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OntarioQX56

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I just became an owner of a new to me fully loaded black 2013 QX56 a couple of weeks ago with 102,500 Kilometers (about 60k miles). I made the mistake of getting a 2007 Cadillac Escalade years back instead of the QX when I needed a SUV for hauling a travel trailer from time to time. Headaches from day one with that GM product that I could write a book.

Anyways, I lucked out that the VIN didn't match for the timing chain replacement recall. I love the ride compared to the caddy for sure. So much quieter in the cabin.

I do have a question though. Has anyone experience a weird thing with the tranny when it is cold? It only has happened a couple of times since driving it for 2 weeks. I come to a stop sign, put on the brakes to stop, then step on the gas and I see it rev but not drop into gear right away. So the first time this happened to me and didn't expect it, I rev'ed it pretty high and it slammed into gear jolting the truck forward. I quickly let go of the gas for it to settle as I was shocked this happened. It felt like I popped the clutch in a manual like a beginner. The next time it happened, I was a little more prepared and noticed it must happen when it was cold start and driven the first time for the day. I watch my RPM and if I get a feeling it doesn't move forward, I let up on gas and wait for it to move. Then I apply the gas again and it doesn't give me the jolt like the first time. I'm kinda chalking this up as a quirk of this vehicle, but was curious if anyone else experience this at all? Of course, when the QX warms up, I don't have this issue and it doesn't happen every morning either.

I know my G37S has quirks too and hesitates to move when cold once in a blue moon, so I thought it would just be something about the transmission in the Nissan/Infiniti.
 
first of all welcome.

your issue with the tranny jerking is not a "quirk of this vehicle", and in fact sounds like your tranny fluid is low or you have the incorrect nissan matic tranny fluid.

ive had a 2012 since brand new in 2012. it now has 76K miles (US) and i have NEVER ,ever had the car jerk on me as you state here.

where did you get the car from? a nissan/infiniti dealer or aftermarket?

is it CPO?

have you checked the maintenance records?

in short, you need your tranny checked and possibly fluid/filter changed. that mean transfer case as well.

ive also had teo nissan armadas, a 206 and 2008. both bought brand new and never had any issues as you state. NO automatic car should react like that.
 
Thanks marctronixx. I knew you would at least respond. I see you in all the infiniti forums for the QX.

As for my transmission question, I thought of two possibilities that maybe no one else has experienced this or it's a known issue and no one bothers to talk about it because of the timing chain issue takes precedence.

I did buy it used at a Nissan dealer an hour away from home. Not a CPO. They didn't have service records but with our Carproof (soon to be Carfax Canada) showed it was serviced at what seem to be normal intervals according to the mileage. Just not what was serviced. I did see where it used to live because the previous only one owner forgot to erase it from navigation. Looks like it lived in a posh area of Toronto.

There was another QX I was eyeballing too that had even lower mileage of 64,000KM (39k miles), but a bit of a red flag when there where already 3 previous owners according to the report and not located at a Nissan/Infiniti dealership. Also didn't like the grey colour exterior.

I did test drive the QX for 4 hours before making the decision to get it and it was flawless, with the exception of the headlights didn't work. They still didn't when I picked it up and it was supposed to be safetied. Didn't put a lot of confidence in that dealership. Of course it was fixed before I left.

I never thought that maybe the fluid might be a little low. Makes sense that it would only happen when it was driven for the first time of the day and from a complete stop. Just weird it has only happened to me twice so far in the 14 straight driven days. I guess because it doesn't happen consistently I never thought that could be one of the reasons why it's doing this. With that, it might be even harder for a service bay to diagnose if it can't be replicated every time. I just wish there was a dip stick for the tranny like my G37. And I wish I could do the fluid change myself, but would have to invest in a Consult 3+. The Nissan and Infiniti dealerships near me seem to have poor reviews for service so I worry they may screw something up.

I do have a sliver of factory warranty left for powertrain (6year/110,000 Km) I could have it diagnosed and if there is a problem, get it repaired. Again though, the service near by don't have the greatest reviews for both places. Plus the place I bought it is not an option as they couldn't even safety properly.

I'll probably have the tranny fluid service done soon and then see if the problem returns or if it gets worse. Just have to decide where.....

Oh I forgot one more question. Is the tranny cooler still intergrated with the engine coolant rad or did they separate it with the 2nd gen? I don't want to experience the horror stories I read about the intermixing of coolant and tranny fluid when the rad breaks down.
 
