Hi All ~ Regarding 2007 G35X

Initial problem was car not starting.
Towed to shop 7-2-19. Shop called and asked if I had problem with water in car. Told them no, I had never noticed any. They found driver side floor wet and thought this was causing problem with no start. Said sunroof tubing needed to be cleaned. Sounded reasonable, so I ok’d fixing that. I asked them to change the cabin air filter at that time also.

Two weeks later, roughly, there was water again ~ mostly contained to the floor of the back seat. It was about an inch of water! And the car wouldn’t start. Towed again. I was told that something was done incorrectly the first time when sunroof tubing was drained but that all was good now. Btw, I came here to educate myself when they initially told me about water in the car. I recommended this site to them and explained that there are some extremely knowledgeable people here and it seems there are some specific things to check concerning Infinitis with water problems. I don’t think my recommendation was well received.

A couple weeks later, end of August ~ I noticed that after a rain, the windows would have condensation on them. I looked in the car and found it was full of mold because water was still getting in (so much for that new cabin air filter) Again, the car wouldn’t start and needed to be towed. It was at the shop from 8-29-19 to 11-5-19. When done, I was again assured that no water was getting in. As I drove away after picking car up, I noticed something flicker on the dash. My first thought was, “Oh no, something electrical is loose now.” “They are really gonna hate me.” I only saw that flicker once. Then it got dark and I turned the headlights on. All fine until the dashboard lights suddenly went off. I was very close to home so I just kept going. I thought about calling but figured I would wait and see how things went. I didn’t want them to think I was just one of those people who are impossible to please. Can’t add more about dashboard lights as I didn’t drive at night after this. I just wasn’t convinced the car was really fixed and I didn’t want to get stranded. I was actually only able to drive one or two more times before the car would no longer start. As much as I wanted to call, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I’ve been here with no car for more than a year now. I just didn’t know what to do to solve this problem.

On 11-5-20, I received a text from brother of shop owner asking if all was good since I have not been at the shop for over a year. I wrote back and explained some of this. He responded that he would have the service manager contact me.

Service manager called on 11-9-20. He was very nice and said he would call me back. I had the impression it would be that same week but I never heard back from him. I was trying to be patient in waiting to hear back.

Monday 12-14-20 I received a letter from my landlord stating that I “have to do something about my car that’s been sitting outside taking up space”, or he will initiate removing it by end of the year. I’m out of time and can no longer be patient.

Tuesday 12-15-20 I texted brother of owner again, explained that service mgr did call me, was going to call me back…but hasn’t. No reply from brother.

Wednesday 12-16-20 Because I’m running out of time, I thought maybe I’d just try to sell the car without waiting to hear back. I went out to check the inside. I took pictures. There are water droplets hanging from two areas, so it seems water problem is still not fixed. The dash/instrument panel cover is chipped and cracked in so many places it’s truly inconceivable that this was done to my car and nothing was said. I noticed one area when I picked the car up but decided to let it go because I thought the car was finally, truly fixed and I didn’t want to be a pain. I’m guessing the other areas were there also but have worsened with the cold weather and are now quite visible. (Remember, I was only able to drive the car once or twice after picking it up last time…not a lot of time to notice these issues)

So...I had a car that wouldn’t start ~ but the dash looked fine and it didn’t have a problem with water.

I spent $1149.76 to fix it.

Now I have a car that still won’t start, seems to have unending problems with water getting inside, and it looks like someone took a knife to the stuff you see while sitting in the front seats…the air vents, the radio, parts of the dash, etc.

I’ve always had it in my head that if I found myself in a financial bind, I could sell the car as Infinitis hold their value very well. I checked Kelley Blue Book. A 2007 Infiniti with my mileage, in good condition (which is no longer accurate but would have beenhad it actually beenfixed and not been damaged as it is) has a private party value range of $4627-$6416, with a private party value listed at $5522. However, I can’t imagine that anyone will want to buy this car now.

I currently have nothing of value. But I should have a car worth around $5522, that I should be able to sell right now, but I can’t do that as I just discovered.

I'm curious what others would do as far as the shop? What would your expectations be?

Thanks for taking the time to read and offer opinions.







Dash

Water droplets on rear window, from inside looking out. Same on front window.

Mold...random pic. This was all over. How could this be gone, even after cleaning? Especially since water continues!

 

Too long didn't read

Cliffs?

 

I understand. Thank you for your reply.

 

Holy hell! They destroyed your interior!

I would be pissed. Go there and ask them for all the money back. Even a few hundred more on top, to cover the damage. Then take it to someone who really knows how to find and fix leaks.

