Modest Z

[Live4Driving]

Background
I got my 2012 Z Sport/Touring/Nav in the summer of 2012 as a more reliable daily to replace my old daily turned project car. I had a Toyota MRS with a 2ZZ engine swap, 6 speed manual conversion, and being prepped for a turbo. I fell in love with the Z so I sold the project car and started modifying my Z. I drive the Z as a daily, ~35,000 miles per year, and it is under an extended warranty until 120,000 miles so I stayed within the warranty with my modifications. In the winter of 2014 I ordered a 2015 Z Conv/Sport/Tour/Nav/AT and it arrived about 3 months later. Below I have tracked my repairs for fellow high mileage drivers. As the 12' Z got into the higher miles it began to have more and more frequent problems so I traded it in on a GTR.

New
2012 Nissan 370Z Sport/Touring/Nav/MT, 307 miles, 3350lbs (53/47), 13.95s Personal Best ET (95 Degrees & 80% Humidity)
Z1.jpg Z2.jpg

2015 Nissan 370Z Conv/Sport/Touring/Nav/AT, 0.1 miles, 3500lbs (55/45)
unnamed.jpg

Now
Z3.jpgZ4.jpgZ6.jpgZ5.jpg

Miles & Repairs
All maintenance and repairs are done at the dealer I purchased the car at. I do all of the milestone maintenance and use synthetic oil.
The Clutch, Flywheel, & Slave Cylinder were replaced at a reputable shop, that I have used for other cars, because the dealership was unsure about installing aftermarket parts.
I do my brake & suspension changes.

2016 Mar. 1st ~109,000

~5,000 – Failed 6th Gear - New Transmission, Replaced Under Warranty ($4,900 w/o)
~20,000 – Stolen & Crashed - Replaced Front Bumper, Hood, Both Front Fenders, Headlights, 4 Wheels, 4 Tires, & All Front Suspension Components - Repaired Through Dealership & Insurance (~13k w/o)
~30,001 – Backed Into - Replaced Front Bumper, Hood, FR Fender, & FR Headlight - Repair & Paid for by Dealership (~4k w/o)
~35,000 – Failed Primary O2 Sensor - Replaced Under Warranty ($300 w/o)
~50,000 – Failed Door Handle Mechanism - Replaced Under Warranty ($550 w/o)
~50,000 - Front Brake Pads Worn Out - Replaced Front & Rear w/ Carbotech XP8 - $350
~63,000 – Failed RR Axle Shaft Bolt - Replaced Under Warranty ($800 w/o)
~65,000 - Crashed - Went Over Curb Avoiding Car - Replaced Front Bumper, 2 Wheels, 2 Tires, & All Front Suspension Components - Repaired Through Dealership & Insurance (~8k w/o)
~72,000 - Hood Replaced by Nissan Tech Center to Study Wear - Free
~75,000 - Sport Dampers Worn Out - Replaced with Nismo Dampers - $500
~76,000 - FL Lower Control Arm Bent - $400
~78,000 - Master Cylinder & Booster Leaking - Replaced Under Warranty - (~$500 w/o)
~80,000 - Clutch Worn Out - Clutch, Flywheel, Slave Cylinder Replaced with Aftermarket Parts ($3,000)
~83,000 - Front Brake Pads & Rotors Worn Out - Replaced Front Pads w/ Carbotech XP8 & Front Rotors w/ OE - $180 Pads/$180 Rotors
~83,000 - Front Caliper Piston Boots Melted - Replaced Front Calipers & Rebuilt Original - $500 for New OE Sport Calipers/$100 to Rebuild Original & Buy Seal Kit
.....Piston boots melted because they were not meant to be exposed to the temperatures that the XP8 pads produce. OE pads fade well before reaching these temps.
.....Kept the original front calipers and had them rebuilt. I plan to swap calipers each time I change front pads, assuming that the boots will continue to melt with XP8 pads.
~83,000 - Squishy Brake Pedal After Caliper Replacement & Multiple Bleeds - Dealership Brake Fluid Flush, New Master Cylinder, Booster, & ABS Module - Replaced Under Warranty - (~$2600 w/o)
~84,000 - Non-Returning Clutch Pedal - Clutch slave cylinder reservoir full but fluid was dark and clumpy. Recommended to get a clutch system flush as a first step. - Dealership thoroughly flush & bleed slave cylinder - $300
~84,500 - Non-Returning Clutch Pedal - Clutch master cylinder replaced - Replaced Under Warranty - (~$500 w/o)
~100,000 - Replaced all brake pads with OEM Pads - $150
~103,000 - Car Died - Seized Alternator - Alternator & Belt Replaced Under Warranty - (~$600 w/o)
~105,000 - Fuel Gauge Stopped Working - Fuel Sending Unit Replaced Under Warranty - (~$300 w/o)
~106,000 - Fuel Gauge Stopped Working - Gauge Cluster Replaced Under Warranty - (~$1200 w/o)
~108,000 - FR Brake Grinding - Car Traded to Dealership

Peformance
Nismo R Tune Intake
PPE Long Tube Headers
South Bend Stage 2 Clutch
South Bend 19lb Flywheel
Z Speed Heavy Duty CSC
Swift Springs
Nismo Struts
AAM Midpipe
AAM Short Tails
AMS Short Throw Shifter
Carbotech XP8 Brake Pads

