This lengthy saga starts with what was finally a nice weather day in Toronto. Ahhh...nice weather and feeling extra good because I only had 5 km's left until the 2000 break-in mark after I got to the office today. Couldn't wait to leave the office, hit the on ramp, and let her loose.

EXCEPT...I got to the parking garage only to find that the car wouldn't open via the door handle button. Instant flashback to previous 'stranded' threads here talking about the key-fob programming/RF failures. Sure enough, I take out the manual key, open the door, get inside and hit the start button...and nothing. Hoping against hope, I stick the fob in the auxilliary slot, foot on the brake, hit start...nothing. Then the infamous 'no key' warning comes up on the centre screen. Great...dead in the water. I try a few times, get in and out of the vehicle. Lock/unlock manually...try start button again - nothing. All lights are good so no issue with battery. It's for certain the programming/RF connection issue with the key.

I get out, lock it manually, and go to head back up to the office to call Infiinti Roadside Assistance. Then I remember my laptop in the back seat. I unlock the car manually and the alarm starts honking and flashing and the windows go down. (No I didn't hold the manual key to the right in the door lock for more than a second - which in my '04 Maxima rolls down the front windows and probably does in the G as well). Well I get in the car, foot on the break, hit the lock/unlock button a few times then grab the door handle to open the car and the alarms stops. But the windows are still down, no way to put them up - since there's no ignition, no ACC, because there's "no key" according to the vehicle. All of this happening while I've got Infiniti Roadside on the line...he can't even hear me over the sound of the alarm.

Now I get out, take all personal stuff with me since the windows are down, and go back to the office asking Roadside what to do. They say to have it towed to the closest dealer (15 km's away). Flatbed tow recommended and it will be just about an hour.

In my mind I'm thinking maybe trying the second fob might be a better solution than towing but the key is at home and it's over an hour trip - and I'm going to need the key reprogrammed anyway. So I say OK, if I'm going to have to go there anyway, send the tow you've recommended.

I wait, then get a call back saying they can't get a flatbed but don't worry, a regular truck with dolly wheels is within spec for that short distance. But their main tow supplier is busy so they're going with their secondary tow company.

However by now, the dealer's service dept. is closed. But they tell me the tow will take it there anyway because the Showroom is open - and as a courtesy they called the dealer and were told that they 'may' be able to provide me a courtesy car if I'm there before 9 pm closing. OK...I'm sure Infiniti will come through. As a side note, Roadside tells me that the dealer has never heard of such a problem with the key. Right. Interestingly, the Roadside person asked me if I was downtown because they'd had a couple calls that week about a similar issue that was blamed on a certain very large tower that was transmitting and interfering with the keys. (I'm thinking we're going to see a lot more of these threads if they don't find a fix for this).

Anyway, now the tow arrives and backs up to the car (which I had backed into the parking spot in the morning..."bonus!" I think since it's rear wheel). NOT! I had turned the wheels when I'd parked so they weren't straight. Wait...it gets better.

She (the tow driver) insists on a boost first. I explain that there's no need...all the lights and electrical are clearly working but she insists and I say OK, 'what the heck', maybe she knows something about these 'keys'. But as expected, it doesn't do anything...except of course that she leaned over the fender with her freakin' work jacket in order to get to the battery cover and drags her zipper across the paint. Nice.

Now satisfied that a boost isn't the answer (duh), we proceed to the interior where she pries off the shiftlock tab with a key, (scraping the chrome in the process), in order that she may straighten the wheels. But no dice - since apparently we don't have the "suitable tool" so brilliantly articulated in the owner's manual. (btw, does anybody know what that 'suitable tool' might be?).

"Oh well" she says, "doesn't matter, I can just broaden the front wheel dollies and that will accept the turned wheels". So she drops the rack, and proceeds to back up toward the vehicle positioning one side toward the driver's wheel, then once it's grabbed that tire, she angles the other side toward the other wheel...except she didn't widen the rack enough and hits the lower front lip instead and drags it across the fascia imparting one spectacular 8" scratch!! Sparing you the expletives I used, I a) called Infiniti Roadside and reported (and ranted) immmediately, then b) had her call her tow company and report same. But wait...it gets better...she now resets the front rack, but still again not wide enough and proceeds to lift the vehicle with the large protrusion/joint on the corner of the rack now firmly implanted in the underside of the lip (as opposed to being far enough out to the side that it would have missed once the wheel grips grabbed first).

