A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Does anybody out there have a problem with your Z drifting to the right while you drive? I took my car to the dealer, talked about the TSB for this problem, and had an alignment done. They said I didnt need the compression rod that the TSB recommends- just an alignment. The also said I didnt need to have the front tires swapped either. The car still drifts to the right after the alignment! I have 17K on my tires- is this the problem? Do all Z's just drift? One bright note- they did change out my seat cover that was worn for a new one.
A:
If the car drifts right before 7 seconds is up at 60mph on a straight road, then you need to take it to them again. It has to do with the compression rod, not just an alignment.
A:
There are three different Technical Service Bulletins and inquisitive had it right that one of them discuss the compression rod end replacement. Go back to the dealer and raise hell.
A:
ironwell:
Take your car to a different Nissan Dealer.
If that is not possible, call 1-800-NISSAN1 and talk to their Consumer Affairs reps and get a case number.
Your dealer will have some help/pressure to fix the problem.
This is a known problem on some 2003 350Zs.
Keep us posted.
-Zanioed '03 Le Mans Sunset Touring Coupe w/ Nav.
A:
Thanks for the replies. This dealership said that I did not require the compression rod end, however, I think that they are wrong as I still have the drift problem. I will call Nissan USA and try another dealership. Is this issue seperate from tire feathering (I guess tire feathring is road noise?). If any of you have your cloth seats starting to wear down on you, tell your dealship about the TSB on the seat covers and they will replace them with new ones.
A:
read your posting and found it interesting. My wife drives a 2003 touring model, got hit 4 weeks ago in the front left, and got it fixed. The dealer.s bodyshop and service dept found the car had "cupping" on the front right tire on the inside. My wife said she thought the car was drifting/pulling to thew right before the accident. She found the car drove better after the front left suspension was repaired and the front end re-aligned. Was told by the dealer's service and body people that when they tested it, it sounded loud and drove"funny". thats when they found the bad tire. We don't know about the left because it was destroyed in the wreck.Got some flack from the dealer(himself) about replacing the tire. Called the Nissan 800 #, they said they are aware of the problem and that its a "toe" setting that comes from the factory incorrect. Said they are instructing the dealer to replace the tire and re-align to the correct specifications. The dealer service manager has told me to bring it in and will start the process to get this issue resolved. Nissan Tech Bulletin #NTB03-006 was given to me by Bridgestone and confirmed by Nissan NA and the dealer, and it says to realign the frontend to correct the problem. Also the Nissan NA person called the dealer's service manager to tell him how to get the process going to replace the tire(or both front tires). I will take the car tomorrow to get started on this and we will see what happens. I can say that today i drove her car at 60-100MPH, let it drift and also tried braking. Found it really did not drift badly(just with slope of the road) and did not pull at all when braking.The wife was with me and confirmed it was better. I think they may have fixed the problem but i still need the tire replaced(don't trust the wear on the right front). the back tires are fine with no unusal wear. Sorry to be so long but The events above happened today when I got the phone and called the Nissan 800#.Also they took me serious at Nissan NA when i told them about this info from this forum and the 27 complaints listed on the NHTSA web site under 350Z, Complaints for tires which all listed feathering/cupping. I will let you know what happens when this is over, one way or the other. I do feel optimistic and encourage you to hang in there, bro!. The car is really cool and we have really enjoyed ours. Good luck. LCD. PS the mileage........8500 miles.also the above tech bulletin DOES NOT tell the dealer how to handle the tire replacement. This is where Nissan NA came through.