I just did the 3 penny fix today and it works great. Not worth all the haggling with Nissan. (though this could be my last Nissan given how crumby their service is)

just keep an eye on the three penny trick...

it worked flawlessly for the first two weeks then started to act up after that...whereas it was intermitten just as it was without the pennies...

Did they acknowledge it was broken at least?

No Nissan has not acknowledged there is even a problem. I have not been able to replicate the problem once the car is warm although it has been getting worse and even took several trys on a warm day after driving for 20 to 30 miles when I stopped for fuel.

The One to One program called two days ago and I jumped on them with the problem, gave them my case # and complained. We'll see if attacking from another angle helps. The serv mgr at the dealership promised a callback today but I'll believe that when I hear the phone ring.

Well...I got the call. The serv mgr asked me to stop by and put the new longer springs in my Z. I did and wow what a difference. The hatch literally jumps open. So much it actually bounces a little. I feel sure it will calm down and be fine in a few days. This whole process has helped develop a better working relationship with the dealership and should improve my service experience for the future. The 370 is a new experience for service departments so we're learning together.

:tup: good for you Jack!

im glad it all worked out in the end :tiphat:

Ugh...I have this issue, two days now I have been unable to open the hatch unless I hit the button twice and on the second try I still have to push up a little to get it to pop all the way. I will call the number tomorrow or this afternoon if I have some free time, but I need to schedule an appointment at the dealership also to get a rattle looked at. Maybe they will order these for me also if I can prove it is messed up.

whats weird is how intermittent this issue is...some get it right off the bat others dont have issues till 6 months down the road...

i can tell you know Dreamer once you get the longer ones like me and vipor have youll be glad you got them :tup:

Oh I can bet, I do wonder if the cold has anything to do with it here. The only other time I have had the issue was when it rained really heavy once and even then it was a bit "cooler."

Hatch Sticking
 

Cold does not have anything to do with hatch sticking. I live in FL and had the same problem all summer long. It started about five month after I purchases car.

Spring Lift Problem With Early Build Models
 

Bought my Z in the last day of September 09. It has the longer spring lifts. So Nissan had to know this lift situation was a problem.....otherwise they would not have changed them for models built later in the production year. ;)

possibly could have been done by the dealer too...they may have had problems while showing it to potential buyers and went ahead and ordered the longer springs and replaced them...

I've had this issue since about a month after I received the vehicle (April 09). Thus I take the Z to the Nissan Dealership. Yet when I get there, the trunk release works PERFECTLY. WTF??!!?!! When I get it back home, the next morning it gets stuck again. Next few days, at work when attempting to open up the hatch to get my laptop out, it gets stuck. Grrrr .. So take it back again, and what do you know .. I can not recreate the problem in front of the Nissan Technician. Even as cordial as he was, he stated that he can not do anything until after he has experienced or recreated the issue.

So can someone PLEASE tell me, what is the 3 penny trick?

do this...

use your car as you normally do with out opening the rear deck lid...

then after a few days of driving, stop by the dealer and have the service advisor give it a try...he should be able to experience the issue first hand provided you havent attempted to open it prior to your arrival at the dealership...

Screw it! I'm going tomorrow to pick up the springs and pay for it out of pocket, I don't have patience for this nonsense! :mad:

Dealer replaced my springs on the second attempt, they replaced the "actuator" first and then ordered the replacement springs. Dealer was in Hickory, NC hope everyone else gets this taken care of as easily as I did. Car has 4k miles on it.

It really SUCKS to hear people saying they are paying out of pocket for this issue. I sold my 07 Tundra Crew Max which I loved so that I could afford another truck and this car. Since day one my hatch has taken two attempts 99% of the time and 3 attempts 1% of the time. I still have yet to go to Nissan for a fix but I would expect them to fix it ON A BRAND NEW CAR!!!

Point of the story with the Tundra is that the Toyota dealership that I went to covered absolutely everything within the first 36K NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I had two different random pieces in my truck that broke, both due to human error. The damage was well over $1000 and they never even asked how it happened... JUST FIXED IT!!!

Maybe I was spoiled with the Toyota dealer but now I am expecting that out of damn near any new car purchase... I mean once again ITS A NEW CAR....RIGHT?

