I had the alignment done at 11k and last week with 16k took my Z back and was approved for new tires. I don't know if this answers the question as to what our warranty is good for, but I'm more than a little hesitant in letting them replace the tires at this point. If the fix is just around the corner, I should wait for new tires until the cause (not the symptom) is rectified. What do you suggest I do?

 

I have a track model that i got for xmas. I put the 1200 miles on in 2 months, took the car to the dealer in Feb and had the oil changed and the alignment checked, The dealer said that the car was within in specs but didn't give me any readings. Just took the car in for oil change at 5750 miles and had the alighnment checked. They said it was out of alignment and aligned the car.
No charge!! My front tires have just started to feather but they didn't do the rotation. I am planning a 4500 mile trip next week and will report what happens to the tires.

Az240z

 

Well, a sigh of relief for me. I checked my tires and I currently have 1440 miles and it doesn't seem as if they are feathering. I will check them regularly so I can catch it in its early stage. Thanks to all of you, I'm learning a lot.

 

I am always on the lookout for good dealer experiences here in Arizona. Which dealer did you use? Regards, Jim

 

It was at scottesdale nissan.
See you tomorrow at the meeting.

Az24z

 

I had major tire feathering starting at about 5,000 miles. It got progressively worse to the 9,500 mile mark. After this I took my car into the dealer and complained about the problem. They told me that there might be some "geometric issues" with the Z's suspension. Anyway, they checked the alignment (which was way off from spec), fixed it, and rotated the two front tires. I also noticed that they loaded up on the wheel balancing weights that are in the inside of the wheel towards the outer edge of the wheel (same place origional weights were, but with a lot more weight). I now have about 12,000 miles on the same tires and have not had the feathering come back. I wonder if this problem can really be fixed, or if it there is something related to the basic design of the car that is causing the feathering?

 

Just had my front tires rotated, they looked pretty bad, also had the alignment done, i don't know how to read the alignment data but i've been told that it was out of spec, i need to educate myself to read the data.

I've about 11,000 on the car, have had the problem since 7000, but I've not had the time to goto the service dept untill today.

I'm going to watch to see if the problem re-appears, i hope it goes aways, i don't want to be running in for repairs too often.

 

from here:
www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedan/112_0209_nissan350Z/index1.html

New "ripple-control" shock absorbers debut in the Z, featuring an internal lip that tends to minimize "pebbly" high-frequency harshness.

Could it be this specific shock allows a crappy tire(wear rating of 140) with big blocks to vibrate as the front of the tread block hits the pavement? In other words the suspension does not absorb the high frequency therefor the tire(rubber) takes the brunt of the energy?

Can camber be tweeked by spreading the front adjustable strut brace out? I mean maybe just a little bit?

Anyway my story is long.... trying to get this resolved, I'll post it. But as of today Nissan District manager Dutch DOERR(Richardson/Dallas) is refusing to fix the problem. And I think they messed up one of my wheels with a machine at Courtesy, (or the place they send them out to to swap them.)

Jees 10,000 down 500 a month for this headache/heartache.

 

Dutch is the DSM that my SM at Bankston Dallas has been talking to about my realignment at Hunter. Ask him what he knows of the test vehicle aligned at Hunter and what has happpened in the past 2000 miles. Why not try another car and by all means you are entitled to new freaking tires. Ask for the Regional SM if Dutch gets you no satisfaction. My SM swore that he was informed of my results. I hope it helps. My alignment numbers were posted a few posts back.

ezchief

 

I took mine in to have the Window TSB performed on both windows and told them about the loud noise while braking and that early signs show tire feathering. The tech drove the car, agreed with me and said it also pulls to the right. SOUND FAMILIAR?

I went to pick the car up thinking I would get the tires rotated and the new control arm... Nope, the service manager said my vin was not within the range and said the allignment was off so they adjusted it. The car still pulls to the right and the noise is still present. I think Nissan deserves a call.

I guess I should be happy. At least the grease streaks are gone. In short, I am having a much different experience than I did with my MKIV TT Toyota Supra (:

 

I'm similar to Whosdady - my car has ~ 9600 miles on it & have just started to get front inside feathering and the tire roar thing when stopping. Took it to dealer & they checked it out - said the front end was out of align & aligned the front only. Did not swap the front tires because it was not progressed enopugh to warrant. The roar is still there. I have no noticeable pull to the right.

