Hang in there, folks, don't give up. Every single convertible has failing components, not only Nissan 370Zs. Where there are moving parts, things will wear out. The good news is, there are some helpful folks on this forum, and (barring unforeseen circumstances) we will sooner or later create a pretty good DIY for convertible top troubleshooting and repair. That will help your wallets big time, and it will keep up the value of 370Z roadsters. The more details we get from 370Z roadster owners with malfunctioning tops on this forum, the more complete the DIY guide will be.
This early in the car's life cycle, most failures are likely from faulty installation, which affects hydraulic hoses (if you find oil anywhere) or wires (being pulled too tight or chaffing). Such failures will almost always be around hinges (storage cover or roof top frame). For example, there is no need to replace a whole wiring harness if you can identify which wire is bad, and simply repair that wire.
In the long run, there will predominantly be leaks from the hydraulic cylinders, which happens to every modern convertible with a hydraulic top (except for the few with manual or completely electric tops, which are rare by now).
Almost all hydraulic cylinders are easy to get to on the 370Z, so hydraulic cylinder replacement is definitely a DIY job for almost anyone with some determination. Top Hydraulics is already offering core exchange for the pump
Nissan 370Z Hydraulic Pump Rebuild/Upgrade, and we will be adding core exchange for the cylinders shortly. With core exchange, you get parts from Top Hydraulics' rebuilt inventory first, then you swap them into your car and ship back your originals for core refund. That way, you can get the job done in one go, once you have identified which parts are bad.
Klaus
