It's not that bad, it's just notchey... Push the clutch all the way down before you start your shifts and shift above 2,500 and you'll have little problems. I've got 70k on mine and it's not that bad, nor does it distract me or hinder my ability to shift in any way.

I have an 03 with 60k miles on it. No tranny problems and the previous owner drove the piss out of the car and so do I.

Other problem is tire feathering but that is solved with a set of camber bolts and an alignment. Other then that, nothing wrong with the car, pick it up.

i've got an 03 with NO PROBLEMS!!! perhaps its because i take care of it, and know how to drive!

Fixed, camber bolts have nothing to do with the feathering problem. Hell , what are camber bolts ??? I know we can get toe bolts but ....

Or you could take out a warranty with a different company and pay about the same money and get it fixed that way and ifanythign else goes worng your covered. duh. I dont know where u got your tranny replaced but they clearly did a **** job and used crappy tranny's bc if you got the revised tranny you should have been fine, that or you just suck at shifting and its your fault your tranny's keep getting blown out which seems more likely. The only other prob i heard was with tire feathering which mine has never done thank god, knock on wood. 06 is worse they burn oil like crazy.

Guys, guys... I think we have been down this road a few times. Some grind, some don't, some dealers help you, some suck. And sometimes is the driver, sometimes the car. I think the OP got the idea by now. :)

Lets all get along and go grind some more walnuts with our shifters... :icon17:

OP
If you have a tranny concern check with your local dealer before buying the car. I am the third owner of my car and warranty was over per the time line. I asked nicely and got the new transmission for free. Always remember that when you approach the service departments they treat you better if you act as though they are helping you rather than they owe you.

i had mine replaced, per nissan warranty, last November (@ 29,000 miles). 3rd gear grind, something else was problematic as well. they replaced the entire transmission and clutch. smooth like butter now! just make sure the car is under warranty.

now, if i only had time to drop if off to fix the rear axle click!

got mine replace under warranty no questions asked and then even gave me a new clutch under warrany.

How nice did you have to ask and what did you say? Mine is out of waranty and I am the third owner. I would defiantley like to get anew tranny for nothing.

3rd and 5th... bad syncros. 60k miles on my 03 and still grinds on occasion... and this is after Nissan claims to have 'fixed' the problem. :rolleyes:

May have something to do with your problem. Statements like this really make me wonder my people complain about the transmission.

My 03 has 62K miles on the original and is holding very well. I was experiencing an occasional grind going into 2nd but that has mysteriously stopped about 6 months ago. Hasn't happened since then. Slamming or forcing things into gears is never a good idea. Machinery has to do its work and that takes time. If you force things in or slam gears, you will break something eventually. You have to work with the machinery, not against it, to obtain optimal results.

Maybe I should start working on a guide "HOW-TO shift correctly with MT". Based on the number of posts that I see like above the lack of knowledge in this area may need to be addressed. Draoz4, I didn't mean to single you out, just using your post as a victim for my rant.

By slamming it in I am sure he means just shifting quickly.

For myself, I have been driving manual cars for 15 years and have never had a car grind like this one. Also, it is only 2 gears and all others are fine with the same shifting method.

There is definately an issue.

Vroooooom -> shift
Vroooooom -> shift
Vroooooom -> GRIND
Vroooooom -> shift
Vroooooom -> GRIND
Vroooooom -> decelerate

Cuz your shifting = god... right?

same exact thing here with my 03 at about 30k miles

I got my tranny swapped at 41k , and i actually like the way the old tranny shifts. I've now got 25k on the new 009 tranny its just now as smooth as the old one.

BTW i bought my car with the 5th gear grind, and have been driving manuel for 18 years.

it took me some time to get used to shifting into 1st smoothly. The car just feels like it has a high release point compared to other cars i was used to driving. It grew on me after a couple of weeks though.

Had a 3rd gear grind around 30K (at 35k now). Nissan replaced it within 1 day. No questions - just a small hassle. It has something to do with the syncros not properly aligning.

I spoke to Nissan Canada today and they said to take it to the dealer to get diagnosed and to call them back and they will see if they will fix it.

I called the local dealer and they said they would put someone on it that was familiar with the 350z "Issue".

Sounds like I might get this fixed for nothing even though I am outside my waranty period. :)