Well, this is my first post here! I'm hoping for some help with a problem on my sisters new to her 2007 G35 sedan!

She noticed that she was having problems with all FOUR window gasket/trim peices on the bottom of her windows by the chrome trim peice. Hope my description of the location is good enough. If not I can try to get a pic of the whole window to show where it is at, but I'm sure the pictures I do have will reveal enough so people can figure out where it is! (Pictures at bottom of this post!)

And now the problem...

The gasket attached to the chrome trim peice has become cracked in numerous places, and VERY VERY stickey, think chewing gum, hard candy sitting in the sun kinda sticky!

She took it to the local Infiniti dealership to have them look at it. Well, they claim that she had put some kinda chemical on the rubber because rubber doesn't just become sticky like that and they will replace all four peices to the nice lil tune of 643.99, and that was an estimate, so I'm sure it will be MUCH more expensive!! They also would not include part numbers for the 'repair' parts....

But, here's the issue. I am unaware of ANY chemical substance that can be put on a car that will RUIN window gaskets on ALL four windows and not discolor the chrome trim, paint or ANYTHING else on the car, and the face that it is the entire gasket on all four windows!!

The next issue I have is the fact that to 'diagnose' the issue the car tech TORE OUT sections on both driver side windows, and now if it rains water has a HIGH probability of gettin INTO the door.....

So I guess my questions are.... Has anyone had ANY kind of gasket problems with all the windows, and what would be a good course of action? I plan to head to the dealership and talk to the service manager about the issue and go corporate if need be....

Has anyone had issues with their windows gaskets???

 

There are things can destroy them. Oil based things for sure. Also it looks like they have scratches on chrome trims. Could be related by any way? Also you are in the wrong section. You claim it is a coupe and you are at the sedan section. Maybe the coupe guys have similar problems.

 

whoops it is a sedan sorry I'll change it... My sister (if she washes it herself) just uses car wash soap/wax on it and that's all... Otherwise it'd be one of the professional drive through carwash places... The scratches are probably just an age thing with sponges etc. i guess...

 

I've never seen anything like that. My car sits in the sun all day long and doesn't look that bad.

Yes, there are things that can decompose the rubber. Do you know what the people that wash her car uses? I have heard stories where car washes use chemicals that can even etch aluminum wheels.

IMHO, your dealship can possibly be at fault for the pictured damages if they really tore out the trim as you descibe. Why would they need to remove them to diagnose this? It is clearly visible. Were the pictures taken before or after the dealer got their hands on it? They also sound kinda shady because they didn't want to give you the part numbers. How I mean how silly is that? If they had the quote for the work, the part numbers should already be there. That quote also seems rather high to me, but I haven't looked at the service manual to see how those things are removed.

The picures also do not show the extent of the damage at each window. This is a long shot, but has she ever needed to get the car slim jimmed because she locked herself out? Maybe some amatuer did it?

On a positive note, it does not look like the damage will affect the water seal which is provided by the strip that is touching the glass. I'm not certain, but it appears the sponge rubber strip is for asthetics.

 

That's an oxymoron.
There's no such thing. Terry is 100% right. The drive-through washes use some extreme chemicals to get all that dirt and grime off of your car in 100 ft.
I never ever use them anymore. You're much better off just hitting it with a hose at home with a nice clean microfiber or lambs wool mitt.

I also have an 07 and my trim still looks brand new, some there is definitely something more than just wear and tear causing this.

 

auto detailing shop sorry.....

She isn't the original owner of the car, the car had some 25k on it when she bought it about 9mths to a yr ago and it has not been slim jimmed, but all the windows are cracked and such...

The pictures were taking yesterday, AFTER the dealership visit, but yes, they did tear it out to 'examine' the problem.... and I'm totally baffeled by the no part number on the price quote...

I didn't take pictures of all the windows because those are the only two they tore, and I took the pictures to actually take to the service manager when I go to talk to them about the problem...

Quote off the estimate

02 EST TO REPLACE FRONT DOOR MOULDING (RT AND LFT)
misc-body-I0001 Est.-amt 367.90 Customer

03 EST TO REPLACE REAR DOOR MOULDINGS
Misc-Body-I0001 est. - amt 282.36 customer

 

I bet at least 50%-60% of that is labor alone.
Are you comfortable with buying the parts and doing the installation yourself?

 

NEVER worked on an Infiniti before, but I've done work on all sorts of others vehicles (trucks, cars etc) so I think I can take off a door panel if need be and pop off some trim... Just a matter of $$ and the correct part number! Is there a special trim removal tool or is it a generic thing?

 

I had the exact same thing happen to my car couple months ago. I brought it to the dealer ship and they pretty much asked me the same questions as you (i.e chemical treatment, etc.). I told them i wash my own car and i only use soap and car wax. The guy at the dealership told me he had never seen this issue before but it didn't take much convincing for the dealership to replace it free of charge.

 

Hmmm, do you have a copy of the work order stating the problem and the free fix for it? I'd love to take it to the dealership with me when I go down there.... Or was there a service order number that the dealership here can pull up... I'm wondering if the rubber batch was messed up in the curing process or something!

 

I had the exact same problem....Dealer here in AZ fixed it with no questions asked!

 

looks like warranty claim to me....

 

Do you have the service order number or anything so I can have them pull it up and prove to them it has been a common problem?

 

Those pictures of your sisters G35 window trim look like they were taken from my 2007 G35 Sedan. The trim is sticky like gum and it is happening to all four door trims. I have an appointment with the dealership on Monday to show them this problem and was curious if other G35 owners were having the same type of problem, this is how I found this website. I will post my experience with the dealership after Monday’s appointment.

 

Let me know how it goes.. I was plannin on taking my sisters this week but my schedule just got full with unexpected stuff so that's a no go! If they replace it under warranty please try to get the service order number or whatever so I can have the dealership here pull it up!