So I got my car back from the dealer this afternoon after they greased all the joints, hinges, etc. - I told them not to worry about outsourcing the repair to Pan-Am. There is another dealer in the area that has more experience repairing bad motors - so my plan was to take the car to them.

On the drive home I had to stop for gas and figured - why not just try the top again - well it started out slowly, but it eventually went down. So when I got home, the roof got stuck trying to close... so I manually helped it a bit and it seemed to loosen up - then it successfully closed!

Since I could see where the grease was working on the 5th bow motor, I cycled it a couple more times - just to the point where the 5th bow motor engaged/disengaged and it seemed to work better the more I cycled it.




So for now it seems to be "fixed" but I still think I may take it by the other dealer if I have any more issues. I'll try to take and post a picture tomorrow of where they placed the grease. I'm surprised the grease penetrated and worked that well, but it's a cheap fix worth a try if you are experiencing top problems.

~KK

 

Ok so another update here...

I went out with a can of WD-40 and carefully lubricated ALL the the hinges and moving roof points that I saw - and now everything works just like new!

If you are having roof issues I would suggest trying this fix as well - just in case it is something this simple for you too. I took a picture of the areas where my roof seemed to be having the slowest performance during opening/closing. This is just for reference so make sure you lubricate all the other parts as well.



Also, I took a picture of where the factory technicians (sloppily) applied grease to the 5th Bow motor runnings as well so you could see where to lube up that part as well - sorry the pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.



I guess it wasn't a total waste of a trip to the dealer - except now my bluetooth ear piece/headset is missing from my console... I guess it's what I get for leaving it in my car when taking it to the dealer... hopefully it will turn up since I called them about it.

Oh well, I'll update again if I have any more roof issues.

~KK

 

Here's an Update:

The dealer intalled the new "controller", but that didn't fix the problem. After more troubleshooting they decided the problem is in the 5th bow motor (total cost: $1455). They ordered and installed a new 5th bow, but didn't have the rivets to finish the job. Yesterday I was told they have all the parts and the car should be done today. It's now been 4 1/5 weeks!!!

 

KombatKing - thanks for all the info, I'm going to proactivley lubricate these parts now. FYI - WD40 is a good short term fix, but you should use better lubrication for the long term. WD40 tends to evaporate quickly.

ciramjo - good luck, I hope they get it right this time.

 

Yes, check to see if you can get a silicon based spray. It would be much better for the moving metal parts in the long run.

 

I'll do that guys - thanks for the tip!

~KK

 

thx for all the good info guys hopefully i wont have these problems =(

 

Try Primis lube gel. Works great & last long.

 

My Results: 5th bar motor/ regulator was replaced and top operating normally and appears to be operating stronger/quicker than before problem. I suspect these small motors are heavily taxed in normal operations and the moving parts need frequent periodic lubrication, which Nissan does not call for. I recommend all Roadster owners take the time to lubricate these parts to prevent what is happening here. I was fortunate the dealer I took it to gives a 20% discount on parts and labor to our local Z Club, still it cost me $1376.13 to fix this problem on a vehicle with less than 24,000 miles (out of warranty by 8 months). Nissan's failure to back this product is very disapointing, to say the least.

 

A little update here... my top stopped working completely about 2 weeks ago - same symptoms as before - but no resolution despite lubrication.
I's at the dealer today as I type this - and of course being out-sourced to a 3rd party convertible repair company called Pan-Am since neither dealer in the SD area has experience repairing these tops.

Now keep in mind I have the Nissan Security+Plus Gold Preferred Plan for my car - for 7 years/100K miles... so I wasn't too worried about the cost of the repair other than my usual $50 deductible. However... about an hour ago the dealer calls me up to explain that adjustments to any covered defective/malfunctioning part wouldn't be a warrantied repair but replacing a covered defective/malfunctioning part would be...

I was like "huh? - what difference does it make whether or not it's an adjustment to a covered part or a replacement of a covered part - if the roof isn't working then obviously a part is failing somewhere - and if it's a covered part - then it should be repaired under the extended warranty." Then they told me what they are worried about is losing money to the 3rd party repair company if its something simple like "tightening a screw" or "adjusting a bolt" since that's a adjustment not a replacement of a part.

I told them that wasn't my problem - if they didn't train their "technicians" to repair or replace non-functional convertible tops/assemblies/motors/regulators etc. and - as a consequence had to out-source the repair to a 3rd party - then that's on them.

If a screw/bolt/etc. is part of a motor/bow assembly covered under warranty, then the repair should be covered - besides who in their right mind is going to "repair" a top by "adjusting" the same parts that failed in the first place? You replace them and move on.

In the end I ended up calling NNA and clarifying their warranty coverage. They told me that the repair should be covered whether it be an adjustment to a covered part or an outright replacement.

