My 370 is Starting to Falter

Spikuh · 01-30-2012, 10:02 AM

dinfire,

For your leather, just make sure you treat it well. I also made a habit of emptying my back pockets and I sit on towels. Between this and leather care products, pretty much all wear and tear can be minimized.

On the seatbelt issue, its has only happened to me when I move it at odd angles. If it is happening constantly for you, try adjusting the seat maybe? No idea if that will work, but like I said, this only happens occassionally for me.

For the fob issue, as has been mentioned, try changing to batteries. If that does not work, get back to us.

On the floormat, yours is probably unraveling "faster" because of your constant in and out of the car without ever traveling very far. The lack of mileage is deceiving you. Those of us who DD ours go through the same motions as you, but we typically drive farther than you.

On the gas guage, I have no idea, I have not heard of this or experienced it myself. Maybe someone else will know or question a Nissan tech about the potiential causes.

For the car bogging, this could be a whole number of things from driver error to mechanical problem. Simply telling us it bogs does not really help in diagnosing the problem. If you could be more specific, or perhaps take a vid, I am sure people could be much more helpful.

On a similar vein, how often does your car see normal operating temps? You mentioned you live a mile from work and considering you drive to work everyday, I doubt you are letting the car run for 5 or 10 minutes to warm up properly.

Spikuh · 01-30-2012, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

As for the bogging down, do you downshift? The engine doesn't produce much torque below 3000 rpm so if you're in a higher gear it's normal to be slow to accelerate.

I drive most places between 1500 and 2500 rpms and my car never bogs as I think about the term. If I dip much under 1500 and I am in 4th gear or higher, then yes I would say the car bogs, but even at lower revs, the car moves just fine in the lower 3 gears.

Not disagreeing with you in any shape or form, just wanting to point out that this car does not have to revved higher than 3k to be drivable.

Pharmacist · 01-30-2012, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spikuh

I drive most places between 1500 and 2500 rpms and my car never bogs as I think about the term. If I dip much under 1500 and I am in 4th gear or higher, then yes I would say the car bogs, but even at lower revs, the car moves just fine in the lower 3 gears.

Not disagreeing with you in any shape or form, just wanting to point out that this car does not have to revved higher than 3k to be drivable.

well, it's a bit of a relative term. if you are expecting brisk acceleration like a sports car, and instead you get camry-like acceleration below 2500 rpm the car can appear to bog down. personally, i just couldn't stand letting the revs drop below 2500 rpm. maybe that's why my car was such a gas guzzler

Jsolo · 01-30-2012, 12:44 PM

After a nice healthy day ride on the motorcycle, anything below 4500-5K rpm feels like a slug. The bike (09 fz1) simply has no low end torque after you've been terrorizing the neighborhood at 7-10K rpm (at legal speeds of course)

If you want power, up shift so the rpms for the next gear are now lower than 3500 on the Z.

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 02:56 PM

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing.

If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest. Same with the mats. Both should last longer than they have. I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part. I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special.

The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about. For some reason my car has developed the problem over time. It didn't click when I first got the car.

Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.

Pharmacist · 01-31-2012, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing.

Are you pretty low on gas when that happens? It could be fuel starvation.

Quote:

If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest.

Um, Nissan doesn't even make the battery. They just buy it off the shelf of a supermarket just like you do. It's not their fault whether the battery dies prematurely or not. Batteries run out of power and die, that's a fact of life. Something to do with that pesky law of conservation of energy or something. It's only a few bucks anyway. The battery in my remote lasted over 2.5 years and still had juice when my car was totalled in an accident. Maybe yours was a bad batch of batteries or something. Not Nissan's fault. And definitely nothing to make a fuss about.

Quote:

Same with the mats.

Again, wear and tear item. A floor mat is nothing more than a cheap rag to protect the underlying carpet. Yes, they wear out over time. No big deal. Throw it out and get another one. They're pretty cheap. And be grateful you even got a floor mat. Porsche would charge you twice the Z's price for a Cayman S and floor mats are still an extra cost option.

