Good morning everyone. My apology for the long post, but I need to vent.

I've been browsing these forums for quite some time and I finally decided to register. I had been looking at the IS300 for quite some time and didn't realize the price point of the G in comparison. After I drove one, I loved it and decided to buy it.

However, my experience with the car since I've bought (about 3 weeks ago) has been less than satisfactory. My 2003 6MT Sedan has 59K miles on it and quite a few problems that started randomly occurring. The one that worries me the most is the transmission difficulty in cold weather. I've checked the service records and everything was done according to the dealers recommended schedule. However, in the cold weather, I couldn't get the car in 2nd gear at all until the engine is 1/4 warm. After the engine is 1/4 warm, it will engage the gear, but grind. Now, I'm not a master technician, but I do know my way around a car. This is a pretty easy one, synchros. I was astounded to see a car that was so well maintained having synchro problems at such a low mileage, but hey, I don't know if the previous owner knew how to fully drive a stick. I mean, my summer car has 198K original miles on it and even its transmission still shifts without grinding. So I brought this issue to the attention of the dealer who then reported to me that the previous owner was complaining of the same issue at 43K. So I'm thinking great, then they can fix the transmission and I won't have a hassle.

Man, was I wrong. The service rep was really nice and handled my case very professionally....for now. I drop the car off and they give me an 06 G35X auto as a loaner car. I'm a little impressed as I'm coming from a Toyota background where you get a corolla or matrix as a loaner car. I specifically tell the rep to start the car in the cold and try to shift it after letting it idle for a minute. Everything is fine and dandy so far.

I get the call the following morning. This is where they informed me that my clutch is getting a little worn and they can replace it for 2,160$ + 50 dollars for the test drive they did that morning. First off, the rep never mentioned anything about 50 dollars nor did I sign any authorization to charge me. Secondly, I told him to check out the transmission, not the clutch. I confronted him about both things and the 50 dollars was nullified, but he persisted on about how the car shifted fine but I needed a clutch. After going back and forth, I told him I was going to get a second opinion. His response was "You're more than welcome to, but I'm sure they will agree that your clutch is the problem."

So I trot down to the Nissan dealer where a friend of mine knows an Infiniti/Nissan master technician for transmissions. He checks the car out, and wouldn't you know....it's the synchro and should be covered under warranty. So back to the Infiniti dealer I go. The rep looks over the diagnosis and pretty much says the mechanic is full of crap and their mechanic knows more. He then goes on to tell me that its my "3rd gear clutch pack" which isn't covered under warranty. So now, I apparently have the only auto-manual G35... pretty impressive huh?

Ok, dealers are fun, and I love how they try to avoid warranty work as much as possible. So as angry as I am, I drive home and print out the 2003 G35 Sedan factory service manual for the manual transmission. I still to this day can't find the clutch pack section for the 6MT (gee I wonder why). I walk in a couple days later and speak to a different service rep. I show him the printouts, the service history, and the 2nd diagnosis by a more than qualified technician. The old service rep walks and they try to double team me. I tell them that I'm not spending 2000 dollars on something that won't fix my problem. Then they blatantly tell me to my face that they aren't fixing the transmission until they replace the clutch.

Alright, so I request a meeting with the regional infiniti rep, the owner of this particular dealership and the service manager. I hear nothing for two days. I call back once and suddenly the tone has changed. They want to use "good will" money to fix my transmission. It sounds more like "we were wrong" money, but whatever. It amused my lawyer.

So now when I drop the car off I get the pleasure of having my other issues addressed. These include:

1) Can't use the radio while the rear defroster is on
2) Wipers jump when set to delayed intervals
3) Outside temperature sensor reads like 20 degrees higher in the morning
4) The car makes a random whistling noise while driving when its warming up, I don't know whats causing it
5) The suspension squeeks over larger bumps (even while going slow)

Has anyone else had any of these problems? I guess it's just my luck since this is my first car that isn't a Toyota so of course I get to have all the problems.

Again sorry for the long post, but I'm pretty angry about everything and almost want to just return the car for my old one. Luckily, I have my summer car out to calm me down a bit and enjoy driving again haha.

 

I haven't had any of those problems, but you definitely handled it the right way. You were not intimidated by the reps and stuck to your gut feeling.

I have about 45K miles on my car and I haven't needed any under-warranty repairs as of yet, and from your experience...I hope I don't have to. Glad that everything worked out and enjoy your new car!

 

Thanks, hopefully I'll get to enjoy it soon. It's a great car, I would hate to have a few little things and a crummy dealer ruin it for me ya know?

 

2K to replace a clutch in a RWD car....

No vaseline...

When you DO need a replacement, go elsewhere.

 

Well their reasoning behind the 2k is the 1100 dollar flywheel since "you can't resurface these flywheels". I've heard of this with the 350's but I would still like to see it to believe it.

Even so, I'd probably grab a fidanza or something with replaceable surfaces if that were the case....cost a hell of a lot less too.

 

Thanks for a great and very amusing story.
The only problem so far that I had with my 2003 G35 sedan auto trans was squeaky noise from the front suspension when going over bumps, and it was covered under bumper to bumper warranty. Dealer replaced both front compression rods. Good luck with your repairs.

 

good job on getting them to fix it under warranty! The two Infiniti Reps should personally apologize to you.

 

Sorry to hear you have had so many problems. Infiniti/Nissan has always had problems with their transmissions. Did you test drive the car before you bought it? Some of the other problems seem like it would have shown up on a test drive. If you have further problems with them, just go straight in Customer Affairs. Don't even bother with the extra hassle. Post up about the dealership on here as well. That may help keep someone else from getting screwed.

 

Sorry to hear about the service problems. I just posted a thread about should I get the extended warranty for my 03 sedan, This just made up my mind. Thanks for the info on your problem. I'm sure it will help others too.

 

Well I did test drive it, but the car was already warm and it was a 55 degree day. A week after I bought it, we dropped back down to the 30's and it started acting up. Thats when I noticed the problems occurring. Seems to be related to cold weather. Either way I took videos of half the problems in the even that they "can't replicate them".

Should be fun. And I'll post the dealer AFTER everything is taken care of LOL.

 

hopefully you have more than one option for a dealership in your area I wouldn't go back to these jackasses. IN fact I'd just go to your Nissan dealer where you had the other guy diagnose the problem and have them fix everything. Correct me if i am wrong but I don't think it matters if you get serviced at infiniti or nissan. You probably won't get a nice loaner car or a wash at nissan, but they also won't rape you on the charges either

 

From what I have been told, the Nissan dealerships can do everything except warranty work.

 

No, the Nissan dealer couldn't do the warranty repair. I already tried that route. Unfortunately, my area doesn't have a lot of Infiniti dealers. This one is 12 miles from me and the next closest one is about 36.

 

havent had any of those problems in my 03. good luck and let us know what happens

 

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