Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

gbhrps · 01-05-2020, 07:39 PM

13overpar,

With 2 posts you are obviously new to the forum and new to the top issues that we could all share with our Z's, and there are some known issues.

First off, you need to be very specific with exactly what is going wrong with your top. You say the 5th bow won't collapse and go into the storage compartment .. and you state its the hydraulics ... but you can't open the top manually?

That's a lot of summations of what the problem is ... but not any info on how you know these are the issues, and what you've done to correct any of them.

Now, to what we as a group have been able to find as the problems for most top failures and how to get around them and correct them.

Many car manufacturers have bailed on trying to correct convertible top issues, because they are so time consuming to fix, and because there are so few convertibles out there that their technicians have no experience fixing them. Nissan's fix (and many other car companies as well .. is to just replace the entire top with a new top to the tune of $13000 (Ferrari charges $35000). They simply don't want any call backs if after spending $ 5000 on a fix, the top still isn't correct. So they replace everything ... on your pocket book at $13000. Guaranteed fix.

On YouTube there are a number of videos by "TopHydraulics.com" (a company from Oregon that rebuilds hydraulics convertible top systems to better than new through their upgrade products), that take you through the steps of how to diagnose what is wrong with your 370Z top mechanism.

They have 6 or 7 videos that show how to fix just about all the things that can go wrong with your 370Z top. You need to watch all of them, to gain an insite on where to start diagnosing your top problem.

Your issue may not be hydraulic at all but electrical. Where the elbows of the top mechanism bend, the wires flex and bend and may have broken or shorted out, rendering your top inoperative at specific steps in its movement. The videos will help you narrow it down.

If any part of your hydraulics need fixing, they can do it better than a factory replacement ... which you can't even buy from Nissan! Check Top Hydraulics site!!! Nissan will sell you a new bow or top cloth, but none of the hydraulics or electrical parts!!!! Check their online parts to see for yourself.

So ... check the videos, all of them, and then armed with that knowledge ... try to fix it yourself if you are a competent DIYer, .... or armed with those videos and the factory service manual section for the convertible top ... find a good convertible top repair shop and correct your situation for a lot less than $13000.

Be aware that most electrical issues ocurr at the top compartment hinge wherethe main wiring harness goes up the driver's side of the top. Good Luck!

01-05-2020, 07:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
gbhrps Base Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 213 Drives: 2016 RDSTR TS 6spd Rep Power: 7996	13overpar, With 2 posts you are obviously new to the forum and new to the top issues that we could all share with our Z's, and there are some known issues. First off, you need to be very specific with exactly what is going wrong with your top. You say the 5th bow won't collapse and go into the storage compartment .. and you state its the hydraulics ... but you can't open the top manually? That's a lot of summations of what the problem is ... but not any info on how you know these are the issues, and what you've done to correct any of them. Now, to what we as a group have been able to find as the problems for most top failures and how to get around them and correct them. Many car manufacturers have bailed on trying to correct convertible top issues, because they are so time consuming to fix, and because there are so few convertibles out there that their technicians have no experience fixing them. Nissan's fix (and many other car companies as well .. is to just replace the entire top with a new top to the tune of $13000 (Ferrari charges $35000). They simply don't want any call backs if after spending $ 5000 on a fix, the top still isn't correct. So they replace everything ... on your pocket book at $13000. Guaranteed fix. On YouTube there are a number of videos by "TopHydraulics.com" (a company from Oregon that rebuilds hydraulics convertible top systems to better than new through their upgrade products), that take you through the steps of how to diagnose what is wrong with your 370Z top mechanism. They have 6 or 7 videos that show how to fix just about all the things that can go wrong with your 370Z top. You need to watch all of them, to gain an insite on where to start diagnosing your top problem. Your issue may not be hydraulic at all but electrical. Where the elbows of the top mechanism bend, the wires flex and bend and may have broken or shorted out, rendering your top inoperative at specific steps in its movement. The videos will help you narrow it down. If any part of your hydraulics need fixing, they can do it better than a factory replacement ... which you can't even buy from Nissan! Check Top Hydraulics site!!! Nissan will sell you a new bow or top cloth, but none of the hydraulics or electrical parts!!!! Check their online parts to see for yourself. So ... check the videos, all of them, and then armed with that knowledge ... try to fix it yourself if you are a competent DIYer, .... or armed with those videos and the factory service manual section for the convertible top ... find a good convertible top repair shop and correct your situation for a lot less than $13000. Be aware that most electrical issues ocurr at the top compartment hinge wherethe main wiring harness goes up the driver's side of the top. Good Luck!