I'll post photos of the new top tomorrow.

 

OLD TOP



New top (notice the extra stitching)










Tonneau Cover issue... (dip in tonneau cover on left side)

 

350Z Roadster04

Thanks much for the photos!

 

Thanks for posting the pictures!

 

My tonneau gets hung up on the trunk when opening and closing the top. The tonneau is scratched down to the primer in the center (about 4") and another scratch along the entire length of trunk and tonneau. The service manager at the dealer looked at it and immediately called Nissan. He hadn't seen or heard of it. We looked at another roadster on the lot and it was also showing wear. My tonneau was a good 1/8" higher than the one on the lot.

Anyway, they got permission from Nissan to have mine fixed and repainted. We arranged an appointment next week with a body shop and they are also giving me a rental for the duration of fix (roughly three days.) Supposedly, Nissan doesn't normally provide this with warranty work.

By the way, the body guy said that the tonneau cover needs to be raised up a bit. It seems like it would be the other way around.

My topgoes upand down at least 5 times a day and I've had for about 5 weeks. I will check for pinholes.

 

same with mine, I pick it up tomorrow..took a sneak peek when dealer was closed Sat, I question the paint match (black). The dealers body man said top needed adjustment to close lower.

 

Took mine to the dealership Monday. They were already aware of the tonneau issue. Simple fix, there are shims on the brackets. My passenger side an an extra (very small one), they removed it & tested for clearance & fit several times (with me present in the bay). The Service Manager (a Z lover with 26 years experience working on Z's) personally did the adjustment!

They called back & forth to Nissan regarding my complaints on the 'pin holes'. Nissan claimed they were ventilation/drainage holes designed to allow the top to dry quicker when it is in the down position after getting wet.

Two new ZR's were delivered to the dealership that day. The black one also had the 'pin holes' right off the truck! (build date 7/03). The red one did not have them & had the double stitching (build date 8/03). When we called back to Nissan they said that the later manufactured ones still have the 'pin holes', but they are covered by the upgraded double stiching & not visible inside the car as they were before.

I told them I would continue to watch these & if they come all the way through, I want the new double stitched top, they agreed...we'll see!

 

I checked my tonneau cover and couldn't find the shim's you mentioned. Where exactly were these located on your car?

 

I just checked my new roadster, 1100 miles, tops been up & down around 25 times, Black/black, build date 7/03; single stitch top ("old" type), no pinholes (visual and flashlight check) , tonneau even on both sides, no signs of scratches or contact rubs with trunk.

I'll continue to monitor and report any changes.

This is a geat forum and string - let's keep up the great communication, guys!!

 

I own a roadster s/n ~2200, built 6/03, and there are two pin holes, inside, toward the end of each seam. I spoke with my dealer and he checked with Nissan yesterday and they (NNA) have not made this an issue yet. I don't think my dealer is going to be willing to change a $4400 top for two tiny holes. It seems to me that if we can get some inside information from anyone at Nissan Engineering as to what reason Nissan changed the top design, we all might have a better understanding of the problem, what went wrong, and what we could use as excuses.

 

When you go to put the top up, stop it when the tonneau is in it's highest position, but the top assembly hasn't started lifting yet. The shims are located under the two brackets (held with two bolts on each side of the car) that are towards the rear of the tonneau cover. The sales mgr. said this problem only seems to exist in the 6/03 & 7/03 build dates, he's had to actually add a shim in one case.

Also, make sure the tonneau cover doesn't get lower than the trunk lid when adjusting, this is where they have identified the source of some 'rubbing' as well as a really annoying whistling when driving (as the air comes across the surface).

 

Thank you. I set up an appointment for next Tuesday. I'll take your instructions with me. Great info.

 

Just got back from a dealer visit on Saturday. Service manager told me that my car was "supposed" to have the new top that corrected the pinhole problem.

After inspecting my top he confirmed that i indeed did have the "new" one. He also confirmed that the pinhole rubbing is still occuring. He told me that a new top will be ordered and tht Nissan will have a technician oversee the install when it arrives.

As far as the headrest "buldging" problem....Dealer said there's nothing that can be done...and told me not to recline the seat back all the way. He said future models will probably implement some type of stopper.

He was also familar with the tonnaeu rubbing problem.

My car has no rubbing as of now...

I'll post pics and info of the "new" top after the install....

 

Thanks to Chasw1269 I finally have my tonneau cover issue resolved. I took your post to the dealership and they removed a shim from the right side of the tonneau cover. Now both sides are completely even! The back of my car finally looks normal.

Also, when they replaced my convertible top, they put a small hole in my door panel and also put a small scratch in the back of my passenger side rollbar. The dealer ordered a brand new door panel and new rollbar cover for me yesterday so I'll have those installed next week.

I feel like my whole car is being rebuilt, but at least everything will finally be taken care of.

Will post photos of the tonneau cover adjustment soon.

 

Me too with pinhole. Manufacture date 7/03.

My top looks like the original that "350ZRoadster04" has posted pictures of earlier in this thread. My pinhole is in the exact same spot as his. Both a service technician and the service manager agrees it is not a hole that should be there. The service manager is calling Nissan and I should have more information middle of next week (week of Nov. 3-7).

 

I've been working with the service manager and on my first vist was told, "it may take a month" for a response regarding my top wear marks. He followed up with something about Nissan not moving very fast on these things. His casual attitude about a one month delay in getting a response seemed a little shocking but figured I am not in a hurry yet. That was about three weeks ago. I called today to get an update and he said, "yea, I hear that type of wear is normal but I need to check another roadster to be sure". What! Guess if the other roadster has holes then it is normal? Jeez, I almost blew a gasket but figured it isn't worth it. I am going call again on Monday and start pushing buttons. Oh well, I know where I won't be buying my next car if they keep this up.

 

Their only choice is to replace your top. The hole can only get worse and will eventually leak when it rains if it gets large enough. Keep us updated.

 

If the dealership is dragging their feet, try calling Nissan yourself. 1-800-NISSAN1 -- this seems to be a problem on most early ZR's and you may be able to get a faster response by speaking with them directly. They will give you a file # and will follow-up with you until the issue is successfully resolved.

 

I just traded out of my Enthusiast 6 speed for a Touring automatic. The build on my Enthusiast was June 03; the Touring August 03. I have the modified top on my Touring. One thing I noticed immediately was a little more wind noise with windows and top up. All the seals are tight; I think maybe there is more top that sticks out on the edges and catches the wind. It's not too annoying and I think I'll get used to it, but again, it was noticeable to me right from the get-go. However, I had the Enthusiast for 2 months and 6500 miles; my top didn't show any signs of defect as I've read about here. srm

 

Just wondering why you decided to trade after only 2 months?