Daughters 2017 Infinity QX60. ~97k miles on it.

Trans slipping, making noise under simi hard acceleration... I'm busy on other projects and I don't work on transmissions. We don't have any reputable tranny shops anywhere near. I advise her to let the local Nissian dealer look at it for a diagnosis / repair estimate... and we would proceed from there.

They quote her thousands, 8 or 9k IIRC, for a new trans. Ouch!

I tell her to ease it 50 miles to the nearest Infinity dealer for a second opinion.

She did...
the issue... it was two quarts low on trans fluid

There was a leaking seal on the AWD transfer case.

A new seal and trans oil drain and refill and it is still working perfectly. That's was 6 or 8 weeks ago.

Outright crooks or just really really incompetent?

They tend to go hand-in-hand, but I'm thinking they know what they can get away with, so outright crooks.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the timing belt changed on my 2012 Chevy Cruze and the dealer we bought it from brand-new quoted me an amount that would qualify as a felony in California -- $950. Outright crooks. Checking with independent mechanics, for every one I'm recommended to, there are several people telling me they are crooks or incompetent.

SSDD

Once you have "slipping" clutches and/or bands in and automatic transmission, you have pretty much demanded a rebuild.
No one ever "drove one" out of the damage incurred.

Burnt steels and friction plates will never recover, and fluid and filter should be changes at the first opportunity.

This will give you the longest time before failure, but failure is a given.

The risk is damage to "hard parts", and the greater cost to replace them.

But, even though the "friction and steel" and maybe band(s) are all that were damage for lack of oil (fluid), it requires a complete tear down case washing/cleaning and inspection, and build up that includes all seals, gaskets and the "setting up" of all clearances.

Auto transmission rebuilds are pretty intense when done correctly.

Done incorrectly, one might as well stand at the toilet and flush money until the toilet clogs, then call a plumber. It will be cheaper.

(I know transmissions. It's a family thing...)

Is it a CVT transmission?

My neighbor is a Nissan mechanic and he says CVTs by Infinity/Nissan are known for failure at or approaching 100k. He said he’d never own one but if he were forced to, Honda/Acura is the most reliable CVT as long as frequent fluid changes are done.

Our 06 Nissan Maxima had a conventional 5 speed auto that had to be replaced at 70k. That 04-06 year range had a garbage transmission. I had a Nissan reman 5speed auto put in it and it ran $3,400 in 2014/2015. I would guess that would be 5k plus in 2024 dollars.

Out of the 5 cars we currently own, 3 are autos and 2 are manual transmissions. Our Mazda auto with 110k on the odo has been as bulletproof as the stick shifts. The Lexus is too new to tell.

If it’s running fine I’d roll with it but in the meantime research a good transmission shop and see what they charge for replacement.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the timing belt changed on my 2012 Chevy Cruze and the dealer we bought it from brand-new quoted me an amount that would qualify as a felony in California -- $950.

$950 doesn't seem out of line for a timing belt replacement. Especially if that also includes replacing the tensioner, pulley, and water pump, which are typically done at the same time as the timing belt.

Keep in mind that a timing belt is significantly more involved that merely slipping on a new accessory belt, necessitating partially disassembling the engine.

So while the parts are only a few hundred, you're paying for a decent amount of labor on top.

I'd expect a dealership to be around $1k+, and an independent mechanic to be more like ~$800.

quote:

Originally posted by Lwt16:
Is it a CVT transmission?

Yep. A 2017 QX60 has the CVT with known issues. Infiniti recognized that and extended the warranty to 94k to cover CVT issues: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/t...MC-10218702-0001.pdf

CVT. Didn't realize that. You can feel and hear the shifts points.

This car she bought low milage used but has been a POS. Engine ate itself (known issues as well) and was replaced, among other smaller issues.

If she wasn't upside down on it, it would be already be gone.

Being a car guy and doing most of my own repairs up to an including complete engine overhauls I'm not completely ignorant when it comes to automatic transmissions. I just don't fool with them personally.

I am a long time subscriber to Precision Transmissions on YouTube... now that guy seems to know his stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/@PrecisionTransmission

Thanks guys!

CVT fluid change interval on Nissa QX is 60K, according to a Nissan dealer.

https://bouldernissan.com/blog...nging-your-cvt-fluid

Damage to the CVT belt and pulleys is irreversible.

Years ago CVT were rejected by the public when the engine was programmed to operate at a nearly constant RPM for maximum efficiency. Now CVT and engines are programmed to simulate typical step AT shift points.

^^^Not only that, but some CVT equipped vehicles have paddle shifters.

Nissan/Infiniti vehicles have a history of bad transmissions and CVT’s are even worse. We had a Q70 for several years but I had a factory extended warranty on it (was bought used). I’d never bought an extended warranty prior to that and let me tell you what…we gave Infiniti hell with it. It paid for itself three times over.

You can take Sigmonkey's assessment as gospel, I can attest that he and the family grew up and made a living on transmissions/clutches in very demanding environments (NHRA).

quote:

A new seal and trans oil drain and refill and it is still working perfectly.

Always hope for the best, of course, but its life has been shortened.

Having said that, checking the fluid level and condition is practically the first thing one should do when diagnosing a transmission problem. Even those without dipsticks (which is most of them) still have a provision for at least checking level. And a visual inspection of the underside would have revealed such a large leak as this (with a 2-quart leak the car is probably undercoated clear to the rear bumper).

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
They tend to go hand-in-hand, but I'm thinking they know what they can get away with, so outright crooks.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the timing belt changed on my 2012 Chevy Cruze and the dealer we bought it from brand-new quoted me an amount that would qualify as a felony in California -- $950. Outright crooks. Checking with independent mechanics, for every one I'm recommended to, there are several people telling me they are crooks or incompetent.

SSDD

$950 really doesn't sound all that bad, dealership quoted me $750 several years ago to change the timing belt/replace water pump on my mom's Camry. Local independent shop who I trust also quoted me $750 and this was about 10 years ago so $950 doesn't sound bad.

Regarding the possible reason for a working CVT after drain and refill...the lubricant in a CVT will not last forever. The friction control chemistry in the typical transmission lubricant must reduce static friction, and increase dynamic friction. The molecules that actually control friction do not live forever, particularly if the fluid level is lower than it should be and at a higher temperature than normal. So, your drain and refill brought back these amazing "friction modifiers" and may have restored the CVT performance to acceptable.

You'd be incredulous if you could see how these molecules work. The CVT or Step AT friction test rigs are very capable of finding which molecules work well, and how long they last. It is always a challenge for the formulators to select just the right combination, and the correct quantity for a given durability life expectancy.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
...I'm trying to get the timing belt changed on my 2012 Chevy Cruze and the dealer we bought it from brand-new quoted me an amount that would qualify as a felony in California -- $950...

SSDD

$950 really doesn't sound all that bad, dealership quoted me $750 several years ago to change the timing belt/replace water pump on my mom's Camry. Local independent shop who I trust also quoted me $750 and this was about 10 years ago so $950 doesn't sound bad.

You don't get it. It's supposed to be a freaking "Economy Car", felony-level maintenance charges are not "Economy Car".

No, it's a 13 year old economy car, with what it's safe to assume is over 100k miles on it.

13 year old cars with over 100k miles on it need $1k in maintenance from time to time, economy or not.

The good news is that timing belt maintenance intervals are typically 100k-150k. So that's only every decade or so.