DIY Engine Oil Change of the Infiniti Q50

Warning: If you are not mechanically inclined or do not have the appropriate tools and/or appropriate safety equipment, please do not attempt this. I will not be held responsible if your Q50 damages you.

Why do I prefer doing my own oil changes? Well with longer maintenance cycles and less stuff breaking down, gives me something to do on the car, and an excuse to spend time in the garage. Plus, I know it is done right - seen too many cars driving on the road with panels hanging down and heard too many stories of stripped drain plugs, too much oil, wrong type of oil, too little oil etc. While, I trust my Nissan and Infiniti dealerships, I don't trust quick change places. Lastly, I know what is oil is going in and I can usually do it a a fraction of the cost of any other place's cost of using fully synthetic oil. It is really a $30 cost of prevention.

Draining the Oil

Step 1: Buy Necessary Items:
You will need:

• 5 and 1/8qt of 5W30 engine oil are needed for an oil change with filter change. I prefer Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 5W30 Engine Oil. I pick it up at Walmart for $24.40 for a 5qt jug. It is enough for an oil change without needing the 1/8qt as not all the oil 
• 1x Nissan Engine Oil Filter Part # 15208-65F0E, that ranges anywhere from $6 to $8 from your dealership. I prefer using the OEM Nissan one to ensure warranty, and also because it contains the relief valve inside. There are better aftermarket filters, I have used Nissan ones for 15 years without an issue. Do not use 15208-65F0C, that is an old part number that has been discounted and has a cardboard end-cap and it's made in China.
• 1x drain plug crush washer part # 11026-01M02

Step 2: Gather Tools
You will need:

Tint Film and Paint Protection Film Installed.

The Q50 got some protection done last weekend. I wanted two key things done: Window Tinting and Paint Protection Film.

I turned to the Tint Factory in Madison, WI. I have known the Owner/Master Installer, Kyle, for a number of years and his attention to detail, slow time taken, quality and technique, and perfection to each job made him my only choice and I highly recommend him as he has done all my cars in the past.

For the tint, I chose 3M Crystalline Automative Film at 40%. It has exceptional infrared reflection qualities, as Kyle showed me by placing various film strips in front of a heat lamps and the finish is fantastic.

I had it places on 7 window panes - rear window pane, two rear panes on each side, and front panes on each side. I did not have the sunroof or windshield done.

I think it adds a subtle class to the Malbec Black Q50, without making the windows look too dark and detracting from the overall color of the car.

Q50 Tinted

Here is another shot with the sunlight.

Infiniti Q50 LED DIY Conversion

I have never seen a vehicle with so many LEDs already in place and frankly done very well.

The Q50 uses LEDs for:

• Low Beams
• High Beams - Believe it or not - it's just 1 LED
• Day Time Running Lights
• Fog Lights
• Front Blinkers
• Side Markers
• Side Turn Signal in Mirrors
• Brake Lights
• High Mounted Brake Light
• Backup Light
• Front Passenger Map Lights
• Outside Handle Light

This leave regular bulbs for:

Installing K&N Drop in Air Filters into the Q50

Don't do it!!! K&N filters do nothing but allow more silicon /dust / sand into the engine, they turn the engine oil darker sooner and wear out the engine components quicker. I have been an idiot all these years and have fallen to marketing hype. Bravo K&N. I removed all K&N filters from all vehicles last year. Not only has is my oil lasting longer before turning darker, but Blackstone Labs Oil analysis on the Q50 and my GT-R have revealed that the silicon has gone down considerable.

Read this: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm
and this: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

and feel free to draw your own conclusions. As for me engine life is more important than 2-3 more HP at the top of the curve near red line, which is impractical.


Don't waste your time and money, simply buy paper filters the Q50 HEV or non-turbo engine gets no benefit from these these terrible things.

I have been using K&N Air Filters for the last 10 years in all of our cars. In most cases such as the G35 Coupe, EX35, and GT-R, I have found that using the drop-in air filter (like this) is much better than any after-market intake piping + conical air filter combination (like this).

I have tired, compared and contrasted the "intake piping+filter" on the G35 Coupe, Pathfinder, Altima, and GT-R over very long period of time to give them a fair shake, but in most cases, and in all cases of Infiniti cars, the net effect of using an aftermarket air intake + filter has been:

- Engine sound and exhaust sound gets louder increasing the perception of more HP. The reason for this is really because all the baffles are lost by swapping out the stock intake.
- Most of them lose the ability to "ram air" into the engine intake manifold, which the Q50 is actually designed to do.  This is of course unless the aftermarket pipes and air filter drop past the radiator (often called "long ram air intake") and come just behind the front grill. If not, then HP is lost rather than gained.
- Most of these after-market ones (especially the shiny ones that sit completely in the engine called "short ram air intake") soak up more heat than the stock plastic piping and thus make the air hotter going into the car, which actually reduces HP and mpg.
- If the filters are positioned just behind the grill, then get dirtier quicker defeating the purpose of longer lasting filters, end up getting completely soaked in rain, the car wash and ice/snow. Worst case for me has been a carwash in winter, where a filter was wet and froze in seconds, denying air to the engine.
- Most of them do not have an alternate emergency by-pass opening so that if the above were to happen, they could let out the water before it gets to the engine and also serve as an alternate intake for air.

Photo-shoot of the Malbec Black Q50

It was an overcast weekend weekend so I decided to take some quick shots of the Q50 between running errands. Not too many words for this post. It was definitely more compliant than taking pictures of a 2 & 5 year old.

Enjoy the pictures! You can click on any picture to see the high resolution version.

Hello (Wink!)

Safety & Driver Aids in the new Infiniti Q50 Deluxe Technology Package

Back in college and also at work, I often have to write whitepapers that summarize and explain a specific topic or concept. The objective is usually simple - explain some complex technical aspect in simpler terminology and relate it to real life. In the same spirit is something that I have actually enjoyed researching and writing about as it combined my two passions - automobiles and complex computational systems.

The recently released 2014 Infiniti Q50 comes with some very high-tech systems that aid the driver in maintaining safety while driving. One might even say that it is an evolutionary (not revolutionary as these concepts have existed for a while) step closer towards "self-driving vehicles" (save the Google Car). By using multiple analog sensors., interlinking various vehicle systems, performing complex computations in fractions of a second, and controlling the main driving systems, the computers on the Q50 are able to produce the best recourse in order to avoid an accident, which is always better than protection in an accident, which is also important.

The manuals are rather complicated and disjointed, therefore I have tried to simplify and organize the information as best I can. If I have made some errors in my understanding I welcome clarification on any topic.

Let's examine the systems that Infiniti (& Nissan) have had standard on most vehicles until today: