V36 sedan a good car?
 

I am considering getting rid of my 03 G35 coupe and getting a V36 G35 sedan. I was wondering if there are any major problems with the V36 or any major reliability issues. Also how do you like your V36?

Thanks,
Gareth

I love my V36. So far no problems on my end. Can't speak for the others.

Love the V36, the most common issue that you will find all over the forums is the chipped/peeled door pulls and steering wheel trim(fixed in 08+ i believe) but even if you get 07 you can get the updated trim pieces for like ~$120-150 for four door pulls or cheaper if you can find used online.

Other than that the engine and tranny(MT) have held up great and if you go through the high mileage thread you will see many 100k+ V36 still running strong without any major problems

The biggest issue iv had is the steering rack that needs replacing and it has happened to many but not all members, the leak is not even noticeable given the PS fluid level never drops but you can see the smallest of leaks on the driver side which has been concluded as being the reason for a 'clunking' sound at times, so when you test drive one i suggest going over some bumps slowly as well as taking some slow sharp turns and moving the steering back and forth a few times at stand still and hear for any sounds.

Otherwise these cars are great, good luck with your search!

Is the V36 sedan any good?

The V36 sedan is the only Japan made RWD sports sedan with a 6MT. :)

No major issue and TSB were taken care under warranty.

My only real complain is the clutch take up, still keep me guessing from time to time ... LOL

Otherwise are other minor things here or there, like ... why does the A/C has to be on when the fan and ciculate air are both on???

Yeah about the door pulls chipping, i know your going to be out of warranty but you can customise that yourself and make it look better. What i did is color matched it to the car. You can see for yourself if you do a search under mycardomain. Just use my screen name

These cars are a great bang for the buck. You will get the performance and luxury items included for a fraction of the cost of other luxury sports sedans. As far as reliability, from what everyone says, these cars are the real deal. Very good drivetrain. Good luck in your search. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

173k here without any major problems!

do it!!!!!!

Biggest things to check for would probably be the peeling interior trim, and if the brake TSB has been done to prevent warping.

Wheel bearings are suspect, but that is not that big of a deal (power train warranty covers it). A decent number of members have has leaking steering racks lately (myself included), but if its not a bad leak you can just top it off every oil change (keeps the fluid fresh lol).

I came from G35 coupe also.. after owning my coupe for 5 yrs, driving V36 is so much different. I feel like I get so spoiled with all the technology I have now. I got 07 tech package, my only rant about it are interior trims chipped/peeled (door/steering wheel) watch out for the AC compressor noise, brake TSB and seems like some of i know have the issue to their leaking steering racks. but all in all I did not get disappointed changing from coupe to sedan..:driving:

I have an 08 G35x sedan and have had no major issues so far. I do have chipping issue mentioned above and once in a while the clunking noise.

Having said this, the factory brakes seem to wear down VERY quickly. I need to replace the rear pads at 36,000kms. Also, I am used to seeing front brakes wear twice as fast as rear brakes but it seems reversed for the G. Maybe when the fronts wear out, I need to go to after market rotors/pads.

I've owned my G35s sedan for 3 years, one of the best cars I've ever owned, I currently am experiencing a problem with the throttle after replacing the battery, looks like a pcm reflash is needed to fix it, other then that it's just been oil changes and smiles. This body style is very attractive, and will always be. The chipped interior pieces can all be replaced in an hour, I had my steering wheel off, trim replaced and reinstalled in 30 minutes or less, the door pulls just pop out. I will be selling or trading mine in soon, only because I'm wanting a change, getting a 4 door Jeep Wrangler to tow my Seadoo RXPX.

I have an '08 sedan that has had a few problems:

1) Chipped interior trim, as others have said. It was out of bumper-to-bumper warranty by the time I got it, so I won't get it fixed. Doesn't really bother me.

2) Worn 5th gear synchro in the manual transmission. Had the transmission replaced under powertrain warranty. This is kind of worrisome since I plan to keep the car for 4-6 more years, and I wouldn't want to pay for a new transmission myself.

3) Bad wheel bearing. Replaced under powertrain warranty. Not a big deal even if you have to pay for it.

That said, it's my favorite car that I've owned. It puts a smile on my face every time I accelerate with the windows down and hear that VQ roar. I would definitely buy another one.

you can do better

Not to hijack the thread (I already answered the OP question so I'm allowed to ask this :)), but for powertrain warranty problems alone, MUST the work be done at an Infiniti dealer or can it be done by an independent mechanic? I'm thinking I know the answer to this one....

Aside from the minor cosmetic stuff others mentioned, another issue that seems to pop up regularly is the shifter assembly needing replacement. Other than that, the powertrain is solid and I've never had any major issues.

