Hey guys, new owner of a 2003 350z Touring model. It's been having a lot of battery issues though - hopefully you guys can help me out. A few weeks ago, it just quit on me and would not jump start (also the voltmeter read nothing..). So, I had it towed and as it turned out I had to get the alternator replaced and get a new battery.

Everything was fine for a couple of weeks until the other day I tried unlocking it - and my key fob completely stopped working.. I thought it was an issue with the battery IN the fob itself so I replaced that - but no luck. I had to have the lock opened from the outside, and absolutely nothing worked once I got inside - power locks, dash lights, and of course the car would not start. However, a jump start worked. Today, went to try it again, key fob stopped working again... I'm a noob when it comes to stuff like this..I do not know what to do.

Also, why is there no driverside keyhole on my Z? Is this common for all 2003 models?

I appreciate any input you guys have, thanks!

 

??There is a keyhole on the driver's side.NONE on the passenger's side.
Only reason why there would be no key hole is a CF door handle cover etc.
Possibly this iswhere to start to look at the source of your problem.
Your car may have been in a wreck,or had damage to the door.
The door lock assembly may have been replaced.Could be something
screwed up in your security system.

 

Since you recently had some work done on the battery and alternator, those would be your most-likely suspects. Check all the electrical connections, especially at the battery. Makes a lot of sense, since a jump-start worked.

 

Hmm..I will check this out. But as far as I know, the car had not been in a wreck before I bought it (according to carfax).

And yea, it seems like there is a rubber "cap" over where the keyhole should be.

 

Hey guys, thought I'd update this as I found a solution to my problem (in case anyone ever has the same issue).

What happened was the car would not detect the trunk as closed completely, and the small hatch light in the back would drain the battery. I had seen the door open light in the dash before of course, but I always thought it was a bug because checking both doors and the trunk confirmed that they would not budge at all - they looked completely shut.

Regardless, as odd as this is, if I slam down hard enough on the trunk it "really" closes and therefore no more light being on = no more battery being drained.

I suspect that the reason I have to slam down so hard on the trunk to close it completely might have something to do with the fact that I had to replace the hatch struts a while back, but i don't know for sure.

 

Hmmm, hope that's it. That wouldn't happen in my '08. If I leave the doors or trunk open, after a while (maybe 30 minutes), the interior lights turn themselves off. You might want to see if your '03 is the same. If it is, then your current drain is elsewhere.

FYI, a nice and very inexpensive mod is to light the trunk area with LED's. Here's mine with an LED to replace the original bulb, and an LED strip under the strutbar:

 

^i like that