Bad Nissan! No Biscuit!
When we bought the Z, my friend Rob, kept asking me about the tires on the front end. Rob, who is a fanatic about all things Nissan, kept insisting that I go outside and check for uneven tire wear and weird cambering. I dutifully looked at the tires and reported back that all was well in wonderland.
At this point, I must interject that it needs to be understood that I listen to the stereo loud when driving. Very, very loud.
I’m driving to work one day, and I notice this odd vibration coming from the front end. So I turn down the stereo (see above interjection) and listen to the car, in a futile attempt to ascertain what is causing the vibration. Because, somehow, I will be able to hear it and figure it out. Uh huh. Anyway, what I hear is that the car sounds very loud. I think to myself that I never noticed it before, so it must have always been that loud. I am obviously not paid to think. See above interjection.
Gabriel is driving one day, which is rare because I usually drive the car, and he says that it seems very loud. He insists that he is hearing more road noise than previously. I stare blankly and say, “Really? I hadn’t noticed.” I then turn up the stereo because the noise is bothering me and I can’t hear the song I’m listening to.
As I’m driving to the new job one day on the beltway, I’m forced to slow down to a mere 20 mph. The car starts vibrating insanely and I wonder if she’s having a seizure caused by being forced to go that slow. When I am finally able to speed up, the vibration stops and I think that I must have just hit a really bumpy patch of road. Hey, it’s 495, it’s entirely possible! And then it happens again, and again. I become increasingly worried about the car and have Gabriel drive it that night to see if he feels it or hears the accompanying weird thumping noise. And, just like when you bring your car in and say to the mechanic, “It’s doing [this],” it stops doing it. However, even I have to admit that the noise is completely unbearable now.
Since it’s time for our 11.5k maintenance, we bring the car in to the dealership and ask them to track down the source of the roar and vibrations. And, finally, the source of our frustrations are found.
Let’s just skip over the details and make a long story short, shall we? The problem is that there is a defect in the 350z that causes uneven tire wear and weird cambering. Rob was concerned about it because it’s a genuine issue, not because he’s fanatical. It’s a known problem as reported on this TSB. So, okay, cool, right? Nissan will take care of it and that will be that. *cough* No. According to Nissan, it’s only a problem on the ‘03 models, not the ’04s.
Riiiiiight.
Ron, the service manager at our dealership, tells us that he is getting between two and four ‘04 owners in a week complaining of the exact same problem. Nissan is thus far refusing to acknowledge that it’s a problem on the ’04s. Fine, but I still need to have the problem addressed.
I have spent the last several days on hold, listening to a nice voice tell me that the hold time is over 5 minutes (yes, I’d say 45 minutes is more than 5) and they regret any inconvenience. Only to finally be connected and be told that it’s not a problem with the ‘04 models and I’ll just have to suck it up. What needs to be done? Replace the tires and have the toe-in adjusted. To the tune of over $500.
Now, you would say, “Okay, that’s not too bad, you can afford that, quit bitching.” That, my friend, is not the issue. The issue is that I should not have to purchase new tires for a car with such low mileage. Consider too that we got her in Febuary ‘04, so that’s less than 12k in over a year. We take care of our baby! Additionally, it is quite possible that we will have to do it again and again. Some owners are reporting having to replace tires every several thousand miles, even after having the toe-in adjusted.
We were going to trade it in for a lovely ‘05 Roadster. Somehow, I can’t see that happening now.
I have three words for you: zee oh six.