MattG

That stainless one looks great and should be nice and heavy too. This might sound like a strange question but there does the 350z logo end up when the gearknob is fully screwed on? Does it differ from car to car?

I'd also be worried about the effect it would have on my interior. I'd be expecting some serious rattles after a while, although an MDF baffle would help somewhat. I have wondered if the reason the Bose sub is so feeble is that Nissan didn't want a load of angry owners complaining their interiors were rattling apart after 6 months. Personally I'm going for one like this: http://www.zenclosures.com/Nissan_350Z_ ... p/z110.htm The great thing is it serves the function of hiding the contents of the boot too. They also do them in 12", dual 10" and dual 12". Lots of guys in the US have them and seem to be very happy and Mike seems to have a good reputation for customer service. He trades on ebay too if you want the extra buyer protection that offers. He also sells 350z MDF speaker rings which is handy if you're upgrading the front speakers as well.

I took a look in the manual but couldn't find anything to say that some channels were class D, although admitedly I'm far from an expert! It's here if you want to take a look: http://images.kenwood.eu/files/prod/747/5/KAC-PS4D_(EN).pdf And if you look at the page for it on Kenwood's web site ( http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/pr ... D/details/ ) it says "High Performance 4-channel Power Amplifier for Subwoofer". The main reason for buying that particular amp was that I needed a really small 4 channel amp as space was limited in my MX-5. In that car I ran two channels to the front speakers and then bridged the other two for the sub like I was planning to do in the Z. It sounded pretty good with the Boston Acoustics SL65 Coaxials I had but the MX-5 wasn't the best car for SQ so I didn't bother too much. The 350Z seems like a much better platform for good sounds so I'd like to push things a bit further this time! I used the Dynamat Extreme in the MX-5 and found it made a huge difference. I was hoping there was a cheaper alternative without adding too much weight but it doesn't appear that's the case. Since you have used it in your Z could you tell me how much I'll need? Also I'd appreciate any cabling recommendations you have. I was planning on using the standard cables to the speakers and then running RCAs to the amp. Does that sound OK? Sorry for all the questions!

Forgot to add, yes I'm looking at Sound Proofing and cabling too. The cabling side will be pretty much covered by my mate who will be fitting the kit for me. There seems to be quite a few options for sound proofing with Dynamat Extreme being the priciest option. This stuff seems quite cheap and has some good reviews: http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/second- ... -4853.html Also there's a guy on talk audio selling some stuff too: http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/showthread.php?t=274194 Although that stuff, even in 2.5mm form might be a bit on the heavy side?

Thanks for the response! I'd been looking at the JL Audio 10W3v3 as a possiblity for the sub so it's good to get a recommendation for that. Decision made! Thanks for the recommendation on the components too! One concern I do have is with my amp. I've been doing some reading trying to get a better idea of how all this ICE stuff works and it seems that my amp is a "Class D" and actually intended for driving subwoofers! Do you know anything about this? I don't want to spend a fortune on high end components only for them to sound poor due to using the wrong amp. I'm prepared to buy a another 2 channel amp to drive the speakers if that's what needs to be done.

After some discussion on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=16403 I've made a decision on what I want to do with the audio setup in my 350z. I've decided to go with Rob_Quads' advice and stick with the 6 month old, Kenwood KAC-PS4D 4 channel amp from my previous car ( http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/pioneer ... -6504.html ). I'd like to replace the front speakers with some really nice components and I'm looking to upgrade the sub too. The sub will be going in one of these custom ebay boxes: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissan-3 ... otohosting What I'm after is some advice on which component speakers and sub to buy. The ebay box has an internal volume of 81 cu. ft which I believe is the important factor in choosing which sub to buy. I've decided to stick with a 10" sub as I'm not after gangster bass, just good sound quality. I've seen these 6.5" components for sale on Talk Audio which seem like a good buy: http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/showthread.php?t=288513 Can any of the experts comment on these? Should they fit ok and are they worth going for? Budget wise I have about £300 for the speakers and £150 for the sub but obviously the cheaper the better. If I buy the Talk Audio speakers then I'll have more to spend on the sub. All advice much appreciated! Oh, and does anyone think I'd be better disabling the fronts and upgrading the rears instead? I didn't think that would be a good way to go but I thought I'd ask! Cheers, Matt.

