aireq

Just out of curiosity, if they diagnose the transmission of my car and decide that there's nothing wrong with it, but it is under warrenty I shouldn't have to pay them anything for the diagnosis right?

Spike100

^^ Eric,

In this situation (demonstrating a problem with your transmission), you will do exactly what the dealer does, just in reverse-mode.

Make an appointment at your dealer for routine maintenance (e.g., schedule an oil change), and at that appointment (when you arrive) tell the service guy your transmission is grinding. Of course you must substantiate any claim you make (i.e.; if you say the transmission is grinding, you must be able to demonstrate this).

Then you insist upon taking a technician for a test drive where you demonstrate the problem. Don’t take “No” for an answer. Be forceful and insistent.

Do the test drive, demonstrate the problem, and make sure the technician agrees with you.

If you do this, you show the problem; and you get a the new and improved transmission without paying anything. The new transmission is much better (not “notchy” and shifts smoothly).

--Spike

aireq

OK now I have a "problem". I can't seem to reliably make it grind, or shift hard. Obviously I'd rather just get a new tranny, but I don't think I'm going to be able to convince the dealership that there is anything wrong with my current transmission just because it's notchy.

If my warrenty runs out later, and the transmision becomes a problem does anyone have any idea what it would cost to purchase and install a new one. Would there be any point in purchasing some kind of extended warrenty now?


Eric

Nihsnek

iTrader: (12)

Have one of the Tech Reps drive it and see if he can feel the stiffness. You might have to find the "right" rep that understands the early yr. Z trannys were pretty bad. Anyways, GL..I am on the same route as you(trying to get the newer revised tranny too)

Spike100

If the problem is only “notchy,” and you cannot do a fast and forceful shift that makes a grinding noise, I doubt Nissan will replace your transmission. Reading your last message it sounds as though your transmission is working well (other than it’s the older version that is not nearly as nice as the updated/improved Z transmission).

Note: To test the transmission’s synchromesh, you need to aggressively “slam” it into gear (6th to 5th… 4th to 3rd…2nd from anything). If you do this and it grinds, you have a faulty transmission. If you do this and it doesn’t grind, your transmission is alright (and doesn’t need replacement).

--Spike

aireq

Ok I'm dropping it off tommrow. If the tech says there's nothing wrong with it that's what I'll do.

Do dealers have some kind of global reporting system? Like if I end up trying with another dealer in the area, are they able to tell that I've already been told that there's nothing wrong with it from another dealer?


Eric

Spike100

You might be suffering from paranoia.

There is no tracking from dealer to dealer until the work is actually performed. If one dealer denies warranty work, you can go to another dealer without concern. If you register a complaint with Nissan, that might be available to any of the dealerships (but it’s unlikely they will see this until/before they perform any warranty work).

--Spike

Ziggyrama

iTrader: (15)

Bringing this thread back from the dead.

My 2nd gear grinds about 50% of the time when it's cold. It does not matter if I am gentle or not, going from 1st to 2nd makes that crunch noise. I can feel resistance from the transmission and I know if I try to force it, it will grind even harder. I don't like to force things so I haven't do this but I am convinced it's a problem. It used to be only when it was cold but I am noticing that it's starting to do this occasionally when things are warmed up too. Since it does not happen all the time, I fear the dealer will give me the good old 'can't reproduce' crap. Since it happens more when the car is cold, I think I should drop the car off the night before and have them try it when it's cold. The problem is I won't be there to talk to the tech. Any advice on my situation? I have an 03 with extended warranty so I still have time but it seems like it's slowly getting worse and if it's bad, I want a new and improved transmission.

EDIT: I just wanted to mention that my Z is bone stock as far as the drivetrain is concerned. All I have is wheels, radio and K&N drop-in.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

So has the car been in service for 60 months or what?

aireq

I got pulled into a presentation at work and missed my appointment. However, I just ran a carfax on my car. The first owner was reported on 10/15/2002. So that would mean my drive train warrenty has expired correct?