But wait...it gets better... as she tries to now put the dollies on the rear wheels. The car is apparently to close to the wall to allow her to use the pry bar to ratchet the rear wheel grips tight enough around the wheels so they can be lifted. After a few tries, she decides to simply drag the car forward a few feet to give her more room for pry bar leverage (oh that's nice...drag it forward in park). Then tries again. And after 5 attempts, the right rear dolly slips one more time and the car bangs down again. She gives up saying she's never had this problem before. I'm out of patience. For fear of further damage I'm saying fine, don't try anything else - and anyway, by this point, the dealer is now closed. So not only could I not get the car there now, even if I could I wouldn't be able to get a courtesy car. And now I was faced with leaving it where it was...in a parking garage, with the windows down.

I called Infiniti Roadside again (4th call) but they had no suggestions at this point other than rent a car and submit a claim. C'mon!! The car is less than a month old, under 2000 km's, and it was YOU that recommended a tow to the dealer.

I told them to note on the file that I was going to spend the $100 or more and take a cab to my house, pick up the spare key, and take a cab back before I'd leave the car wide open and overnight.

So I did take a cab home, picked up my other key and came back, and guess what - the second key did work.

And now, I'm so angry and tired, 5 hours after my first call for help with two major cab fares, stuck with a bodywork claim that I will no doubt have to spend hours battling, one non-working keyfob that will also take time to repair at the dealer, and a sense of insecurity about being stranded at anytime. And I'm left wondering why I was told to tow it, why they recommended this secondary towing company, why a dealer (my dealer) 15km's away wouldn't offer to come and get me, if Infiniti is going to replace (not repair/repaint).

By the way...when I hit the ramp and it turned 2000 kms, I did wind it right out as originally planned. It felt good...amazing actually...but obviously somewhat bittersweet. It did put a smile on my face, albeit a bit half-hearted.

Any thoughts on any of the many issues raised in this epistle will at least keep me preoccupied!

 

wow... omg you need to complain to HQ like crazy for all this

 

Holy sh^t!

I don't know where to begin on this one man! I would be livid!

At least you got to open her up on the ride home, so the day wasn't a total loss!

 

OMG bro, I am not even sure what to say. Really sorry to hear about all the crap you went through yesterday. I would of been absolutely livid and probably would of had time holding back on giving that idiot tow drive a verbal lashing. I hope everything works out in the end and keep us posted.

 

So sorry to hear that man. If that tow clown was a male I would have probably ended up in jail after beating the crap out of him What a tool that lady

Side note: For what it's worth, you can roll up the windows using the standard key - just stick it in the door, turn clockwise (to lock the doors) and hold it for 3 seconds - the windows will roll up.

Again, sorry you had to go through that. Make sure you get paid back up to last penny.

 

I'm starting to get freaked out about these keys, this isn't the first story we've heard like this.

What *is* the battery life on these things?

 

im very sorry to hear about your bad experience but i only have two words for you on that one... MURPHY'S - LAW

Keep us updated on the claims with the tow company and with Infiniti..i really would like to see how they handle this one

 

OMG 'G'TA, that sounds like the Nightmare from H-LL.
Please keep us informed what the Dealers explanation is and also about the fixes to cure your baby from getting marked up and abused. Good luck with it.

 

Sorry to hear you had such a lousy experience.
I would have removed the battery cable for a few minutes. This would allow you to reset or reboot the system. This will fix most problems of this type.. You dealer might end up doing this for the fix... let us know what happens.. Good luck!

 

Holy Crap,
I wonder how many people Infiniti and Nissan have had problems with their Intelli Key.

 

I'm glad I have an "unintelligent" key.

 

Less is still more... but you have all that extra work and inconvenience of taking your keys out every time you get in the car.. how do you survive..

 

man that's one crazy freakin' story that only gets worse by the sentence. sorry to hear about your experience. technology is good until it we rely on it completely and it fails.

 

man that blows, female tow truck drivers? = completely wrong

 

could the key default if you work near strong magnetic field mri x ray equipment or RF