mattvols

I do not understand why people are getting their own systems installed when they paid extra for the Bose? I guess I might do it if I could afford it too, but I can't. I personally think people should demand what they paid for, instead of paying out of their own pocket to get a good system. I wish I have of gotten a base model and put my own system in and own leather in for much cheaper.

Boomer

I think a number of people were planning to put in their own system after they got the car anyway. I wasn't one of them as Ibought the Touring for the leather, heated seats, 6 disc cd player(which has always sounded fine to me) and the 5AT is standard on the Touring, the 6MT is optional. The radio is not objectional since it and the amp were replaced yesterday.

NJZLady

I'm a little confused here. Is Nissan automatically replacing the radio when they replace the amp? I've been waiting since December 3 for the amp to come to the dealer from Clarion and it is still not there! Is the "bog-down" because Nissan is also replacing the radio?

I agree that Nissan should incur the cost of the fix and not the owner. I paid good $$$ for a premium system that is worse than most standards in other vehicles. I personally resent that I should have to rip it out and replace it at my (additional) expense.

Boomer

The radio was not part of the TSB for the amp. My radio was so bad my SW could hear it immediately while he was checking the amp. After all the whole car is under warranty bumper-to-bumper for 36 months or 36,000 miles and the radio is very flawed. There was no way to ignore it. I think he was being conscientious and replacing a very bad radio.

The volume fluctuation was cured and the system sounds good now, but not spectacular. There are a number of hard plastic pieces in the interior and they probably influence the sound more than was expected. The cd player sounds fine, just like before.

There was no bogdown in getting my parts, they came in about 3 weeks. I must say I don't have a lot of dealers or Zs in my area, so your line for parts is probably much longer than mine.

I said this in another post earlier today, I paid for leather, power heated seats, 6 cd changer and standard 5AT on my Touring, not the radio. I rarely listen to radio anymore at all, so its replacement was not paramount to me and I didn't ask for it. A good Service Writer would not be able to ignore how bad the radio was in checking the amp, however, and he figured warranty would take care of it, betting there would be a TSB issued soon. I certainly hope doing his job is not penalized by Nissan.

Boomer

ppw350Z

ok guys, i had greg type up a draft to send in to nissan and bose all i'm doing now is adding a few final touches. i've been pretty busy lately. as soon as i'm given the opportunity i will finish it and get it posted up here for all of you to see.

1freelander1

Yes, I am very dissatisfied with the BOSE stereo in the touring Z. It's just a good thing the engine sounds so good.

ZGATOR

My 240w Bose clock radio sounds terrible even after the amp exchange. anyone just replace speakers? If so what type and is it a do it yourself project?

Once again I repeat I paid way too much for a clock radio. I could never look at a Bose system again with any respect. At one point I thought they were one of the leaders in the industry.

kbsig106

Since the ohms are different, won't this pose a problem if I go to change the stock speakers that came with the bose system? I've heard it could pose a problem.

I'm looking into buying BA's and keeping the head unit.

Any comments?


Thanks

maserom

iTrader: (2)

I just pre-ordered a Touring model on Tuesday. I have to wait 60 days for this crappy radio. Is there any hope this a z being built in the next 90 days will have an updated system?

kinnarda

I just found this web site a few weeks AFTER I bought my Z. I am glad I bought my Z before reading posts on this Web site. I have never seen this large a group of people that are unhappy with their car, the sound system, transmission, windows, ride, etc etc. I am perfectly happy with my Z, but I absolutly would not of purchased it if I had visited this site first.

Boomer

You need to take the complaints in context. Many of the biggest complainers were the people who preordered the car BEFORE production began, me included. The preorder process began 1/15/02 and the first cars were delivered the last 2 weeks of AUGUST! Some preorders dropped out because they couldn't or wouldn't wait that long. I ordered 2/12/02 and got mine 9/6/02, almost 8 months later. One preorder waited for a year because his dealer couldn't find when it had been ordered, Nissan had no records, and it came damaged somehow/somewhere before it arrived at his dealership.

When I got my car, it had a couple of rattles, then the OE tires came to be a major flaw as weather got colder and the ride/grip became too harsh/slick to be acceptable. There were 2 major complaints and two minor ones. The tires and alignment went hand-in-hand, toe-in had be corrected on many of the cars, mine included. The tires were impossible to drive under 50 degrees(summer tires), and rode like slick rocks, snow/ice and they were totally undriveable.

The Bose radio on the Touring model was impossible to listen to because of the variable loudness control was all over the map and couldn't be turned off. The amp replacement cured the problem for some, but not others who are still angry.

Some of the preorders had problems w/6MTs and several of them had to be replaced under warranty, but you may have seen the Poll on the problems w/6MT were a small percentage of posters here. Nissan jumped on the first ones very fast and replaced the 1st one on a Charter member's car from this site. This was minor only in number, the owners certainly felt it was a major problem, but not in raw numbers.

The other minor problem is the highway "bounce" on almost all the cars. I cured 95% of mine by fitting new tires, like a number of others, but it seems to be a shock/spring mismatch. Some owners had plans to change suspensions immediately, so it was never a problem for them as it is for me and others.

So, you have 6500-7500+ preorders who had to wait TOO long for periodic updates and actual delivery. Also, some like me, ordered w/o seeing, sitting in, or had any contact with the $35K+ car other than the preorder page on Nissan's website for delivery between August and October and they weren't built in the sequence of when the actual order was placed. So, you have a large number of us preorders, who waited for months, some getting their cars long after others who placed their orders after them.