Only real issue on our 07 G35 and now our 09 G37 is the paint, very easy to chip and scratch. All newer auto paint is much more sensitive than years past but Infiniti really is on a lower rung on the paint quality ladder IMO.

Make sure you can live with the horrible gas mileage. Rated at 16mpg city and 23mpg hwy. City mileage is more like 11-12mpg. I will agree on the delicate paint as well. Otherwise a decent and very fast sport sedan.

I'm averaging about 16 mpg on shell v power about 80/20 city/highway (miles/gallons old fashioned way). I don't gun it every light or race people- just normal driving (engine usually b/t 2-3k rpm) but this is winter gas and my driving mostly consists of short trips. This car has plenty of power when you want it and personally I love mine. I bought it roughly 5 months so it's still a little early a on real in depth review but for the price/performance- let's just say I don't regret my purchase. I only wish they gave me more than a ski pass so I can fit my snowboard in there without the awkward way I have to fit it in the backseat. Good luck- great car!

black 2008 sport sedan 6mt.

Um, if you are truly getting around 11-12 Mpg city you may want to get the car checked. These things aren't THAT bad on gas!!

I do have an aftermarket intake. But even when driving like a Prius, taking off at lights like a snail, and not going over 40mph in the city, I can BARELY touch 17 mpg but I will lose in a race to an electric wheelchair. Very dangerous to drive that slow on public roads, and I get the flipped the bird from elderly drivers in a rush to play Bingo. These cars ARE actually THAT terrible on gas. In heavy traffic jams with lots of idling in the winter, I've seen my dash read as low as 2mpg! Totally unacceptable from any six cylinder period. The awd G sedan is the most NON fuel efficient 6cylinder vehicle I've personally witnessed. For crying out loud a new Audi S8 (twin turbo, V8, 520hp 481torque, awd, 4620lbs, 0-60 in 3.6 seconds) gets like 15/26 mpg and averages 20mpg in the real world. When I see stuff like this it makes me sick knowing the G cant touch any of these stats other than the G is lighter and less expensive.

I'm not getting into an argument with you over gas mileage. But I hope the original OP doesn't believe that the typical 2nd gen G35 sedan will get 11 MPG in the city. It's just plain false. And your second problem is that you actually BELIEVE the MPG dash readout. Those things always have been, and always will be, jokes in my opinion. If you want to calculate gas mileage, do the math yourself. Miles/gallons to full. = correct and accurage MPG.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the cars are GOOD on gas. They definitely are not. I average around 19mpg in all kinds of driving. But they are not 11-12 MPG bad.

Agreed^^
Our 07 got 27 hwy and our 09 gets 29-30 hwy going 80mph and this is w/ 20s & intake. City I still get around 19-20 all day long, and w/ a pretty heavy foot.

+1 There's something else going on there, especially if he's driving conservatively. You could be right that he's getting a bad figure from the console readout.

The MPG indicator on the center console screen though has never made sense or seemed accurate to me. However, I will say though, that the little mpg readout in the speedo cluster is dead on accurate #within 0.1 mpg# on my car. I reset it, and the trip odometer, at every fillup and have checked it countless times against the actual miles divided by actual gallons to refill. It is so accurate I completely rely it to know how far I can REALLY go in a pinch; just multipy it by 20 #full tank#. Never fails. Apparently it counts the number of actual fuel injector pulses along with their duration for a gas quantity and divides it by actual wheel sensor data for distance. It ain't exactly rocket science. :thewave:

OK lets not argue. Your mpg in your G25 seems good. But I have yet to see anyone with a sport model 2nd gen Infiniti G sedan or coupe 5AT with awd who can get 20/30 mpg with a heavy left foot. 5AT with AWD combo. Thats a task even for a Maxima with its fwd, cvt, and lower hp rating. I never said rwd and 7AT.

Wow, you must really drive funny. :p


... and who ever mentioned a G25 ? :confused2:

Yeah...no idea. Mine has now dropped to 15mpg city with a heavy foot after my R2C intake install.

i got thread jacked, lol. thanks for all the input! :)

Lmao... G25

Yeah, back on point: I think where these V36 sedans really excel is at being a fantastic value overall. They are not the fastest, the quickest, the nimblest, the sexiest, the most frugal, the least expensive, the most luxurious, or the most reliable; no car can be all those things at once, but they are pretty darn good at nearly all those attributes which, IMHO, is very impressive! Not too many cars out there that give you as much bang for your buck than these V36's. :biggthumpup:

Nice post VQ, plus the Gs still have a look that holds up well over time, even the early first Generation Gs still look "right", unlike many vehicles that looked good at the time but looking at them now they look pretty dated.