My 370 is Starting to Falter
 

My Z just ran out of its warranty and of course it's now starting to have issues. For one, the car is starting to not recognize the key fob. I'll literally be sitting in the driver's seat with the fob in my hand and the car will say that the key is not present. It's also started to not recognize using the key fob to lock the doors. The buttons on the doors to lock the car are getting finicky as well. Any ideas what this might be? I live in Los Angeles so it's not weather-related.

I live a mile from work, so despite the fact that my car is over three years old it only has 13K miles on it. The driver's side floor mat has started to unravel and get holes in it. Also, the leather on the driver's side seat on the side with my clutch leg is starting to crack. The leather is shiny and no matter what leather cleaner I use (I use Meguiars) it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the interior. Any ideas there?

I guess, in sumnation, I'm starting to realize that you get what you pay for. My Z seemed like a steal for the price when I bought it, but now it's becoming obvious that it wasn't built using the best materials in some cases.

For the key fob, it sounds like you need a new battery.

The leatherette needs conditioning every so often, especially in sunny climates. You should start using a rub-in conditioner to keep it supple and prevent cracking.

:iagree:

all tint including your front windshield will help too :tup:

X1

Plus, you live in LA. You have strong rays.

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.

I wouldn't say tinting the front but they have those front windshield reflectors. I use mine on my 03 z and it's still good leather

If your main complaints after over 3 years of ownership are dead battery in key fob, imperfections with the floor mat & leather seat then it looks like you got way more than you paid for (try owning a mercedes and have to spend $500 for oil changes and $1500 for broken sensors.)

Wear & tear are expected on all cars... Ferrari/Lambo included. Tint might help slow the damage with the leather as a result of UV effects. I've seen damage to the leather from keys in the pocket and what not.

if my floor mats wear out at 3yrs, I'm going to raise hell...:mad:

I used these two products on my 350's leather plus a few other cars and the stuff is awesome. It cleans and amazingly reconditions the leather.

You'll need the Pristine Clean and the Rejuvenator Oil. If you buy it, make sure you look up the "how-to" so that you get the most benefit.

Leatherique Products - Detailed Image

I clicked on this thread expecting/dreading mechanical problems. These are all minor, especially the key fob.

:iagree:

What, after three years your Z isn't factory fresh anymore! Say it ain't so! :rolleyes:

:shakes head:

:iagree: That's like returning a quartz watch as defective because the battery finally died after three years. Just... replace it with a new one?

He scared the crap out of me too!

The key is an easy fix and the leather problem could have been avoided with a little preventative maintenance.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FLOOR MATS!! :icon17:

Check out what the sun does to say a............uh higher quality interior like a Ferrari. The same thing.
Fix the battery problem with your key and learn to detail your car on here or with the many high end detailers in the LA area. No car is perfect not even a Lexus.

Durability is the hallmark of some cars but they do need care and maintenance over time.

The floor mat wear is something else related to your feet and damage by debris and water. Mine is 2 years old and looks basically new. Worst case you buy a new one and again problem solved and inexpensively at that.

Yeah tell me about it. So was I? What really cracks me up is the "You get what you pay for line". WTF do people expect from 40k cars exactly? But I think the OP ain't doin so bad...

The leather would be in better condition if properly conditioned.. I would take the advice of the few posts already on the leather. It sounds like to me your FOB battery may be dying and is acting up.
Another thing. For some types of issues, its not uncommon to get warranty service after your warranty is up. Sometimes things like a defective fob may be covered as a courtesy? Especially if you have been getting your car serviced at the same dealership and have been very responsible with maintenence. So just get it checked out. It may have a "no cost fix"?

The mats are wear and tear. Take the loss.

I appreciate the responses from everyone, but this car is cleaned every week and is parked in a garage at work and at home. I do plenty of preventative maintenance on it. I have cleaned and conditioned the leather in that spot countless times. It's the rubbing of my jeans/shorts on the seat as I use the clutch that's doing it. It stays matte for half a day after cleaning/conditioning and then goes right back to its old, shiny, cracked look. You're forgetting the most important part here. The car only has 13,000 miles. Its age is basically irrelevant. I had a Toyota Matrix before this for seven years. The key fob battery never died. I have an extra key that's never been used and it does the same thing.

I have more issues too. The gas gauge never registers full. The seat belt harness clicks right by my ear constantly. Car also bogs down around turns, and sometimes when starting in first gear. Had Nissan put it on the computer and could find no issues yet the tech was able to replicate the problems on a test drive. The car has had oil changes every 3500 miles with synthetic, air filter has been changed twice, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I still like the car and don't regret buying it, but I'm also realizing why say, a Porche Cayman S, costs a little bit more money. This car isn't cheap even though you're getting a lot of bang for the buck. Just a little disappointed in the problems only three years in. Going back to my relatively cheap Matrix XRS, I never had a single issue with it in seven years. I didn't buy the extended warranty on this because of the positive experience with my Toyota and now I kind of wish I had.

seems to be more complaints you have about the car rather than real problems eg. engine problems, transmission problems, etc. Most of the "problems" you describe are things that can be remedied with little cost to you. as for the "bogging" problem, this is the first i have heard of it on these forums afaik, never had my Z bog on me unless i put it in the wrong gear at the wrong speed which is just my fault, but i'm still learning the ins and outs of where and when to shift on my Z, so it's expected. sorry if i'm coming off as rude, but to me it just seems like you came on here to complain instead of doing something constructive like maybe ask for advice on what to do to remedy certain annoyances your having with your Z which i'm sure theres more than enough people here that would be willing and happy to help you in that case, me included.

