New to the forum and absolutely new to the nissan/infiniti world. I’m dearly hoping it is an easy platform from the pile of BMWs i’ve owned and own, hence the username

I feel the need to try a different platform.

I’m interested in this 2005 Infiniti G35 which currently is on sale by its original owner.

it has about 300,000kms (186,411 miles).

the owner says mechanically it is sound and great just minor things need to be addressed such as:
- tear in the driver seat
- issues with door window not working
- issues with doors and trunk not locking properly
- issues with power seat not moving
- some surface rust by the driver’s door.

it’s listed for $5,350CAD. Apparently, as per the seller, it is a limited edition sport version with stock 19” rims, competition brake, gas pedal etc. I personally have no idea about it.

What would you fine folks do in this situation of mine? The vehicle is located ~500+kms away from me so I’m trying to get more info from the owner before I actually decide to drive up till there.

From what I have seen people on the internet talking, timing chains, transmission and the intake plenum are the key things that need to be addressed. Is that true?

I mean, the car has made it to 300,000kms so i am assuming it was very well maintained and will last the test of time? Plus it has been owned by a mature, older couple so it hasn’t been rashly driven or abused?

I’d need guidance with what to expect, what price to start with or if you think it is fairly priced.
Thanks in advance!

 

Thats a good price.

All those issues u mentioned are stuff that can be fixed by yourself in a day or two. Except for the tear in the driver seat. But EVERY G35 has that tear…including my car.

Its good that it was driven by an older couple. That means they probably didnt beat on it too much. But know that after all these years and miles that you will probably have worn out bushings in your control arms. That might cause weird clunking noises while driving.

These cars are also known to bur a lot of oil. Ask them if it has that issue. Every G35 owner will tell u their car burns oil…some more than others. My 2005 burns a quart of oil every 500 miles.

U have any pics of the car?

 

In KILOMETRES



@Scorpi0 thanks for the reply. See attached pics. Bushings is something I will ask if the owner changed or not but I’m assuming at 300,000kms he would have done all this. If not, the vehicle certainly is in need for one.

However, the seller is pretty much stressing on the fact that it is mechanically in perfect condition as it was previously maintained by the dealership and then afterwards the seller took it more to lube shops.

The seller recently replaced brakes and fuel pump (~2 years ago). So I am assuming the bushings, control arms, tie rods would’ve been looked over? By the sounds of it, they might be but who knows.

My rule is “receipts or it never happened”. And for that, I will have to physically do this ~1100kms drive to see what’s the deal.

I was under the impression that it burns oil but hey, nothing new. I will ask this with the seller and see how they respond. Because if there is something fishy about it, that’ll **** them off.

 

Confirmed that it is the sport model (orange steering wheel stitching and aluminum pedals). Paint and headlights look great; must be garage-kept... it hasn't been out in the sun. TPMS batteries will be dead and not surprising; that's the exclamation mark on the left of the cluster inside the tire. The exclamation point next to the tach pointer is special to Canada, and is a concern. It's a "Brake Trouble Indicator" light. Maybe that's what the "recently replaced brakes" is about and the photo is from before that was done.

I would try to arrange in advance an appointment to take the car to a dealer when you get there. Buy a pre-purchase inspection; they will pull codes and know what they mean. It's probably a $150 US fee and well worth the money for peace of mind and knowing exactly what you are getting mechanically.

The car looks to me to be worth the effort.

 

i believe the “red” warning light on the dash is simply the handbrake being used. Usually it lights up red like that in our vehicles when the park brake is engaged.

You are right in terms of care, it is garage kept however with 300,000kms there is some minor paint fade but not to the point like some other G35s for sale around my city. This is the only clean but high kms G35.

I do have my dongles from BMW such as kies wifi adapter, OBDlink CX that I can use to pull codes. Is there any particular app that you would recommend I could use? @G2B35AGN

PPI would be phenomenal and arguably a must for a high kms V6 but it’s all by appointment. I’m currently waiting on the seller to respond to my bushings and control arm questions and then I will decide if I really want to drive 1100kms to pick this vehicle.

Tbh, I have played with a few E90s/E92s and by the looks and description alone you can tell if something has been cared for or not plus the way the seller talks. The gentleman has been pretty good so far but let’s see, you never know how someone reacts when you are there in person.

 

@G2B35AGN @Scorpi0 I had a question regarding the plenum spacer. I’ve heard it is a necessity or else cyl 1&2 throw misfires and eventually go out causing head gasket issues?

Is it something i should worry about? I asked the seller but the reply i got was “???”
To me that means the seller never installed the spacer or anything aftermarket, just what the car needed to keep it running.

