My 2004 FX35 AWD!

[ihc95]

Hey guys!

I figured I would start a thread about my FX, sharing pictures and documenting everything I've done to it. I have always been a Nissan/Infiniti fan since the 350z came out when I was a kid. My uncle purchased a gorgeous red G35 sedan when they were new and my love for the brand grew even more. I've always been fond of the FX since it came out, loving the looks and sound of the exhaust. In fact I think the first gen FX is one of the best automotive designs of the 2000s! It was so ahead of its time and still looks beautiful today.

Last year, I decided I needed a second, more practical and winter friendly vehicle to split time with my 2018 Mustang GT. I stumbled upon a clean 2004 FX35 AWD listed online that was local to me, and it was being sold by the original owner! It had 165k miles, no accidents, and a ton of service history. The owner had also recently given it a full tune up, new pads/rotors, tires, exhaust, windshield, radiator fans, belts, filters and wipers! I picked it up for $6000 which I thought was a decent deal considering all of the money the owner put into it.

Here she is in my drive way the day I picked her up in July 2019



On top of all the service history and owner supplements, the previous owner also had the original window sticker, original 2004 FX brochure, and a digital copy of the service manual. I'm such a sucker/nerd for this type of stuff!



Awful picture, but here are my two babies in the garage

 

[ihc95]

Since I've owned the FX for about a year, I've done the following:

- Airbag recall at the dealership (07/2019)
- Replaced rear wheel bearings (08/2019)
- Oil change w/ full synthetic at 170k miles (11/2019)
- Replaced front wheel bearings (01/2020)
- Replaced seized rear caliper (02/2020)
- Oil change w/ full synthetic at 175k miles (05/2020)

Not too bad at all imo. I've been loving the car so far. It has mainly become my daily driver over the Mustang. I've also done a few road trips with it and it has performed flawlessly! My FX came with the towing package, so I recently have been able to use it to mount a bike rack. I started biking again during the covid-19 pandemic, so this has been a very practical vehicle! I will try to get a pic next time with the rack on.

I plan to do a few things to it soon. The first one will be to replace the power steering pump and serpentine belt. There's nothing wrong with the functionality of the pump itself, since it was replaced by the previous owner. But, the replacement pump had the wrong pulley on it, with 5 ribs instead of 6. It's been eating away at the belt and makes a bad squealing sound on startup that lasts between 10-30 sec, depending on the temperature outside. The next thing is I want to replace is the rear hatch struts, mine are shot! Finally, I'm going to give it a nice exterior detail, with clay bar, polish, and Beadmaker sealant. I'll post pics when I do it!

 

[ihc95]

Today I installed the black Coverlay dash cover on my 2004 FX35 with the help of my dad. Overall I’d say the fitment is an 8/10. It was a complete pain in the ass to get in on the left side of the steering wheel, but once that’s in the rest goes in nicely. You’re supposed to glue it in place with the supplied silicone, but I didn’t even bother because I don’t want to go through the hassle of removing it and reinstalling. Fitment would look better if it was glued, especially around the airbag cover. Maybe I’ll glue it one day lol. I'm impressed with how well the color and texture match, and I didn't even clean it in these pics.

 

[ihc95]

I love collecting diecast cars and I had been searching all over for an FX. Maisto used to make them in 1/24 scale but they are incredibly hard to find. I finally found one that came as a kit you need to assemble.

 

[ihc95]

Yesterday was my first ever attempt at detailing. Overall I spent about 9 hours. I hand washed it, cleared up the headlights, clay bared it, polished out some random scratches, restored the black plastic trim, and cleaned the wheels and tires. Finally, I applied the Beadmaker sealant - I definitely recommend this instead of wax. I'm very happy with how the car turned out!

First, some pictures with my friend's gorgeous 2008 G35xS sedan. He had just finished detailing his, and I was only about half way lol.

 

[ihc95]

Some pictures after I was finally done detailing my FX.