Quote:

Both should last longer than they have.

Wear and tear items. There is no predicted life expectancy for them. Either way, these are just minor things that cost peanuts. Seriously, you make it seem like the sky is falling just cuz your floor mat is a bit worn out or your keyfob battery needs replacement

Quote:

I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part.

They're probably wrong. The problem seems to be caused by the fuel sending units in the gas tank and not the fuel gauge in the dash.

Quote:

I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special.

Crappy dealers are everywhere. Doesn't mean Nissan is a bad company or the Z is a bad car.

Quote:

The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about.

I'm not sure what you're doing, but it's supposed to click once if you move it all the way up so that it locks into place, and if you push it down it clicks once as it unlocks and falls down again. If it's clicking or squeaking more than once, or if it doesn't stay up by itself maybe it needs replacing.

Quote:

Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.

Sounds like you got an excellent car for your money. Go pay 2-3 times the money on a porsche, watch as your engine self destructs due to known engineering defects, and if you're out of warranty watch as Porsche gives you the proverbial middle finger as you're on the hook for the cost of an engine replacement.

Seriously, your tone makes it seem like the engine blew up, the gearbox seized, the wheel fell off on the highway, the brakes failed, the diff self destructed, the frame cracked, and the body rusted right through itself. Yet all your problems are a dead keyfob battery, a worn out floor mat, a slightly inaccurate fuel gauge, and possibly a squeaking seatbelt arm. Hardly anything to lose sleep over it.

gbrettin · 01-31-2012, 03:39 PM

Consider the weathertech mats. Seriously, they are awesome.

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsolo

Regarding the drivability issues, I'm guessing your car is a 2009 model?

13K on a 3 year old car means *MANY* short trips. In fact, you said it yourself, you work a mile from work.

This means several things,

1) your oil never gets a chance to warm up fully
1a) in fact, nothing in the car gets a chance to fully warm up
2) It wouldn't surprise me if you have considerable carbon build on on both the throttle body, injectors, and possibly even in the heads

I'd start by having those things serviced. A good long trip down the highway with the engine revving wouldn't hurt things either.

I'd classify your use as severe duty.

How many oil changes in the 13K miles?

I get oil changes every 3500 miles. I've replaced the air filter twice. When I take it in for service I have them look at all the stuff you mentioned and they always report no issues. It goes into Nissan regularly. I don't think driving my car two miles a day at 30 MPH is "severe duty." I do get on the highway all the time to rev it good and blow out the carbon.

dinfire · 01-31-2012, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

Are you pretty low on gas when that happens? It could be fuel starvation.

Um, Nissan doesn't even make the battery. They just buy it off the shelf of a supermarket just like you do. It's not their fault whether the battery dies prematurely or not. Batteries run out of power and die, that's a fact of life. Something to do with that pesky law of conservation of energy or something. It's only a few bucks anyway. The battery in my remote lasted over 2.5 years and still had juice when my car was totalled in an accident. Maybe yours was a bad batch of batteries or something. Not Nissan's fault. And definitely nothing to make a fuss about. Again, wear and tear item. A floor mat is nothing more than a cheap rag to protect the underlying carpet. Yes, they wear out over time. No big deal. Throw it out and get another one. They're pretty cheap. And be grateful you even got a floor mat. Porsche would charge you twice the Z's price for a Cayman S and floor mats are still an extra cost option. Wear and tear items. There is no predicted life expectancy for them. Either way, these are just minor things that cost peanuts. Seriously, you make it seem like the sky is falling just cuz your floor mat is a bit worn out or your keyfob battery needs replacement

They're probably wrong. The problem seems to be caused by the fuel sending units in the gas tank and not the fuel gauge in the dash. Crappy dealers are everywhere. Doesn't mean Nissan is a bad company or the Z is a bad car.
I'm not sure what you're doing, but it's supposed to click once if you move it all the way up so that it locks into place, and if you push it down it clicks once as it unlocks and falls down again. If it's clicking or squeaking more than once, or if it doesn't stay up by itself maybe it needs replacing.

