Yes, it's inherent in the design of the dual mass flywheel, it's just noisy, bad design on Nissan's part. I had it at several dealers, and all determined it was normal. :-( not sure if an aftermarket clutch/flywheel assembly will take care of it or not. It was annoying, one of the reasons that led me to sell the car. oh did I mention the over-heating after spirited driving for 15min :-)

Hey - Did you ever figure out what the clunk / clank sound is when shifting 1st / 2nd gear? I get that too and it does not sound pretty.