Anything to worry about here?

[Gumbey]

So my wife got into a small rear ender(she got rear ended) and the bumper is damaged lots of scratches and scrapes as well as the hitch cover has become deformed.

The person who smashed into us wants to pay for the damages likely to not have their insurance get affected. I got 2 quotes and both are about the same.

They will replace the rear bumper to the tune of about 2k...but that's not why I made this topic...

While checking out the damage underneath the rear bumper I noticed some fluid that has clearly leaked out from the rear diff. I do not believe it was from the rear ender.

I checked the left side and there is nothing there, it's clean. The picture shows the right side where the right axle connects to the rear diff.

Is this going to be a problem? Of course next time I go to the dealer I will get it verified, but is it an early sign of diff issues??

 

[marctronixx]

ANYTIME someone is hit in the back of a rear wheel drive vehicle, it screams unforeseen damage. its like whiplash-you may not feel it at first but later problems can begin to occur.

take it to a dealer NOW and have them smoke it over for issues.

if you have HBMC it could be fluid from that system.

 

[roughyear]

yup take it to the dealer... ask them about it. would suck you accept $2k for the damaged bumper, only to have the $tealer charge you another $2k to fix the differential, and say it accident related rather than faulty seal/part that would normally be covered under warranty.

 

[spinny02]

You also have to look at the loss of value on the car. When you go to sell it and have the car inspected they will notice that the bumper has been replaced and offer you less money. (They tell this my measure paint thickness with a meter) Factory robots spray an even coat. when painted by hand at a body shop they are some what inconsistent, even at the best shops so it shows up right away.

if you go through insurance they and push them they will compensate you for the car value loss.... it was about 5k on my Cayenne when i went to sell. only the front bumper had to be painted not even replaced but it showed up on car fax.

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[Gumbey]

This QX is a lease so loss of value is not a factor. It goes back in about a year from now.

No question it will be going to the dealer for a check on that rear diff leak. The impact was quite low and they were barely even moving. I will go out on limb and say the impact did not affect the rear diff...I know you guys may think that (and it would seem coincidental) but I think prob not.

 

[marctronixx]

well seems your mind is made up. if you don't care and will drop it off in a year for another lease, then don't worry about it..

but, if you are having some fluid leaking, clearly SOMETHING is wrong, no?

 

[Gumbey]

I have an appointment Nov 2 to get this and a few other warranty items checked out. Hopefully its not anything too major!

 

[roughyear]

November 2nd??? Is this the Infiniti dealer or a Dermatologist office??? 6weeks to get it looked at?? The sooner the better, as the guy who hit ya will... "ahhh not my problem bro"

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[Gumbey]

November 2nd??? Is this the Infiniti dealer or a Dermatologist office??? 6weeks to get it looked at?? The sooner the better, as the guy who hit ya will... "ahhh not my problem bro"

I know....the closest dealer is 4hrs or more from me. We don't drive down that often so when we do, we usually combine it with other trips.

 

[Gumbey]

Appointment is this weekend...

 

[Gumbey]

So, had the appointment this past Saturday. They took a good look at the differential and it appears that it isn't leaking. Apparently, someone (likely my wife) likely ran through some fresh oil or something and it splashed up onto the rear end.

They washed it off and all is well. HOWEVER, there were a couple of other things that I brought to their attention:

• Battery dies or becomes uncharged after several days
• driver side rear door creaking
• front camera was replaced as the chrome was peeling off
• rear centre console cup holder lid would not close

So an update to the battery issue. It appears ALL QX's have this problem and in fact many other Infiniti products as well as other brands (MB, Audi, etc) that run lots of tech. It appears that you cannot leave the QX for an extended period of time according to the Parts Manager. He said it must be started or at the very least set up with a trickle charger during that time. I told him this is an 80k vehicle and I can leave it for more than 4 days un started??? He said yes and that's not the first complaint he has had.....WOW.

The Front camera was replaced, but get this so was the entire grille assembly. I said WHAT? He said yes since Infiniti schematics says to order the entire part...ok new grille. I joked with him saying I should have asked for the midnight black grille. He said yeah probably....LOL.

The tried to fix the lid to the cup holder, but couldn't. So...guess what....they are ordering a whole new rear console. LOL

Finally, the door was greased and tightened, however they noticed the same issue with the drivers door but had to order new hinges. I know I read this in another post here so it seems there is a fragility to those hinges....just FYI.

 

[marctronixx]

the front camera can be replaced separate of the grille. this is a fact. i really want that midnight grille and i may get it but ive not seen any compelling images of it to justify 500 bones..

when you say the service guy said the car cant be left for an extended period of time, do you mean it cant be in accessory mode or just sitting in your garage not being used?

this is a snow job. i have had my qx sit for 2 weeks as I was out on a production shoot ( i work in television and film) and when i got back the car started up without a battery charge. also when i moved from Atlanta to LA i had my car transported in a private enclosed carrier. it took the driver 12 days to get here. car sat all that time and it crunk right up. there is some logic built into the BCM that tells it to shut down other components after X hours of the car not being turned on....

i mean how long is an "extended period of time"? a month? well duh lots of cars will go dead.

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[Gumbey]

The Parts Manager said specifically under a week. He said " The QX likes to be driven and not sitting"...ummm ok. I told him this is an 80k vehicle that cannot sit in an airport parking lot or anywhere else without being driven for a week and it will not start. He said "Yes".

I know that is complete BS. I have never had any issue with any of my other cars and some of them had tech just like this one.

There is something draining the battery but they probably didn't want to pursue it. The did a diagnosis on the charging system and everything is 100% working. Battery and alternator etc all good.

I wonder if the HDD is still spinning or the nav system isn't shutting down properly....weird. I'll keep my eye on this joke.

Also, I know that the cam can be popped out without the grille. I mean it's common sense. But hey this dealer probably just doubled their profits on that item....

 

[Dread_Parrot]

Killer. Yeah, Gumbey, it's hard to argue with stupid. I agree with you, they just didn't want to pursue it. QX does draw a little current when off. Unless your battery is 100% it weakens the crap out of it. If mine sits for three or four days, without running and I attach my motorcycle charger to it, it takes at least a full day or more to get it back to 13 volts.
> "He said " The QX likes to be driven and not sitting"...ummm ok. <"

More like it like Alternator running, LOL
Interesting they just replace parts anymore.

Make sure you get the front camera they take out, or the grille. You will have a spare. Since Marc says you can separate the camera from the grille, then you can have a spare in case you hit a deer or a rock hits the lens.

Get you one of those contained battery jump starters. Keep it in the garage plugged in and throw it in the back of the QX, when you leave the house.
Have a good one
Parrott

 

[Gumbey]

I think I might just pick up one of those 2.5w solar powered trickle charges (that plug into the cigarette lighter) and see if that makes a difference.

Or should I go for a higher wattage?