Issues & Defects from factory

GTRFAN

When I say Nissan, I mean globally. So you are right about the 18" and 19" having the same issue, as all factory specs will produce a smaller circumference than what is required for a 100% accurate speed reading. We will either have to calculate a larger TOTAL circumference or get the speedo adjusted.

Then again, maybe this design by Nissan and all manufactures is to make us all reduce our speed? hmm

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My Zed

Lord Kain

That makes the most sense. I guess they figure that with a car that just wants to go faster and faster, we aren't going to get a ticket as easy.

PreciousMetal

My speedo is also close to 10% over actual speed, this really annoys me. Having to calculate your actual speed if you are coming up to a speed camera is ridiculous. I don't think it unreasonable to expect my speedo to tell me my correct speed. Apparently in Australia speedos are allowed to read up to 10% high, but they must not read lower than actual speed.
Why they can't get it closer than 10% I don't understand. It is to improve the 0-100 times (actually 0-91) ? Does anyone know how it would be adjusted in Nissan did it ? Is it an electronic adjustment ? Can the Dealer Service do it ?
I am hoping that a new set of 19" rims with different profile tyres will make the speedo read a bit closer to what it should be anyway.

BluZ

My biggest issue with reading over the actual speed is that it encourages speeding. We all know that 100 is not 100 so we get used to doing more. It's hard to do 108, so we settle for 110, which is actually a couple of Ks over - assuming 8%. Then you start getting complacent about exceeding the speed limit and the limits don't mean much any more. It's OK to do 70 in a 60 zone but that's even more over the limit.
If the speedo read what I was actually doing, I'd have a hard limit - the speed limit. At the moment, I just don't care that I'm going to fast because the speedo always reads way to high.

My 0.018USD worth.

evse82

I just think of it as a way to avoid speeding fines. I usually just cruise at the 100 mark, but I'll go up to 105 sometimes which is really about 96-97kph and sit there. I feel like i'm speeding but not.... we all win.

Colesy

I have to agree with you there BluZ, I take less notice of the speedo as it appears so far out, and usually settle on what feels right especially on the highway. I know it's not the right thing to do, but I was wondering why all and sundry were overtaking me when I picked the car up from Sydney.

370er

I think if the speedo is 9% out like that it makes you 'estimate' what speed you are doing which isn't very safe. I'd rather it be accurate. We aren't going to just sit on the highway doing 91km/h when the speedo says 100km, we'll be guessing all the time. If the speedo says 100km/h and you are doing just 91km/h then it makes a big difference over a long distance trip. I'm worried one day i'll get a ticket for being a few k over because my speed estimate wasn't correct. I used to hear about other makes and models having their speedo out by that much and used to think 'how crazy is that'. I never expected the Z to have the same issue. Is there a way it can be adjusted in a service?

gumpy

I found that all the cars i've driven basically over estimate the speed, probably a safety thing...

Wheels magazine also show actual vs shown speed in some of their reviews. at 100kph most cars are doing 92-97kph from my observations. The problem is when you factor this in to your driving =)

markymark

another vote regarding crap nissan paint quality



the front bumper has a yellow tinge to it, the rear and sideskirts too but less noticable.

I've been bugging nissan over the last month but they're saying "its normal" - a bit annoying since ive seen nissan micra's with better paint matching.

kdo2milger

thats due to the parts you described being plastic...

painted plastic verses metals with the same paint code will undoubtedly have some slight tonal variations to them...less noticable in darker colors and more noticable in lighter colors...

nissan isnt the only auto maker with this unfortunate side effect, many auto manufacturers experience this same issue...

ex: my 04 ford is oxford white and it has the same yellowing issue on the front/rear bumper as well as the side moldings...

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jekel

hhmm how odd i can kinda see it in your pic, when i look at my white in real life seems even to me though, cant see a tinge.........

man bad lucky everyone on the fuel guage issue......hope doesn't happen to mine while i have it

Yutzi

Does anyone have any issues with the fuel guage and how many kms you have left when close to empty?
I dont think its a fault but its kind of annoying that when the fuel light comes on it will say 60-70 kms left of fuel. I will do about another 5-10km and it has states you have about 30-40 kms left, 2 seconds later it starts flashing.

This is all while under normal drving conditions, no driving hard.

I am still working out how many kms on average per tank of juice i will get and ill start trusting how many kms i have done, I do reset the travel guage each time i fill up though.

GTRFAN

Yes, exactly as described. I still think it's the fuel sender and the lights are just displaying the innacurate level.

Has anyone reported this to Nissan yet?

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My Zed

PreciousMetal

I find that on my car "kms left to empty" seems to work as I'd expect. If I drive hard, it reduces the "kms left", If I drive gently it goes back up. I haven't run it all the way to empty, but this week I went from 70km to 50km left, and I'd done about 20km. It certainly doesn't drop from 60km to 30km to none in a few km like Yutzi's does.

If I remember correctly, you can reset the fuel economy meter (if that's what it's called). It's one of the settings on that useless orange screen that I wish showed a digital speed read-out. Anyway, maybe yours needs resetting Yutzi (I'm assuming it is used in the kms left calculation).

I did find the last light on my fuel gauge was not lighting, but the last two fills I have made sure I filled the tank right up. That fixed it. It seems there is a lot more room after the pump clicks off.