Also, please don't confuse Nissan quality with Toyota quality. They are not the same. If Toyota still made the Supra, that's what I'd have on order... :stirthepot:

If you drive your Z to work every day and wear shoes with sturdy soles, like these:

http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/5/2/1523232-p-2x.jpg

Or any other dress shoe, you'll find that they will tear up just about any floor mat in time since the heel cuts into the mat. If you drive an MT with fancy footwork you'll slice through your floor mats in no time flat.

It's not really a big deal because it's good to replace the floor mats every year or two anyways just to keep things fresh. It's better to wear them out than the actual carpeting on the floor!

With regard to the leather... the bolsters do wear quickly especially if you are a larger framed guy. The leather is soft and easily tears, so you've got to be careful, and they need regular care. I put 27k on my Z before I sold it and while the leather was showing wear, especially in the left thigh bolster, I never had any cracks or anything like that, nor did I feel like the leather was in danger of cracking or tearing in the high wear places. It just looked worn, which is normal, because it had 27k of daily use.

Nice wingtips.

Hell yeah!

For me -- client site day equals Ecco wingtips and office day equals Piloti PCH. Today is an office day.

I've got my Eccos on right now... Probably the most comfortable dress shoes I've ever had.

If I'm just out and about I like my Puma Speed Cats, Puma Drift Cats, and Puma Replicats.

Or my Puma Whirlwinds. Speaking of the Whirlwinds, their sole actually likes to rip up floor mats as well. Not as sharp as a good pair of dress shoes, but they like to grab and pull:

http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/5/0/1502004-p-2x.jpg

I wore a hole in my B6 Audi S4 carpet foormats and thats a 60K car when new, and holes in my two RSX-S's, and my GTI, and other cars..even my 66 Mustang...floormats wear, thats life. Go get the rubber all weather ones, they last longer. Put the carpet mats back in when you sell or trade. Fob batteries go out too, thats expected. Its not rocket science to chahge a fob battery. Wiper blades wear too, I put new ones on my Nismo after 16K miles...

Go to the dealer about all your complaints. Sometimes you can get coverage on really low mileage cars that were bought new that are recently out of warranty. Just check it out.

Thanks for reminding me I need to go pick up a new pair of blades. :icon17:

My floor mats also came with a dealer plastic weather mat over them. My mats still look like I bought them thiis morning. Lol. :)

Here ya go, use this stuff, your leather will come back to life... FRANKENLEATHER!!!!!

Leatherique Prestine Clean and Rejuvenator Oil, you get what you pay for :tup:

Leatherique Products - Detailed Image

Floor mats are from heel/toe'ing most likely, get a Nismo mat set with the rubber pad for your heel and be done with it.

Key fob just needs a battery.

You're all set then!

Sounds like just normal maintenance to me

Floor mats are consumable and should be considered that way (just like the chin spoiler).

Nice brogues, bro!

I have the Drift Cat II's - awesome driving sneakers. And even though they're not running shoes, I once ran five miles in them with relative comfort - so if you're ever caught dumping a dead hooker off near the Mexican border, but your car gets struck due to the steering lock fail (it'll happen in the Stang somehow; just a matter of time :stirthepot:), you could still make the sprint into Meehee-co.

Speaking of comfortable dress shoes, I bought a pair of these Kenneth Cole boots last fall and they are the most comfortable footwear I've ever owned. There's even real CF in the shoes to provide lateral support.... WHATTT!!

http://i.imgur.com/SSrmLl.jpg

Yeah mine are the DC IIs as well. I hate the DC III, but it looks like the new DC 4 is pretty sweet.

And damn, I'm going to have to check those KCs out. I was looking at a pair of boots yesterday (Cole Haan, I think) that looked like they had CF.

It looks like this thread is starting to falter...

Actually, this thread is just starting to get fabulous.

:tup:

This thread is becoming full of win :rofl2:

Not to thread jack, but do the some of the z's come with different floor mats. My mats have plastic where the heal goes. I have the 40th mats

im going to be getting berber mats when my stock mats die. :D can get them from most OL car stores like autosportcatalog and such. they last a long time and look :tup:

when i had my honda fit, i would burn through their all season floor mats almost every year... their rubber pedal covers are worse. every 6months i had to replace the clutch one. wtf..