A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Hey guys,
Just got off the phone with the service advisor at Cerritos Nissan, took it in for an oil change and check the tire feathering for the 1st time at 14,500 miles. I was encouraged to take it due to the extended warranty notice I received last week, service guy says he ordered tires and a compression rod. What the heck is a compression rod, I am a little bit worried about the dealer starting to change parts. Any of you guys had this procedure done already...what happened did the tire feathering get fixed?
A:
I believe the compression rod is for people who have the drifiting to the right problem.
I had the same TSB for feathering performed on my car early April, 2004.
They did not replace the compression rod.
I would question them before they replace it.
-Zanioed '03 Le Mans Sunset Touring Coupe w/ Nav.
A:
I figure Nissan is having all sorts of issues with this because the service advisor said tires and compression rods are on backorder and cannot tell me when they'll have the parts in stock.
A:
I had my tires switched side to side and the compression rod replaced last fall.
Since the tires are directional you have to dismount and remount the opposite direction to go to the other side. What to look for "before" you accept your car back; valve caps still there, tire pressure monitor still working, scratches around the lip of the wheel from the mounting machine and/or tools.
I'm not 100% sure what they are referring to on the compression rod. If it's what I think it is...There is a big aluminum rod going from the subframe to the rear lower of the wheel spindle. It's like two bolts and it's out. That shouldn't be a problem. zpoe is correct about this being for cars drifting to the right. At least that's what I was told.
My drifting to the right issue was resolved but I think the tire feathering is actually worse now. I'll be taking it back in due to the recall.
A:
The compression rod is like the drag link of old. The rod connects the lower, rear control arm to the frame and keeps the lower control arm from excessive movement. There was thought that the bushing was bad and that is why they replace them on some cars. Not all have the problem. Mine has 18K on the clock and the tires are fine. There was another thought that the boneheads that shipped the cars over from Japan used this compression rod as a tie down point since the front tie down is in the trunk. Well, when the car was tied down the compresion rod was bent. So, you have two reasons that they would be rplacing the compression rod. Now, from the TSB the rod is replaced because of the bushing. If you get the chance take a look at the old compression rod and compare it to the one that they installed and drop us a note and let us know what you find.