This is all so weird because I had a 1990 Z and admittedly I did not drive like a maniac & did mostly freeway driving, I got maybe 50,000 miles on a set of tires - starting with the factory ones. I guess that was just in a galaxy far, far away.

 

I stopped by the dealer today. No new news on tire feathering or a repair.
Our car is going in to have its 7500mile checkup. I am going to give them one more time to try and fix my second set of feathered tires. If they find nothing wrong. We have decided to file a lemon law complaint in VA. They[Nissan] have 15 days to fix it or write me a check.

 

OK, I checked on my tires and I don't think that they are feathering. But, it looks like they loaded up on the weights insdie the rim on both of right tires. I'm still getting THE PULL to the right. Now, is this going to screw something up in the long run?? The thing that really pissed me off is they didn't tell me that they were doing this. I don't know if they rotated the front tires or not. I'll be calling them this morning and B***H someone out about this.

 

There is a TSB for pulling to the right.

Black Track.

 

AWESOME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!

So does the dealership know about TSB's? When I called them about the vehicle pulling to the right and referred to the TSB, they didn't seem to know or just acting as if they didn't know about it. Now all of these are to be repaired at no cost to me right??

 

There is no doubt that Nissan knows they have a problem. In fact, the problem is becoming very visible because of web pages and folks (owners) that care like us. I had my car aligned at 3000 miles because you could see wear, not cupping, on the outside of the front tires. My dealership admits there is a problem and is more than willing to work with me on it.
So far, the tires seem to be wearing better. All of us need to watch this situation very closely and if Nissan pulls a "there is no problem" response then we need to use every tool at our disposal to make them fess up to the situation.
It is a beautiful car and Nissan is too good to let it fail!!!:

 

I guess I am one of the latest victims of the dreaded feathering. I started hearing the noise from my tires at low speeds a week or two ago so today I brought it in to be checked out (7500 miles, Touring).

The service dept. mentioned the TSB and said it had to do with the way the earlier made cars were shipped. Anyway, they said they couldn't do anything to fix it today (it's Saturday) so we agreed to leave it at the dealer for further work come Monday. I didn’t seem concerned at the time but that was before reading all these messages.

First year car or not, this is UNACEEPTABLE. Tires and brakes are the two most important parts of any car, in terms of safety. No car company is going to compromise the safety of my family or me because of a flawed design, neglectful shipping, or the failure to come up with a permanent fix. Who’s to say that if the tires are making this much noise that they don’t present a potential driving danger. Why would anyone who had the means to buy a brand new car put up with such a risk?

By the looks of what everyone is writing, I feel I have a big fight on my hands because I will not settle for any temporary fix, not for a problem that creates tire malfunction. If that is what Nissan is doing, my challenge is for them to eat the car …7500 miles and all.

And for those who say this type of problem is typical of a first year car, I say good luck, buckle-up and I sincerely hope you stay safe in your super-quick, ultra-good-looking potential road hazard.

 

I have been researching this issue since learning about this apparent defect in these message boards.

The TSB from Nissan states that the problem of tire road noise, otherwise known as feathering tire wear (TSB reference # NTB03-006) applies to cars with vin #s 4958 and under (350Zs with side air bags) and vins #s 4023 and under (350Zs without side air bags).

According to Nissan, these vehicles were built prior to September 19, 2002. Further, the service dept. at my local dealer mentioned that the problem was caused during the shipping of the cars. This would imply that they caught onto the shipping problem and corrected it sometime after the 19th of Sept.

The question is, is this accurate information, or is Nissan creating false information to stall for time and or limit their liability? I wonder if anyone is experiencing this problem on a car with a vin # later than 4958 (side airbag car) or 4023 (no side air bags)?

 

It's ********. #6xxx. Car was not even out of alignment. Got new tires on Nissan so they must not follow their own TSB.

 

VIN #6616, Build Date 10/02
Black Touring 6-sp (Side Airbags)

TSB performed at 4200 miles. Tire swap & alignment. The VIN range is bull$hit.

I had to change service writers at my dealership. The 1st one didn't think it was a problem. I had the 2nd one feel the tires and go for a ride with me. As soon as I hit the brakes the first time he agreed it was a problem.