2016 EX 50 BRAKE QUESTIONS

[FRITZ35]

My wife bought a new QX50 and the brakes do not compare with any other brand that we have owned or driven. The pedal is a little softer and a little lower than other cars, and it does not have the "instant stopping power" that we expected. We have owned many Infinitis (FX45, FX35s, FX37, G35 coupe, two M sedans and all had great brakes. We took the car to the dealer and after waiting for about a half-hour they told us it was normal. They asked if we wanted to drive another one and we declined, as were out of time on that day. Anyone else notice this?

Fritz

 

[g0ldm4g3]

I've always thought the FX35 brakes were soft compared to my mom's '12 Camry and my dad's '02 Sequoia

 

[FRITZ35]

I owned an FX45, two FX35s and one FX37 and they all had good brakes - a hard and sensitive pedal. My wife's QX50 brake pedal is a little low before it engages and is not what I am experiencing when driving other 2016-2017 cars today, including two Lincolns, a Mercedes and even a Honda CRV, as well as rental cars. Since the Infiniti dealer said that the brakes are normal (and is a 90 mile round-trip from home), I may take it to an independent garage for their opinion, hoping that they can make some type of adjustment to improve the brakes. Does anyone know if there are any such adjustments on disk brakes?

 

[shadow191]

No real adjustments - typically a soft and low pedal would indicate air in the system or low fluid. But that's highly unlikely on a new car.

 

[Kanedean]

When compared to other vehicles I've driven, I find that the first 1/2 inch or so of brake pedal travel feels "soft". It offers little stopping or slowing-down power. However, after that soft portion, the brake feels like normal after that. There are plenty of brake force to stop the car.

Your best bet is to take up the service advisor's offer and test drive an equivalent QX50 to test out the brake pedal.

 

[FRITZ35]

I just now started my wife's QX50 and the brake pedal has 2" of play before engaging. I have owned many other new cars, including Infinitis and to me this is not normal. I was hoping that some other QX50 owners would post their experience with their brakes (inches of play with engine running, soft pedal?, etc.). I guess I will have to take the car back to the dealer again and this time insist that they check the brakes more carefully, as in my opinion, the brakes are not right.

 

[FRITZ35]

I just bought a new QX30 and the brakes on that car are perfect - hard pedal and very little travel. Since that car was based on a Mercedes chassis, I guess the brakes are Mercedes. Either way, no comparison with the brakes on our QX50, which in my opinion are way too soft and pedal too low when engaged. When buying the QX30, the dealer (in Florida) let me drive a new QX50 from stock and the brakes on that car felt exactly the same as our QX50 in Ohio (soft pedal, too much travel (my opinion), but once fully engaged, the brakes provide good stopping power). I noticed some brake dust on the new QX30 front wheels, but this is not the case with the QX50 that we own. A number of years back we owned a Mercedes E320 and had plenty of black brake dust on the front wheels, so it could be the composition of the pads that Mercedes uses. (???) Either way we like both our QX50 and QX30, as both are a nice size, have luxurious interiors, provide good gas mileage and plenty of power.
Fritz

 

[jbaker1121]

Just buy rougher / more aggresive pads... make such a difference. I used the factory brakes on my FX50 up until two months ago and it's night & day.

 

[FRITZ35]

Just buy rougher / more aggresive pads... make such a difference. I used the factory brakes on my FX50 up until two months ago and it's night & day.

Just buy rougher / more aggresive pads... make such a difference. I used the factory brakes on my FX50 up until two months ago and it's night & day.

Thanks for the tip. Can you describe the brand name and anything else that would help us locate a comparable set of pads for our QX50? Hoping for some improvement. Thanks!

 

[jbaker1121]

Thanks for the tip. Can you describe the brand name and anything else that would help us locate a comparable set of pads for our QX50? Hoping for some improvement. Thanks!

I went through @zebra555 and got a set of Ceramic Hawk HPS blue pads. I did buy a new set of rotors also, but even with those pads on the stock rotors there will be a big difference.

