andrew.pacey

Cheers for that - all makes sense. Will check it out at the weekend. Thanks! Andy.

Hi All, Noticed this a couple of times now. I don't tend to use the Zed for travelling to work during winter but like to on the odd occassion. A few weeks back I had used the car for work and when I went to go home at about 6pm (it had been freezing all day ground was solid), I couldn't unlock the drivers door. It wasn't a case of the door being 'frozen shut', but I just couldn't operate the lock. Could get in the passenger side no problem, but couldn't even then unlock the drivers door using the interior door lock - was just really stiff and not possible to press it down. After 10 mins perservering with trying the keyfob, interior lock etc it eventually worked and let me in. I thought it was just a one off and thought nothing more of it. Yesterday morning it had frozen quite hard over night, and I couldn't get the drivers door to unlock again. Same symptoms but as I was already running late for work I took the other car. Has anyone else had this same problem? Is it a fault or just bad design? Passenger door lock has operated fine on both occassions. Any help would be appreciated! Andy.

No - but good idea - will have a look on eBay now. Thanks!

Hi All Just wondering if anyone knows anywhere you can get 350Z cufflinks from? Found these, but way too expensive! http://www.dd2.co.uk/Church_House_Jewel ... links.html Would ideally like the Z on black circle like the logo on the wings. Anyone seen any about? Thanks! Andy.

Hi All My warranty is due to expire at the end of the month. The dealer wants £695 to extend this for 1 year (Nissan Warranty). At purchase I was offered a year for £300 (Dealer Warranty) and I'm waiting to find out whether this offer is still available. What are peoples recommendations in terms of warranty extension? Are the warranties from RAC, AA worth looking into? Many thanks Andy.

Hi All, Many thanks for replies. Liking the idea of sticking two together back to back and then screwing on....also the slot in number plate surrounds are a good idea...not sure if they'd look a bit weird though - they're cheap enough on eBay so might order a set and see. There are a few sets with quite thin borders which would probably look OK! Interesting about plate companies not being able to sell illegally spaced plates after 1st October. Will this apply to the 'showplate' companies too? I had both sets of plates made by a showplate place....even the legally spaced set as I didn't want the supplier ref and BS number on them, which the proper plate companies have to do legally now. Just out of interest, how many people on here have actually ever been pulled over with illegal plates? And has anyone ever heard of someone being given the maximum £1,000 fine, or having had their cherished number revoked by the DVLA? It's only spacing I am changing on mine. I've bought PAC 5Y but will space it PAC5Y. Still in the legal font and letter sizes...but without any supplier id or BS no. Bargain I thought - £550 + fees in the most recent DVLA auction. I was bidding on PAC3Y in the previous auction, but it went for £3,400 + fees (out of my budget!) and is now listed on regtransfers for £19,995. Crazy! Would love P4CEY however that is £35k which is plain silly. Was going to advertise mine but the best valuation I've had is NewReg at £2k, and I'd rather keep it than sell at that. Andy.

Hi All, I've recently bought a private registration plate. I haven't received the documents yet from the DVLA but I've had the plates made up. I've got one set made up that is spaced as it should be in order to be legal for road use, and I've got another set made up with incorrect spacing for off road use. My question is - what is the best method to attach the number plate to allow for easy swapping? I don't want to screw/bolt it. I was thinking of using magnetic tape, sticking two strips to the car and two strips of the opposite magnetic pole to the plate, however I've e-mailed a chap on ebay who sells magnetic tape and he reckons they might fall off when hitting potholes etc (off-road potholes that is) as magnetic tape doesn't perform well under shock. He's suggested velcro tape but I don't know if this is going to look very 'flush' against the car. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Andy.

Yeah, hopefully they'll get it sorted properly this time. I'll be disappointed, not to mention raving mad, if they don't. Had a call from the bodyshop on Monday to say the windscreen people have removed the back screen ready for respray of the tailgate, but have advised for the seal to be replaced. It advises this in the service manual too - so I best get it done to avoid leaks. £94 + VAT! Eeek! Andy.

Thanks everyone! I'll get a bluetooth adapter ordered on pay day then. Is there anywhere to get them cheap other than the stealers? Thanks Andy.

Thanks Stew.

Hi All, I got my Zed about a month ago, however have had loads of problems with the dealer, getting them to sort some paintwork problems I discovered. Anyway, hopefully they're getting it all sorted now. My questions are.... 1. Bluetooth. My car has the mobile phone cradle in the compartment between the two seats. I've seen on here that you can get a bluetooth adapter to connect into this. Has anyone used this with an N95, and does it work OK? Is it worth the expense? How well does it integrate with the car? 2. I have an iPod and a Dension iceLink, which I used to have connected to a Kenwood stereo in my old FTO. I've kept the iceLink. I suspect I can probably get a new lead to connect the iceLink into the back of my Bose head unit. Does anyone know if this is possible? I know you can use the iceLink with different brands of stereo simply by changing the lead - but am unsure as to whether one exists for the Bose unit or not. If not I know I can get a lead to connect to the AUX port - does the Bose have one, and if so what type? Thanks in advance!