I tried forcing it into gear and I can't get it to grind regularly. It seems harder to shift More then anything is just feels really notchy. If I can't get it replaced under warrenty is there something else I can do to make it shift easier? I had the same problem in my other cars and people always suggest switching to Redline MTL tranny fluid.

kspec

mine feels notchy too and when i slowly go into second gear, i feel the actual "gear" thingy and feel it push out my shifter then allow me to bring it back in. its weird..

Spike100

Sounds like you’re past the drive train warranty expiration date. And, it sounds from what you say (“I tried forcing it into gear and I can't get it to grind regularly.”) that you are not experiencing a fault.

Grinding while shifting is objective (and easily demonstrated); “notchy” is subjective (a debatable and “feel” thing).

Re:> “If I can't get it replaced under warrenty is there something else I can do to make it shift easier? I had the same problem in my other cars and people always suggest switching to Redline MTL tranny fluid.”

Of course there are some things to try, but what you are noticing isn’t that big a deal. You’re focusing on this because we’ve (Members here on the Forum) told you the next generation of transmission is better. But, that would be true in any case (Nissan continually improves the car). I guess to get the latest and greatest, you need to trade your Z for a newer model.

--Spike

DManator

My 03 feels really notchy too. It doesn't grind though, it's more of an annoyance than a problem for me. Maybe this summer I'll try some synthetic tranny fluid.

aireq

Well it doesn't bug me as much when I know its suppose to be like that.

toy4two

even if its out of warrranty take it in anyway. Get a major service done by the dealer (they make bank on that) and then mention the tranny is grinding. They replaced my tranny with a 009 and I was 5k miles out of warranty, 65k to be exact. Some dealers do this as good will, especially if you just paid $$$ for a major 60k service. Pretty cool!

aireq

It does need it's 50k tune up.. ..any idea what a dealer charges for something like that?

Eric

Project3fiftyZ

iTrader: (4)

I am starting to become aware of this as well. I live in NoVa and when it gets colder my 2nd gear becomes a pain in the *** to get into. I just picked up this 06 enthusiast w/6300 miles on October which is what makes me think I def should not be experiencing this issue. The car does not want to go into second gear. You can hear and feel the grinding. I was hoping that I was just being paranoid but I did a search and found this thread which leads me to believe that I actually have a legit problem.

If there are any others with problems with an 06 post up what happened when you took it in for service. I actually have to make an appt for an oil change soon so I will include this in there as well.

Ziggyrama

iTrader: (15)

Well, I stopped by the dealer and explained what was happening. I happened to have a outstanding recall on the car so I made an appointment to have that done as well as have them assess the health of the transmission. I am hoping they will be able to reproduce the problem. The service manager didn't seem too surprised when I explained to him the problem. He asked me:

1. Did I do 30K oil change in the transmission? Yes

2. Do I drive my Z daily? Yes

That was it. My appointment is on the 21st. We'll see what happens. Another interesting point to mention is that it turns out the service manager is my neighbor. He lives several houses down my street. I saw him put his kids into the school bus the other day while I was driving by. What are the odds? I'll make sure that he'll notice my address when he sees the paperwork

Spike100

I repeat: The Z is a high performance car meant to provide an exceptional driving experience. Normal operation of its transmission means smooth and silky shifts, and you shouldn’t expect anything less than this. If you cannot put your car into a gear easily (and certainly without grinding), that’s a major problem.

I cannot imagine that Nissan would deliberately attempt any escape of a legitimate warranty claim, and I believe they are concerned and dedicated to correcting defects. It only makes sense to do this. Nissan isn’t stupid. In my experience, if you have a legitimate problem, Nissan wants the problem fixed.

--Spike

350ZediMastiff

I have a 2007 and I have this same problem..... quite frequently actually. I am always grinding 2nd gear under hard acceleration and the car has only 5000 miles on it. Excuse my ignorance, but I am assuming the 07 would have the opdated 009 tranny?