2012 Catalytic Converter Replacement?

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Sjyokel

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I had been getting an intermittent Service Engine Soon light for about the past 8 months. Of course, every time I'd visit the dealer, it wasn't lit and they said they couldn't detect any stored codes. It finally came on steadily last week and I headed straight to the dealer to troubleshoot it. The verdict? Both cats needed replacement. Fortunately (this never happens to me!) I was on the good side of 70k by about 500 miles.

So...$3500 of warranty repair later, I have two new cats. My service consultant mentioned he's seeing about 3 of these a month now. Anyone else have issues with their cats?

My biggest concern is that everything I've read indicates if the cats fail, it's usually indicative of some other problem with the O2 sensor, ignition system, or fuel mixture. The service guys supposedly ran complete checks on all of the engine systems and sensors and couldn't find anything else wrong. Does that seem legit or am I going to be doing this again in another 50 - 70k miles?
 
I had a CEL on my 2011 and they said the TSB requires them to reset it and if the light comes back on then they would replace it. I'm glad you got yours replaced...lol

I hope not...but you are right...seems like whatever is fouling up the cats would still continue unless it's fixed with some type of ECU flash.

EDIT: Well CEL is back on so off to the dealership I will go with a list of request. I'm starting to wonder if this engine was designed by GM or BMW...stayed with CELs...I have always used premium and top tier fuels...ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron. maybe they didn't do enough testing with this engine...something!
 
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You could goto Advance Auto or NAPA or any auto parts place and ask to borrow their OBD tool and see what the codes are yourself before taking it back to the dealer.
 
roughyear said:
You could goto Advance Auto or NAPA or any auto parts place and ask to borrow their OBD tool and see what the codes are yourself before taking it back to the dealer.
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I'll probably do that this evening on the way home from work...just getting really frustrated.
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I hope you get it figured out. Like I mentioned, mine went on for 8 months before I could get it diagnosed because the codes wouldn't show up. It was extremely frustrating, but I guess that must have been the problem...no SES light since the cats were replaced.
 
Sjyokel said:
I hope you get it figured out. Like I mentioned, mine went on for 8 months before I could get it diagnosed because the codes wouldn't show up. It was extremely frustrating, but I guess that must have been the problem...no SES light since the cats were replaced.
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That's funny.....because I always though the OBDII and newer setups kept a log of CEL lights...and I thought the reason was to keep you from fooling the emission testing places....go figure.....

EDIT: So I pulled my CEL code and I have P0430 Cat bank 2....looks like new cats for me...
 
invest in a bluetooth dongle and smartphone app that can read and describe fault codes. TORQUE is an amazing app. it can clear the faults also.
 
Yeah.....ive been reading about those a lot lately. I might go ahead an invest in one and actually do some real time monitoring.

On a side note....does anyone else experience a fluctuation in their idle? I know that when the A/C compressor kicks on you it will idle up but I'm getting anywhere from 750 to 950 at random times....hmmm...
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marctronixx said:
cheap petrol? dirty maf?

try the ECM reset procedure....
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It's not gas...always use top tier and 93 octane. But I will have them check it out when I take it in tomorrow for the CEL and get them to reset the ECM....try to get as much free stuff out of them as I can...lol

Well the dealer said they I have a bad catalytic converter so it's on order...my service department manager also said they are seeing 2 to 3 of these a month now for the last 2 to 3 months...this is crazy...I asked if the new one is an improved part and he said that he wasn't sure and would find out for me because I won't be keeping this vehicle a day past my extended warranty if I'm going to have to replace a catalytic converter every 70k or so...he told me that it's just losing its efficiency and if that's the case it's not good...they are also really looking at doing a recall for the oil jets...he said the master tech said that its the high pressure fuel pump on timing chain bank 2 that's causing the additional stress on the timing chain and that the oil jets aren't large enough to keep the guide lubricated as the oil breaks down....idk...but I'm going to talk to the master tech when the parts come in this week....I disappointed in Infiniti for waiting so long on this...this needed to be a recall a long time ago...
 
just trying to help bro... ;)

i am more concerned about whit model year your manager is talking about. they will be super dramatic and say "ooh yeah we see a few of these come in here with the same X or Y problem.." just to take the pressure off them. then the customer goes to forums and starts to spread FUD to other people and boom, you have an epidermic of mass proportions!