Hi All, Thanks to everyone for the supportive messages and advice. Thought I'd give you a quick update. OK - letter received from dealer to say that they refuse my rejection of the vehicle and request for a refund - quoted the terms that I signed, and then went on to say if I do not collect the vehicle within 7 days of the letter, they will charge me £14 + VAT per day storage charge. I've spoken to the solicitors at my bank, and whilst they think that if I pushed further I stand a good chance of getting a refund, to take it to the next level I need to start communicating with them through a solicitor. Obviously the problem with this is that it will drag on for a long time, and legal fees are going to be high (although the dealer could be asked to pay them IF the court ruled in my favour), not to mention the stress involved. The option they advised was to take the car back, have it inspected by the RAC or whoever, then get a quote from a reputable body shop on a pro forma invoice, and take them to the small claims court, where I wouldn't need legal representation. In the meantime, I've spoken to the bodyshop who did the repair (!!) job for the dealer. He basically said that when he did the job, he could only do what the dealer asks and pays for. Which was essentially as little work and cost as possible (his words not mine). He said that he advised what work needed to be done to correct the car, communicated this to the dealer, and was told to go against his own advice and do the bare minimum. Personally, I would have thought any bodyshop concerned about their reputation would refuse - however it's obvious the dealer put a lot of work his way. So, I phoned the dealer again and asked if we could discuss having the car rectified, at their cost, to a good standard - and based upon that I would write a reply to their letter. The dealer principle called to say that they would be willing to do this. We discussed on the phone what I believe needed rectifying. He said he'd get it all priced up their end and call me back with a decision (nice to know their decision is based on money and not on morals or customer satisfaction). The sales guy I had been dealing with called today to say that they would repair everything EXCEPT the tailgate. I said I disagreed with this and pointed out to them that when I spoke to the bodyshop, even he agreed that the paint around the window rubber will flake off as the weather gets under it. They wouldn't budge. Begrudingly, I suggested we split the cost of rectifying the tailgate 50/50 since we did not agree. Even then they refused. They said that the body shop would sort the tailgate at the same time as the rest of the car if I wanted, at a cost to me of £180 + VAT. They basically then said that was their final offer and would put it in writing. So, still not happy. However, I have phoned back and accepted their offer on the condition that I could draw up a sheet explaining problems, what I believe needs sorting, and success criteria in judging whether or not the repair is acceptable - so that there is absolutely no argument afterwards as to what constitutes an acceptable repair. They agreed as long as my sheet was reasonable. I visited them in person this afternoon, with sheet, and they have agreed to it. I was also assured that this time, it would be a good job. Now - the only problem this leaves is the tailgate, and the fact that they are using the same body shop. When I spoke to the body shop the other day, the guy was of the opinion that he could have done a good job if he wasn't held back by the dealership. I have visited the body shop today in person to show him a copy of the sheet, to which he is agreeable. I've also told him that if there is any argument with the dealership about the amount of work to be done, to ring me immediately - to which he agreed. His premises are professional and the work he had in whilst I was there looked good. Interestingly, he also showed me a car that they currently have in from the same dealer - which is a car one of their sales guys had reversed into a post. When repairing the vehicle, the body shop noticed some minor damage on another part of it and contacted the dealer to ask if they wanted it repairing whilst it was in (therefore at a lower cost). They said no!! So - the car is most likely going to the body shop on Monday. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm still absolutely fuming about how I've been treated. I'm feeling slightly nervous about the quality of the job. But feeling happy that there is a chance that I am going to get my car back in an acceptable condition. I've also negotiated with the body shop to have the tailgate repaired, at my cost - but not via the dealer. But he will do it at the same time. Really not happy I've had to back down on the refund. But also not sure I can go through the stress of taking them to court. And I'm certainly not in a position to lose out to them financially. At least this repair is based on a pre-agreed checklist - which I've attached for you to see. Apologies for the long post!! I hope I haven't bored you too much. And thanks again for all your support. Fingers crossed it will be resolved to my satisfaction and I can start participating in the rest of the forum! I'm off for a beer. Andy.

certainly used to, worth checking I don't think my RAC membership does; however, I've just realised that my bank does - as I have a Barclays Additions Plus account. Thanks for pointing me in that direction - they have a 24hour legal helpline so I'll give them a call tonight.

I have RAC cover through my bank. I didn't realise the AA / RAC provided legal advice as part of their breakdown cover?

Oh...forgot to say. He also stated that it was my responsibility to ensure the vehicle was free from defects. The order form I signed actually says "The purchaser(s) is/are aware that the vehicle was first registered as shown in the details provided above and is/are advised to inspect the vehicle for defects. However, the purchaser(s) is/are warned that if the vehicle is inspected for defects whether by the purchaser(s) or by someone on their behalf, defects which such an examination ought to have revealed will not later on be the responsibility of the seller". So, the way I read that is - you are advised to have the vehicle inspected, but if you do and any defects are shown up, these aren't the responsibility of the seller. Not that all defects are my responsibility once the form is signed.