Not sure if it’s a “must do” thing why the seller decided to be otherwise about it or I am reading/understanding things incorrectly.

 

Spacer is not required. It's a performance mod. What it does is fix a design flaw that slightly "starves" two of the cylinder ports of air-fuel mixture. By putting in the spacer you open up the plenum above those two ports. With a tune, it's worth about 15 horsepower. The tune will really optimize it. You can get an UpRev e-tune done remotely using a windows laptop and an UpRev cable. @seymore4 is the G35 trusted tunemeister.

Timing chain is a lifetime part. It is not on any replacement maintenance schedule. You can download the owners manual on the web to see the schedule for what does get replaced. Sometimes the guides wear out and that's what causes a timing problem. The factory service manual (FSM) can be downloaded at www.nicoclub.com by signing up to be a member there. Download all the files into one folder. Start with the fwd.pdf file; it's the table of contents and clicking on the chapter items automagically will take you to that chapter.

 

Thanks! I did ask the seller if they replaced the bushings or anything and they said “everything is OEM has never been replaced or does need replacement”.

Seller said if BCAA said anything he would have replaced it but it has been maintained by them.

To my understanding, BCAA won’t be diving into bushings and suspension components until you tell them that you have issues with handling.

I feel like the car may have potential issues one after another if it was babied too much that once you start stressing some components, things might start to give out.

Although maintenance seems on the intermediate side, idk if a 300,000kms G35 is a good buy plus the seller won’t stoop down a $ below 5,000CAD claiming that he priced it lower than the market.

He said the price reflects the electrical issues such as door actuators, power seat etc. but is mechanically good. Idk, close to 4k would have been a decent deal.

 

$5000 CAD is still not a bad price. If u can get him to go down a few more hundred bucks, thatll be even better. Tell him to stop being a jew and give u a deal.

 

Buy the car. Put in a plenum spacer, new NGK iridium spark plugs, have me tune it. Should be super fun and reliable

 

- tear in the driver seat:
Perfectly normal, every G will have this (mine does too). It’s a rite of passage.

- issues with door window not working:
Also normal, you need to replace the widow motor. Motor brushes are probably shot, OEM motor has a flaw and gets clogged as well. I had to replace mine.

- issues with power seat not moving
Normal, the seat switches need to be cleaned or replaced. There is carbon buildup on the little bearings inside the switch. You can take it apart and clean it with rubbing alcohol. That’s what I did, super cheap fix.

- some surface rust by the driver’s door.
This is the only part that worries me, you may want to look into this more.

At 186k miles you will likely need to rebuild the suspension.
- New shocks
- Probably ball joints
- Maybe some bushings
- The compression rods (lower control arm) are definitely shot, Gs are notorious for this part failing
- The differential bushing will also be shot and leaking

Good news is that the parts won’t be expensive, just buy replacement parts from Autozone and it will be fine.

As far as oil burning, get a catch can. It helps, there was a river of oil inside my plenum when I opened it up. The catch can does a lot of heavy lifting between oil changes.

 

For those of u with catch cans, what do u do with the oil that ends up in the can? If its gonna go to waste then wouldnt it be easier just to let the engine burn it?

 

Catch cans have a mix of oil and water all collected in a baffled can. Once you get it full, you drain in it an empty oil jug and drop it off an auto shop or recycling facility.

I know it sounds like pain but walnut blasting is more painful. I’ve a E92 335i and this is the pain i know 1st hand having Di and carbon buildup. Catch can works really good in these old engines and regular oil changes.

 

Seems like a lot of extra work. What are the benefits?

 

1. Eliminates the failing PCV system (at least for bmws) which this brand till this very day doesn’t know how to make one. I have no knowledge on Nissan VQ engines.
2. Drastically reduces the carbon buildup up on valves so you aren’t walnut blasting every 60-70k kms.
3. If you are running a high psi of boost, it is kind of essential to get all the crappy gases out of the crankcase faster. This also reduces cracking of valve cover particularly if it is a plastic one. This is the reason why a lot of N54 owners would get an aluminum valve cover with pcv block offs to install a catch can.
4. Reduces crankcase pressure making engine ever so slightly more efficient. Remember, ccv systems recirculate gases released in the combustion chamber back in to the chamber to make engines more emissions compliant. A lot of B58 owners would install a direct vent-to-atmosphere crankcase breather for the same but personally it’s a got a smell to it.

it’s really not 100% necessary but if you are tuned and have high psi of boost or are noticing carbon buildup then definitely go for it. In my B58, i haven’t installed it at all but my N54 does have one due to the fact that B58 has a far more efficient pcv system unless you are running over 35 psi of boost.

Lol forgot this ain’t bimmerpost ahahaha but hope this helps.