I had many problems with my G35 sedan, but the brake pads/rotor problem tops them all. I was due for front brakes. Quite early IMO but that is another story. The service representative told me, that my rotors are warped and I need to pay to replace the rotors. According to many sources (dealers and Infiniti customer service), most of the G35 require rotor replacement in addition to costly brake job. Infiniti knows about the problem and IS NOT paying for the rotors. Be prepared to buy yourself a new set of rotors for every brake job. And you will need this quite often, to the delight of your local dealer. Unfortunately, I was one of the early victims and did not expect that the car will be so bug ridden as it is. I would never buy this POS knowing what I know not, but is too late. It is by far the worst car I ever had. For 16 months I have been to a dealer 12 times. Let prospective buyers be aware.

P.S. If you had your rotors replaced, please report here.

 

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

I would never buy this POS knowing what I know not

<hr></blockquote>
This Freudian typo says a lot [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img] The G is a first-run production model... you have to expect some problems. Now, if you want to look at TSBs, etc. then you're going to find that most of those other cars in this category have had almost 1.25-1.50x the issuances of TSBs. I've seen brakes that last a few thousand miles, and some that last forever... it really does depend on how you drive your car. My dealership said they've replaced them anywhere from 6k miles to 18k so far.

The G is far from the lemon-of-the-year, (ie. Motor Trend's 1-year follow-up showed absolutely no problems with the coupe, and one warrantied radio prob. with the sedan) however if you've personally had that many problems... wow, yours definitely is. What all have you had done on those 12 trips? I've personally gone in three official times in 6 months: once for a rattle, and twice for oil changes. What were/are your probs?

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

You get an "F" You posted the same lame topic in two different forums, Freshalloy and here.

If you really don't like the car then sell it while you can still get some money for it.

warping rotors isn't uncommon. I warped 5 sets of rotors on my SHO. It was from my heavy braking and crazy driving. Now I have bigger higher quality rotors and properly torqued lug nuts. I have had the same set of rotors for two years now with no problems.

Jim
'03 Sedan
Brilliant Silver/Graphite
6MT/ Premium package
Sport tuned suspension
Aerodynamic Body Kit
Navigation and Satellite Radio

 

I have never had warped rotors before. Do you think that they are covered by the warranty or not? I happen to think that asking me to pay for the rotors is rippoff. For the record, my pads lasted 28000 miles and the car is not abused. The reason I post is that I suspect that many more people are having the same problem and want some feedback.

 

My warped rotors usually came from me standing on the brakes. One time I was out with other SHO club members on a sprited driving seesion on some back roads. My rotors were so hot they were glowing red.

The likelyhood of warping your rotors gets worse as your pads wear. The thinner the pad, the easier they fade which causes you to have to push the brakes harder to stop the car. This creates more heat and increases the chance that your rotors will not cool down properly.

Jim
'03 Sedan
Brilliant Silver/Graphite
6MT/ Premium package
Sport tuned suspension
Aerodynamic Body Kit
Navigation and Satellite Radio

 

I have never warped rotors before. I'm tired of the excuse "it is how you drive your car!" If you are going to build a high performance car, people are going to drive it like a high performance car. Most of the time I have my child in the car with me. My tires are still new. I do not drive my car hard at all..... 15,000 miles in one year, front pads gone and need new rotors. After much arguing, I got the dealer to pay half of the brake job. Out of curiosity, I called the other two dealers in town, they said that they had no problem machining rotors and that I should get 2 sets of pads for a set of rotors. Someone is not telling me the truth, or doesn't know how to machine rotors! I know 3 people with BMWs and they said that they have to replace pads at 40,000-50,000 miles. Tell me that they aren't driving their cars hard....But I don't think the car is a lemon. It is the first run of the car and I did expect some problems....By the way, this is posted on edmunds.com too. So that makes 3 different posts!

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

 

There is a reason why the braking on this car is so good. something has to be sacrificed. It's either quick pad wear or the rotors.

I agree with you that this is a high performance sedan that will be driven as such. Manufacturers build cars to price points. And extra $500 for better brakes might not seem like much to us but it would to Nissan.

