Love it or Hate it! Common issues EVERY Infiniti QX56 has. CAR WIZARD knows - he had one! 

my brother got a real good deal on one a while back. the previous owner's mechanic kept throwing suspension parts at it to fix a shake that wouldn't go away so he sold it. I took for a drive after my brother purchased it and a few minutes later I determined the front left tire was bad...

All these big suvs get like this when they age. Its still cheaper than owning a new one

Parts for these are plentiful and they are pretty reliable. The discoloration of the valvetrain is due to owner neglect. I own two VK56DEs and they both look brand new at 160k miles when I did a valve cover change. Buying any almost 20 yr old vehicle from the rust belt is going to require some type of maintenance.

I must say I’m not impressed with that list at 150k mi. Also, when a vehicle manufacturer discontinues parts so soon, it really indicates to me they don’t expect the car will last-or really care if it does 🙄

My boss had one and the only thing costlier than the refuels was the maintenance.

I'm sticking with toyota I have a 03 toyota sequoia 209,000 still looks great can't feel the engine running at the light smooth 💪🏾

I own an 06 Armada...I don't know if neglect by owners of other Armadas/QX56s that make them unreliable but I have about 150k miles and driven her across this country through mountains and dessert heat and never failed on me. That being said, it wasn't perfect sailing. The most common problem I've seen are the cats failing at 80-100k. Mine failed just before the warranty ended, so Nissan took care of it. New ones work well, and it seems they've corrected the weak point that caused the failure. I've done the valve covers at 100k, and it is quite easy since there is more than enough room to work in the engine bay. Mine was way cleaner than the one in your video, which leads me to believe they've gone much longer between oil changes than 5k. Did plug and coils while covers were out, too. Did all fluids regularly, especially trans, Transfer case and both diffs at 40k intervals since I does haul the family all over the country. Never had electrical issues. Did have the annoying clicking and heater issue at 115k, but those were very straightforward and easy to fix ( it doesn't require mechanical expertise). As far as the engine, they're reliable so long as scheduled maintenance is done. I change my oil with 5-40 every 5k, and I'm always just under half to slightly over half short at the change interval. My 15 MDX is short a quart every 2k (even after the piston ring recall was done...guess it just eats oil, runs great otherwise) or my 06 Sequoia (definitely a favorite of mine) which also eats about a 3/4 to a quart at 4k change intervals but doesn't have nearly the power of the Armada or internal space. I kept the air suspension too since those parts are cheap and easy to replace as well (changed mine at 120k just in case because of how cheap the parts were). Maybe I'm lucky with my Armada (doubt it), but I think it's done well for me because I'm religious about maintenance intervals (that goes for my MDX and Sequoia as well). Again, other than the failed catalytic converters, she's been free of major issues. After seeing the QX56 wheel bearing in your video having issues, I plan on doing mine shortly as the parts are cheap and just good practice to replace before they go bad and cause issues while on long drives. Might even do front and rear main seals at 200k just in case. Come to think of it, even the AC is original and works great (also serviced every 3 years). Now, I hope I didn't just jinx myself, and she's now gonna give up the ghost and make my Sequoia the cross country hauler. Full disclosure, I've been working on cars since before I had a driver's license and have built race cars (mostly Toyota, Hondas and Anything you can put a Chevy LS in) from the ground up to include full custom engine, transmission and suspension builds, so I can, and most of the time do the work on my vehicles once warranty has expired since labor is usually the bulk of the cost. Parts are relatively cheap for these Japanese SUVs. And when Wizard says the cost of repair is 3-5k, maybe more, that is his labor and shop charges making the bulk as it should since most people won't have the expertise or time and tools to complete such repairs. That being said, the Armada and its uglier twin the QX56 should be reliable if you do the maintenance regularly. Oh, and I don't know how his QX56 got 12 hwy and 8 city, but my Armada averages 13-15 combined between fill ups. On our long family trips with luggage and 5 passengers, I average between 17-21is depending on how many mountains I have to traverse or if it is relatively flat. By no means is she a Prius, but no one buys SUVs this size and thinks I'm gonna get 30mpg. (Hmm, I did add a free-flowing air filter🤔). Sorry for the long post. If anyone reads this fully, I just thought I'd post my ownership experience of my Armada.