I am pretty sure that I can buy a brand new bottom dollar car any brand and the back hatch will work just fine... That's my 3 cents.

Stillen Z, slightly off topic what wheels are those?

there in his album, stock sport rims...check his profile

http://www.the370z.com/members/still...ot-lowered.jpg

Thanks kdo! I would rep+ but I don't think it would make a difference at this point LOL! :tup:

lol

you still owe me a DIY for those hood vents ;)

Yes I do and I'm sorry :(
My friend has been going through a rough spot, divorce, selling house etc... If you are eager about the vents I will PM you the details and his info if you like.

ah, no rush...i didnt realize your bud was going through tough times...

its all good man, just bustin your ballz :tup:

:D

LOL.... looks like KDO didn't get his rep from sittin around not helpin' people out... Thanks for the post of the pic too KDO..he's right, they are just stock sport rims painted black... they are dirty in the pic, as you can usually see any reflection in them... The guy did a great job... and they ARE painted, not powder coated. I know a lot of people say powder is way better (which it may be), but for the money I spent and the look I got, I'm lovin' it!!!

Sorry to get off topic: I'd rather talk about my car's rims than this stupid embarrassing stuck hatch that I have to push twice and lift up every time while I'm pushing the damn button lol

It's been stated the hatch issue is related to outside temperature, and I'm inclined to agree. It happened to me for the first time yesterday, and it was the first time the temps have been below 40.

I also did this: I pressed the switch, the hatch opened slightly...I pushed down slightly on the hatch, pressed the switch again and, voilà, it opened right up.

I just bought the springs this morning. I'll install them after work and see how well they work. $68 :mad:

dang bro i cant believe the dealer made you pay...:shakes head:

i think yout the first...

saw someone else saying they paid elsewhere. quite unfortunate for those people. cup your balls and complain complain complain. i'd think that EVERYONE that returns to the dealer where they purchased their car would be able to get this remedied. i went to a random dealer that happened to be closer to home and got mine taken care of for free...

Yea I know but unfortunately my obligations don't let me coordinate a decent drop off time and to be honest with you I don't have the patience to deal with the dealer.

That is how I am, I would love for the dealership to pay for it but I have little time to drive to any dealership most of the time. Though paying the money is not high on my list of things to pay for.

Finally got the call that my springs were in, went there on Saturday morning to get them changed, fully expecting it to be a 2 minute job, but no, was told I had to leave the car there as it would be about 3 hours before they could do anything.
I offered to do it myself, "NO WAY" was the reply, "this is warranty work and has to be done by us". I showed them how easy the spings came out and they could do it very quickly, but stil NO!!!
So I left. :shakes head:

in order for the dealer to get paid by nissan for the warranty repair they HAVE to do the work. they told me the same thing, but i already knew how all that worked.

i wish it were as easy for you guys as it was for me...
when i first approached the service manager i asked him to come out side and take a look at them, i took one off to show him the simplicity of it...

a few days later service manager called me and told me to stop by when i had time, so i went by after work that day, and he installed them himself right there on the spot in the parking area where the cars line up to go in the bays :tup::tup: to this dealership...

it litterally took him less than a minute to do the swap...

Some cars are built in December 2008 (mine, has problem)....some cars are built in March 2009, eh? Does Nissan have just one plant where these are produced? I have no idea...anyone know?

I respectfully disagree. It only does it on mine when the temps drop below 40

:stirthepot:

I installed my new springs and they are awesome! The trunk literally jumps at you lol!

Same here! It only gets stuck when it's cold!

Could have but don't think so. If only dealers were that good! I live in OKC ..... the car came from a dealer in Lubbock, TX with 20 miles on the odometer. Also, I've never seen a dealer be that good about replacing defective parts on new cars. I also just bought a new SUV for the wife. It had deep scratches in 2 of the bright chrome finished wheels. They acted like they did not know about the damage although the car had been detailed before delivery. However, they did replace the wheels....I had not filled out the dealer evaluation survey so this helped.

BTW.........temp today is 13 degrees. My hatch opens perfectly.

Mine does it. have to press button twice to get latch to release.

When I get more time I'll read back through this thread to fix