This question pertains to particular V6 engines made by Toyota and Nissan. I've done my research on pros and cons of 2GR FE (Toyota) and VQ35 (Nissan) and even the Honda/Acura V6s which STILL use timing belts and still require valve adjustments.
I'm pretty set on buying a 2007 RX350 in the near future, mostly for my parents though I also intend on driving it and I pick Toyota/Lexus products because overall, they're just not as expensive to maintain. I do maintenance that a diyer can do. (thanks to you scotty! 🙂 )BUT I don't want to deal with timing belts. The drawback with Toyota/Lexus is their V6 FWD cars can be boring to drive.
The Infiniti FX35 is priced a bit cheaper than the 2007-2009 RX350 down here in Southern California, and is RWD. It may be the fun car I'm looking for me personally as well. I know it has the same G35 engine, (VQ35).
From what I've read all over the web and my limited XP w/ the 2GR FE engine, the timing chain never has to be serviced. Ok, good.
The VQ35 has a timing chain, but I'm hearing it may or not need to be serviced. Supposedly a tensioner or some other Timing Chain part has to get changed out REGULARLY around the same time a Timing Belt would be serviced 90K miles...(kinda defeats the purpose of switching from belt to a chain, I feel). The internet won't fully confirm nor deny it.
So is the Nissan VQ35 engine an engine, I should avoid? The RX350 is going to be daily driven, I don't know if an Infiniti with the VQ35 can do the same.
Timing controlled by a belt is accessible and easier to change out than a timing chain, guides and tensioners that are accessible only after removing a good portion of the front of the engine. Timing chain kits are usually specified to be change at roughly 120,000 miles. Belts are subject to oxidation and other factors that affect their life. I personally would always go for the chain set up because I have done this work many times and believe the chain is much better than a belt. If you have to pay someone to do it for you, the belt is far less expensive than the chain to change, IF, you get it changed before it breaks and destroys your engine. The chain, on the other hand usually gives you a warning of the impending disaster with a cold start rattle that is unmistakable. Pick your poison.
The earlier VQ35 had timing chain guides that would fail and make the chain slack but Nissan fixed the issue in the late 2000s, so it shouldn't be a problem from like 2007 and up on most models. They can last a very long time overall and I do prefer it over the Honda V6 engines, but both will probably not last as long as the Toyota/Lexus V6. I will say that if you are working on the cars, the Infiniti is easier to get around the engine bay being RWD based whereas the Lexus is FWD based and you would have to go to the GS for RWD based v6 car. The longest life would go to the Lexus but Infiniti FX can still be a great car and I have seen them with 300-400k, they were well made, my only gripe with them was the melting dashboards on the first-gen FX but Lexus had their issues with their dashboards around the same time so yeah.
