What's up everyone.. My friend drives a 2005 350z Anniversary Edition. It has 29533 miles on it. Ok so here's the deal. He took the car to the dealership (Thornhill Nissan here in Fort Worth TX) because he has a scored rotor and clutch slippage. They said the wear on the brakes is normal.. The actual rotor is ruined, this is ONLY on the front left, he does drive this car hard for some reason. They say the clutch needs to be replaced along with replacing both front rotors and pads. They want $3500 to do all this work including parts. I know nothing about these cars and he knows very little about the internet, I'm a member at Clublexus and everyone is a wealth of information I so hope ya'll can shed some light on these issues.. Links to threads personal experience etc etc.. As in are these problems normal at this mileage, cost normal etc etc Thanks so much in advance

 

RIPOFF, typical stealership quote!

 

No saying what's normal. Both of these areas involve consumables which will wear depending on driving habits.
However, the price quoted seems high. He could replace rotors and pads (aftermarket) and put a good quality aftermarket clutch/flywheel assembly on for maybe half this number.

 

Thats not normal, I have the same model year with 195xx miles, no problems.

Its almost impossible to say whats wrong, without knowing the car and the owner, 6mt or 5at, how he drives/treats the car, what he does with the car (DD? or Tracker?)etc..

If its a OEM problem, then warranty should cover any issues.

You may want to try a search,

Good luck to your friend.

R

 

Clutch and rotors will not be covered, I can tell that!

 

Clutch and brakes are "wearable" or "comsumable" so I beleive if you have more than 12K on them they will not warranty them. Seems like they were quick to say he was abusing the car. Some will however. Try and find another "friendlier" dealer. $3500?? Danger! Run away! Front rotors with pads (Brembo) Should be about $300-$500 depending on what kind of pads/rotors. If he shreds them this quick, Id opt for Napa brand or something. If he wants to do just the clutch, no FW than he can come in at well under $1K if he goes with a JWT. You are in TX so there are a few reputable shops somewhat near by. Search some of the vendor links here to find stuff. SO yea about half what the dealer said. Typical. My roomates headlights went out and his brakes also needed pads and they quoted him $1400! Spent about $100 and did it himself.

 

Unfortunately, most of the advice provided in this thread is correct. Your friend's brake and clutch repair doesn't fall within the "normal" bumper-to-bumper Nissan warranty coverage. But that would also go for Lexus, Porsche, etc. warranties as well. As you mentioned, he "does drive this car hard" and both brakes and clutch can wear out if you thrash the Z. So what can he do?

First, get another estimate as dealership labor costs are notoriously high. As mentioned previously, consider going to aftermarket brake parts (as low as 50% off dealer prices) and a heavy duty clutch. It's unfortunate that your friend isn't Internet savvy as most info is readily available. If he's still confused, PM me and I'll give him a call to help.

David Muramoto
Senior Editor
Nissan Sport Magazine

 

Replacing the front rotors and pads, and a clutch job, should not cost $3500... it's going to be expensive.... but it shouldnt be that expensive...

Are the problems normal? As far as the brakes are concerned, yes. 30k miles is actually good for a Z(considering he hasn't had any brake work before). Generally the the rotors can be resurfaced without having to replace them... but it depends on the current condition of the rotors...which is impossible to tell over the internet... the best thing to do is get a second opinion from another dealership... a LOT of nissan dealerships love ripping people off on rotors for some reason.... they will tell you your rotors are too far out of spec to be resurfaced when in reality they are not.

In the case of the clutch, that is not normal. Although, I highly doubt it's a manufacturing defect. 19 times out of 20... when clutches from the factory go bad prematurely.... it's because of the person behind the wheel. He may think he knows what he's doing... but your friend needs to learn how to stop abusing the clutch. Don't use the clutch to hold the car on hills.... don't ride around with your foot resting on the pedal.... DO rev-match all up/down shifts... etc..

 

Thanks for all your replies.. His car is a 6 speed standard, and he's is notorious for beating the car. The only thing we are confused about is why ONLY ONE of the front brakes would be metal to metal gouging the hell out of the rotor when all other brakes are " in spec" and normal according to the dealer.. This sounds fishy

OH and by the way I mis understood the mileage.. It's 239XX