and feel the need to apologize. Sorry gents.

Live and learn. I'm a novice. I must admit, thieves broke into my car at a mall and stole the leather case + owners manual + all the goodies the dealership would give. I have since downloaded an owners manual, but haven't followed it much. I am at fault in regards to things I suppose.....

 

No worries. There is far more information on here than in the owners manual. I can link you to a Factory Service Manual as well if you'd like one for your car. FSM's For your car

Fluid in any auto trans is the most important component. Keeping it fresh and from over heating is the key to having it last a long time. Just like your motor oil, the oil has a life relative to how much heat it takes and how much break down it accumulates through wear. Replacing/refreshing your oil helps keep the protection in tact.

I run an aftermarket oil cooler in line with the stock oil cooler for the engine oil as well as the transmission oil. (2 separate ones) I believe the trans coolers to be one of the most important and yet often overlooked things. #1 cause for auto trans failure is excess heat buildup.

Calipers are not a common failure item on this vehicle from what I have seen in the past 9 years...I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Brake rotors are prone to rust - you can paint them to help stop it somewhat - but there will always be some after moisture. Just running the car helps to keep them clean.