I'm new to this forum and I'm in the market for a new car. I really like the G35X. But I'm concern about all this talk about the brakes. My wifes boss has a 2006 G35X and has changed his brakes and rotors 2x already on a car with about 50k miles. I'm currently driving an 02 WRX wagon who stock brakes and rotors were changed at the 85k mark.

I'm also looking at a Legacy GT, an A4, and a BMW 328XI. Although the reliability of the A4 and BMW worry me a bit. I really love the looks of the G35X but having to change brakes every 25-30k miles worry me, specially if rotors are also involved. I don't think I'll be able to afford the car in the long run. Right now the Legacy GT is sitting at the top of my list but I really want a G35X. Be honest are the brakes an issue??? I've also read about other break issus here and on the net. Are the brakes on the 07's any better??? Thanks.

 

I'm at 20k miles and still rocking the rotors and pads that came with the car.
I haven't taken the wheels off to see recently, but I would expect a few more thousand miles out of them.

And I'm happy if they go 25-30k... the OEM ones on my maxima warped at 11k miles if you can believe that. Piece of crap.

 

If you get a new 328xi BMW pays for your brakes and everything else on the car(except tires). You cant really beat that if youre looking not to spend money on parts.

 

Thanks for the feedback. That's the only thing that concerns me about the G35X. Other than that I love the way the car looks. Nothing else look better.
But the brakes are a big issue in my book. I've also heard thing about Nissan brakes. Must be a company issue. Thanks.

 

I thought BMW was doing what MB was doing before and covering everything except wear items like brakes/tires. I thought they covered maintenance and stuff but not wear parts.

I could be wrong, I haven't shopped BMW in a while.

 

Well if that's a concern for you then maybe you should look elsewhere, but I really don't see what the big deal is. Unless you drive 600 million miles a year, you probably won't spend that much money on brakes... and at the end of the day, other than tires that's the most important part of the car, so why skimp on it?

And remember, even if you keep the car for 200k miles, that's probably worst case 4 rotor changes over the life of the car. Assuming you get the parts for "high prices" -- $300-400 and spend another $100 in labor or something, that's $2k over the life of the car... that's what? 5% of the cost of the car? That's less than what you're gonna spend on gas... Hell, if you follow the maintenance schedule that's about what you're gonna spend on oil changes.

I swap pads as soon as I notice they're low... and I've never had a set of rotors for more than 40k miles, regardless of what state they're in. I run the stuff that comes with the car until I feel like a change or they're gone, then get GOOD aftermarket stuff and that will take me the rest of the way. Good stuff doesn't warp easily, and if you keep your car well maintained and swap your pads on time you never have to worry about your rotors.

But like I said, if the cost of the rotors over the life of the car are a concern, maybe you can look at other cars... but it's not like the parts are any cheaper.

 

Yea BMW does wear items now too. http://www.bmwusa.com/owners/bmwultimateservice

Quoted from the website:
"BMW Maintenance Program: one of the most comprehensive maintenance programs in its class covering all factory-recommended maintenance, oil service and fluid service, as well as items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear – such as brake pads, brake rotors and wiper blade inserts"

I went to BMW but they wanted about $100 more a month for a base 328xi. You definately get more car for less money with the G35. Id rather pay $1000 - $2000 worth of parts/maintenance than almost $4k extra in payments.

 

Yeah MB used to do similar and they were losing money hand over fist, so I think they stopped it. When my Benz was under warranty, you would just drop it off and they'd do anything except for brakes/rotors under warranty. Wiper blades, tranny/brake fluid, etc.

Problem with those cars is that once they go out of warranty you USED to have to spend a mint on maintenance, but it's not so bad now. My AC was on the fritz the other day and I purchased and replaced the evaporator temp sensor myself the other day... cost me $60 in parts and took me an hour because I didn't know what I was doing. The dealer was quoting $400 for the job.

I replaced the rotors/pads with aftermarket stuff I got from a GD on maxima.org. Cost me $300 in parts for f/r rotors, f/r pads and front brake sensors. The dealer wanted $700.

Nowadays maintenance is not that big of a concern if you're willing to get your hands dirty... but I agree, IMO you get more car for the money with the G than you do with the BMW. When I was shopping around I put basically the same features on a BMW and it was almost $55k.

 

The brakes seem to be a problem. Also I'm a sales rep so I drive about 30k miles per year. I spoke to my brother today who's half my age and he got a couple of friend who own Infinity/Nissan. All 3 of them told him they have had brake issues with their cars. My Subaru had 85k miles on my stock brakes and rotors when I changed them and could of gone a little longer if I wanted too.
The brakes seems to be the Achilles heel of Nissan.

Also my wife's boss is his 60's and drive like an old lady. There is no way in hell that car should of gone through 2 sets of brakes and rotots in 50k miles.
Thanks for the feedback.

 

if youre seriously worried about spending an extra 400 a year on brakes then maybe this vehicle isnt right for you. no offense at all bud but the bimmer is 3-4k more than the g35 and the cost in payments will overset anything youre paying in maintenance. im not sure about the subaru, but i would never let something like changing of brakes be a determining factor in a purchase of a vehicle, especially if it amounts to an insignificant total of the purchase price of the vehicle.

 

Are you telling it's going to cost me $400 to have my brakes and possibly rotors changed by an infiniti dealer??? And no I don't have the time to do it myself on the weekends. I'm 45 years old and I have no plans at all to modify the car with any aftermarket parts. I'm not offended but this car is probably not me. And sorry you can't compare the name BMW to Infiniti. So the BMW name alone is worth the higher price tag. But right now I'm leaning towards a Legacy GT. From all I've read so far this is clearly a problem for all Nissans.

 

Looks like you already made up your mind then. People tell you they don't have problems but you go back to the Subaru thing...

So good luck with that.

 

Nope I haven't made up my mind yet. But I'm not waving any Infiniti or Subaru "pom poms". I'm being realistic. When a 60 year old guy who doesn't drive over 55 and brakes like there's egg on his pedal goes through 2 set of brakes pads and rotors in 50k miles that's a problem. You probably can't see it because your "pom poms" are blocking your view.

 

What you've read on this forum is only a small number of issues on this car. If this issue was a concern, then Nissan will do right like the 350z when they had the tire alignment thing. Remember there are many factors to consider: fun to drive, luxury or not, FWD or RWD etc. You need to compare apples to apples and subaru is not the same as bmw, lexus or infiniti.

I think you are getting a much better car for the money than subaru or bmw. I havent had any problems with my brakes or my friends g35.

They main selling point for subaru is the 4wd thing but everybodys got that now so they are not so special for that.

Good luck in your choice.

 

I'm lost...Nissan has had some problems with rotors (on my Maxima, for example), but have not heard anyone on the 07 forum complain? I've taken mine on a track day with serious braking, and have had no issues?

Also, the cost for doing the brakes and rotors yourself, even assuming that you have to resurface the rotors, would be about $150 tops - takes about 90 minutes, not counting the drive to Auto Zone for turning the rotors.