Beluga Whale of the car world. Hideous monstrosity!

Don’t buy any Nissan built after Renault bought them.

It's a really ugly car

It's a great big Ole piece of TRAAASSSHHH!!!!

It's sad when you see a company dying like Nissan, I remember them in the 80s through the 90s Nissan where up to par with Toyota

I kinda like the back and forth on the Ferrari, it is quaint to hear husband and wife negotiate for what they want.

So this is also a Nissan Armada I have a 2004 with shy of 300,000 miles. Brother changed out the exhaust manifolds and cats done before I bought it from him for !$3000. Just have leaks of the transmission and oil cooler lines I need to tackle and a rear wheel bearing. Sadly the manifolds are leaking again

A lot of these problems showed up on my 2011 Altima. Next car: Camry.

My 2008 VW 2.0T w/140k miles on it looks even better than that Sequoia. As you said, it's all about the oil changes. It even has the original turbo despite being stage1 chipped most of its life. Of course, being a VW product, a lot of other maintenance items have kept be busy! Not Toyota quality all around, by any means.

Get the lc 500 that is a sweet ride

Don't like to brag but followed you from the first episode learned so much especially with Dodge trucks thank you

I love the way it looks, but I don't have a lot of experience with Nissans.

2009 QX56 owner at 150k miles and going well. I got it new and I’d buy another. We took some awesome adventures with it. It drives like a car! I love it 🥰

8MPG on a family transportation is pure garbage 🗑️

every one of those style vehicles have worked on had the actuator problem and some of these are not in a very nice place to change and the customers had so no.

The information my brother was well worth the time viewing the video. Much love.

My 2008 Toyota Sequoia Limited is rated at 9300 lbs. For the towing and I moved my 36ft RV with no issues at 9600 lbs. at least!

We have a 2010 with about 75K miles. At about 40K, heating/AC system actuator in the dash went out. Dealer had it for a week between pulling dash off and then waiting for parts. I think the bill was just short of $1,500. Like the Car Wizard, my wife loved the styling so we had to find one in the fall of 2010 as Infiniti was changing the style for 2011. My wife still loves her QX56, so I don't see us getting rid of it anytime soon.

Reflects the sales numbers, what a hunk of junk. Completely useless. Get better fuel mileage with an aircraft carrier.

On theory is why the stopped production is they were released during release during the 2008 financial crisis and they did not sell because the target market was not buying.

I hated the front end at first but it's been growing on me. It's not as ugly now as time goes by.

It is hard to believe that I owned a 454 Chevy Suburban that got the same mileage as that QX56. And quite frankly, there is a ton of parts available for square body Chevies and more people enjoy the Chevy body styling.

If it shares engine platform for audi it not a surprise. Not sure why they cant make as reliable as toyota, but over-engineering does have its over-complicated issues.

Great for towing but an expensive vehicle to operate and maintain if you hope to get any longevity out of it. Sounds like a poor choice for a daily driver or commuter rig.

Nissan absolutely sucks. Embarrassing to Japan to say the least.

Just turned 160,000 miles and very few issues. Air level suspension didn’t work when I bought it at 130k miles so I put in Firestone airbags and it tows our 6000 pound RV like a champ.

I figured these would share 90% of their parts with the Armada but I may be wrong

Not just Toyota quality. Who ever owns it has been keeping the oil changed

If an engine is spotless clean on the inside at 200k, then it will look the same at 400k or more, assuming that the same oil change routine is maintained; to put it the other way, if an engine is going to gunk up, it will do it before 100k, much less 400k..

Fun fact: This is the biggest nicest vehicle you can buy with a 490 credit score.

Finally we know the reason for the Car Wizard's look- the Infiniti that made him pull his hair out!

Normally I’m a GM guy. But it’s nearly impossible to find an affordable clean pre AFM suv with enough room to haul my special needs sons stroller. Based upon a friend’s suggestion we bought a 2012 Armada Platinum. Knock on balsa it has been relatively trouble free. We regularly tow a horse trailer with it and it is a champ. Air suspension still works great. I’m amazed by how easy it is to service. Only real problem we had is hitting a deer at 70 nearly totaled it as repair parts from Nissan are incredibly expensive. Luckily our body guy found a wreck and was able to ship the needed parts.

