* I have an '04 PPW with 21K miles and manual tranny. I purchased it new in April of 2004.

I've pretty much always had difficulty shifting smoothly from 1st to 2nd when the ambient temps are cold or when I first start driving it. Sometimes it won't even let me in 2nd for a few seconds. It seems once the car is to temperature and the ambient temps are mild or warmer, it's not quite as bad... but still not as smooth as I think it should be but who am I ?? I've read a lot of the threads regarding the tranny problems on the early year 350Zs and didn't think mine was as bad as other's(probably me just in denial).

With my powertrain warranty up in April, I thought I better take it to the dealer and see if they notice a problem. I left it overnight so the tech could drive it while things were cold. Sure enough he duplicated my diagnosis. He called corporate and they said to change the tranny fluid and see if the problem persists. It did. Dealer called corporate again and they said they will replace my tranny with a refurbished one that's used in the later year 350Zs(from what I've read, they're better).

I just don't know if it's worth having all that work done on my car when the "new" tranny is going to be refurbished and mine is ALMOST fine when it's warmed up. It feels like this should be a no-brainer but for some reason I can't make up my mind. I would hate for the "new" one to be the same and have to either go through all this again or just deal with it for another 5 years. Am I worrying too much? Please, someone knock some sense in me.

Thanks, Chad

 

Synthetic and call it a day. My "NEW" tranny has even been a PITA on cold days.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. So in your opinion, it's not worth replacing. Is this mainly because you don't think what my tranny is doing is out of the ordinary....just pretty much how they operate?? Please take no offense, but I would really apreciate some more feedback before I call my dealer. I just want to be certain before I make this desicion....it's either do it now for free or later for thousands.

Thanks

 

In my 04 I have a C008 type trans and I don't have any problems with mine shifting in cold weather at all. Since you already have a new trans in motion and there willing to replace it FREE, I would take it since your current trans is 5 years old. That way later if it gets worse you don't regret not doing it and you have piece of mind. I would suggest asking them instead of giving you a refurbished trans, tell them you want a brand new one and see what they say.

 

Thanks for the insight....very useful information. The refurbished thing has me a little hesitant as you can tell but I never thought about just asking them for a brand new one. I wonder if they'll bend that far. I hope so. One thing I do know is that my dealer is taking care of this waay better than I imagined. Would you personally take the refurbished one yourself if a brand new one is out of the picture? Maybe I could offer to pay for the difference between the two.

Btw, is that your original trans?

 

^
+1. Ask for a new tranny..

If it is really bothering you, then go ahead and take what they offer you. If the new one still has problems, then at least you can say it was their fault bc the tranny came from them.

My 07 has a rough time shifting into first when it's cold. My brother's RX8 does the same exact thing. It's most likely that some people are more sensitive to this situation, and some people really just don't care b/c when the tranny warms up it runs great.

 

my 07 with 12000mi needs to warm up to shift it. in this cold weather things tend to get a little more dense before getting warmed up. my 300zx was the same way..

but if they're offering a new one, take it! new>old

 

I personally wouldn't take a refurbished one but that's just me, I like my things new. Its not unreasonable for you to want a new one and they should understand that. Just tell them your concerns regarding a "refurbished" transmission and what your options are going to be when your out of your powertrain warranty and what to do when the refurb they installed decides to go bad too. I wouldn't offer to pay a difference on anything, the car is still under warranty it should be completely free regardless if its new or a refurb. And to answer your question - yes I am on my Original trans and clutch at 55k with no problems.

 

Thanks a lot for all the feedback everyone. I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow. I'll let you know how things pan out.

Chad