A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I have a 2004 Touring iand received the letter about the alignment a couple of months ago, but when my brakes started squealing a couple of weeks ago, it prompted me to go on and take my car in. They told me I would need to leave it at the dealership for about 5 hours and an hour into the service, I got a call from the service manager telling me that in addition to the brakes needing to be replaced and all my tires needing to be replaced, my cross member was bent. I could buy the brakes and tires needing to be replaced, but I asked him how my cross memeber could get bent. He said I must have run over something. Told him that I am the only person that drives the car and if I had run over something, I would have known it. Also told him that I owned the first year model of the car (totaled it out) and I once ran over a piece of tire tread in the highway going about 70 miles and that incident tore the entire front bumper of my car up and I had to have body work. Told him that as low as the car is to the ground, if i had run over something that it would have done damage to the body work. He says there is evidence that I did run over something b/c the little cap underneath was hanging down. Said he couldn't do the alignment until the cross member was replaced. Told me it would be $850. I told him I would like to see it on the rack (didn't though). I just don't want to be handing over $850 for something that I don't even know whether they are just trying to screw me over or not. Total bill for that day had I gotten that done (in addition to the tires and the brake job) would have been $1850!!! I did get one thing out of the visit though. They fixed my passenger side window, which had been sticking.
I guess I am being cautious and don't want to leave anything to chance because when I had the first year model and kept taking it to the dealership about the roaring sound, they kept telling me some stupid crap like the brakes had brake dust on them and once they cleaned them off, the sound would go away. Didn't find out that it was the tires that were threading all along until AFTER I had totaled the car.....was really pissed!
Any input on this would really be helpful.
Post Edited (Oct 30, 6:43pm)
A:
I agree with you.
Get a second opinion.
-Zanioed '03 Le Mans Sunset Touring Coupe w/ Nav.
A:
What if I have someone else to look at it and they decide that it actually is the cross member; will it void any kind of warranties if I have someone other than Nissan to do the work on it?
A:
Nissan wont know someone else worked on it. Why not get under it and see for yourself? I stopped trusting actuall mechanics along time ago. I either do the work that needs to be done to my car myself or a close friend does it with me helping.
Currently parting out 1990 300zx TT.
A:
bent a crossmember? you'd have to hit something huge....i don't see anyway to bend a crossmember and not cause other serious damage....
A:
I had to replace my cross-member. I did not know until I went to the dealer because my alignment was off. They lifted the car for me and I saw the cross-member bent into my control arm. I think I went over a speed bump to fast. It cost me 700+ to replace the part plus 800 bucks to replace all four tires.
A:
Jeezus Guys ! Driving over a speed bump.............(Unless your doing Mach 1 ) won't do that kinda damage! get another opinion, go to a rep. mechanic.
A:
Dealer's make millions every year, and if you didn't notice, it isn't through the actual sale of the cars. I would laugh it they told me I bent my crossmember on a basically brand new car.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
You have to hit something pretty hard. Has anyone test drove your car lately. If you hit something that would bend the cross member like that you insurance company should cover it under collision btw. It would have probably busted the front axle housing on that side as well since they are alumimum.
Are we talking about the front cross bar here? Or, the the front suspension member? I going on the assumption we are talking FCB.
Boy, what are our front cross bars made of? Tin foil? This one is hard to swallow. If you ever race your car at the track and hit the curbstones will that bend your front cross bar? Unless it is the whole front structure your talking about. I just can't see it being $7-800 for the part. If you are talking about part and labor of either of the above parts. I could see it justified. The front cross bar is a welded piece the lower suspension of the whole front end has to be taken out of.
I just thought of a way they can get bent. I'm going to make sure I'm there when they tow my car if it ever gets towed...... Now, if a tow truck driver was to attach to this fcb and pull it up on a flat bed it would bend.
If a tow truck driver used the fcb as a way to secure you car on the flatbed and cinched it down too much. They have some pretty strong hydraulics on those trucks these days. That would do it too.
Most interesting......
"Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting"
Quote - Steve McQueen
'04 350Z Silverstone 6spd
Previous owner of 240, 280, and 300 Z's