Does anyone know if Nissan really fixed the tire feathering problems on the 2004 350z?

 

run a search. this topic has been beaten to death.

You'll find a bunch of threads and posts on it.

 

some 04s still have the problem, not on mine so far at 13000km

 

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I did do a search and I read through a bunch ofthe posts. No one ever really addressed if the newer 350z's were actually fixed or not. Thanks for the help though.

 

I have an 04' Z and it tire feather at 13500 Miles, but got it fixed by my dealer at Performance Nissan in Duarte as under Warranty fix!

 

I have an 04 Z. Bought it in Sept.03 and I do have the tire feather problem @ 8k miles. Brought it to the dealers attention and they pretty much said call us and setup an appointment to have your tires changed.

 

I bought my 04 Z in Sept 03 too. I'm at 5k miles now and see no sign of tire feathering. Just in case, which N Cali Nissan agrees to change the tires??

 

TALKED TO NISSAN TODAY AND THEY SAID NO 2004 HAVE IT ............HE SAID ANYTHING AFTER MAY 2003 WILL HAVE NOTHING WRONG ...........I ASKED SO WHEN WAS MINE BUILT HE TOLD ME ACCORDING TO MY V.I.N. IT WAS BUILT JULY 10 2003....VIN NUMBER 50,550......BUT I HAVE ONLY 1000 MILES ON THE CAR SO I DONT KNOW IF I WILL HAVE ANY FEATHERING.
MY 2 CENTS

 

My '04 was purchaed 5/2, and I have driven it 2 days since then.

The dealer has had it fixing nicks and scratches and other cosmetic stuff for the first 2 weeks, and they got it back after I had it for only one day because it still had a pull to the right which they cannot fix.

I have about 800 miles on it, so no feathering, but there is no way that the tires will wear properly with a hard pull at freeway speeds.

I opened a case with NNA, and they are going to have the tech engineer for the area drive it and see what he thinks.

The tech line people insist that it is incompetence on the dealer's part, but I had the alignment checked the day after I brought it home and it was out. I had it reset at my expense, and they could not get the left caster in spec. Caster and camber are both not adjustable on this car. I do not know what all they have done, but it has been to 2 more alignment shops and has had the tires swapped from side to side, the wheels replaced, and likely the tires as well. They swear that it has or does not need the 2003 compression rod tsb, so they are stumped.

I was pretty wary before I bought the Z, but it seemed like Nissan had addressed the 2003 problems. Maybe they have somewhat fewer problems (like the trannies and window grease) but the issues with the front end appear to be still with the design for 2004.

I have some ideas of my own I want to try after I get it back Saturday, and if I cannot make a difference, it will be off to a shop that sets up racing suspension for a full on evaluation and chassis measurement to really diagnose what is wrong. Even if I have to pay for that, I want some facts from a pro to discuss with the Nissan Engineer.

Personally, I think the car has an enormous amount of Caster, and a fair amount of negative camber, which is great for hard cornering, but which can make for tire wear problems on the freeway and when running straight.

Given that you cannot adjust either setting, you simply cannot correct issues like mine, or set up the car for maximum tire life (at the expense of cornering ability, of course). You cannot adjust in a bit of cross Caster/Camber either, which would correct my tracking problem, I believe.

At this point, Nissan will have to fix this, or take the car back as a lemon. Otherwise, I may opt to put fully adjustable suspension on all four corners and have it setup correctly and drive on.

Ray

 

i know it's hard to resist the z, but it's pretty clear from tons of reports on this board the feathering problem has not been fixed for 2004s. it would be hard to feel sorry for anyone who is aware of this and buys a z anyway then experiences feathering.

 

the real question is whether anyone with a 2004.5 z has experienced feathering. a question i still have not seen an answer to on this board.

 

My 2004 (not 2004.5) has no feathering yet. I've seen the pics and know what to look for (not to mention having seen cars in the past w/feathering). I'm only at a little over 6K miles though. Time and mileage will tell...

 

I have a 2004.5 Performance with about 3200 miles with no signs of feathering, or anything else going wrong. And I drive it like it was meant to be driven. Meaning I drive it hard sometimes, fast twisty backroads, flat out on the freeway, but I don`t abuse it, doing big smoke shows revving it out and dropping the clutch.

 

Just look at the door sticker and it will give the build month.

WayneTN

 

hi please update us again in another 3k miles or so if you get a chance. thanks!

 

No Problem, I`ll keep you posted.

 

I am over 4000 miles on my 04 built in July 03

No Feathering, From what I see very few 04 have feathering.
Again from posts on this board it appears very few 04's have any
feathering issues.

I would also point out that it's not a guarantee that you will get
feathering, it's seems like a very small percentage of 04's have it.

There is no reason for anyone to think you will definitely have
these issues. It appears the chances are slim.

 

Funny, but I cannot find anyone in this thread asking anyone to feel sorry for them.

I've read the reports and it does appear that there are some '04's that are feathering, not nearly as many as the '03's, however, and not anywhere near "tons".

Regardless, Nissan sure had many things to sort out after the first year, and from all acounts, 99% are fixed (greased window, Bose stereo, blah, blah, blah). They are making attempts to get the problem sorted out on the '03's, albeit only reluctantly and apparently not with complete success.

If I really liked my car (as most here do) and it had feathering that Nissan could not or would not fix, rather than drop several thousand $ into the inevitable loss of LL'ing the car, I would drop less than $2k into adjustable suspension on all four corners and get the alignment set by good frame shop or race shop such that the wear issues were resolved. This would also allow me to go back to an aggressive camber setting for weekend racing.

I understand that Nissan should deal with the problem, and that it should not cost new owners significant money to get the front end working right, but rather than continuing to whine about it, or lose money and the car, I would just get it fixed properly and drive on. Personally, I'd rather have something to show for my money than an empty driveway.

Even with the extra suspension money, I would be thousands under the next car that performs as well or looks as good as the 350.

Just my $.02

Ray

 

if you hadn't read any reports of 2004s with feathering and you were therefore under the impression the issue was resolved then your z purchase makes sense. but there are lots of posts on this site (most of them in the repairs forum) confirming 2004s have feathering.

also, you may not be aware of this, but there are 350z owners with suspension upgrades who still have feathering. so i would research a little more before you spend money on mods which may not achieve the result you expect.

 

by the way, my original comments weren't directed specifically at you, 04 Lemans. there are a lot of ppl who bought zs with full knowledge of the feathering problems and then were upset that their car developed feathering. it sounds like you purchased a 2004.5. and like i said it isn't clear that 2004.5s have this issue.