tivaj

This is the only reason why I have been evaluating purchasing a Z for the past 5 months. My question does every Z have feathering?

Best Regards

DaChoZn1

It sure seems like it. This feathering crap is one of the things keeping me from being completely happy with my "Z". How can Nissan F-up such a beautiful car. They almost did everything right. If there was no such thing as the feathering, crappy bose, window streaking, thin paint and the low grade interior materials it would be perfect. If Honda can make a great all around car within the same price range, Nissan should be able to. Don't get me wrong. I love my Z. I just wish it had better build quality.

phoenixZ33

I don't see how two extra tires every 6-8 months (or longer) is enough to stop you from buying the car you really want. Tires aren't that expensive.. especially if the car otherwise is solid.

Regarding the subjective cheaper quality of the Z, unlike the S2000 the 350Z is probably making Nissan a profit. I highly doubt Honda is making much if anything on the S2000. And profit is what keeps Nissan in business at this point and gives them the ability to make a car like the Z.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

My Brick's one & only problem is minor tire feathering.

I think not getting the Zzzz because of potential tire feathering is silly.

Nothing wrong with build quality of the Zzz. All cars havesome issue(s).

Nissan had to make some shortcuts to hit the price point; i.e. stero & interior. I've gotten used to the interior & even spending 1600 bucks to get a good sound system, I still think the car is a "buy".

NzZ

Eh, I had an S2k. Quality was exactly the same...interior plastics: cheap. Tranny: grind. Motor: Gulped oil.

I will say this. If the tire feathering bothers you, do not buy the car. I have a feeling Nissan has screwed all the Z owners over...the car's reputation for this problem will cause its resale value and image to plummet over the next few years. The cost of tires itself isn't really an issue. Sad, because I adore the car (much more fun than my s2k ever was).

NzZ

kcobean

iTrader: (2)

Unless you're buying a used Z, don't worry about the feathering. Wait for an '05 and ****** one up. It's not logical to assume that Nissan would build the 3rd MY car with the same problems as the 1st MY, so you can safely assume that it's a non-issue, probably even for the 04.5's as well.

I disagree with the philosophy that 2 extra tires every 6-8 months isn't that expensive. It's damn near $1200 a year if you go worst-case. That's ridiculous.

Seriously, the Z is an awesome car. I wouldn't buy an '03 based on the risk of first year Gremlins, but if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't hesitate to go buy a new one.

Good luck.

dnguyent

iTrader: (5)

The tire feathering sucks! Don't buy a Z until they fix it. It's an aggravating defect, and tires aren't inexpensive either. If you want to buy a Z, then buy mine. Everything is good except tire feathering. God, I hate that noise!!!

xxlbeerZ

iTrader: (8)

The tranny scares me more than anything. I've had cars with manual transmission problems before, and it was a nightmare EVERY time.

stu46

No problems yet. Got mine 30 Mar 04.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

no problems for me. you dont hear about people that do not have problems often, only from the ones that do. you arent gonna see a thread "i still dont have feathering." Its an issue, but really the only issue thats worth worrying about. Every car forum has something to ***** about. WRX/STi. m3, you name it, theres a problem. get one and be happy or dont.

pisces9ca

I've got an 04 roadster that has been cared for like an only child! June '03 build date, have replaced the top, the Bose sound system is the pits, the oil dip stick is a complete nightmare!
The interior is pitiful compared to the G35.
Now I'm facing the well documented tire roar (feathering!) and am told that the problem is covered on the '03's but not 04's since I took it in three days pasted my inservice date of August 16, 2003. TSB04-043 extended the 03 warranty to 24Months/24k Miles, but they won't honor it on an 04 even though it is a well documented design defect.

6620 miles in 12 months.....

I'll never buy another Nissan product.
File number 4655946 with NNA

ml2316

just be aware that a lot of people claiming no feathering have less than 5k miles. (feathering shows up between 4k and 8k)

ml2316

there are no other cars in this class with a problem as prevalent and (currently) unfixable as the z's tire feathering. if you go to other forums (like s2k, sti, whatever) you will not find a problem of the same scale as feathering.

Watkins

iTrader: (1)

Heh, I seem to remember when the RX8 came out, yeah not tire problems, just engine problems; Mazda having to readjust the cars HP rating, poor gas milage, etc. Oh, and the RE40's on those howl like a **** too.

kcobean

iTrader: (2)

Were you all expecting some grand press-release from Nissan announcing that "We've fixed a critical issue that we neglected to spot in the first MY of our flagship sports car, so cars built after xx/yy are just fine in this regard!!!"

Or how about this one, "We know there's a critical design flaw in the Z that causes it to eat tires like a fat-kid in a candy store, but we figured it's such a good looking car that all you dumb-*** american consumers would just keep buying it anyway."

They're going to (and almost certainly have already) quietly fix the problem and keep making cars.

Like I said before, it's highly unlikely that they're still building the Z with this tire eating design flaw. They're smart people with lots of computers. They will or have certainly pinpointed this issue and corrected it before the '05 year build run.

But hey, if you don't buy one, that's one less on the road to water down the market.

R.J._Vancouver

I have a 2004.5 Performance, 12,000 KM. No feathering, not a squeak, no window streaks, no tranny probs. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong.
And the dealership were I bought it treats me like royalty.
I could not be happier with my Z

No flame intended, but I can`t wait until that new Chrysler 300 starts to self destruct. Never mind first year gremlins, Chrysler/Jeep is junk no matter what the year. I can`t believe how many of them I see a day for a first year car.
I`m sure someone will tell me I`m full of poop.

NzZ

Why buy a Z that might have tire feathering problems in a market full of great cars? They may have fixed the issue by now, but look at Nissan's handling of the issue. Later on there may be other problems with the Z...and nissan will screw us on those too. I've owned other cars with problems and the manufacturer has always righted them. PERIOD. It's especially sad for me because my family has owned more nissan cars than anything else.

I'll continue to love my Z, but I'm not about to downplay Nissan's screw-ups.

NzZ

Masterfulks

2004.5 Z here with no tire problems after 6500 miles. Fingers still crossed.....

roydiculous

2003 Z with 5,500 miles. Averaging about 2,000 miles a month.

I am just waiting for the tire feathering - sad how I am expecting it and will be 1000% surprised if it doesn't show up. Any high mileage 2003s with NO feathering?

ml2316

not defects, but false marketing claims. the rotary has its quirks too, including high oil consumption and apparently a susceptibility to flooding in cold weather if the driver does not carefully follow the instrs in the manual for starting the car. those things discouraged me from an rx8 purchase, but they aren't technically defects (semantics, i guess) and they don't require costly repairs or replacements, just careful maintenance.