fyousuf

Hello all. I did a one year update a while back, and now it's time for the 6 year update.

I bought my 2017 370Z at the end of 2016. It's been 6 years and 3 months now (Mar 2023). I've put 170,000km (105,633 miles) on the car so far.

I intend to keep the 370Z as long as possible because I love it and new car prices are insane. It makes perfect financial sense to maintain your car well to make it last as long as possible.

My overall thoughts are:
* I love my Z. It brings a smile to my face everytime I look at it.
* It still looks better than most cars on the road.


Here is a list of biggest issues I had with the Z in the last 6 years
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# July 2017
The 370Z engine stopped while I was driving on the highway between cities. This was a bizzarre incident because I've never experienced something like that before. The issue was the alternator! I towed the car to the dealer and it took them a few days to replace the alternator under warrenty. I paid for the towing and cost of staying in a hotel + renting a car. I had plenty of cash at the time, so the cost did not bother me much, it was the inconvience that upset me. In addition, how the hell does an alternator fail a few months after purchasing a brand new car?!

# Aug 2018 ($2000)
The biggest issue I had with the Z happened in Aug 2018, a year and 8 months into ownership. I had to replace the radiator and associated parts at the dealer. Nissan is not to blame for this! It's the nature of the terrain in Saudi Arabia. The country is mostly desert. When I got the car, I lived in a remote region and I had to drive for many hours (4, 6, 7) each way several times a month. Since I had a fast sports car and there was little to no speed cameras, I let it rip many, many times on those roads. What I did Not understand is that driving at high speed through sand storms is a VERY bad idea. Close to half of raditor surface was damaged beyond repair. I tried to have it cleaned but that did not work. The engine overheated (the only time in 6 years) while I was driving in rush hour traffic OVER A BRIDGE. Thankfully, I was able to drive off the bridge and had the car towed to the dealer shop which was 15 minutes away. The dealer replaced the radiator and relevant items and the car has been working OK since.

Mar 2021 ($400)
The engine was having trouble starting and the RPM was fluctuating instead of being steady. I took the Z to the dealer. They said the throttle bodies need to be replaced. However, the dealer did not have them in stock. I decided to order them from Concept Z Performance web site. They arrived in about a week and both of them cost less than the price of ONE throttle body at the dealer!

June 2021 ($1287)
In June, I decided to go to a tourist site (AL ULLA) that is 682km (423 miles) to the north of my home city. The trip to the site was pleasant. On the way back, maybe 20 minutes into the drive, the A/C stopped cooling. It was blowing just air, and since the temp outside was around 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), the air being blown at my face was mighty warm, to say the least. That was one of the worst experiences of my life, but wait, there is more. I still had about 5 hours left to get home. The tourist site was inside a desert location. After a couple of hours of driving, while I was sweating like a dog, the road turned down towards the south and I was now driving along the Red Sea. The winds blowing from the sea reduced the temp by 10 degrees. I was driving with the windows down and my spirt was up. A few minutes later, the winds blowing from the Red Sea picked up, and the next thing you know, it's a full blown sand storm. So, I had to close the windows which turned the car into an oven! THAT was to worst experience of my life, hands down. The moral of the story is that no matter how bad the situation is, it can always get worse. I got home safely, thank God. Next day, early morning, I went to the dealer and had my A/C compressor replaced in a couple of hours. It's been 4 and half years at that point and it's acceptable for the A/C compressor to go out. Saudi Arabia is hot to very hot about 9 months of the year (exception in the south-west region where cities are on top of mountains). So the A/C system is heavly used most of the year.

Mods that I've purchased
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* Metra SSTKT Ballistic Sound Dampening Trunk Kit ($86 Amazon)
There was a lot of road noise coming from the trunk area. I searched Amazon and selected this item. I had it applied to the trunk (after removing the carpet, BOSE base, spare tire, etc). The difference in noise was noticable. This is a must.

* Motordyne M370 Intake Manifold ($593)
The first mod that I've installed. It's supposed to add a little bit of power but the biggest effect is the sound. The engine sounds more like a sports car now. This mod is worth it just for the sound.

* AEM Short Cold Air Intake ($380)
Cleaning the OEM air filters is incredibly easy and takes a few seconds to remove the filter. Replacing the OEM air filter box with this stupid AEM intake was a major fail and I learned my lesson. Removing the cover from this AEM intake was difficult and took many minutes every time. After a couple months, I decided to remove it and go back to using the OEM boxes. First, the country is hot to very hot most of the year; so the notion of "cold air" is bull$hit. Second, the Nissan GT-R comes with the same filter boxes. If the OEM filter is good enough for a 600hp GT-R, then it's definitely good enough for my 370Z. No more AEM "cold" air intake. The same applies to the Stillen Twin Air Intake Gen3.

* Greddy Evolution GT Catback Exhaust System ($1,283)
I was not satisfied with the OEM exhaust. I searched for a replacement and finally decided to go with the Greddy Evolution GT Catback Exhaust. I've had it installed at the Nissan dealer in the afternoon. Once I drove home, I was shocked how incredibly loud the exhaust was. It was unbearable. For the first time, I was not enjoying driving my Z. Next day early morning, I went to the same dealer and had them put back the OEM exhaust. The level of noise coming from the Greddy exhaust is like driving a very loud motor bike. Don't ever buy this Greddy exhaust unless you enjoy driving a VERY LOUD car.

* Morimoto XB LED Headlights ($1,275)
The OEM headlights are decent enough. But the look of the 3 LED lights, the sequential turn signal and the tinted exterior is beautiful, to say the least. This is a must if you have the money.

Mods that intend to purchase
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* Morimoto XB Black Smoked Sequential Fiber Optic LED Tail Lights ($700)
I already have the headlights, so I want to get the rear lights.

* 13. 6" Tesla Android System Car Radio ($1,180)
One of the biggest complaints I've about my 370Z is the small, very outdated screen. Since I saw this 13.6" screen that is offered by Nify City (niftycity.shop), I decided to get it, hopefully this summer. I've watched a few reviews on YouTube about this product and it looks legit.

Forced Induction?
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I have no plans to get forced induction for my car. I want my 370Z to last as long as possible and adding forced induction will definitely shorten the life span of the engine. In addition, most of my driving is done inside cities that have a lot of traffic and speed cameras. What's the point of having a 600hp engine if I'm always sitting in traffic?!

Finally, I hope that you find this post informative.