i have noticed through the winter on occasion that when i have popped the hatch the mechanism wont let go all the way and when i go to open it, it is still latched even though it popped up the usual inch or so. i have done my homework here and researched this repairing forum and found a thread dated back in december of 02 with the last response early of 03, basically last winter. It seemed that the foregone conclusion was that if a weight on the hatch was removed this problem would be corrected. well the thread died pretty much when the spring of 03 started, this seems to be somewhat related to the cold.

my question is for those who have removed the weight, did it work? were you able to make it through the winter without it getting caught? also is there a less invasive way of fixing this so i dont have to pry open my hatch panels? and finally, is it worth it, does this problem just progress to happening all year round? if its only a cold issue, and if there is marked increase wind noise after the fix, much like the window grease and amp fix, i wont mess with it. any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

I removed the weight and yet I still have a problem about 4 out of 10 tries it doesn't open. I have to do the ole ' push the button while pulling up on the hatch ' trick.

 

so has anyone ever brought this up to their dealer. to me this sounds as if this would definately qualify as a warranty fix, is there is one out there.

 

oh yeah i forgot to ask if this was something that seemed to have only happened in the winter/cold. did you have the problems over the summer, or did it just return when the temperature dropped? also did i read correctly where you have a modded wing on your car? mine has nothing, not even the stock wing.

 

I have the same problem....and mine happens all year round. I haven't brought it to the dealer's attention because my dealer is 30 minutes away and I'm not going to take the car in just for that. Therefore when I have other warranty issues I forget to mention the hatch release.

 

I myself have experienced the same disfunction. It appears to me to be a winter related problem, and I imagine it is something us new englanders have to deal with and a yearly basis. I be intereseted to know if removing that weight works--we heard from one but I wonder what the percentages are. Myself I don't drive my car in inclement weather, I have a winter beater for the bad stuff. What I have also found is that the windows will freeze shut with a good icing or snow fall. has anyone else noticed that their windows do this also?

 

my dealer situation is the same here. the one local is a jack*ss so i have one about 40 minutes away in cincinnati. i am due for my next oil change in the next 2 weeks so i was going to address it then along with the other minor-moderate situations such as creaks and cracks with road bumps. thats why i started this thread back up. to see if anyone had any ideas so i could coach my dealer.

as good as any dealer is in the country, this is still a new car and new problems to these techs. in my opinion they need all the help and tips that we can give them and this forum is the perfect place to get those tips.

 

Yea...my local dealer is 5 mintues away and they are a joke.


I agree...get all the info you can on here to help the techs out. Maybe those tow black springy things that make the hatch pop up when released can be adjusted to push harder??

 

I installed the OEM wing myself, removed the weight, put the struts that came with the wing package in, and want to hear the craziest thing? Mine doesnt go up all the time but my friends, we left the weight in (cuz we didnt know what it was) and we didnt replace the struts (cuz we didnt know how to at that time) and his opens more than mine.. crazy.. and mine is cold related, its fine (or was) this past summer

 

Actually my Z is in the shop right now and the latch thing was on the to-do list. (#1 was the tire feathering issue). I'll let ya know what they do as soon as I get the car back.

Justin

 

So different struts come with the cars that have the OEM wing??? I have the aero kit on my touring...came with it from the factory.

 

After two trips to the dealer.. where they did nothing.. on my last trip I insisted I sit with the tech to show him before I would leave the car with them.

It started itteriment on my car, worse when cold. Over time got to the point where it would never work on its own, I would have to get a finger under it and hit the latch again. It just got progressivly worse over time.

When the tech looked at it, he thought maybe it was just an adjustment, but he ordered new stays (the gas struts) to replace mine. It got as bad as when it was really cold out (less then 20deg) the hatch would not hold itself up AT ALL.

Since getting my car back, the hatch has failed to open only ONCE. So I'd say its been fixed, its been 3+ weeks and its worked every time but that one time.

First two times at the dealer they said 'could not duplicate'.. which is why I made the tech come out with me on the last time. It was getting way too frustrating.

Trust me, it progressivly gets worse.

 

I am having the problem also and have talked to the dealer about it once when bringing it in for feathering. He said that he could not duplicate the problem (warm day). Mine does seem to be temperature related; but, with Spring approaching I am hoping that it will improve. If it still happens, I'll just add it to the list ...

1) Driver's seat shifting
2) Grease streaks
3) Feathering
4) Driver's seat shifting ... again
5) New front tires for the feathering
6) Latch
7) ...

 

Mine has started to do it too. The service guy said he had fixed the problem on another Z by replacing the black springs on the hatch. He ordered some for mine , awaiting their arrival.

 

I have had a set of the hatch springs on order for a few months now. I removed the weight from the deck lid last winter, but it only helped for a while. I suggested that the real problem was the gas springs, but my dealer (who is very cool) wants to try the little springs first.

 

Mine is all messed up, it NEVER works. I do think it is just the cold, as it worked last summer/fall. I am afraid my dealer will give me the shaft if I try to get the springs replaced because I have dynamat in the hatch. Guess I will try to just remove the weight first.

 

Got the car back today. They told me that I needed a new spring. They ordered it for me, and would install it as soon as they got it. Oh well.

Justin

 

Here's my theory.

I think the little black springy things arn't strong enough...especially in cold temps. I'm going to try and put some kind of spacer inbetween the springs and where they rest when the hatch is closed...I'll report back. If that doesn't work...I'm taking the damn thing to the dealer AGAIN.

 

BTW.. it took over 2 weeks for my gas stays to arrive after the dealer ordered them.

I think you all are wasting your time on the springs.. push for the gas stays. I think you'll find if you play with it closely the hatch doesn't open very strongly on its own.. even after its unlatched.

I lived with the problem for over a year before I gave up and forced the dealer to look at it with me right there.

You'll see it in the summer too.. just wait.

 

i have the nismo spoiler and my trunk latch works most of the time but not all of the time