Hello everyone,

I just signed up to this forum, and it already seems to be great. I signed up for one main reason. I currently own a 2003 Saab 9-3 Vector, and im considering exchanging it for a Z. The Saab is a great <A TITLE="Click for more information about car" STYLE="text-decoration: none; border-bottom: medium solid green;" HREF="http://search.targetwords.com/u.search?x=5977|1||||cars|AA1VDw">car</A>, its beautiful, and chipped.....its pretty fast. Now the only problem i have is that its always visiting the workshop rather often, and its really ****** me off. It has a lot of software glitches as it is a first year model. Also, the rattles in that car drive me crazy, and as time goes by its only getting worse, and i feel the car is falling apart.SO.....can I please have your inputs on whether the 350Z has rattles, how is the overall build quality, and if its a reliable car that doesnt need to visit the workshop quite often. I'm aware its Japanese, so hopefully these problems dont exist in that car. Thank you in advance.

EDIT: Are there any common problems I should be aware of?


Haitham

 

Oh you need to read some of the posts..some people had no end of problems (tire feathering, Rattles, window grease ect) I only had the window grease other than that its been excellent..best car I owned yet but your mileage may vary..literally!

 

Keep in mind that most people that are on these threads are having some type of problems with their cars, that's why they are on here. The people on this thread with rattles here and window grease there are a very small small percentage of 350z owners who have had problems.

I've got the 2004.5 and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. The build date was 2/04.

 

no problem on my 04.5 too....build date 12/03

 

Mine has no rattles , so far so good (17k miles), replaced front tire once (warranty) because of feathering problem at 11k.

 

6,000+ and no issues at all except, when at 100+ the breaking feels strang and the rear end seems to want to pass.. but I think thats a tuning issue, and I will take it to the shop for that.

 

Considering i also live in Montreal where the roads are plain disgusting and horrible, with the sports suspension the car doesnt soak up the bumps and potholes well enough making it not sound and feel like a 53K CAD car. One quick question also; what is the trap speed on the 1/4 mile for a stock 6spd. Mine is at 97mph ( not bad i guess considering i had winter tires on)

 

2400 MILES ON MY 2004 ( BY THE WAY , HOW DOES ONE FIND THE MFG DATE?? ) ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE DETECTED IS GREASING JUST ONCE ON RIGHT DOOR WINDOW, NO RATTLES, NOISE UNTIGHT WINDOWS, HATCH UNLOCKING, OR OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE READ ABOUT. SO FAR - SO GOOD - WILL TAKE IT IN THIS NEXT WEEK FOR FIRST OIL CHANGE.
MY MAIN COMPLAINT WAS THE VERY TIGHT SHIFTING FOR THE FIRST MONTH - THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER GET USED TO IT - AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL AUTOS WITH MT .
LOVE THE CAR. ALSO, HAD A NEW 300 ZX FROM 1990 TO 1995 AND WAS SORRY EVER SINCE THAT I TRADED IT IN. THEY ARE ARE A FUN CAR.
HEADED FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF ARIZONA AND COLORADO FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF AUGUST - SHOULD BE A BLAST WITH ALL THOSE NICE MOUNTAIN CURVES - AND OTHER WIDE OPEN SPACES . BOUGHT A REAL NICE PASSPORT LAST SUMMER FOR SELF DEFENSE ! lol

 

Just about to hit 4000 miles on my 04 TRACK built 07/03

No problems. Z is a great car for the Money.

 

I live in LA. We have a lot of unsmooth roads as well. Before I bought the Z, I thought the sports car suspension will not be bareable for a daily commute. Now I am driving it 70 miles a day .
Suspension i would describe as FIRM. The S2000's suspension in comparison is much stiffer and unbareable....


AZZGUY, your manufacture date is on a sticker on the door sill. It's around the same height as the **** on the inside of the door (to see it you have to open your driver door)....

 

main problem is feathering. official feathering thread is here:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=15758

 

Thanks eliliu - found it was MFG 12/03 - I bought it on 2/19 - still had all the plastic on it - windshield and all - must have been on a slow boat over! LOL I have found the 350 is quite a bit stiffer than the 300 ZX I owned - but my wife says it rides very comfortably- ( and I wouldnt question her! lol )
Everyone enjoy! They are great cars.

 

mine is 12/03 as well

I bought mine on 4/12....with plastics and all....i guess mine was on a even slower boat

 

No real major issues. Rough idle - Fixed. Tach needle malfunction, semi-fixed.

The Z's with the constant headaches tend to be the 2003's.

I know I had one before the Roadster.

Get 2004 or 2004.5 and you'll do just fine.

 

I haven't heard of a high performance sports car that is reliable and headache free..although I guess the definition of high performance is debatable, as is the concept of reliability.

Don't expect the Z to be anywhere as trouble-free as a well-made family sedan, and you'll be ok. The Z will tear through tires, brake pads, rotors, clutch, etc far faster than other cars. Also because of its stiff suspension, it will develop rattles. If you are after flawless reliability, I don't think a Z is the right choice. It is reliable as sports cars go, but they are a finnicky breed...

NzZ

 

will the replacement of the stock suspension with a aftermarket suspension cure the tire featheriing problem ?

 

this is equivalent to saying: Zs with problems are those with more than 5k miles. 2004s are newer and obviously 2004.5s are much newer so it's too early to conclude what has been resolved for this model year since feathering develops between 4k-8k. there are definitely 2004s with feathering. i hope the issues ARE resolved in the 2004.5, but there is no way to tell right now.

 

Oh, I disagree.

The 2004's have been out for 10 months now. The Roadsters were out in July and the Coupes right after that. The many masses of subscribers to this forum back when the 2003's were released had complained about many issues. Most had the same issues. That was well before 10 months from release.

I know all about the 2003 model year....... I OWNED ONE!!

The 2004 are not perfect, but many of the MAJOR issues that plague the 2003's have been dealt with.

Tire feathering is 1 out of many things that have been a pain for many 2003 owners.

 

yes and 2004s have exhibited feathering. i haven't seen any reports of 2004.5s with feathering so far, however. and you're right, a lot of other problems have been fixed in 2004s.

 

03 Touring.
11 months old.
>27K miles.
Front tires are due for replacement.
Rears still have good life.
Had grease TSB done twice. Fixed.
Had tank filler lid fixed 3 times. Fixed for the time.
Pass. side window motor broke today. Going in tomorrow.
Has few rattles and creeks. None bad.
Funnest, fastest, best looking car I've ever owned.
Has the feathering problem as all others do. Tires got real loud after 15K. I'm living with the noise till I wear them out.

I give the car an 8.5 out of 10.