Jim
'03 Sedan
Brilliant Silver/Graphite
6MT/ Premium package
Sport tuned suspension
Aerodynamic Body Kit
Navigation and Satellite Radio

 

So what's wrong with posting stuff on "3" forums?

I hear the same excuse...my front rotors were changed at 12,000 miles..I've had my rear armrest replaced (wharped)...don't know how...brakes still squeek...same excuse from 2 different dealers..."it's typical...nothing we can do about it". I have so many squeeks, rattles, and strange noises from my undercarriage that I'm thinking a CV Joint is out...That I know is under warranty...INFINITI as a corporation though is very poor in terms of letting their customer's know wha'ts up in terms of TSB notices. OH well...do I dare consider trading up for a Benzo or back to Acura?

I saw the new '04 TL on the road today in SF.
Distributor Plates were on the car...looking pretty sweeet!

'03 Sedan / Navi / Desert Platinum / Delphi Sat / 35% Tint

 

What are you waiting for??? Don't talk do it? By....

 

Are you complaining about brake pads lasting 28,000 miles? There is noting unusual about that. Are the warped rotors also at 28,000 miles?? If so, also not that unusual that the rotors would need replacing. Why would you expect Infiniti to pay for that? Do you think brakes should last for ever??

If people are having to replace pads and rotors at +/- 12,000 mi., like some have reported, that is a bad problem and Infiniti should do something. But after about 20,000 mi., anything is possible.

I know some people have had cars before that seem to go for ever on brakes, but I would bet they were not of the stopping quality of the G35. Also someone on here mentioned that BMW's go for 40-50,000 on brakes. Sorry, but I have had two BMW's and they go to about 25K and BMW specifies new rotors everytime the pads are changed. On current BMW models, BMW does cover the brakes & rotors on the warranty, but then look at what you pay for the car!

 

I have not had any problems with my sedan's brakes. In fact, the current amount of wear indicates that the front rotors will last beyond 30,000 miles. There is no indication of warpage.

I have had two noise problems traced to improper welds of body pieces. Infiniti quickly repaired them after they discovered the sources. They were very elusive and took a lot of time to discover. I attribute this to the G35 being a brand new car with some fabrication bugs to solve.

Other than that, the car is immensely satisfying. I look forward every day to driving it.

I get the impression that a lot of G35 owners have moved-up from lesser cars and expect perfection. Good luck! Today's cars are so complex that I am surprised that they run as well as they do for as long as they do.

<font color=blue>Dan</font color=blue>

 

Even 25K is a lot better than 15K. On all of my other cars (BMW included), I've had at least 50K on my pads. Rotors were fine.Yes, the brakes on the G35 are very good. Not $550 a year, every year, better...Besides, what good are extremely excellent brakes if the person behind you has normal brakes? Remember how the G35 was rated for the back bumper! I would easily sacrafice a little braking power for a longer lasting pad (less dust) & rotor. I've never noticed that my other cars lacked braking power. Part of this situation is that we should have been told upfront about the soft braking system and maintenance cost. Anyways, to each their own...

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

 

Purchase upgraded rotors and pads such as Brembo, power Stop,EBC, ect this will help prevent premature brakeware as well as offer better performance and also reduces the dirty wheel problem that occurs with the stock brakes.Call Stillen Motorsports, they do a lot of upgrades for the G and can steer you in the right direction, It would be a real shame to let this problem affect you for and otherwise excellent car.

 

Are you driving any other cars? The G35 is a huge improvement over my last car (dodge intrepid)... last week I was driving my mother's Alero and again huge difference not even on the same planet in regard to braking power.

2003.5 5AT Sedan Black/Black Premium/Winter Packages

 

modman-
Thanks for the brake advise. I will probably do just that. Just need to find someone to install it.\

alderran-
Just the G35 and a ford explorer. I have owned Toyota Celica, honda prelude, BMW 325, and acura integra. To me, I can't tell much of a difference between all of these cars, except the explorer. To do a fair comparison, I would have to drive all of them back to back. Brakes were not on my shopping list when I purchased the G35. Yes, you must have them, but not a point of consideration.

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