I have a serious problem with my Z. It has been pulling to the right since about 400 miles. I got my first oil change at about 3500 miles and asked for an alignment (of course the service manager sold me one when he KNEW my mileage was only 3500 miles). It still pulled to the right. I would have went back in there but I had to get somewhere. I went back at about 8000 miles for an oil change and asked about my car pulling to the right. The guy said my tires needed to be correctly inflated. When I left the dealership the tire pressures went like this from front left (FL) to right rear (RR): 32 FL, 39 FR, 36 RL, 31 RR. If I am not mistaken it should be 35 cold all around. Of course a buddy of mine says he's had problems with his since day one and just chalked up $500 or so for lifetime alignments which he does monthly so I just thought that there was nothing I could do. I recently spoke to my dad who is a service manager for Honda in North Carolina to see what I can do. Apparently, according to Nissan, only the 2003/2004 Zs have an alignment problem (BS). How do I find out if my Z is a 2004.5 or 2005? The sticker said 2005. Also the service manager also sold me an alignment I didn't need. And tried a dummy "fix" for the alignment by inflating the tires improperly. I heard that an adjustment might fix the problem but are only free for the first 12k miles (now at 13k). But I've had the problem since almost day 1. I'm dropping the car off tomorrow and demanding them to fix it. If they can't fix it (under warranty since I have a record of it happening for a while) I can lemon law the car since its a serious danger to have a bad alignment problem. I just want my damn car to be fixed. My dad's friend is a service manager for Nissan in North Carolina and said he'd fix it for free and will probably get new tires. The only problem is that I won't be able to get there till the end of summer. Any ideas?

 

Post the VIN.

 

I'll look for the VIN. Here is what the front right tire looks like.

 

Vin JN1AZ34EX5M654749

 

Vin Jn1az34ex5m654749

Its a 2005.

 

So whats with the 2004.5 then? Is it a 2004? 2005? Is there even a difference? How about the picture of the tire? Any feathering?

 

Anyone? I'm taking my car to the dealership this afternoon.

 

I have a 4.5 ZR and the refused to fix the alignment problem on my car because the claim that they never had any problems with it.

 

First off how do you know its a 2004.5? Second...print these out and return to the dealer. They are lieing to you. http://www.nissanhelp.com/Bulletins/350Z/2004/1.htm

 

Because of when it was made. I think they just dont want to put new tires on my car.

 

Generally when the guys refer to the 2004.5, it's a 2004 model because their were changes made from the earlier 2004 production cars.
Nissan issued a TSB on the right front compression rod because of steering drift to the right.
Good Luck!

 

Ahh. I printed off a few TSB and I will be bringing the car into the shop today. This will get fixed or I will pursue legal action. Its so bad that on the highway if I take my hand off the wheel for even a second the car almost swerves off the road.

 

Anyone take a look at the picture? Is that tire feathering or something else?

 

so, check this out...

i've noticed for the past month or so that my car is pulling to the right, and after getting the runaround about alignment issues this afternoon from a service manager, i found this thread.

so what needs to be replaced? what's this about the front right compression rod?

i'm gonna go look at my tires right now...

thanks for the help


2005 350z en
SB, nismo CAI

 

To me it seems like the inside thread of your tire, or the 1st one from the right is heating up a bit too much on the left side. You can see that it is wearing off a bit differently, But that could also be due to some high corner speeds.

Just my 2 c.

P.S. if it is heating up, then its probably feathering again.

 

I've taken it to the dealership 2 days in a row. First day the service manager (who couldn't drive manaul) didn't know what it was and told me to come back the next day (tomorrow) to have a technician ride with me. The technician is in the car and goes "So whats the problem? Rides straight to me.". Then why is the steering wheel turned to the left? He said he thinks its the tires and I'd have to pick up the tab since they aren't covered under any warranty. Then I went in and spoke with the service manager and said the same thing. On a somewhat positive note he told me to call Nissan and/or Bridgestone and it should be resolved. We shall see.

 

If you call Nissan (1-800-NISSAN-1, I think) and give them your VIN#, they will tell you the year of your car.