The naturally aspirated V6 behind the original G35 and FX35 — a genuinely well-regarded engine, repeatedly named among the best in the industry during its era, with one specific early-production wear item worth checking.
This engine earned genuine industry recognition during its production run, and the core architecture backs up that reputation — smooth, strong, and fundamentally well engineered. The one recurring mechanical concern worth knowing about is timing chain guide wear, made from a plastic material on early production years that can degrade and shed debris over time, leading to chain slap or, in more advanced cases, more serious wear. Later production years saw running revisions that improved durability.
Not a guarantee, but a pattern seen consistently across owner forums and independent-garage reporting.
Timing chain guide wear, where present, typically becomes audible within this range on affected early examples.
Oil consumption may become noticeable on a subset of higher-mileage examples.
Examples with documented maintenance and no chain guide symptoms commonly continue reliably well beyond this point.
Listen for a rattling or chain-slap noise on cold start, the main symptom of timing chain guide wear, especially on earlier production years.
Ask about oil change frequency specifically, since consumption on higher-mileage examples is more common with neglected intervals.
Beyond the chain guide check, there's relatively little else specific to flag on this well-regarded engine.
Model-specific pages, with notes on how it behaves in that particular car.