 

This is what happens when one chooses cheap and unqualified shops/poorly trained people to work on their vehicle.
I learned this lesson a long time ago and only trust my local dealer to work on my vehicle. I also only pay for any work done by credit card.
The last time I used a local shop to replace a timing belt and tensioners on my 1988 Mazda 929, not only did they install an incorrect belt, but did not replace all of the tensioners that they charged me for.
I successfully received the entire amount on a charge back to my credit card and had a local Mazda Dealer do the work correctly. Yes it was a little more than the other shop but I never have used anyone other than the dealer since.
My $.02
Get rid of the vehicle and move on. Lesson learned! Never pay cash or check.

 

Thank you, Scorpio. Much appreciated.

 

I researched before choosing this shop. They have an excellent reputation. The dollar amount might seem low (cheap and unqualified) because I was only charged for initial visit. No significant charges for the further damages!

I appreciate what you're saying though. And yes...lesson learned.

As for getting rid of car ~ You really think anyone would buy a car in this condition?

Thanks.

 

You can sell any car in ANY condition if the price is low enough. Not what you want to hear probably but that's the absolute truth of the matter.

As for the problems with the car, there are multiple sunroof drains, not just the cowl drain in the front. It sounds like they didn't clean them very well and BOTH are still plugged.

Since you will be PAYING a shop to do repair work I suggest you mark the car at something around $3500 (expect to accept a lower offer like 2750-3000) just to offload the vehicle, be upfront in the seller description that it has plugged sunroof drains and water damage to the interior of the vehicle and thus the lower price.

A lot of that interior damage can be masked with a black sharpie and some black silicone/caulk. Squirt the caulk onto a piece of cardboard and carefully fill the crack using a popsicle stick and your finger.. Have some paper towels and isopropyl alcohol handy to wipe down the area carefully when you're done to remove any extra silicone. It will look 100x better than it does right now, will only cost about $20.

The dash issues are probably because water is leaking onto the BCM in the driver footwell, it's basically the computer that controls all the non-engine functions. It's a fairly common problem with plugged sunroof drains since the water typically pours out right on top of it.

As for the legalities of going after the shop for shoddy work, this one you're going to have a really hard time with because of the amount of time that's elapsed since they did the work. I would see what the service manager says about these problems but don't hold your breath. And even if they fix the sunroof drain problems you're still going to likely have BCM issues which is beyond the scope of their liability.

Will the car start and run RIGHT NOW ?

 

From the sound of it, the shop did very poor work on the car. Sunroof drains clogging is a very common problem on G35/G37's, surprising they couldn't figure it out.
Very weird they reached out to you a year to the date to check in on you. That in mind, I'd ask for your money back. Worst they can say is no.
Reading this makes me glad that my sedan is a slicktop.

 

cleric670 ~ Thank You! This information is very helpful. I wouldn't have had any idea how to price the car, so thanks for suggesting an amount.
I fix so many things with a sharpie! Guess I could have a go at this Can you do the silicone/caulk in cold weather? It's 36° today.
No, the car will not start now!

 

Does it not start because the battery is dead and it won't crank? A car that WILL START is worth significantly more than one that won't start. Even if you can just get the engine to crank that's a vast improvement over one that does nothing.

That's pretty cold for caulk, as much as I hate to recommend putting a small space heater in the car that's exactly what I would do. In the back seat, lay down a piece of plywood on the back seat and find a way to secure the space heater so there is absolutely no way it can tip over (use straps or something). Don't use any kind of radiant heater though, fan with heating element is the style you would want to use.

 

I have no idea anymore!! Good chance it is the battery. There's nothing now...no lights on dash, can't open trunk or back doors with fob (unless something I don't know)

After they last fixed the car, I was only able to drive it twice maybe. That was last August. I would go out randomly to see if it would start.
It never started or cranked like it was trying, but initially it did have lights on dash. When that stopped, planned on finding someone to jump it, but then Covid...

 

Get a battery charger and do it that way rather than jump starting the car. With a battery that dead you probably will have a really hard jump starting it anyway so just charge up the existing battery.

EDIT: If the alarm starts going off when you charge up the battery just hit the unlock button on the fob.

 

I love how knowledgeable your are! I also love that you give ways to fix things, with directions that are easy to follow. And with suggestions, you give reasons why you're suggesting. Doesn't get any better than that! Can't thank you enough for taking the time to help....Thanks!! Very Much Appreciated.

 

Update: Just took a chance and called Service Manager @ the shop. He's sorry. He forgot to call me back (beginning of Nov). He's sending tow truck RIGHT NOW to get my car. He will make sure it's a priority in the shop to get the car fixed

Things do work out sometimes!!