i just traded in my 05 wrx for an 03 350z touring. well the navigation door wont open. i have to manually open it. i was just wondering if anyone has fixed this themselves. the z isnt under warranty anymore so i would like to try and fix it myself before taking it in. any help appreciated.

 

Do you have Navi? When you say you manually open it, the Z's with Navi do not allow you to manually open it. Its driven by a motor and gears.

 

^ '03 doors are opened manually

 

Pics/video of the problem?

 

In my 03 Touring w/o Navigation. You simply press the button at the bottom of the door and it should slide into the recess by itself. However, to close the door you have to pull it down manually.

 

the door wont open on its own. i press the button with my thumb and push the upper part of the door/lid with my fingers and slide it in all manually.
there is no clunking or weird noises almost as if there never was a mechanism to open it. it comes in and out very smoothly.

oh yea, no nav.

 

If you're up to it, get behind there and see what's going on:
http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/dash_removal/

If you take it to the dealer they will probably say you need a new one, keep your car for a week and charge you $400.

Good luck!

 

03 doors are manual open. trust me, they are better then auto open!

 

By "manual," do you mean press the button and it retracts automatically then you have to pull it closed manually? That's they way mine works.

 

^Yes.

 

thats a great write up im gonna have to check it out when it warms up outside. ill keep you guys updated.

 

I have posted about this problem before and didnt get much feedback. I have the same problem with my 05z. Sometimes it opens, most times it doesnt. Im afraid that if I manually try to open it, Ill break it. I called the dealership and they quoted me between $400-900 depending on what the problem is.

 

wow thats really gay, im gonna have to throw some rubber bands in there haha jk

yours is electronic though isnt it? i would figure it would be more expensive to fix yours..

 

fixed it! woohoo! dont know if anyone really cares but if someone out there has the same problem this might be the fix! ill post the pics if someone needs em otherwise. thanks to eeryone that helped!

 

^ please post pics of anything you did........it helps as a point of reference for anyone else in the future..

thanks...

-J

 

Yes please post pics

 

Alright guys I'll be posting pics soon I work third shift at a prison so maybe tonight.

 

ok first off:
sorry for the iphone pics! i wish it would focus close up!
im sure there is plenty of different ways you can think of to fix this.
this is just to show how i fixed it and what it might possibly be if your door is not working as it should.

i used this link to get into the dash:
http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/dash_removal/

stop at step 15 and then continue here:

this is what i used
-pair of needle nose pliers
-medium-big crosshead screw driver
-super glue (the precision tip really helped)
-metal hanger (precut in the pic)
-navigation/compartment assembly


ok, right above the stereo you will see this. remove the screws circled in red:
photo-11.jpg?t=1265414024

it should come straight out:
photo3-7.jpg?t=1265414343

here is the problem (with mine anyway):
photo5-5.jpg?t=1265414425

this is supposed to be connected to this with a small rod/pin (never actually found the pin)
photo-12.jpg?t=1265414531

this is how i fixed it: i glued in between the breaks and held them together for 1 minute, i then glued the top and the bottom of the crack. let dry for 5 minutes
photo2-9.jpg?t=1265414656

i clipped a piece of the metal hanger and bent one end of it.
i put the rings together and with the needle nose pliers i slid the homemade pin through.
photo4-5.jpg?t=1265414983

your done! reverse the tear down process and enjoy.


i was wanting to bend the other side also but was to scared to break the clips again. its been 3 days and its still working perfectly fine. the little sliding mechanism that pulls the door back has enough tension so my homemade pin wont slide out. if it ever fails ill let you all know about it!

 

images weren't showing for me
so I fixed them

 

In your picture you connect two pieces with a piece of clothes hanger. What are the two pieces you are connecting? I can't seem to find them.