Sounds like you got an excellent car for your money. Go pay 2-3 times the money on a porsche, watch as your engine self destructs due to known engineering defects, and if you're out of warranty watch as Porsche gives you the proverbial middle finger as you're on the hook for the cost of an engine replacement.

Seriously, your tone makes it seem like the engine blew up, the gearbox seized, the wheel fell off on the highway, the brakes failed, the diff self destructed, the frame cracked, and the body rusted right through itself. Yet all your problems are a dead keyfob battery, a worn out floor mat, a slightly inaccurate fuel gauge, and possibly a squeaking seatbelt arm. Hardly anything to lose sleep over it.

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

Pharmacist · 01-31-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

Well you're making it out like a 370z has a serious reliability issue because of a dead keyfob battery.

Augustus · 01-31-2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

Well you're making it out like a 370z has a serious reliability issue because of a dead keyfob battery.

Speaking of the key fob battery... The Z is the first car I've owned that has keyless ignition. Would it be expected that the keyfobs will chew through batteries faster than a keyed system? Isn't the keyfob always using some small amount of power trying to connect to the car? Or is that not how it works?

Could be the reason why the OP is upset about the battery life.

Vince · 01-31-2012, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Augustus

Speaking of the key fob battery... The Z is the first car I've owned that has keyless ignition. Would it be expected that the keyfobs will chew through batteries faster than a keyed system? Isn't the keyfob always basically using some small amount of power trying to connect to the car? Or is that not how it works?

Could be the reason why the OP is upset about the battery life.

I would definitely expect this to be the case. There is much more communication going on between the fob and the car now. I'm also betting it's frequent bi-directional communication instead of just transmitting when you press a button.

onzedge · 01-31-2012, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinfire

Apparently I should have added in the OP that I'm not an idiot. You act like you're talking to a 15-year-old. I'm almost 40 and was raised with cars. Nissan doesn't make the batteries? Really??? Good lord.

It's true. Nissan does not make the fob battery. I am glad to help.

BlackZeda · 01-31-2012, 09:03 PM

My NISMO does bog down as well when the outside temp is above 83F (oil temp approaching 230F). This happens when attempting to accelerate from a stop. In fact it is so bad I sometimes feel that the engine dies. I did speak to the service manager at my dealership about it and he said to bring it in on a hot day to so they can try to and figure out what is happening. Planning on doing this I was going to hold off on getting an oil cooler until they have a chance to look at it.

It is pretty frustrating though.

Speedy · 01-31-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug&Michelle

I almost bought a Challenger SRT8 but I'm sure it would be even worse after three years than our Z's are.....I would almost put money on it.

Don't bet on that. My Challenger is still doing perfect after 3 years of ownership.

I pulled the stock motor and dropped in a forged stroker and a supercharger. Other than axles, I left the rest of the drive train stock clutch and all. 600RWHP, 40+ drag strip runs in the mid 11s at 124MPH and thousands of around town miles and it's like new.

Picking up a 2009 Z tomorrow to add to the stable, so hopefully it's as good a car.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Hard starting	mikemerton	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	1	11-24-2011 11:35 AM
Starting to come together	350z_2nr	Member's 370Z Gallery	5	09-16-2010 11:04 PM
Starting to get fed up....	resdm50	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	74	01-21-2010 09:35 PM
Where is everyone starting??	boomboom	Engine & Drivetrain	42	10-25-2009 02:34 AM
Need Some Help Starting Out	AlmtyBob	Audio & Video	10	05-05-2009 07:56 PM