Looks
Nismo S Tune Front Lip
Front Nissan Badge Depression Filled
Front Fenders Rolled & Pulled
Evo R CF Handle Covers
Evo R Z Rear Emblem
The Z Store Fog Light Harness
JDM Fog Light
GTR Start Button
Black Roof Vinyl
20% Tint in Quarter Windows & Rear
Medium Tint Tail Lights w/ Reverse Cut Out
Debadged

Wheels
Summer
Wedssport SA-55M 19x9.5+24 / 19x10.5+24, Powder Coated Satin Black, 275/35 & 305/30 Michelin PSS

Winter
OEM Sport Wheels, Powder Coated Satin Black, 245/40 & 275/35 Bridgestone Blizzak LM60

[H2O_Doc]

I did the Z1 manifold recently and like it. I didn't worry about warranty; it's mostly a stock manifold and I didn't see too much likelihood in it resulting in a claim denial. I figure it is unlikely to be noticed for during an oil change and if anything major goes wrong, I'd throw a stock one back on if I was really worried.

Of course, you'd still probably want that tune.

[Live4Driving]

The tune is what I was more worried about. With full intake & exhaust upgrade it would be a must. I was talking to Z1 at Zdayz about possibly being able to switch back and forth between tunes so I may go ahead and do it before the warranty is up. I want to install the headers & springs & buy new wheels before I do that though. It is probably about a year away at this point. Probably get it and a Z1 tune at 2015 Z Nationals, since I'll already be down there.

[Live4Driving]

Went to the dealership yesterday to top off my brake fluid. I assumed that it was pad wear. When we opened the Brake Fluid flap, there was fluid leaking between the booster and master, so that will be replaced under warranty Thursday.

I started asking about the VLSD, because it hasn't been performing as well as it use to, it only spins both tires some of the time...they told me that it is considered a wear item unless there is catastrophic failure.

My clutch is also slipping quite a bit under heavy acceleration from 2nd to 3rd and sometimes 1st to 2nd. They said that it was time for a new one and is also a wear item. They wrote me a quote for the clutch and install at $1,670 and are going to throw in a slave cylinder for free under warranty but I want to upgrade to the Z1 clutch, so I guess am going to order my parts this weekend and keep myself busy while it is stored for the winter.

I am not sure if I am going to do these on my own or have the dealership do them yet. I think all of this maintenance will be pretty difficult without a lift, so I am going to look under the car this weekend and see what I think. I will post more accurate prices as I go through the process, for now they are just quotes and estimates.

~78,000 - Master Cylinder & Booster Leaking, Replaced Under Warranty
~80,000 - VLSD, Clutch, & Slave Cylinder worn out (Wear Items)
Nissan Slave Cylinder $130, Z1 Clutch/Flywheel $750 (Additional Parts ~$100)
Quaife LSD $1,300 (Additional Parts ~$100)
Nissan Header Gasket, Nissan Cat/Mid Gasket, Nissan Mid/Axle Gasket ~$50
Install LTH, Clutch, Flywheel, & LSD (~$1,500)
Total ~$4,000...expensive winter project

[cigarclifford]

Welcome Live4Driving,

Its nice to see a gentle man that takes such great care of a 370Z and
yet daily drives it. My Pearl White 2010 Nismo is at 70,000 miles and
daily driven as well.. Its in mint condition and when its not in motion
its hidden under a car cover......Good Luck Amigo..... -Clifford

[Live4Driving]

Hey, Everyone. It has been a while since I posted or signed in but I bought another Z and updated my build/story thread. I updated a few of the maintenance & project lines. I also replaced the clutch, flywheel, CSC, and installed PPE LTH on the grey car since I last updated this. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Zdayz in a couple months. Enjoy.

[Live4Driving]

With the Zdayz trip a week away, my 370 has been having brake troubles. I replaced the front calipers, rotors, & pads. After that the car would not bleed properly. I brought the car to the dealership after several attempts at bleeding it. They did a brake fluid flush, after the initial dummy checks(leaks & bleeder screw direction), with no improvement. Then they replaced the master cylinder & booster with minimal improvement. So they said that they think it is the ABS module. After the initial scare of a 9 month back order, they were able to special order one through Nissan Technical Center. The wait is ~45 days, because it is being shipped from Japan, to see if that will actually fix the brake system. Luckily my dealership is covering everything under warranty and hopefully the ABS module will be the solution. Needless to say the Z will not make the trip this year. I will be there but in a different car.

[Live4Driving]

After battling clutch system problems, right after getting it back from brake system problems, I seem to be back on the road. I updated the repair & maintenance section since it seems to be working again. I have driven over 40,000 miles per year for the last two years. This year I have only mustered ~3,000 miles due to reliability issues. Hopefully it is back in business now. *knock on wood*

[Live4Driving]

After having several problems in the last couple months on the Z, the dealership made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a GTR so I traded up. This will probably be my last post in the forum. Thanks for all of the help an comradery. See you all at Zdayz!

[cigarclifford]

Originally Posted by Live4Driving

After having several problems in the last couple months on the Z, the dealership made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a GTR so I traded up. This will probably be my last post in the forum. Thanks for all of the help an comradery. See you all at Zdayz!

Live4Driving Best Of Luck with your new GTR

Your always welcomed here

-Clifford