Hey Everyone,

So my 08' G35 6mt ran into a little issue a little over a week ago. Driving home from work one night and it just shuddered really bad, dash lit of like a Christmas tree, went into limp mode, etc. Got it home and my reader said it was a bad camshaft position sensor. After calling around a bit it seemed to make the most sense to bring it to the dealer.

Well, replacing the sensor did not fix the problem, I gave them permission to invest a couple hours labor doing a little tear down, investigation. Anyway, they said I have a broken cam shaft and that I need a new engine. They can get me a used one, and total cost would be $8200.

So, besides the obvious, in this day and age no car should need a new engine at 85k miles. Any advice? When the new sensor didn't fix it and they had to start tearing down the engine I got the ball rolling with infiniti consumer services. Any chance they stand behind their product here at all? Anyone have similar experiences or advice?

Should I start calling around local shops for engine swap quotes? I'm just really out of my element here and this has caused some stress for me. I've had some bad luck in my personal life the past few months and the timing of this is just bad. A year ago I was in a much better position to absorb something like this and today isn't so good. Not that is anyone's issues but mine obviously...

...so anyone ever go through anything similar like this? Anyone ever even heard about a G needing a new engine in the first 100k of miles?

Any friendly advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Yes, I bought the car brand new. I considered it a bit of a gift/treat to myself as I had wanted a rwd sports sedan for a really long time.

That was a question I was going to ask as well. Obviously the VQ35HR was a short lived engine. Is it's reliability not in line with the other VQs? The VQ35DE in my old 02' Maxima is still going strong with 150k miles. Should I consider dropping in the 3.7?

 

No, the HR motor has been very robust. Your situation is freakish to say the least.
As far as replacement costs for your engine, just do a quick search for used vq35hr motors (complete longblock) on ebay or CL; you can find them in good shape with reasonable mileage all day long for $1500 +/- a few hundred, and labor should be less than that for a straight swap. You could easily knock five grand off that dealer's quote.

 

Maybe this is time for you to consider building a motor? This really doesn't make any sense why it would lock up, even considering you drove it from mile 1.

 

a little hard to believe you car ran with a broken camshaft.

This is a first from any VQ series motor i've heard of with 85k

 

I thought the same thing. I can't believe the car would run with a broken camshaft. I probably drove it another 10 miles home that day. And then I drove it 20+ mile to the dealership. I asked one of the mechanics I spoke to about that and he said it could depend on which camshaft (intake, exhaust), and that there were 3 of them? Seems like an odd number, unless that was per bank I'm guessing? Either way, sounds like I was not in "limp mode", but operating on 3 cylinders basically. Makes sense as acceleration from 60-70 on the freeway took like 10 seconds.

A couple of the guys I've spoken to at local shops have been pretty sympathetic. I'm hoping Infiniti steps up here and does something. It just seems I got a bad engine from the get go with a defect or something that manifested itself over some time. I did occasionally get a shudder, once in a great while starting about a year ago or so. I'm really starting to think that was telling sign. It's just in a million years I never thought it was related to something so mechanical. If anything, I thought maybe the clutch was catching for a moment or something.

Urban, I wish I was mechanically inclined enough to build my own engine. Rotors and brakes are the most advanced I've gone so far. Although I'm sitting on some new shocks I'm going to attempt myself. My cheap Kobalt impact wrench did not seem up to the task so I had to pull an Ingersoll Rand out of my Amazon wish list.

I'm really trying hard not to hate on Infiniti here as I really love the car. But it's a tough pill to swallow when you hear the words "new engine needed".

vqsmile, thanks for the advice. I did see you are correct and there are a number of engines on ebay. Unfortunately I probably am out of my element ordering like that and all the shops in town go through more reputable suppliers. Just the same, hopefully I can get a price closer to 4k or 5k for this repair.

In any case, thanks for all the advice everyone. At the very least I appreciate you letting me cry on your shoulders.

 

Anyone hear of this? It matters whether it's AWD or RWD as they are "different" engines, as in apparently they mount differently. That doesn't make any sense to me.

 

I know two guys who have Blue Slate 07 G35xs (AesonVirus on here is one of them) that both needed engine replacements for issues similar to this... I dont recall the exact issue but this sounds familiar.

 

Hey Wannabe,

Thanks for the info. I'm shocked to hear that there maybe others who have seen this. Bought the car brand new and was planning on having it for the long haul. Nothing but Mobil One full synthetic with a good name brand filter like Wix or Purolator.

Are you in Eden Prairie? I work in EP... Small world!

 

Born and raised in Eden Prairie, although currently in Fargo for school. Usually get back about once a month though. Got any pics of your car? I feel like I know every G in this town, especially sport package ones.

I sold my 08 6MT Blue Slate G35S in April and I have regretted the decision every day since signing the paper. Best car I owned.

 

Very cool. I almost went to school up in that area. I checked out NDSU back in the day as they had/have a pretty solid Engineering school. Ended up heading east though to Madison.

Love the 6mt, sorry to hear you let yours go. One of my buddies who's a pretty big enthusiast thought the G was a solid car to drive (had only sampled awd autos) and was shocked how much different (better, more enjoyable) the manuals felt. He really enjoyed taking my car for a spin a few times to say the least.

The best I could dig up at work is this pic (shot from a phone I'm sure) from spring of 2010, just after putting back on my summer wheels. I know I have much better pics of the car at home shot with a DSLR.

 

Have you ever played around with any other cars before? or Washed it at Msiter Car wash? haha. That car looks mighty familiar.
These are my old Gs:



And in stock trim how I drove it for awhile



That 08 6MT I had was my favorite of the bunch and you are absolutely right about how much more direct, and better overall they drive than the AWDs. After coming out of 2 RWD Gs (one auto and one 6MT) I am incredibly disappointed with my G37xS. It feels so numb, bloated, and uninspiring. I literally have regretted it since 2 weeks after leasing it (and thank god it is only a 2 year. I will be dropping this thing off willingly once I get to the end).



And be glad you didn't go to NDSU. It sucks. I hate this school, this town, and everything about it. I wish i went to UMD in Duluth.

 

"Anton_Chigurh" had another one that comes to mind. Had broken valve springs or something, then the dealer thought cam, then eventually swapped whole engine.

 

Your mechanic told you your engine had 3 cams? Holy........

 

Has anyone had any luck with getting Infiniti to step up and pick up the bill? I'm suppose to hear back on Friday with a decision... possibly today even.

Back on the auto vs manual. I think the 5 speed auto was a much better tranny. This is what happens when marketing takes over and 7 speeds must be better. An engine with a nice broad torque curve doesn't need that many gears.

So now take the "best" of all worlds, my loaner is a G25. Low power, and slow response. A couple times, I stepped on it to change lanes and felt like an eternity before the car would respond.

Ahhh well, fingers crossed I'm back in my own G one of these days, and hopefully not $8200 poorer.