I currently have a 95 Max and am looking to move into the I35 family.

I am looking to buy a 2003 I35 within the next week or so.
The vehicle has 87K and I am going to buy it from the orig owner.

Any words of advice on any issues to watch out for?

 

Power steering high pressure hose. Easy fix but they always go on these...

 

Is there a good way to identify when the hose is getting worn? I'd be nice if there was some way to identify a failing one before it actually fails....

 

Only if it is leaking. It is behind the engine near the firewall. G/L

 

the turning radius is a b!tch on my 01 i30 compared to that of a 4th gen max, but dont worry u'll get used to it

 

Definitely makes parking and making u-turns a little more difficult. I typically swing out before making a u-turn so I don't have to stop, back up and then go forward again. The turning radius is shockingly bad on the I35.

 

that's a good idea

 

Haha turning radius blows! But the car makes up for it, I have ~160k miles on mine with only minor issues. The worst thing that's happened is the front wheel bearings going bad which cost about $600 to fix. Otherwise these cars tend to run great and I love mine!

 

I have a 2002 i35, and it's an excellent car. Things to watch out for, at least with a 2002 i35:
As noted above - terrible turning radius!
The audio and cruise controls on the steering wheel aren't illuminated.
The Bose HU has a lot of issues, including sub cutting out and disc skipping. what makes it worse is that the Bose HU is a ***** to replace.
You have to manually adjust the lumbar support on the seats.
Sits a bit high for my taste, leaving a terrible looking wheel gap. But that can be a good thing as it allows a lot of clearance under the car.

Some of these things are nitpicky. The I35 is a great, reliable car, with plenty of power, at least by 2002 and 2003 standards for a v6.

 

I noticed that about the steering wheel controls as well, thought about installing white LED's behind them but I haven't had the time to take that one on yet.

 

I didn't know we could just put in some LED's and light them up! Has this been done already. If there is a how to out there, please let me know. I've put in LED's to light up the analog clock, but it was a simple bulb replacement. I wonder how to get LED's into the steering wheel...

 

My little review:

As much as I loved my car (RIP 11/25)..I hated it that much more. It rattled like no tomorrow..very embarrassing when you have passengers for a car with the moniker of a "luxury" sedan.

I learned to deal with the turning radius, which also made u turns embarrassing, even attempted to grind my bumpstops but to no avail.

The tranny (like an auto 5.5 max) is very lackluster, 4 speed in such a powerful v6 makes the ride really sluggish.

But the rattling really killed it for me. I test drove it (with 55k miles) 2+ years ago on smooth rodes, so I couldnt tell. The fit and finish sucks... the dashboard/glovebox/pillars alll were loose. no foam/tightening helped.

It was reliable, minus the passenger side motor mount which crapped out probably prior to buying it.

Coils+ES LCA bushings+MOOG endlinks, wheel bearings+new pass axle+MOOG swaybar bushing and MOOG ball joints coupled with a strutbar/lower tie bar and rear sway bar really did tighten the loose A33 chassis. Some light wheels (350z forged wheels and good tires) and making the dampening on the coils firmer did make the ride somewhat enjoyable.

Oh and btw, my timing was retarded at 14 degrees..made my throttle response even worse. 3rd case of an i35 owner with 14 degrees timing lol. I believe it comes stock at 14, unlike the max with 15.

The 17 degree advance actually made a difference.


If this car came 6 speed, it would make the world of a difference.

Cool things:

*rear sunshade (even though its useless when you tint the windows)

*cold weather package (the rear heated seats back in 2003 were not really options on cars in this bracket..or anything remotely near for that matter. adds a great lux touch to it).

*the leather is really good quality

*woodgrain, even though the **** chips easily.

*navi pops up, which is cool, but the system is so useless I opted to find one without one, and got a Pioneer DDIN.

 

If it's anything like the buttons on the i30, that may not be possible. The icons on the buttons are painted on, not translucent plastic.

 

I'm glad that I don't have that issue, that would bug the crap out of me. The only thing that rattled was the vent below the windshield and it would only do it in winter. I tried fixing it and it's been good for awhile so I'll have to see if it starts again as it gets colder.

 

I guess its hit or miss, Ive seen other people complain about this as well. No rattles + stout/fun transmission and this car would truly beat the TL-S. IMO that car dominated the entry level FWD luxury market those years.

 

You hit the nail on the head with this. I've managed to live with a lot of the shortcomings of the I, but the rattling drives me nuts. I've applied felt tape all over the place and while it's quieted it down, it still bugs me. I feel like every time I get rid of one rattle, another pops up. The worst of them is the sunroof - once you hit highway speeds, gives off the most annoying rattle if you're on anything but brand new asphalt. That rattle alone has gotten me to dealers to look at other cars.

Yeah, I could drive with the radio up, but I like a quiet interior.

 

He was also on coilover sand had all those other suspension stiffening mods. The energy has to be disapated somehow

 

Guys... Thanks for all the useful information.
I bought the car.
I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions soon.

 

Believe me, I'm glad I'm moving on in life. I hated it at times.

Another thing most I35 owners on these boards can't relate to are our roads. NYC = one of the ****tiest roads in the country.

I'd be slammed if it wasnt for Queens and BK. F*** Atlantic Ave, always killed my car lol.

I guess you fail to see where I said the rattling came with the car (i.e, stock, stock, and stock) 59k miles...the suspension mods didn't add much to the rattling. It probably just at most enhanced it. A loose glove box, a loose dashboard, a loose sunroof/headliner is.................





.....still loose, no matter what I did to the car.

 

Yep- sucks but its true - probably only major downside to this car -dont even think about busting a U'-ey in the i35! Its jus not gonna happen from the turning lane!

 

I just purchased a 02 I35 as well and am very excited to be part of the group. I upgraded from a 91 Maxima with 169k. This one has 123k and seems solid. As stated the sub cuts in and out and the CD player skips. Even after a cleaner disk and new CDs the problem still exists. I am also going to replace the headlight housings as I wasn't satisfied with the clarity even after I had them refinished. Any advice on the radio? I dont want aftermarket so I will either buy a new one from the delarship and have them put in along with the new headlight housings. I wouldn't be opposed to doing either job myself if your guys think its a doable job for a newbie. I don't have enough posts to start my own thread so posting on this one seemed most appropriate.

 

I have an 03 I35 that I bought in June, and I really like it. I bought it at 64k. The only thing I would say that I really don't like is the transmission is definitely sluggish. I'm used to driving more responsive auto tranny's or 5 and 6 speed manual transmission cars. But the car is pretty luxurious and rides real nice. Congrats on your purchase.