Well gang it looks like my issue has been resolved thanks to the gents at Precision Z in Canoga Park, CA. My quest to figure out my problem to begin with started with my uncle (a retired mechanic), Glendale Nissan, AAMCO and this place.
With all the info I collected from all these sources I concluded that the problem did originate from low/bad transmission fluid and it being a "sealed transmission" (referenced in my first post), I began to look for a place to do the job.
I called a few dealerships beginning with Glendale and Universal. Glendale Nissan quoted me $169.99+tax for the job even after explaining to them that the fluid alone should run me about $120. They got pretty defensive and began to evade my questions and concluded with: we have to replicate your problem by leaving your car overnight. They wouldn't even simply do the job anymore, but instead wanted to replicate the issue that was intermittent. The attitude was unnerving as I just walked out after getting such lousy service from the SERVICE center. Universal City Nissan had no idea that fluid changes on the Z were possible. I then called Fontana Nissan who knew what I was talking about and assured me they could get the job done. The only reason I didn't proceed with them is because Fontana is very far from everything in my life and I couldn't manage a trip out there any time soon. Although I was happy to hear of some sort of professionalism from a Nissan dealership. AAMCO, as professional as they are, simply didn't want to deal with it.
Then came my best bet: I found a reference to Precision Z on this site and gave them a call. I spoke to Sean who literally gave me an entire rundown on what it takes to do a fluid swap on my Z. The man spoke like an accomplished rocket scientist and with a certainty that instilled confidence. He went over the process in utter detail that was involved and how tough it was considering the nature of the sealed tranny. I was sold on his knowledge base alone. I can tell there's passion in this shop.
I ended up dropping my car off to stay overnight so that they can work on it first thing in the morning. Upon picking my car up towards the end of the day (around 4pm) I was welcomed by an older gentleman who was an absolute pleasure to talk to (we talked about GTRs, performance parts, how the shop is doing, pricing on parts and how silly Nissan is for printing "maintenance free" in the owners manual regarding the transmission). Sean came around and explained to me how he couldn't believe how nasty my transmission fluid was. It was apparently black (I guess it shouldn't be) and asked me about what I "do" to my car. I smiled at that question because lately I have been flogging the Z on the highways
. He then explained to me how strange the car felt on the test drive, almost as if the car wasn't sure what gear to be in. As soon as the fluid was changed, suddenly the car felt right.
They had underbid the work on my Z and stuck to their promised estimate which was a little under $300; which speaks volumes about their integrity and their attention to old school values in business.
And best of all, my problem is solved and the car feels tighter than ever.
Bottom line: in SoCal you'll never find a combination of honesty, quality work and fair pricing all in the same car shop. Precision Z makes that happen. If I ever need anything done (brakes next) I know where I'm going.
Precision Z
(818) 716-6744
21417 Ingomar St, Ste 3, Canoga Park, CA 91304