Love the video, but I hate the front end and the entire Inviniti brand.

If you buy real Japanese QX56 2011 and up, 90% of this problems are not existing . And plastic panels inside are of different level of quality. Nissan built Infinitis at their American plant for pure profit only, cheapest materials and parts.

Great review! Im actually looking at a 2019 QX80 limited. The QX80 actually has a .5 second better 0-60 time than a Ram 1500. You can kind of "mod" them like a Ram. Tune, exhaust ect.. Im hooked on your videos!

It's just another highlight of how bad Nissan's quality has been for 20 years now. As a Dad of five kiddos I associate with other Dad's have the same kind of vehicle as mine (I have a Sequoia 5.7L V8 4x4), and once you get past 150,000 on Nissan products they begin to nickel and dime you badly.

That's a really clear statement of Nissan and their confidence in their products.

I hope a 2010+ second gen QX56/80 or 2017+ Nissan Armada shows up in your shop someday. They're based on the Nissan Patrol and built in Japan with US engines. This 1st gen example is based on the Titan pick-up and built in Mississippi. Curious if the 1st gen problems were fixed.

Not all Japanese car makers are equals

The LFA is my dream car. Man they're so sexy and that v10.... better than music, and I'm a musician 😂

@18:15 - My Ford 500 has keypad on door pillar. Love this feature.

WiZARD got the GREEN LiGHT for a Lexus LFA!

Our Nissan van with the same engine smokes so bad on startup only 70,000 miles not good.

Thanks for making great videos. Because of you and your videos, I now have a Toyota Tundra. I looked at a Q56, now that you made me aware of the parts issues, I think I’ll look a different direction. Thanks to you and Hoovie, you have kept me from buying some bad vehicles. Thanks again and keep the videos coming.

Finally, I understand why my car window is down when I pick up my car from my independent car repair shop!

Wizard has the common sense of millions of smart mechanics in his soul!

I love Infiniti’s. I loved driving these things back in the day when I worked at my local Infiniti dealer. G37xs is one of my all time favourites.

Sure is no looker ….got a face only a mother could love !😳

My mom wanted one so bad, she got a used one, and he literally fell apart 😂

Ah yes, the QX56.. when you wanted a Land Cruiser but only have an Altima credit score.

Modern vehicles are not meant to be repaired or worked on they are drive them for 10 years or 100000miles (if you are lucky) then scrap them and buy new why is this not understood by motorists ?

Machanically is the same as nissan armada produced for (1st gen) 10 years, so parts should be avaliable. Yes, interior is a problem.

I'm sorry, but having the valve cover off with all that dirt literally 5 inches above the cilinder heads doesn't look very professional.

Any car is worth fixing if you are a mechanic! (And you do the labor yourself)

Yeah I bought a Armada what you're saying vehicle is this just different badging. Constant problems never got it sorted never will buy another one. Strong motor great hauler I'm pretty much anything but maintenance is terrible.

Some problems sound like general Infiniti issues

The spotlessness of the Sequoia' s cam area probably has more to do with frequent oil changes than Toyota build quality. I swear, someday, humankind will: 1. Cure cancer. 2. Place Astronauts on Mars. 3. Put an end to wars and pandemics. 4. Build a valve cover gasket that lasts the life of the car......

I approve of you buying a LFA wizard. Tell Ms wizard I approved such a purchase.

I had an 08 never had any of the issues listed,just a cracked manifold and the air suspension height adjustment sensor

Nissan isn't that bad I own a 2014 q70 with a vk56 direct injection tho which bumps the HP to 420. If people took care of these engines and did oil change every 3k miles. If you do maintenance yourself then it isn't that bad. If you are not then it's costly!

Mine has over 300k miles 🤠 And I get 14 mpg all day with AC on. Lol

Are parts from newer ones compatible? The current QX80 facelifts look like the same body style.. proportions, the doors and rear window the same. Makes me think theres gotta be some of the same parts being used. They use the 5.6 as well.

