Should we be worried about the Z's reliability, fit and finish?

[johnny_10196]

Just saw this on the Z facebook group.

had to make a post about the paint defect on the new Z since nobody else has yet, cool car
Edit: forgot to mention that the paint defect is on both sides of the fender in the same spot so it’s definitely not a rock chip lol

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[Y_PLZ]

Hopefully that's just a preproduction issue.

 

[Z_Dude]

Hopefully that's just a preproduction issue.

I agree. On another note, that's an angle I haven't seen on the Z's front end before. Hopefully, I get to see this thing in person soon.

 

[2JZ-No-Sh*t]

Pre-production or not, how did something like that even pass the quality inspection.

 

[ZZ2022]

Its still a Nissan at the end of the day haha. My GTR doesnt have the best fit and finish either, i expect the Z i am getting will be the same

 

[Donalex]

Just because it's there now doesn't mean it was there when it first saw the light of day. These are pre-production units and they are handled by a ton of people in a ton of places.

 

[ec15]

I was just thinking about paint quality when I saw this post.
Nissan paint has been lacking lately. From blotchy metallics (mottling) to orange peel. The mottling is very noticeable on the grey metallics. Mainly on cars that are built outside of Japan. Looks like a bad repaint.

Since the new Z will also be built in the Tochigi plant, this video of the Ariya assembly peaked my interest and the orange peel doesn't look good. Hopefully the blue and yellow Zs that's been making the rounds better represent the paint of the production Zs.

Check out the screenshots from 5:15, 13:28 and 14:10.

 

[takemorepills]

My biggest concern (won't stop me from getting a new Z, though) is that when I went to have my Q60 serviced, there was a Q50 RS with it's drivetrain pulled for turbo replacement.
Service advisor said it's a super common issue on the VR30DDTT, and you must drop the engine (and this car was AWD so EVERYTHING was out) to get to the turbos.
I remember the Z32 TT was a similarly difficult to service, but the Z32 TT really didn't need turbo work until it was much older.

As for that headlamp on the pre-production car, I'm pretty sure my Q60 has a slim rubber isolator/gasket around the headlight frame to protect the paint, I don't see it on the pic above. Maybe being pre-production that gasket is missing. I saw Nissan has touched that up a few times, I am certain this one particular issue will be resolved. Now, about the other hidden "Nissan" issues.....

 

[ZDreamer]

Is the headlight binding up on the fender? If so, the stamped fenders (sitting in the factory) will need to be thrown away and retooling is needed.

We should email the issue to Nissan Japan (or at least Nissan USA) ASAP. Otherwise, there's gonna be complaints for the first batch and then delay in next deliveries.

 

[takemorepills]

Is the headlight binding up on the fender? If so, the stamped fenders (sitting in the factory) will need to be thrown away and retooling is needed.

We should email the issue to Nissan Japan (or at least Nissan USA) ASAP. Otherwise, there's gonna be complaints for the first batch and then delay in next deliveries.

It looks like that fender needs to be constantly touched-up, looks like at least 3 times by the pic the op posted.

I am quite certain since Nissan is the one touching it up, that particular problem won't exist on production cars

 

[jdm-rhd]

we know nissan has been in a bad financial state over the past few years, but my hope is that with this new revitalization of the brand and their model line-up, that they are taking a page out of toyotas (largest car mfg in the world) handbook and adding some quality to the materials used and fit/finish.

it's proven people will pay more for quality and dependability. nissan needs to get it right this time and stop being the builder of cheapo cars...that game plan has already failed and almost took the entire company down the tubes.

 

[takemorepills]

we know nissan has been in a bad financial state over the past few years, but my hope is that with this new revitalization of the brand and their model line-up, that they are taking a page out of toyotas (largest car mfg in the world) handbook and adding some quality to the materials used and fit/finish.

it's proven people will pay more for quality and dependability. nissan needs to get it right this time and stop being the builder of cheapo cars...that game plan has already failed and almost took the entire company down the tubes.

I hope so, Nissan got rid of Ghosn (I hated his French-inspired influence on Nissan design) and they have already begun purging CVTs.

 

[fliplover]

we know nissan has been in a bad financial state over the past few years, but my hope is that with this new revitalization of the brand and their model line-up, that they are taking a page out of toyotas (largest car mfg in the world) handbook and adding some quality to the materials used and fit/finish.

it's proven people will pay more for quality and dependability. nissan needs to get it right this time and stop being the builder of cheapo cars...that game plan has already failed and almost took the entire company down the tubes.

Going by the differences in my wife's 2018 Rogue to the 2021 Rogue, quality has gone up quite a bit. I can't find it now, but in another thread it was posted that the Rogue's seats were ranked #1 in the CUV category.

I didn't get to spend a lot of time in the yellow car at Z Nationals, but it appears the interior is an upgrade over the Z34's.

 

[spencello]

Threads like these are a reminder of peoples' unrealistic expectations - I see them on the various forums, Facebook groups and reviews from businesses on the daily. We're talking about an affordable sports car, crammed full of goodies that is comparable to or outperforms (on paper at least) most anything in it's class. Yes, I'm aware that the term "affordable" translates differently for some folks, but considering the competition - the Z backs a hell of a punch for the dollar. I'm sure there has been or will be some sacrifices made to keep the costs down, such as mid/low grade paint, body panel fitment, etc - it's just the way things are. I hope that I'm proved wrong, but I'd rather go into things with a level, realistic head and not be disappointed. I'm sure the fitment issues pictured are due to the fact it's a pre-production unit that has probably been handled, many, many times for various reasons. Definitely a good catch, though! Most of the time factory fitment or paint finish issues can be fixed with some simple tools and a paint correction. I'd also like to point out that it seems like most modern "affordable" vehicles seem to have the same sub-par paint finish as well - I haven't been too blown away with any cars I've seen lately.

I will say, I'm very satisfied with a family member's 2020 Nissan Rogue. The quality is much better than expected from past Nissans I've dealt with in recent years. It seems like Nissan is doing a great job at pushing for a reposition of their brand - let's hope this holds true for the Z as well.

 

[ec15]

Threads like these are a reminder of peoples' unrealistic expectations - I see them on the various forums, Facebook groups and reviews from businesses on the daily. We're talking about an affordable sports car, crammed full of goodies that is comparable to or outperforms (on paper at least) most anything in it's class. Yes, I'm aware that the term "affordable" translates differently for some folks, but considering the competition - the Z backs a hell of a punch for the dollar. I'm sure there has been or will be some sacrifices made to keep the costs down, such as mid/low grade paint, body panel fitment, etc - it's just the way things are. I hope that I'm proved wrong, but I'd rather go into things with a level, realistic head and not be disappointed. I'm sure the fitment issues pictured are due to the fact it's a pre-production unit that has probably been handled, many, many times for various reasons. Definitely a good catch, though! Most of the time factory fitment or paint finish issues can be fixed with some simple tools and a paint correction. I'd also like to point out that it seems like most modern "affordable" vehicles seem to have the same sub-par paint finish as well - I haven't been too blown away with any cars I've seen lately.

I will say, I'm very satisfied with a family member's 2020 Nissan Rogue. The quality is much better than expected from past Nissans I've dealt with in recent years. It seems like Nissan is doing a great job at pushing for a reposition of their brand - let's hope this holds true for the Z as well.

Let's not confuse unrealistic expectations with properly building an automobile.