infiniti have not sold enough Qs for one service shop to get 9 different q's in under 3 months...

still, it probably is an issue there and sadly its probably cheaper for nissan to warranty cars on a case by case basis to people who complain vs. a blanket mass recall. this type of nonsense happens across all car makers, not just nissan.

they are STILL having issues with the manifolds cracking on some armadas/titans and thats been seen across nearly every year that car has been in service and no recall to date.

this engine in the new q is a different design for them and may be one reason nissan has been on records to state they are perhaps going to phase out the v8..

just thinking out loud bro. the best thing on these high end cars is to have a paper trail and do the work directly with a dealer. one they see that chain broke (you had X repair done at Y shop) they can point all further blame downstream at that, so spend the money going to the $tealer for any major work...
 
marctronixx said:
just trying to help bro... ;)

i am more concerned about whit model year your manager is talking about. they will be super dramatic and say "ooh yeah we see a few of these come in here with the same X or Y problem.." just to take the pressure off them. then the customer goes to forums and starts to spread FUD to other people and boom, you have an epidermic of mass proportions!

infiniti have not sold enough Qs for one service shop to get 9 different q's in under 3 months...

still, it probably is an issue there and sadly its probably cheaper for nissan to warranty cars on a case by case basis to people who complain vs. a blanket mass recall. this type of nonsense happens across all car makers, not just nissan.

they are STILL having issues with the manifolds cracking on some armadas/titans and thats been seen across nearly every year that car has been in service and no recall to date.

this engine in the new q is a different design for them and may be one reason nissan has been on records to state they are perhaps going to phase out the v8..

just thinking out loud bro. the best thing on these high end cars is to have a paper trail and do the work directly with a dealer. one they see that chain broke (you had X repair done at Y shop) they can point all further blame downstream at that, so spend the money going to the $tealer for any major work...
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Well....i saw one torn down in the shop today with my own eyes and he told me they just finished one up last week. I doubt he is trying to scare me because this truck has done enough of that on its own. The last two were 2011s but he said they have done two 2012s. I don't know why he would tell me a lie. I have been getting my vehicles serviced at that dealership for over 20 years and I just had the Acura side change the oil and fix a few thing on my 94 Legend. To this date I have never had anyone else change the oil or any other maintenance beside me doing it myself. I know all I see where I live are 2011+ QX56. Everytime I go in for service they have one or two there and I don't live in a big city. He told me all about the paper trail and stuff...and that's fine but I expect more from Infiniti. They at a minimum should extend the powertrain warranty on this vehicle. I had a 99TL that got the extended warranty due to the transmission fiasco that really only affected the 5 sp AT not the 4 sp that I had. Those were good as long as you changed the transmission fluid around 30k. Like I said before on my Lexus GS350 that I still own...Lexus issued a recall and gave an extended warranty for the valve spring issue. They also issued a recall for cam gear actuator noise...i guess I expect more because I used to more. If I wanted a vehicle that I had to worry about I would have bought a German or American. I have a warranty that will last me to 2018 so I have between now and then to decide when to make a move. My wife wanted me to get the LX570 but the QX was sportier and better looking to me so I got it. Oh well....

The problem is that we are not talking about an O2 sensor or an EGR valve. We are talking about $2000 catalytic converters failing before 100k and $15k engines having major issues before 100k. I feel that they should do something to ease those that have spent $65-75k. I'll see how this goes but it's not a good feeling.
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i didnt mean to say the dealer is tryin to scare you, im saying dealers will say anything to appease the customer.

nissan should step up and make things right but as i said they will do so only if its cheaper for them. they are a business and like any business they are in it to make money not spend more money than they need to.

face it, there are trucks,cars out there wit issues. seems you got one of them. thats how life is. all you can do is stay on it and hope the dealer will live up to their customer service and take care of things.

venting here is part of the healing process but nissan do not read these forums so one must press on...hitting up nissan consumer affairs, all the way up to the press if need be.

ALL companies make lemons off the assembly line--its the nature of the beast these days.
 
I think the point that Rsanders and I have been trying to make is that it's not an isolated incident. If there's one random QX with cat problems or timing chain problems for every 10,000 units produced, that happens. However, if both his dealer and mine are telling me they're seeing 3 QX cat replacements per month, that's a really high defect rate. As you pointed out, there aren't all that many QX's out there.

