A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Spent almost 2 hrs waiting for them to look at the car.
Not really sure what I was expecting but here was the outcome:
Your car has cupping (he wouldn't say feathering) and needs new tires and an alignment. He said that since my car is 2004 its not under the '03 TSB for the fix. He used what he called the Nissan Goodwill tool in the computer to ask NNA for help on the matter, it said I was not recommended to get help.
So now I have to call NNA.
Any recommendations on routes to take, best way to word what I want to get? I know some of you guys have done this, what has happened?
photoz
_________________
2004 LS Touring
Meguiar's Deep Crystal 123 + NXT
Post Edited (Apr 26, 2:05pm)
A:
The dealer is being a prick. I have a 04 and my dealer has replaced the tires twice. If you will look at earlier messages, I wrote two about my dealings or lack of with Nissan. They say that the 04's do not have a problem there fore we do not have a problem.
A:
Anyone in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area with an '04 get your tires replaced?
photoz
_________________
2004 LS Touring
Meguiar's Deep Crystal 123 + NXT
A:
got mine replaced, but after 3000 (three thousand) miles the new tires were ruined. Dealer said alignment was way off.......huh....didn't you just set it? ummmm yes we did , it was dead on.....unf#ckinglybelievable???
NNA runs this site!!!
A:
i just did a search on feathering in this forum. i noticed at least 1800 posts on here with the subject line "feathering". guess what. tons of those were back in 03 before the 04 was even on sale.
my point is.....with the barest minimum of research, u could find out that nissan is behind kia in the quality rankings, and actually ranks near the bottom of the entire list. you would KNOW that feathering (and quality concerns) were a hallmark of this model, yet you want nissan to pay for warranty coverage for the quality issue you had plenty of prior knowledge on before your purchase? you want the rest of us to pay higher prices on our parts/vehicles and such so we can warranty your tires..which you chose to invest in even though this was a well known concern?
while i understand (to a certain extent) the concern with the 03 owners, it was buyer beware from that point on. this is going to sound a bit harsh, and it isn't meant personally (as we are all in the same Z owners club), but i guess i have reached the point where i dont appreciate some irresponsible buyers wanting everyone else to pay for their own mistakes.
do i think that there is an issue with nissan possibly putting out a rushed poorly designed suspension that eats tires?..sure. it was a car not designed to be state of the art, but designed to appeal to mid-market sports car buyers with limited pockets. but..after a while, you knew what you were buying.
if your tires are feathering at this point, or you have other concerns about the quality issues on this vehicle, you had PLENTY of warning BEFORE your purchase.
Post Edited (Apr 26, 6:23pm)
A:
while yoor post makes sense to a point, this still does not excuse the fact that something is wrong with the design of the car.
Ok, so it was wrong on the '03 model, they realized this, issued a TSB and made them happy... uhhh, the TSB came out well after the '04 model was released, was it not?
So to admit a problem with a product that was already in production and provide a fix (or something resembling) for that product, wouldn't you think the same rule of thumb should apply to the next version of that product that was also already in production???
Oh yea, and maybe fix the problem???
caveat emptor should apply across the board or not at all.
photoz
_________________
2004 LS Touring
Meguiar's Deep Crystal 123 + NXT
A:
you dont have a bad point photo, however, nissan really has NOT admitted a "problem"...the TSB would frankly fall in the column of "customer accommodation" for the 03 owners. and note that it is limited itself in replacements.
you might also be aware that they state an alignment pretty much solves the issue.
big difference between admitting a "problem" and what they have done.
it is almost as if nissan itself is saying oops, we goofed, so lets help out the early buyers with a small accommodation, the rest should of known.
Post Edited (Apr 26, 6:39pm)
A:
photz, same exact thing happened to me...no free tires for my 04.
'04 350Z Base - Daytona Blue
A:
Dealerships aren't playing with their own money. It's nissan's warranty. That is why you have to call NNA. I tried to call for a customer and they told me no way, but when i had the customer call that had an 04 they caved pretty quickly. If you are within the 12/12 warranty on adjustments it is pretty easy to get tires covered. After that it becomes more complicated. Again it is not the dealerships money they are playing with so in the end it isnt there call. We did one without getting prior authorization and Nissan would not repay us for the tires. Something to think about before you start bashing dealers. Some handle it better than others, but in the end it is not their money to give away.
03 350z
95 300zx SCCA ITE track car
94 Pathfinder
www.bbracingusa.com
A:
many of you called us 03 owners "whiners' and much worse. Glad you're now experiencing Nissan's disregard!
A:
Cupping of the inside tread is not feathering. Feathering is related to toe out or in conditions and this is not the problem. The suspension has too much movement due to the double lower ball joint design. No amount of alignments and new tires is going to correct the problem. I have had three sets of tires and alignments under warranty and the condition still exists... So, enjoy the tires and figure on getting a new set of tires every 10 to 12K miles if you are going to keep it... Nissan will do nothing to resolve the problem. You think GM has problems with recalls. NHTSA will do nothing since it is not a safety problem and Nissan just keeps selling the car. If Nissan were to pull their head out of their ass and change the suspension design to a single lower ball joint they would be out millions of dollars since we are in the third year of production. I see this cupping problem as the tip of the iceberg in regard to quality since Renault and Carlos Ghosn took over Nissan. They could give a hoot about the consumer. And, they are just after sales. This is going to bite them in the ass eventually and I am sure someone in the aftermarket will come up with a single ball joint design with a lower A arm that is not two seperate parts. This will eliminate the cupping problem. Now, don't get me wrong because I love the car and the way it rides and handles. But, the tire thing gets on your nerves as the the howl returns again and again.
A:
Stillen has a set of struts and springs that change the ride height and jounce and rebound valving has been changed on the struts. So, this will change the characteristics of the cupping but not eliminate it all together. The fix is to go with a single ball joint on the spindle and a single A-arm on the lower control arm instead of the split two ball joint design. This is not going to go away. If the foward control arm had a leading arm extending from it to another frame member it would change the geometry and might control the tire movement better. But, I would think it would only be hafl hearted approach to correcting the problem.
A:
you put two fingers in your back pocket, and pull the leather thing out that is holding the green things with president's pictures on them.
as has been said MANY times before, especially on the 04's, it was buyer beware.
you are on your own bud.
A:
When I go to dealership for feathering, I am going to bring my 357 desert eagle.lol.
04.5 silver Touring, JWT-filter, Maya Gr-5's, Fusion/audio, StrosekAeroKit.
A:
Mirage,
I still disagree with your buyer beware idea.
Yes, I was aware of possible feathering when I bought the car, but that is only because I am a reader of several Z sites.
What about the non-Internet savvy Z buyer? Odds are he has never even heard the word feathering until his dealer told him that was causing that strange howl noise at low speeds.
Should this buyer still have to deal with it? This would not be an ignorant buyer either, so you can't claim that as an excuse.
In the end, its all about $$ and Nissan has ponied up more than it wants to.
photoz
_________________
2004 LS Touring
Meguiar's Deep Crystal 123 + NXT
A:
I know this is a Z site, but if you want to see what another manufacturer regards as "normal," check out www.pistonslap.com. You can actually listen to the V8 engine noise that is all to common on Mr. Badwrench's truck models.
A:
That is the exact same story I was given. My adivce is to do what I did. I have a 2004 Z w/ feathering. I took my car in to the dealership. They would not fix it. I sued Nissan. My lawsuit should be wrapped up in the next couple of months. And Nissan is going to get their POS Z back.