chuy612

Hey everybody,

This is my first post....

I was just wondering if anyone had some advice for me,

I just bought a 2002 Infiniti i35 with 277,xxx miles on it from a friend of mine who is a car dealer.

Can anyone give me advice on what to do to make sure it lasts as long as it can. The car drives really awesome. The only issue is that it's a little bumpy on the front wheels. The mechanic said its just the tires that are bumpy. Does anyone know of an issue with this car that would cause it to do that?

Also, what is the most miles that you guys have seen on one of these cars?


Thank you in advance.

L_U_D_I_AMaxima

iTrader: (3)

LOL

I would start with suspension first... I am sure at one point it was probably looked at but just to be on the safe side... Brakes, fluids, lower radiator support and so on...

[s3]

iTrader: (1)

How much did you pay?

carsnwomen91

well at least it doesn't seem at all like your friend lied about mileage, pretty damn high.

a mechanic that tells you things are ok without even looking? "but sir, my cars mileage is through the roof" mechanic " this is normal, its just hungry" lol

new tires? are they balanced?

nishfish871

iTrader: (5)

I'd baby it. And since it's a auto, do not rag on it.

Heres a list of todos:
Check trans oil, if burnt...dont change it
Monitor oil every 1k for burning
Check spark plug, change if necessary
Motor mounts, most likely shot by now.
Suspension test, youtube it
Seafoam the intake manifold

Flizr6

First post, but have been lurking here for months...question regard post from nishfish above. If the tranny fluid is burnt, why is it not a good idea to change it?

nishfish871

iTrader: (5)

Friction, new fluid is too clean for a old transmission. Old fluid has metals and thickness keeping the clutch plates from slipping. With that many miles, I wouldn't touch the transmission not knowing what the previous owners did, maintenance wise.

I felt it was worth saying because everyone jumps to trans fluid too quickly, not knowing that its actually helping if not properly maintained by now.

Glad you came out the lurker closet. Took me a while also.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Simply stated, all the dirt and worn off particles are what is holding the transmission together. ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is highly detergent and would clean all the junk out of the cracks and crevices. You end up with oil leaks, and all the extra clearances that no longer have junk filling then causes the transmission to fail in a short period of time.

mcintosh420

if you are going to change the transmission fluid put a good dose of lucas transmission fix in with the new fluid. (it will thicken up the new fluid) less chance youll have a problem

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

277k....CATs! lol

da night ryder

iTrader: (2)

But how much tho?

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

how much what?

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Think he is talking about the Price....

da night ryder

iTrader: (2)

^ what he said

mclasser

Congrats on the car. 277k is truly a hell of a lot of miles but is a testament to Nissan/Infiniti quality. I bought my 02 I35 back in Sept. with 70k miles and really like the car.

In addition to what everyone else has said above, I would def. get your wheels balanced if you're experiencing ride discomfort. When I bought my car, the wheels were TERRIBLY out of balance. After much time and money, I was able to find a good indy shop with a RoadForce balancing machine. I would also thoroughly check for rust (depending what region you're from) along with PS, coolant, brake and transmission fluid levels/condition. Considering the very high mileage, I would avoid any sort of Jiffy Lube power flushes and just go with simple drain/fills. I did a PS fluid change with a 1 qt bottle of Walmart SuperTech Dexron III (our cars call for ATF in the PS system) and a turkey baster over the course of a week. You can just drain the coolant, refill and bleed the system. DIY brake fluid flush is the way-to-go and not too difficult with two people. I don't see any harm in doing a transmission drain/fill. I would prefer to stick with OEM Matic D, though.

talkinghorse

iTrader: (121)

When you say "bumpy" what do you mean? Does it ride very hard in front, bounce as though the struts are worn, or bumpy in the sense that the tires are out of balance?

I bought an '00 I-30 (5th gen maxima equivalent) and the front struts were essentially frozen causing a really hard ride up front...

Good luck with the car...they're really solid if maintained well

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

I sold my previous Max with 368,000 and the new owner still has the car running... I beat the crap out of mine and that thing was like a bat out of hell for the miles just do your maintenance and take care of it- It will take care of you.

Max_Gator

If the mechanic says that the tires are "bumpy" that is a sign of a worn out suspension causing the car to essentially bounce up and down on the tires as they roll.

