New to me 370z roadster and overall questions

RM0911

Hi everybody,I recently got a 2010 370Z Roadster Touring AUTO trans with 22k miles.
I`ve encountered some "problems"(not sure if they are) and come up with some questions as well hope you guys can help me out.English is not my first language, please bear with me .

First thing I`ve noticed is the sound comes from the bottom of the car .I can hear it every time when i park my car and it lasts around 4 minutes. It sounds like rain drops hitting the metal roof or something is being fried in the oil or small stones hitting the bottom.(I`m trying my best to describe it lol)
I have no idea what it is and why does it make such sound, anyone has encountered this before?

Second thing is that when I come to a stop the steering wheel turns itself little bit . It`s not such a pain in the *** just wondering why is it happening? Because I`ve never had this before on my previous 11`mustang and 13`FRS.

I`ve been reading some threads from other users and one thing I worry most is the steering wheel lock.I definitely don`t want to pay $1k or more for this and I want to fix it before it happens.After compared with several methods I `ve decided to go with this steering wheel lock harness :Steering Lock Harness - Car Kit Company
Has anyone used it ?Does it work well?

Last but not the least is the roadster`s top issue.I`ve read some threads their tops are either broken(wears,holes) or not functional(cannot open or close). I`ve also heard it takes $7k-15k to fix which is totally unreasonable.I`ve ordered Raggtopp Fabric Top cleaner/protectant kit and I want to ask if there is ay tips and advices how to maintain and use the top properly? I`m expecting to use this car for at least 3 years.

370Z is definitely a great car and driving with open top is definitely a pleasure.i `m really happy to join the 370Z family and hope you guys can help me out with my questions.

Have a good day!

Memphis370Z

Congrats and welcome!

Regarding the potential steering lock problem, why not just pull the fuse?

Post up some pics of your new ride!

kenchan

the ticking noise is probably your exhaust and or heat shields shrinking from cooling...?

the brake should not drift the car to one side. check pad thickness, if you have plenty of pad left do a 50mph to 20mph hard braking a few times to see if you can get rid of the gunk on the rotor. drive 5min or so to cool the brakes. if it persists get it checked.

for the steering lock disable, just do the fuse pull if you want clean, or just cut the brown wire. if my RevC goes out im just going to cut the wire when i put the original RevB back in.

top issue i dont know. im not good looking enough to drive a vert..

Ommateal

I agree with Ken on checking breaks ect..., and as far as the noises you hear is the exhaust aftermarket? I have a similar sound from mine-ish but only happens after driving for a while < 30mins

need4speed255

Kenchan is correct about the exhaust and the ticking noise that you hear. It is just the metal shrinking from cooling. Most likely the heat shields cooling at a faster rate than the exhaust piping. Totally normal and nothing to be concerned with. 2 of the three cars in my garage do that. My Eclipse with aftermarket exhaust does not tick. That's why it must be the heat shields.

As far as your braking issue goes, is it possibly the road that you are driving on. If you are driving on an asphalt road with depressions in the tire tracks caused by big heavy trucks then that could do it. If this still happens on a flat concrete road then it must be your brakes or possibly an alignment issue. Make sure your calipers are not stuck.

270slx

Could bad wheel alignment account for the drift at stopping?

As for the top: Clean by vacuuming regularly, each time you wash your cars. Occasionally wash the top with convertible top cleaner from Maguire's or similar using a brush with long, soft bristles. Spray with silicone water proofer once or twice per season. Should last indefinitely.

kenchan

its like the op used a porta-jon.

one use, never come back..

alcheng

The first one, the noise, is prolly the shrinking sound from the exhaust/heat shield, like what Mr.kenchan mentioned.

the second thing, there's couple possibilities:

1) it has wider tires thus it's more sensitive to uneven road, thus the steering wheel drift to aside

2) tire pressure, check if one side is higher than the other

3) brake, but if there's problem on the brake, then you should also sense some vibration during high speed braking

4) alignment, but again, you should sense it during driving too not only under braking.


The third thing, pull the fuse of the steering-lock, it won't damage the car or whatever, Nissan actually remove the steering-lock module for post-2011 production. How to do it? search around this forum, there's threads about it.


Lastly, the top issue, YES, top could give you some problems.....

1) holes, I've experienced on mine, 2 times, it's caused by rubbing from the frame onto the canvas. mine has a hole on the drivers side and almost has one on the passenger side, what I've done to fix it? I sew the hole, then put tear-aid on the inside of the canvas, solved. https://www.tear-aid.com/

2) Top stop working, yes, I just replaced one of the sensor component couple months ago, cost a total of $1400, 3 days job cause they have to send it to another shop to have the work done.


It's a fully automatic top, therefore expect there'll be some issue when it gets old, like everything.

Also, depends on how often you drive the car and how often you open/close the top.



seems lots of trouble?? yes.. kinda...

tell you the best solution: take a drive now with the top down, you're gonna forget all those sh!t...