Spec V Quality (venting/advice)

So I went with my sister today because she needed me to test drive an 01 golf with 100k miles on it before she purchased it. I was stunned, this car was tip top. It drove like a champ. Smooth as can be in every gear, no rattles, and it rode like it was one air.

My 03 Spec V on the other hand rides like it's on wagon wheels and it has 75k miles on it. So WTF went wrong with my Spec V? I couldn't be more disapointed in it's quality. I dread driving my car above 65 anymore because it has a major case of the wheel shakes. In the cold months, like now, it sounds and drives like shit. It never wants to shift and all I can hear is the whirl wind sound of an ice cold transmission that takes 30 minutes to warm up. Inside it sounds like drum contest. I have about 5 different consistant rattles. What's worse is everytime I go over any kind of bump I can now hear my front suspension squeeking. The car feels terrible and it is a heart ache to drive.
:banghead:

My only hope is to completely re-do the suspension. My rims are very slightly bent, so that's part of the problem. You can't really blame that on Nissan. I'm getting a year end bonus at work very soon and after I save up for a couple months I'm hoping to get a set of Pia Rims and tien basic coil overs. Hopefully in the spring I can afford a new clutch and flywheel to help give me a little smoothness of my shifting back. I would think that these mods would make a dramatic difference in the way the car feels and rides. Or am I wrong?
( http://www.prostreetonline.com/buy/piaa_fr-s_wheels/ ) :2cents:

Also, my engines has a very mild tick to it when Idling. I'd say it ticks three times a second. When I pop the hood I can see the engine slightly rocking and it never used to do that. It's been doing this for a few months now, i'd say. Motor mount possibly? Any Advice?

ALSO, I have a low sounding buzz coming from my back left tire and I can't figure out what the hell it is... I'm thinking it's time to buy a beamer. :shakehead

Well I feel slightly better. I just inspected my car over and found a few loose pannels. After a few bangs with my hand I mannaged to pop them back in place. I'm assuming my sub rattled them out. I noticed my spoiler is coming loose, so I tried to tighten it up from the trunk and that didn't do much. I just made them snug because I didn't want to break anything. Is there anything that can come loose on the inside of the spoiler or is it just connected with a one way metal bolt? Maybe I shoulud try to tighten it up a little more. Iunno. :frown:

take it off and lay a thin layer of adhesive cork under it as a gasket, they sell it at body and frame shops, should quiet your spoiler rattle

take it off and lay a thin layer of adhesive cork under it as a gasket, they sell it at body and frame shops, should quiet your spoiler rattle

Not so much worried about the rattle. I'm more worried about my spoiler coming off :/

super glue? seriously

RTV.

as far as the rest of your problems,
So I went with my sister today because she needed me to test drive an 01 golf with 100k miles on it before she purchased it. I was stunned, this car was tip top. It drove like a champ. Smooth as can be in every gear, no rattles, and it rode like it was one air.

its a golf. volkswagens are tuned for comfort.

My 03 Spec V on the other hand rides like it's on wagon wheels and it has 75k miles on it. So WTF went wrong with my Spec V? I couldn't be more disapointed in it's quality. I dread driving my car above 65 anymore because it has a major case of the wheel shakes. In the cold months, like now, it sounds and drives like shit. It never wants to shift and all I can hear is the whirl wind sound of an ice cold transmission that takes 30 minutes to warm up. Inside it sounds like drum contest. I have about 5 different consistant rattles. What's worse is everytime I go over any kind of bump I can now hear my front suspension squeeking. The car feels terrible and it is a heart ache to drive.

every car shifts slow when the oil is cold. so does the golf. you should get your coolant flushed. it helps your car warm up faster. so does driving.

wait, you have subs in your car, and you cant figure out how all your interior panels are slowly rattling loose? isnt this one common sense?

sounds like also your bushings are getting grimey. id suggest replacing them with some polyurethane bushings, but you complain about your current ride quality, so dont.


My only hope is to completely re-do the suspension. My rims are very slightly bent, so that's part of the problem. You can't really blame that on Nissan. I'm getting a year end bonus at work very soon and after I save up for a couple months I'm hoping to get a set of Pia Rims and tien basic coil overs. Hopefully in the spring I can afford a new clutch and flywheel to help give me a little smoothness of my shifting back. I would think that these mods would make a dramatic difference in the way the car feels and rides. Or am I wrong?
( http://www.prostreetonline.com/buy/piaa_fr-s_wheels/ ) :2cents:

bent rims can cause shakes. also, those rims probably look nice but are heavy. get some lighter rims. but dont get bigger rims. if anything get smaller rims. the bigger the sidewall, the softer the ride. and coilovers will make your ride much harsher. plus the fact that tein sucks balls. get some adjustable and nismo s-tune springs if you want new suspension. oh wait. why am i even telling you all this. sounds to me like you want a buick. your obviously unable to live with the comprimises you make when upgrading a sports car.


Also, my engines has a very mild tick to it when Idling. I'd say it ticks three times a second. When I pop the hood I can see the engine slightly rocking and it never used to do that. It's been doing this for a few months now, i'd say. Motor mount possibly? Any Advice?

id do a complete tune up first. plus an oil change. the ticking could be either an arcing plug wire, or possibly just valve noise. valve noise is normal, and comes from a few things:
-an abused engine
-not changing oil often enough
-not having enough oil in at all times
-normal aging


ALSO, I have a low sounding buzz coming from my back left tire and I can't figure out what the hell it is... I'm thinking it's time to buy a beamer. :shakehead

make sure all your tires are at 30 psi, then check for a nail in the tire. thats what id bet it is. spray soapy water all over the tire, and itll bubble up alot wherever theres a leak. any local shop can fix tire leaks for cheap.

if this isnt the case, id check on the possibility of damaged rear suspension or frame, and check the alignment. do this after you get new rims(and hopefully tires) though. that way you rule out the rim as the problem.

sounds to me like this is your answer to all your problems

http://www.theautochannel.com/media/photos/buick/1998/98_buick_century_custom.jpg

Well.. I appreciate the advice, lol.

As far as the subs, go, I know they rattle my pannels loose and I fixed that, but I was refering to rattling that I can hear throughout the car not just on the interior. I am getting new rims, I'm riding stock right now. The rims I am getting are lighter and I'm absolutely going to put new tires on them.

I'll check out the bushings and I appreciate the advice on the Nismo s-tune springs. I will check into them. I do know that performance compromises the car, but that's not what I'm talking about. I just know how the car used to feel and I know how it feels now. I know the difference between a stiff, performance ride and a ride that just feels like crap. Should I check in to anything else aside from the springs? Wouldn't that load down my stock struts? After all, they have 75k miles on them. Replacement?

Thanks but no thanks on the Buick.. I'd much rather have a Crown Vic................ :banghead:

i saw a supercharged crown victoria SVT the other day, talk about a fast fucking luxury car.......

the rattling you can hear throughout your car is probably a mix between from the subs and from driving vibrations and engine vibrations. id suggest getting some tokico illuminas or some other adjustable strut to go with those S-tune springs. and im still not convinced you would be happy with polyurethane bushings. they might make the ride way to stiff for you.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=5300S-RSB50


Bingo. Looks like I have another reason to work OT. Already have the $$ saved for my rims/tires. :cwm27: