Any 15+ Nismo 7AT Owners Regret Getting the 7AT?

Originally Posted by Eagle

I had a 2012 7AT Sport and it was pretty damn fast in a straight line, not to mention on the race tracks down here in So Cal.

My only gripe was reliability and the sensitivity this unit has to heat. I had my transmission replaced 4 times under warranty. Granted, I drive hard...but I kept up with my maintenance and I even added a transmission oil cooler to help. The good news is that it did indeed help and extended the life of the trans under hard driving conditions. The bad news is the trans still broke.

If you are the type of guy who likes the twisties and drops down a gear or two before sailing into a corner, my advice is to get the 6MT if you can.

If you aren't that type of driver, you should be fine with the 7AT. Just know that eventually the day will come when the torque converter, flexplate, the transmission or all the above are going to go.

The 6MT's don't have this kind of problem, they get to deal with CSC issues though

Also, regarding the tuning from EcuTek and Uprev...keep in mind your upshifts may get quicker and sharper but your downshifts will become more sluggish. This is a non-issue for drag racers and street racers who like doing pulls light to light or from a roll, but in the canyons and the road courses I imagine this will become frustrating and possibly dangerous. This is feedback I received from DEPointFive0.

Originally Posted by hey32g

If it's a CPO would that all be covered as long as I stay off a track and don't modify it?

Originally Posted by Eagle

If any of the components that are known to go bad on the 7AT actually fail and you haven't modified or tracked the vehicle, you are pretty safe. The dealer will have a hard time trying to prove you were negligent and or abusing the car and should replace the parts and cover the labor under your CPO warranty. If the unthinkable happens, you have to have it replaced and they are denying your warranty claim, let me know. I can guide you through the process to get that done. I've been down that road too many times unfortunately.

What boggles my mind is how Nissan made the 7AT a sealed unit, says it does not require service for the life of the vehicle (no ATF fluid flush and fill...ever) but there are numerous accounts of people having problems with their 7AT's and needing to have them serviced or replaced just from everyday street driving.

Originally Posted by hey32g

Brings up a few more questions:

1. Which is more common a CSC problem or a 7AT problem?

2. If you change the transmission fluid (have a Nissan dealer do it) will they say that voided the warranty?

3. If you add a transmission cooler, will they say that voids the warranty?

4. Is the CSC problem still common on a '15+ Nismo or have they done something to address it?

I'm choosing a Nismo Z over a C6 Z06 for my perceived reliability, am I picking the wrong car? I know once the exhaust valve heads are addressed on the Z06, they're pretty reliable.