Of course it's in their best interest from a PR perspective to downplay each one as an individual failure. It may even be best from an operational budget perspective to replace these one at a time. However, I left Audi due to the high maintenance costs that seem to happen not long after the warranty expires and am finding myself with a similar attitude toward Infiniti lately. Our JX was easily the worst vehicle we've ever owned. After an engine swap, suspension issues, and CVT problems within the first 20k miles, we thought we'd get something better by stepping up to the QX. The only saving grace so far is that our experience with Infiniti service has truly been exceptional every time. I just wish I wasn't on a first name basis with our service adviser.
 
Sjyokel said:
I think the point that Rsanders and I have been trying to make is that it's not an isolated incident. If there's one random QX with cat problems or timing chain problems for every 10,000 units produced, that happens. However, if both his dealer and mine are telling me they're seeing 3 QX cat replacements per month, that's a really high defect rate. As you pointed out, there aren't all that many QX's out there.

Of course it's in their best interest from a PR perspective to downplay each one as an individual failure. It may even be best from an operational budget perspective to replace these one at a time. However, I left Audi due to the high maintenance costs that seem to happen not long after the warranty expires and am finding myself with a similar attitude toward Infiniti lately. Our JX was easily the worst vehicle we've ever owned. After an engine swap, suspension issues, and CVT problems within the first 20k miles, we thought we'd get something better by stepping up to the QX. The only saving grace so far is that our experience with Infiniti service has truly been exceptional every time. I just wish I wasn't on a first name basis with our service adviser.
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Exactly! When I called the service advisor the first time and told him that the CEL was on he told me that they have been seeing more QXs with code P0430 and that they would clear the code then do an update and if the light came back on then they would replace the catalytic converter. That tells me is more than a few odd ones. And guess what....he was right since I will now be getting a new catalytic converter at 63k. The service has been outstanding for me a well. Better than Lexus and by far the best except from the Acura side, which is right on par with them. I was so close to getting the JX as well due to at the time of purchase I had a one year old and another one on the way and loved the sliding seat so you didn't have to take the car seat out. But all the issues I started hearing about scared me away and I ended up getting the QX. Seemed well built, handles very well, tons of space, and tons of safety goodies for those long road trips.

I know that the QX does outstandingly well where I live. I seem tons of them everywhere. My dealer probably has more QX80s on their lot than any other QX model or Q, except for the Q50.

I love my QX...but I can't deal with German type cost and issues...that is why I left them and haven't looked back. I don't drive my vehicles with any warning or malfunction light on. If it needs to be fixed I will get it fixed but I'm not up for replacing catalytic converters every 60-70k because they are losing efficiency and causing a CEL. I get it...cars are continuing to become more advanced which only means more issues and more cost to repair but this isn't just isolated issues and the clientele that Infiniti has is not the same following that BMW, Audi, and MB has. They lost a lot of people because they were tired of the excessive cost and issues and if it's going to be a wash then most would go back to the other side. Japanese luxury made its name on reliability and low operating cost. I just expect more I guess because I have been used to it over the last 20 years. I gave BMW a chance and all the service visits were just too much for me.
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i appreciate the responses. hopefully this forum will help ease the drama of the issues with the vehicle.

everyone has made valid points. we can't all agree on everything.. :)
 
marctronixx said:
i appreciate the responses. hopefully this forum will help ease the drama of the issues with the vehicle.

everyone has made valid points. we can't all agree on everything.. :)
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LOL! Very true...and that's the purpose of these forums. I really enjoy driving the QX so I just want it to be on the road...
 
So new I have a new catalytic converter and a new O2 sensor...didnt get to talk to the tech due to him being off today...but I'm going to try to find out more on Monday and see if these are revised parts or just replacement parts...

On a side note....i had the pleasure of driving a 2015 QX80 as a loaner with everything except the Deluxe Equipment package and I don't like how they have changed the packages...I couldn't see myself having one of these without the hydraulic body motion control...it seemed so bouncy andd truck like...night and day...and now they have merged the old tech package with the deluxe so you don't have a choice but to get it fully loaded...smh

Love the factory remote start...wish I could add it to mine...
 
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