However - just noticed you were talking about at Qx50/EX35 - you can just do the Hawk HPS Blue as I do not think the ceramic will work with those brakes.

I drive fairly aggressively and my daily commute is all highway for 40 minutes. They barely fade during the trip and always have the bite - just make sure you break them in correctly and warm them up. They may squeal a little when cold....

 

[FRITZ35]

I just bought a new QX30 and the brakes on that car are perfect - hard pedal and very little travel. Since that car was based on a Mercedes chassis, I guess the brakes are Mercedes. Either way, no comparison with the brakes on our QX50, which in my opinion are way too soft and pedal too low when engaged. When buying the QX30, the dealer (in Florida) let me drive a new QX50 from stock and the brakes on that car felt exactly the same as our QX50 in Ohio (soft pedal, too much travel (my opinion), but once fully engaged, the brakes provide good stopping power). I noticed some brake dust on the new QX30 front wheels, but this is not the case with the QX50 that we own. A number of years back we owned a Mercedes E320 and had plenty of black brake dust on the front wheels, so it could be the composition of the pads that Mercedes uses. (???) Either way we like both our QX50 and QX30, as both are a nice size, have luxurious interiors, provide good gas mileage and plenty of power.
Fritz

February 2017 QX50 BRAKES UPDATE: After returning the new QX50 to the Infiniti dealership, waiting for an hour for a mechanic to test drive the car, and being told that "the brakes are normal", I continued to have a soft brake pedal that was low the first time pushed, but firmed up after the first try. I finally took it to a local mechanical shop that specializes in doing brake work. The owner was previously a Mercedes Service Manager and also a Porsche Service Manager. He realized the problem immediately and concentrated on getting air out of the lines and also out of the master cylinder. Problem was quickly solved and I am finally happy with the brakes. While the brakes are not at all as sensitive as my QX30, they are satisfactory. My question is this: Why couldn't the Infiniti Dealer have done this in the first place, or at least put the car in their shop to take a look, rather than a 5 minute drive around the block? My cost for the brake work was around $80 at the independent shop and well worth it, but I lost a lot of confidence in the car and the dealer. Also how did this car get through the final inspection at the factory with air in the brake lines ? Car was purchased new and my wife and I have owned many Infinitis since our first FX35 in 2003. We are in the market for a 2018 QX50 or QX70 when they arrive, but are hoping for a hard, firm brake pedal.

 

[DatMan]

February 2017 QX50 BRAKES UPDATE: After returning the new QX50 to the Infiniti dealership, waiting for an hour for a mechanic to test drive the car, and being told that "the brakes are normal", I continued to have a soft brake pedal that was low the first time pushed, but firmed up after the first try. I finally took it to a local mechanical shop that specializes in doing brake work. The owner was previously a Mercedes Service Manager and also a Porsche Service Manager. He realized the problem immediately and concentrated on getting air out of the lines and also out of the master cylinder. Problem was quickly solved and I am finally happy with the brakes. While the brakes are not at all as sensitive as my QX30, they are satisfactory. My question is this: Why couldn't the Infiniti Dealer have done this in the first place, or at least put the car in their shop to take a look, rather than a 5 minute drive around the block? My cost for the brake work was around $80 at the independent shop and well worth it, but I lost a lot of confidence in the car and the dealer. Also how did this car get through the final inspection at the factory with air in the brake lines ? Car was purchased new and my wife and I have owned many Infinitis since our first FX35 in 2003. We are in the market for a 2018 QX50 or QX70 when they arrive, but are hoping for a hard, firm brake pedal.

Cause, as you've noticed, dealerships usually suck... Their mechanics have NO idea what they're doing and will charge you a premium to work on your car for the "privilege" of dealing with them. I always take my car to an independent mechanic with a good reputation or that I know. I'll only bring my car to the dealership for warranty work... Even then, I cringe at what might happen to my car when I get it back...