I would bet you need to overhaul your suspension.

Struts all around. Front strut mounts. Bumpstop and boots.

Take a look at the outer tie rods and the ball joints. If they are obviously shot - i.e. boots are torn and grease leaking out - then you should just go ahead and replace lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods.

Now, the real question is whether you want to invest the funds to do all of that. If you aren't doing the work yourself you are looking at $1k most likely.

Aviation005

i had 143K on the clock

replaced transmission fluid with royal purple max ATF

car has never shifted so good.

i do not agree with your statement

carsnwomen91

would gear oil do the same in a manual?

i believe you on the atf though... wayy back when my mom still had our 1991 sentra she went ahead and got the atf changed one day after not having it changed for years (it wasn't pink/red anymore either lol), then the tranny started slippin and then it crapped out and we had to get a JY one.

of course you don't agree lol maybe the reason yours didn't have this issue because your atf was changed more than once before

chuy612

A bit under $3000.... Is that too much?

chuy612

The tires look almost new but the front tires are a little bumpy. I'm replacing those soon. You really can't even tell that it has almost 300,000 miles on it. lol. I really just bought it to see how many miles I can put on this baby. lol

The6spdMax

iTrader: (23)

Yes...

chuy612

Well I think I might have to look at the struts as well. When I'm driving it feels like the wheels have to be aligned as well though.

da night ryder

iTrader: (2)

A bit under $3k is high IMO. Post some pics. Lets see how she looks.

chuy612

.......... Well now I feel stupid. lol.

Although it still can handle other cars pretty easily.... People try to leave me behind at stop lights and this thing will burn rubber and take off like a beast. lol.

chuy612

Sorry only pix I have right now. I'll post some more when I get it washed. lol

From what I can see it was taken care of pretty well.

That stuff on it is just snow. The paint looks pretty good on it.

chuy612

That was the kind of motivation I was looking for damn it! lol. I'm gonna baby the crap out of it and hope I get another 100,000 out of it. lol.....

I think they said it only had 1 owner and it looks like they took good care of it.

K-Ryder

iTrader: (1)

Check your suspension and steering components. And take your vehicle to a mechanic that actually has a brain and isnt taking a run for your money. Transmission fluid, if its still reddish or pinkish, I dont see the need to change it. Many will change it, buts a self cleaning system, a detergent if you put it that way. If its burnt, then definitely do not change it, the metal shaving particles in the fluid is what's helping the gears to rotate. In that case just have it rebuilt or get another one with low mileage.

I almost started to name each gear that's in the transmission..lol


Car looks nice and the interior seems well kept. Take care of it.

chuy612

Thanks!

I'm gonna talk to a really good mechanic that I know tomorrow. Hopefully I didn't get to bad of a deal and I can have it all fixed up for not to much. Thanks for the advice about the transmission fluid I never knew that.

How much would you think it would cost to have it rebuild?

Yeah, the interior is in almost perfect condition. I hope all is well under the hood too.

I35guy

3k really doesn't seem too bad. I paid around 5700 back in october 2012 for mine that had 124K miles on her. These cars are awesome. I ended up replacing my outer tie rod ends because of the condition. Car drives way better now. I get an average of 22-24 mpg combined, just an fyi. Also make sure you use 93 octane. Every time my fiance drives my car I swear she forgets the Premium and puts 87 in and the CEL comes on. Drives me nuts. I've put 10K miles on my I35 since last October and the car has been nothing but awesome. My friend has an Acura RL and he loves how quick the I35 is. Sorry to ramble, just wanted to stop in and say hi and welcome!

chuy612

Hey you guys,


Just wanted to check in again. It's been a year since I got my i35 now and I just wanted to let you all know it's still running great. Only issue I had this first year with it was that the alternator went out. I'm not very good on cars but I replaced it myself. turned out pretty good.


I've put around 10k on it this year.


The only thing I was wondering is if anyone could give me some advice on how to prevent rusting on it. I noticed small rusting right over the windshield and right above the rear tires. Any ways to keep it under control before it rusts through?


Hope someone sees this.......

Maxterror

iTrader: (2)

get it sprayed at a rustproofing station. Do they use salt where you live.....wash that off ALL the time

george__

iTrader: (1)

Good job on keeping it trouble free.