I love the way these look, but I'd never own a Ghosen era Nissan. I'll keep my 03 4.7l 4runner with 315k

I am mad that this is a VK56DE abd the valve covers are cheap, meanwhile on the smaller motor (VK45DE) the damn covers are $500 for a set on the cheap side.

Car wizard, I don't understand why you are saying that the QX56 is discontinued. It became the QX-80. It is the same vehicle still based on the Nissian Armada.

I have a 2008 Armada. Bought it last year wrecked with 276k miles and had it rebuilt. Currently has almost 290k miles and still runs and looks great. Has minor issues like leaking valve covers and airbag light that recently came on (probably the clock spring).

Lol, Nissans are trash 😂

I’ve owned about 12 Nissans in my life - everything built after the Ghosn era (error?) was absolute GARBAGE. I’d love to see you get a first-gen Murano in your shop! Those have a neat feature that causes the driver’s seat to randomly collapse - I have no idea how that issue wasn’t recalled as it’s so common!

Rock auto has that window switch. Only one left. 587 dollars for the switch.

I have a 2009 QX56, I took it with 137,000 miles, today it has 1,00,075 and something else, I have only had problems with the shock absorbers

Have an 04 titan(same as Qx56 just truck flavored) and 2015 qx80 for both under 30k. What does 30k get me in the Toyota world? A 2018 Tacoma? I'm good with my two v8 trucks and thier quirks. BTW he's wrong about the "parts availability" the part the was pointing at when he said that (air compressor) I just bought a few days ago, locally... In Colorado...

This makes me appreciate why I only buy Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Even better don't leave keys in vehicles .

Im thinking of getting a 2008-15 Nissan Armada/Infiniti Qx56. Any advice??

That engine in the Sequoia I'll bet is the 2UZ-FE. No surprise it looking so good and clean inside even with 400K plus miles. It's a Hallmark of that engine, which is quite possibly the best one Toyota ever built. You have Nissan at a significant disadvantage when you compare any of their engines to the 2UZ. Thanks for the great video.

The only place i ever see these is at the mall driven by a barbie in lululemons.

Qx56 is ugly imo. Back looks nice. But the roof is ugly and the front is ugly too. Why anyone would buy this over the sequoia is baffling

My parents bought a used 2012 Armada platinum at 48k, now close to 200k miles! I don't ever remember them complaining bout mechanical issues other than the rear air shocks. I guess reliability is all up to owners and how they maintain it.

I like them but they use too much gas

Also, you can't compare anything to a Toyota or Lexus. This was a fixed fight from the start 😅😅😅

Hell no bro I’m not working I’m dead!!! 😂😂😂

As far as the clicking sound and no heat goes, I have a 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac and I had that issue and it was my blend door actuator and I replaced it and I haven’t had that issue since

Love to see a bus video. Keep the great content coming.

Hispanics make fun of us Salvadoreans guys cause we're always blasting cumbias out of our Toyota Pickups 😂 But they don't know that we don't have the time nor money to be fixing or replacing motor and transmissions on domestic trucks 😆

Nissan's don't deserve to be thought of along side proper Japanese cars, cheaply built junk that have obsolete or unavailable parts, inefficient powertrains, rattles and creaks, stupid issues. Might as well have an Audi with the same problems at least it won't creak and groan about it.

Great video as always but I had to share that just after you showed the valve train of the Toyota, a Hyundai ad inserted itself touting how much more you get with a Sonata over a Toyota Corolla. I about spewed my drink. 🤣

This was from an era where Nissan was cost cutting heavily and any Nissan product from this era is a gamble at best. You can see it in all the plastics and components ... garbage

They tried to sell the Infinity in the UK, but it never caught on and was withdrawn.

As a guy who works at nissan. Never buy one of these. They will FORSURE cost you thousands in repairs

I am restoring an 11 Armada from the Frame up and there are lots of parts available maybe not OEM but these are WELL worth keeping on the road.

The window switch hack is to get one from a mercury grand marquis of navigator or expedition

Thats a pretty small list of Issues for the age of any Vehicle, especially most are just items that wear!

18:36 I wonder if that could be the issue with my 05’ Armada.