I'll keep you posted as to what happens and what exactly gets replaced/repaired.

~KK

 

So - I got the car back tonight and the diagnosis was that 2 of the 3 top motors are bad - so they will be covered under warranty. Good news for me - but you guys need to watch out for similar problems with your tops. Skyhiguy - you may want to give NNA a call and see if you can maybe get a refund...



~KK

 

Thanks for the update guys. I'm on my third top and 1.5 years later its still working. Both times I had the seperation issue. The motors seem strong.

I wouldn't mind the issues (all cars have them), but I can't stand Nissan service. You go in there almost feeling guilty....like you are asking for a favour.

 

Wow, I feel like I've found a support group. I've had this same problem with my '04 for the past year.

The first three times I took this to the dealer I was still covered under warranty but they didn't fix it. It was just slow at that point and occasionally stalled. It stopped working completely a few months after warranty expired and they decided that they aren't obligated to honor this problem as a warranty repair.

The car has been to the dealer 7 times in the past year and the problem still persists. Their solution was having me call NissanNA to get their regional engineer to take a look. 10 phone calls and three months later their engineer had time to look at the problem. He had the car for two days, his solution: "If it doesn't move, just get out of your car and tug at the back window a couple times to make it work". Surprisingly this does work sometimes, but not often.

They've been very friendly, but completely unhelpful. Their last suggestion was to replace the entire convertible top frame for $8000. They also claim that there haven't been any other reports of similar problems and can't do anything else for me.

If any of you have any ideas or know the actual solution for this, please let me know. This is my first Nissan-- do they treat all their customers this badly or am I just lucky?

 

Yes this is typical Nissan service. You are being treated unfairly. This should be convered under warranty because it is well documented that the problem existed over the past few years. I would continue fighting. Since you are in the states....you should hire a lawyer.

 

What I don't understand is that users with this problem on '04 cars will probably be shopping for a new car in the next couple years. Since we've bought one of their highest-profit cars you'd think there would be an incentive for them to try to keep us happy. I'm willing to pay a fair price to fix this, but their response is that they aren't interested in even trying to fix it.

The solutions in this thread are:

Has anyone else received any other possible problems or fixes? I'm kinda limited in where I can take this. There's only three Nissan dealers on this island and the corporate engineer is completely unhelpful. Spending $8000 dollars to replace the entire roof frame in hopes it will solve the problem doesn't seem to be a solution for me...

 

When I bought the car in '04 (coming from a BMW) I couldn't believe how poor Nissan service was. I don't think they differentiate a top of the line ZR with the base model Sentra from a client strategy perspective. We are all the same to them.

 

Thanks, KombatKing for the pics and thanks again to all you guys here too!

 

Not for nothing, but my dealer treats me like a bonna-fide king! Perhaps Nissan dealerships are more competitive in my region [Chicago area], I don't know, but when I bought my new ZR in July '06: he gave me all the standard extras [trunk net, car cover, etc.], he said the first 4 oil changes were on him, and, for the lifetime of the vehicle, free hand car wash anytime except Saturdays when they are swamped. I didn't believe him at first, but in the 5-6 times I have been back since meeting him that one day, the guy sees me in the lobby area and walks over to shake my hand, he somehow remembers my first name [I couldn't remember his at that moment], and he asks me specifically "how is your Z?". In addition, he literally walked me over to the service desk and moves me to the front of the line for my stuff [just a free oil change, so far].

Yes, some dealerships suck, but to the comment above, I definately "feel the love" as far as being treated with an elevated respect for being a ZR owner.

...But yeah...ask me again in 18 months when the motors for my top are apparently due for failure...

 

Can't find anyone who sells this. Walmart stopped carrying it....

 

Hey Guys,

So after months of slow roof issues and then a month of my roof not working at all - leading to three motor replacements (I think they replaced both my storage lid motors and maybe one side of the 5th bow motor unit?)... (the annoying part is my storage lid motors were fine) my ZR is going in tomorrow for a 5th bow motor assembly replacement - hopefully this will resolve all my roof issues.

I did some digging through the service manual today and found the location of the 5th bow motors etc. as well as some neat diagrams of the opening and closing sequences. I thought I would share them here so if anyone else is having a roof issue you can help diagnose where your problem may exist.

My roof clearly has a problem with the unlocking mechanism (called the 5th bow unlock actuator) and the 5th bow drive unit (i.e. both motors). Luckily for me, I have an extended warranty and everything has still been covered so far... it's just very annoying!

I guess the bottom line is I think the 5th Bow Motor assembly is the root of all our problems! I will keep you all posted on how this final repair goes.

~KK

P.S. I re-posted this info in here so we could keep all the top-related problems in one thread. I'll ask the mod to delete the other one I made today.

5th Bow Motors


Storage Lid Motors


Roof Closed to Open


Roof Open to Closed