What you are reading is some of the aftermath of the preorder process. Nissan intended for the preorder process to be a pleasant process for major fans(read fanatics) to receive the car w/all the options they wanted at MSRP, almost all of us got it, only a few were slimed by their dealer. The pressure on Nissan by us fanatics was enormous and the car arrived w/teething problems most new cars have and some are not resolved to everyone's satisfaction today.

Most of my problems were solved w/one change, the tires. I drove my car straight to my dealer when they were replaced to get the toe-in corrected because the abnormal wear pattern others had was showing up on mine. The dealer scheduled me the next day, corrected my toe-in, ordered parts for my Bose system, cured my window streak and tried to find my rattle I heard behind me. Two weeks later, my Bose was fixed to my satisfaction and they found my rattle and insulated the panel behind me to fix it. The bounce is not as pronounced if you are religious about keeping air pressure at recommended psi, so I am happy w/my car, yes fanatic me.

The car, not the options, is dynamite. It is everything I wanted it to be; fast, beautiful, great handling and reasonably comfortable.
OK, that's it. Any further questions will be $10.

Boomer babble--its the TRUTH, really.

ppw350Z

ok guys here is the letter let me know asap if you want anything added or taken out. i apologize about taking so long with it i've been extremely busy.

Nissan USA,


As you are aware, your recent stereo upgrade in the 2003 350Z has missed its mark. It is not clear if it is the amplifiers, the speakers, the combination or the configuration but the sound quality of Bose stereo systems in the pre VIN 5616, and the "fixed" post 5616 cars is substandard. A quick listen confirms this setup should never have made it past pre-production.

In any commercial enterprise, the creation and nurturing of a company's most faithful customers must remain at the top of the company's objective list. In your silence in this situation, both Nissan and Bose turn their backs on their most ardent customers, thousands of customers who bought your products never drove and never listened to, on the basis of faith in your brands.

As some of your most faithful customers, we call upon you to resolve this situation, and provide a true fix, one that brings reasonable high fidelity to the cars with the Bose stereo upgrade.

You can create even more zealous customers, customers you can rely upon to buy from you again, and again. Or you can ignore your mistake, and convince some of your most faithful buyers that their loyalty is misplaced.

I am a 350Z enthusiast and a member of www.my350z.com. On this website we discuss many different topics all pertaining to the 350Z. The stereo has been an issue since the car was manufactured.

I’m writing on behalf of 125, 350Z owners who have voiced their opinion and are dissatisfied with the quality of the Bose stereo upgrade. In a recent poll 73.8% of 350Z owners are dissatisfied and 26.2 are satisfied. Results and comments of the poll can be viewed at
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....hreadid=16701. Please take the time to read the comments there are 3 full pages of comments all from 350Z owners.

Since Nissan and Bose did not taken the initiative and is not able to provide answers we are demanding as 350Z owners we want a fix! I’ve been asked to provide Email addresses of 350Z owners, Nissan and Bose have neglected to call back after their initial complaint was placed.

If Nissan or Bose will not take the time to speak to us as individuals we feel this is the only way we will get some answers. If this petition is ignored, copies of the petition will be sent to Automobile Magazine, Car And Driver, and several other major magazines.

I will be expecting someone to contact me Via-Email or Land line. My personal Email address is Sispeedsp@aol.com
my home number is 856-
The Email addresses that will be expecting an separate response from Nissan or Bose on this matter are as follows:

fisdern@hotmail.com
debron@optonline.com
iris_kailin@yahoo.com
leeon@aol.com
mattvols86878284@aol.com
BWPugh@prodigy.net
dvegh@imagedv.com
debron@optonline.net
tkuvshinkov@epix.net
snoopy@socal.rr.com
TMCKandC@aol.com
bradtate25@hotmail.com
vicmar90@snet.net
thejamrockart@icehouse.net
issac@zumcity.com
alrod@nc.rr.com



Please do the right thing; fix our 350Z-Bose stereos.

KJ-350

here is another email address for yah to add to the list, kev328ci@bellatlantic.net, I HATE this system and would love to hear what they have to say!

ppw350Z

added it as of 2 minutes ago.

ZGATOR

I sent a similar letter to bose via e-mail approximately 1 week ago. In the letter I mentioned the same things which you did.
I mentioned the following things:

*We trusted they were leaders/cutting edge in sound systems
*The majority of 350z owners were not happy with the $$ we spent for the current clock radio sound we have
*It was so bad that many of us were willing to take matters into our own hands and purchase new sound systems since Nissan and Bose seemed to have turned their backs on us.
*Each of us will be sure to tell 10 or more of our friends how terrible their sound systems are.
*thier company name is being associated with new names such as Blose
*Car magazines wil be informed of our awful sound system
* I will never have any respect for their company again if they do not correct our problem.

No response as of yet. I guess they don't care, they have been paid.

Please feel free to add my e-mail address to your list.

periogtr@bellsouth.net

cigardave

We've had our "Z" since 1/22/03 and the Bose sounds fine. No problems here. It sounds as good, if not better, than the one in our 1995 Maxima GLE.

Maybe they got the original issue taken care of prior to building ourz!

ZGATOR

I got my z at the end of August 2002 and the sound is poor. It would be interesting to see who likes or dislikes their sound system relative to delivery date.

1freelander1

My Z was delivered 9/12/2002 and the sound sucks, can't hear it at speed.

mattvols

Great letter. Thank you for taking the time to compose it and send it to Nissan. It will be interesting to hear their response.

kinnarda

I took delivery on January 3, and have no complaints about the bose system. Maybe they fixed it??