Hood Alignment on 2009

[ghg370z]

Greetings,

Is there a know problem with hood alignment on the 2009 370z.?

I was checking out a 2009 370z, and when I went to close the hood it did not close correctly. The owner said you had close the hood by slight pressing on the left side as you closed it. I did not see this problem with the 2010 370z at the dealer. The owner told me that he spoke with the dealer about this and the dealer told him that some of the 2009 370z had this problem.

Should I be concern about this or is this the norm for the 2009 370z?

Thanks in advance for a reply.

[antman22]

there's no issue with the hood alignment, but there are two latches (one on the left, one on the right), so you do have to make sure both are secured. so if both aren't locked in place when closing the hood, it could look a little off, as if the alignment of the hood was wonky. all you gotta do is press down on the side that's off and you'll hear a click of the latch, and everything should be all good.

[OldGuy]

No problem with mine.

[PapoZalsa]

Originally Posted by antman22

there's no issue with the hood alignment, but there are two latches (one on the left, one on the right), so you do have to make sure both are secured. so if both aren't locked in place when closing the hood, it could look a little off, as if the alignment of the hood was wonky. all you gotta do is press down on the side that's off and you'll hear a click of the latch, and everything should be all good.

That happened to me a few times. I thought it was like most car with only one hood latch and was not closing the hood correctly.

[ghg370z]

Thanks for the quick response antman22 and oldguy.

[azn370z]

You have to drop the hood from a high enough position, a foot. No need to push down on an aluminum hood. Not sure if the 370z hood dents easily but the s2000 would if you pressed on it.

[antman22]

Originally Posted by azn370z

You have to drop the hood from a high enough position, a foot. No need to push down on an aluminum hood. Not sure if the 370z hood dents easily but the s2000 would if you pressed on it.

hehe, yeah, i wouldn't advise pushing down from the middle of the hood. i meant press down closer to the edge of the hood, near the lip. it won't dent or bend.
i'm not a fan of dropping the hood so i just lay it down then press on the edge. its worked so far, i just have to wipe the fingerprints off

[kenchan]

i just drop my hood from a decent height for it to latch. dont worry about the noise. it will do a lot more damage if you pushed down on it if it was partially latched.

on my previous car i did have to give it a firm push as it closed.

[Red370]

yes jesus christ dont push on the hood ever, its aluminum and bends quite easy, drop it from about 6 inches.

[Modshack]

Originally Posted by antman22

there's no issue with the hood alignment, but there are two latches (one on the left, one on the right), so you do have to make sure both are secured. so if both aren't locked in place when closing the hood, it could look a little off, as if the alignment of the hood was wonky. all you gotta do is press down on the side that's off and you'll hear a click of the latch, and everything should be all good.

The 2 latches are easy to adjust too....Just pull off the plastic cover that goes over the hood side latches. Spin them left or right to loosen/tighten. Put Covers back on, Done

[GTRFAN]

Originally Posted by Modshack

The 2 latches are easy to adjust too....Just pull off the plastic cover that goes over the hood side latches. Spin them left or right to loosen/tighten. Put Covers back on, Done

I did mine on the first day. Sits perfect now.

[Knewrome]

Originally Posted by azn370z

You have to drop the hood from a high enough position, a foot. No need to push down on an aluminum hood. Not sure if the 370z hood dents easily but the s2000 would if you pressed on it.

This is how I've learned to properly close the hood - I drop it from about 12 inches.

Unfortunately, when following the instructions listed in the manual, my hood doesn't want to close correctly, as one latch always gets secured before the other. Step 4 (from page 3-16 of the '10 manual) just seems like it isn't nearly as safe, reliable or easy as the 12" drop:

1. Pull the hood lock release handle *1
located below the instrument panel; the
hood will then spring up slightly.
2. Pull the lever*2 up at the front of the hood
with your fingertips and raise the hood.
3. Hold the insulator *3 of the support rod
and insert its end into the slot *4 on the
front edge of the hood.
4. When closing the hood, store the support
rod to its original position, then slowly close
the hood and make sure it locks into place.

[Vegitto-kun]

I always drop the hood, only once did it not lock like it should.

[370Zsteve]

Originally Posted by Modshack

The 2 latches are easy to adjust too....Just pull off the plastic cover that goes over the hood side latches. Spin them left or right to loosen/tighten. Put Covers back on, Done

Yup, did that with mine when I first bought it, the left was a little high

[Knewrome]

So just to clarify - are you guys adjusting the latches so that you can softly lower the hood and push it by hand until it secures, or are you still dropping the hood?