I didn't really want to get in on this but...

Why would the car need to have 110,000 miles on the original clutch? Do you demand that the brake pads last this long as well? Maybe you shouldn't have to replace the air filter or oil filter until 100,000 miles. Maybe the cars should go 100,000 miles on the original tank of gas as well.

You must enjoy posting ridiculous arguments in this forum. I find it inconceivable that anybody with more than a shred of intelligence could actually make any of these arguments with a straight face. Or rather I should say claims, not arguments. Arguments are supported by some sort of evidence.

 

No AC means no effective defrost either. Driving in the rain would not be fun.

 

Do you deliberately dodge questions, or is it just a lack of reading comprehension?

Whether or not the really are failing at a higher rate, for the purposes of this discussion we have to assume they are. YOU seem to be implying that it is the fault of Americans driving mostly automatics (which they certainly do, but so what). What Darth and I are trying to point out is that if that is the case, then that would explain manual transmissions IN GENERAL having higher failure rates here (than, say, England). But Americans being automatic-lovers/poor manual drivers WOULD NOT explain a higher failure rate in just the 350Z while other cars fare just fine.

You might have inadvertently hit on part of the answer earlier when you mentioned that "Japanese manuals can't handle the abuse as well as German manuals" or something like that. You also said something about dealers not having many automatic 350Zs, which could force a disproportionate number of non-manual drivers to spring for the stick shift versions. Those might actually be valid reasons for the problem (though you then say that Darth imagined the whole problem to begin with, so which is it?).

But rather than use those possibly valid reasons, you seem to keep implying that it is the poor American driver who is causing the 350Z to fail at this elevated rate (if it is happening at all). Again, one contributing factor could be the lack of automatic availability COMBINED with the lack of basic manual tranny skills, but surely you have to see that this lack of skill ALONE would not cause a problem in 350Zs alone; it would trend across all cars with manuals.

 

People that prefer automatics tend to stick with them, and the revers is true of manual trannies. I, myself have never owned a car with an automatic. I have driven automatics that are in a captured fleet deal or company car situation..

Blaming the owner is not the first place to look if there's a durability issue earmarked by a high failure rate of the same parts on a regular basis.

Most Japanese and other Asian manual trannies are not robust in nature. Synchros and shiftforks? Can be the operator, but it could be insufficiently validated materials or design as the root cause.

By and large American and German designs manuals are the best manuals for performance and torque handling.

I can't say the 350z's are the choice of "American Idiots". That may be how you characterize them, but I'm not going there.

 

I think what's really bothering you is that someone would suggest that America is ''the land of the slushbox."

 

For the love of God, do you even read? I readily admitted that Americans certainly prefer automatics; there is nothing to argue about there. It certainly sucks, but that's just the way it is. I'm not saying it isn't so. What I'm saying is simply this: that fact ALONE could not explain a higher failure rate on the 350Z vs. other cars. Are you just ignoring my question/comment to be irritating? That really does make you seem like a teenage troll, and I'm trying to discuss this with you as though you are not. You are making that very difficult (impossible, actually) to do. Do you see the point I am making, or not?

Or, in the words of Jules, "English mother******; do you SPEAK IT?!" (Sorry, I just saw Pulp Fiction in its entirety for the first time last weekend ).

 

The judgement is in on redzed.

 

You'd love Europe because every single rental car is a manual - unless you're willing to pay through the nose.


Unless I see a service bulletin or advisory, I wouldn't start using terms like "high failure rate."


Isn't the Solstice getting a 5-speed Aisin tranny instead of a the original Solstic concept's Tremec (license built BorgWarner) T-56? Did the CTS lose its Getrag 5-speed for a 6-speed Aisin.

Hmm.....BorgWarner.....German......Getrag......Ger man......Aisin......Japanese.....Hmm?



1. Other than New Process Gear (originally a GM/Chrysler joint venture), I can't think of very many American companies that design and build manual transmissions.

2. Is it ironic that the Getrag 5-speed in the Cadillac CTS didn't have the torque capacity to handle the 3.6 liter HFV6 but the Aisin 6-speed did. Not really, because the only BMW that will definitely retain the Getrag 5-speed is the 115hp 116i. The rest of the BMWs get 6-speed ZF units.

I think the comment applied to "people who should know better than to buy a manual, but do anyway."

 

Its not just the 350z with tranny problems. Most of the higher powered japanese cars have issues. Look at the wrx and lancer for 2 more examples.

 

For the WRX, and other cars, they beefed up their 5 speeds after those inital years of weak 5 speeds.. I assume that helped (don't actively follow the WRX)...

and I know the STI has stronger 6 speeds.. but again, I don't follow them closely.

 

Thanks. But that doesn't matter at the moment. I said in an earlier post that I have no idea if the 350Z really IS having problems (let alone the other two you mentioned). The point is that if it IS isolated to a particular car, how could one blame that on the lack of manual transmission skills in the American public (which redzed seems to be implying)? For all I know the 350Z could have the most bulletproof tranny ever; I was arguing with his logic, not trying to say it does or does not have a problem with its gearbox.

 

I happen to know some american who drove a 93 Ford ranger to a current 185K and it is on its second clutch.And its still running strong.


This is by far the best pissin' match I've followed on z28. .

 

I had a LT1 Z28, spun the tires 3 times a day , when I sold it at 111,000 it had the original clutch and worked perfect.

 

No kiddin', Original owner?

 

Bought a 1989 IROC convertible 5-speed new in December 1988. Drove it to 138K on the original clutch.

Sold it to a good friend who has 187K on it now, still on the original clutch. It is beyond wafer thin, but it's still going. He's trying for 200K before he replaces it.