01-30-2012, 10:02 AM	#61 (permalink)
Spikuh A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The Ark Posts: 2,357 Drives: '09 370z Rep Power: 21	dinfire, For your leather, just make sure you treat it well. I also made a habit of emptying my back pockets and I sit on towels. Between this and leather care products, pretty much all wear and tear can be minimized. On the seatbelt issue, its has only happened to me when I move it at odd angles. If it is happening constantly for you, try adjusting the seat maybe? No idea if that will work, but like I said, this only happens occassionally for me. For the fob issue, as has been mentioned, try changing to batteries. If that does not work, get back to us. On the floormat, yours is probably unraveling "faster" because of your constant in and out of the car without ever traveling very far. The lack of mileage is deceiving you. Those of us who DD ours go through the same motions as you, but we typically drive farther than you. On the gas guage, I have no idea, I have not heard of this or experienced it myself. Maybe someone else will know or question a Nissan tech about the potiential causes. For the car bogging, this could be a whole number of things from driver error to mechanical problem. Simply telling us it bogs does not really help in diagnosing the problem. If you could be more specific, or perhaps take a vid, I am sure people could be much more helpful. On a similar vein, how often does your car see normal operating temps? You mentioned you live a mile from work and considering you drive to work everyday, I doubt you are letting the car run for 5 or 10 minutes to warm up properly.

01-30-2012, 12:44 PM	#64 (permalink)
Jsolo Track Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: chicago Posts: 783 Drives: '12 G37 6MT Rep Power: 14	After a nice healthy day ride on the motorcycle, anything below 4500-5K rpm feels like a slug. The bike (09 fz1) simply has no low end torque after you've been terrorizing the neighborhood at 7-10K rpm (at legal speeds of course) If you want power, up shift so the rpms for the next gear are now lower than 3500 on the Z.

01-31-2012, 02:56 PM	#65 (permalink)
dinfire Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 28 Drives: 370Z Touring/Sport Rep Power: 16	A big thanks to everyone who took the time to give me thoughtful answers to my questions. The bogging down doesn't happen all the time, just when I make right-hand turns at a good clip. It's not driver error. I've been driving stick for 30 years. The revs are plenty high enough. The horsepower just drops out. It also doesn't matter whether it's warmed up or not. It does the same thing. If the key fob battery is dead that's pretty disappointing to be honest. Same with the mats. Both should last longer than they have. I actually took the car into the dealer before the warranty expired to get the gas gauge and mats looked at. They said they'd need to take the dash apart to fix the gas gauge and would need to order a part. I said OK, and they never got back to me. Big surprise there. They also said that they would not replace the mat under warranty. I complained and then they said that their service manager would have to call me. Of course he never did. A month later, Santa Monica Nissan went out of business. I had also just given them $100 for three oil changes and I've only redeemed one. Have no idea if another dealer will honor that special. The clicking seatbelt drives me crazy. I've tried lubricating it, but it seems to be the mechanism that attaches to the body of the car. If you move it by hand you'll hear the clicking I'm talking about. For some reason my car has developed the problem over time. It didn't click when I first got the car. Again, I still love the car, but as the first vehicle I've bought that cost (a lot) more than $25,000 I expected better build/endurance for some things. I think maybe I should have listened to the old addage of you get what you pay for.

01-31-2012, 03:39 PM	#67 (permalink)
gbrettin A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Portage, MI Posts: 2,277 Drives: Tricycle Rep Power: 589150	Consider the weathertech mats. Seriously, they are awesome.

01-31-2012, 09:03 PM	#74 (permalink)
BlackZeda A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2011 Location: Englewood, CO Posts: 1,109 Drives: 19 Audi TT RS Rep Power: 22	My NISMO does bog down as well when the outside temp is above 83F (oil temp approaching 230F). This happens when attempting to accelerate from a stop. In fact it is so bad I sometimes feel that the engine dies. I did speak to the service manager at my dealership about it and he said to bring it in on a hot day to so they can try to and figure out what is happening. Planning on doing this I was going to hold off on getting an oil cooler until they have a chance to look at it. It is pretty frustrating though.