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thanks for the detailed response sir.

i think the cooler is still set up the same, but i am not 100% certain on that. @primo who stops by on here may know more. I dont two with the car and have not had any issues with my car since the day i bought it in 2012.

yes your issues with the jerks in the tranny just sounds to me to be related to either the incorrect nissan matic fluid, or the fluid is low, or both. maybe if the tranny service was done perhaps they didnt do a thorough job and it caused more issues. you may be able to connect a scan tool and see if there are any codes the ECM has stored, but i assure you that your experience is NOT normal and should NOT happen.

rather than see if they can diagnose, id just spent the money and get the tranny service. they use the EG something something system and that is the system I use. ive not had any issues and ive had the system flushed twice in the cars history.

im sure there are many more people with armadas/qxs who have not ever had the issue of the coolant issues you speak of, but i am aware it has happened.

be aware that there are thousands upon thousands of these cars (armadas, qx's ) on the roads all over the world, but the small majority only finds web forums to post up issues, so that can skew the reality and make it seem like this issue happens more often than not. anything man made will break down but these cars are solid and have a good history.
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I totally agree some things are blown out of proportion on the net since you hear more horror stories than good. And I believe not everyone has the same issue but there is no harm in taking precautions so you don't become another me too story.

I'll probably just take the QX56 in to get the tranny service done and see what comes of it in the next few weeks. I won't tell them what I have experienced.

I believe you when you say the QX is very reliable. My deciding factor was my G37S which is 10 years old now and the only thing that was out of the ordinary repair was an alternator which I did myself. So if the QX can be that close to reliability I'll be happy.

It's already more reliable than my old escalade. Not even 2 weeks in I had to replace the oil pressure sensor just before I started to haul my travel trailer. And that was just the beginning.

I wish I had bought a QX56 before the caddy, but money was a factor back then and a used QX56 was out of my range at that time. I should have just bit the bullet. Oh well, I own one now :D
 
what year was the escalade you had? Although I never priced an escalade, I always thought they were much more expensive over the qx.

I hear you bro, and its totally cool to be ahead of the curve and prevent any issues. im VERY happy with the qx. I have no doubts you made the proper decision in getting the qx. There's sooooooooooooo much to love about the car...

keep the class updated on your progress with the tranny. any other concerns you have, dont hesitate to post up. there are a few members here who will pop in form time to time to help out with any concerns about this car.
 
It was a 2007. It had higher mileage than I cared for but it was the cheapest I could find. I looked at the 1st gen QX56 at the same time and to me it ran a little more of a truck than the Escalade did at the time of purchase. Plus I wanted projector headlights, not the dispersed ones like the QX had.

Either way it was a bad decision in the end, and I paid more in the long run than I should have. Thankfully I unloaded it before a valve spring broke or the cam bearing wore out enough to cause issues. That's for someone else to deal with now.

I will definitely keep lurking here now that I'm an owner. I see there are a few mods that I would like to copy as some have done already like the newer style grille. Not sure if I will go all out with the new bumper with fogs as well. I like the limited edition tailights as well.

Marc I'm gonna send you a PM with a question that hopefully you can answer. Oopps, I guess I can't PM you. I don't really want to say on here as I know Nissan/Infiniti is probably keeping an eye on forums but it had to do with a certain manual.
 
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sent you a pm...
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marctronixx said:
sent you a pm...
Click to expand...

I got it, but I still couldn't even respond to your PM. If you check other places you visit on a steady basis you might find a little birdy chirping in your ear ;)

Update: Nevermind, I guess I needed to have 5 posts before I'm allowed to PM here. I sent the same message here as well.
 
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Thankfully, Nissan eliminated the transmission inlet/outlet hoses that were routed inside the bottom of the radiator.
That was actually one of the first things I looked at when I was under my QX80. Now, there's an ATF warmer on the engine block instead of the previous design where it relied on the radiator to help warm up the ATF. Also, the ATF cooler mounted in front of the condenser has a bypass valve. I'm not sure if the previous generation Armadas/QX had this feature but its purpose is to return the ATF to the transmission if the temperature is low. Of course, once the temperature gets hot, the bypass valve closes and lets the ATF flow through the cooler before returning to the transmission.
 
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Thanks for the information Primo.

Well two weeks after getting my transmission service completed I have not encountered that issue I mentioned before. Thanks Marc for the tibit, it was staring right at my face what the issue was. It doesn't surprise me that it was low on fluid and here is why.

Now I notice when my brakes warm up, they make the worst noise. It's like the pads are glazing the rotors. Looks like the dealership I bought it from cheaped out on pad replacements just to pass safety. Another task to do but at least I can do this one.

Now the one thing that pissess me off and I can't prove who is at fault. Last week I noticed a whine noise coming from the power steering. It wasn't there when I test drove or drove off the lot for the first time. I pop the hood and notice my PS fluid is low. Ok, I'll refill and then examine when I get home to see what was going on. I didn't notice any leaks before but I really wasn't looking for one either. So I get home and find a nick on the SS line to the PS cooler. I was hoping it would be a rubber hose as it would be a simple replacement, however this tiny hole is on the cooler side in which Nissan/Infiniti wants 300 for it up here.
This is the part that really peeves me. The hole is not due to wear and tear or corrosion. Closer inspection I can see the clip for the hose has been moved from the original spot and the hose looks like it's been removed before. However the kicker is whoever did it, used frigging pliers to hold onto the SS tube of the cooler and probably another set to pull the hose out. I can feel the nicks on the tube. Luckily its only a very small pin sized hole which when the low pressure fluid goes through it's more of a mist than squirt. So it may take a while for it to refill. So I don't know how long it has been like this as I would have noticed a puddle sooner, and I don't know who to blame, the dealership that did my tranny service (unlikely as they wouldn't need to work around there), the dealership where I bought it (possibly as they did have to look at the headlights just before I drove off as the idiots didn't do the safety right), or the autobody that had to do some work on that side as carproof reported damage on the driver front side. I'm leaning more towards the autobody, but christ did the dealership that sold it to me just refill the reservoir when it was low and not bother to notice the contamination all over the area of the leak? Sorry just venting.

I have one positive thing to say about the leak, I did find the exterior Tranny cooler that Primo talked about so I'm happy to see that and it's not built into the radiator.

I have a couple of thoughts to seal the leak as I really don't want to replace it with a new part right now. At least it's low pressure so I should be able to repair it. Then replace the crappy brake pads the dealership put on it. I should have seen the warning signs when I noticed enough copper colour brake pad paste all over in the caliper and pads to try and hide how crappy they are.

So even with these problems which are not the fault of the QX56, but human stupidity I'm still enjoying the QX. Just thankful the tranny issue is solved which could have been the most expensive adventure of all these trivial things.
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Again ive not had any issues with the 2012 and its nearly 78K on the clock, daily driver.
Perhaps they did I the timing recall (?) and the techs were sloppy putting things back together? There’s a LOT of stuff to come out of the engine.

The car is a beast and a quality product. However, if the car was mishandled. Or parlay maintained, even the toughest of cars will show faults.

Sorry to hear you have received a car that was not maintained or cared for, but art least it sounds like your care has an owner who really cares about the car.
 
This one was not in the VIN range for the timing chain issue so it wasn't due to that.

This was in a accident by the original owner and had it repaired a few years back. So this leak would have been going for a while, and I bet that dealership service bay had to fill the PS reservoir at least once (red flag). And it's not like they had this SUV for a month. They had it on their lot for enough time to observe this. Who knows who else test drove it in that time.

Either way, I put a review on google a few days ago about the experience I had there. They did reply about 9 hours ago and the only thing they were concerned about me stating they had used cheap brake pads that I have to change already. Nothing about the safety (headlights) not being done right or the on going leak (power steering). To add insult, they said to bring it into them for servicing other issues I may have soon because of the mileage. Did they not even read when I said my first impression with service was not good? Why would I even let them touch it again? I digress :rolleyes:

By no means has this made me like this QX any lesser. I love this truck. So much better than my Escalade. None of these issues are the QX's fault. I did fix the PS leak with a new hose overlapping the knick and seemed to have done the trick. As for brakes, I'll just get new pads and probably rotors and do it properly. Maybe even bleed the lines while I'm at it.

This is probably one of the few vehicles I've owned where I haven't been forced to adding mods or change something to improve the looks or performance. I love it as is. However I wont lie that the Limited edition Tail lights are tempting, or even the front grille.

Marc, I sent you a PM.
 
Love the new front grille and the limited edition tails.. they need to grow on me or i just need to see them in person. Every time i see a newer model qx our i cant se the tails. Photos ive seen they look plastic and cheap but thats just me. If they come down in price ill bite though.. :D

Didn’t know about the accident with the previous owner. Understood. Anyway, glad you are still enjoying the car—this early experience has been a black eye of sorts to Infiniti but i think once you get these prior issues corrected , you should have a great time with the car.
 
OntarioQX56 said:
This is probably one of the few vehicles I've owned where I haven't been forced to adding mods or change something to improve the looks or performance. I love it as is. However I wont lie that the Limited edition Tail lights are tempting, or even the front grille.
Click to expand...

marctronixx said:
Love the new front grille and the limited edition tails.. they need to grow on me or i just need to see them in person. Every time i see a newer model qx our i cant se the tails. Photos ive seen they look plastic and cheap but thats just me. If they come down in price ill bite though.. :D
Click to expand...

I'm also a fan of the Limited tail lights and ended up getting them awhile back. :)

41262630770_fa128c11e8_c.jpg]
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Yeah saw your post primo and I guess I just need to see these in person. They just look like cheap autozone tail lamps. No disrespect is meant.. i just guess I need to see them in person. The vertical black pieces inside the light look like the they melted or something.. lol i dont know what it is, and they are not anywhere near worth the cost...
 
New owner check in (2011)

Picked up a 2011 with 69k. Brought it to the snow two days later and so far am loving it. Timing chain recall was done March of 2017. Car passed CA smog so I’m hoping the cats are still good. Heard I should perform an "italian tune up." Working on getting some paint correction and ceramic coat. Anything else I should look out for?
 
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