I suspected as much! Ok, I might as well swap those out too! Ah, didn't realise that! That would do my head in so it's either go for a 2+1 setup or get a 5 channel amp. Ok so I need new speakers (6.5" I believe) and I might as well get a new 10" sub too. Any recommendations anyone? I'm also open to recommendations for a 5 channel amp so I can weigh up whether or not it's worth it over sticking with the 4 channel. Think I might get one of these for the sub: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissan-3 ... Enclosures Thanks for all the info!

Totally agree with that. In my MX-5 I just had a set of Boston Acoustics components in the front with a small sub in the boot powered by the same Kenwood digital amp I mentioned previously. 1 channel for each speaker, 2 for the sub and it sounded great, much better than the Bose setup in my Z. And the MX-5 is pretty poo acoustically compared to the 350Z due to the amount of road noise in the cabin. Well my mate reckons my Kenwood should be up to it as it's one of the new breed of digital amps ( http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/pr ... D/details/ ). I will ask him though if he thinks it would be better to disable the rears and concentrate on the fronts instead. What's your view on the stock Bose speakers Rob? Do you think I should look to upgrade them whilst we've got the car in bits or are they generally fine? I mean this both in terms of sound quality and standing up to the abuse of a more powerful amp and HU setup. Bear in mind they're over 5 years old already.

My Kenwood amp is a 4 channel and I was planning on doing the same - 1 channel for the fronts, 1 channel for the rears and then bridge the other two for the Sub. That's only because I had a 4 channel left over from my old car though. Ideally I'd want a 5 channel with one channel for each speaker and one left over for the sub to satisfy my OCD! Why's that, it seems like a bit of a waste?! I've come from an MX-5 so I was enjoying the luxury of having 4 speakers again!

I have the Bilberry at the moment and like others I've not been overly impressed. The smell is nice but the fact that it doesn't cling to the wheel surface and penetrate into the dirt like some of the gel based products do means that it doesn't help a great deal in shifting the muck IMO. I think most of the time my wash shampoo is doing all the work as the Bilberry has just run off onto the ground. And that's using it neat too! I'm going to try some of the Autobrite Verry Cherry next as that seems to be getting rave reviews. The current GB on detailing world seems like quite good value. For £19.99 you get: 1 x 5 Litres of Very Cherry Acid Free Wheel Cleaner (Dilutes up to 20-1) 1 x Big Blaster Foaming Trigger 1 x 947ML Bottle 48hr Delivery See here for more info, he should have more in stock any day now: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/s ... p?t=100362 Another thing to remember is that having the right brushes for the job makes a huge difference too. With the combinations of brushes I have I can easily clean all of the wheel including right inside the rim.

After being disappointed with the waffle weave towels I bought this one recently and it's by far the best one I've ever used: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-a ... d_362.html You could probably do two cars without wringing it out, it's brilliant! EDIT: Forgot to mention, I just hand wash my towels in hand washing detergent. I use Woolite, but I'm sure any similar product would do. It's meant for delicates so should be fine for MF cloths and applicators as long as they're rinsed properly afterwards.

Thanks for the info Rob. Sorry I didn't mean to imply that! I just meant are those steering wheel control adapters a bit dodgy in general. Can I expect all of the functions to work as expected or is it a bit hit and miss depending on the model of HU? Why's that? Is the OEM wiring poor quaility or is it more of a technical issue?

I'm planning on upgrading my audio soon and I'd appreciate some advice. I've got a UKDM GT with the Bose system fitted and I'm planning on swapping the head unit for my Pioneer DEH-P88RS II (single DIN) and the Bose amp for my Kenwood KAC-PS4D. For the moment I plan to keep the Bose speakers and sub although I do plan to upgrade them at some point, it depends how they perform with the new amp and HU really. Keeping the steering wheel controls is a must. Here's what I think I need: Facia Panel - ICT 50-229: http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/facia_pa ... 0-229.html ICT 29-674 - Nissan 350z Bose USC Loom: http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/steering ... 9-674.html ICT 29-007 - Pioneer head-unit lead: http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/steering ... html?cat=0 Is this correct given I'm removing the Bose amp too? Also can I expect full functionality from the steering wheel controls or will they be a bit hit and miss? I know that the amp will need to be fiddled with to get the speakers to the right volume and that I'll need to earth the HU but my mate who is fitting it all (does it for a living) is fine with that. I just thought I'd save him some effort by getting all the cables sorted first. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I can recommend these guys: http://www.motoringassist.com/home.aspx If you do some googling on them you'll see they have an excellent reputation and also came top in a recent Auto Express survey (RAC 3rd, AA 7th). £81 for joint cover is a bargain too IMO. And they encourage safe driving, so I'm sure the AA man will be pleased! Oh, and don't go with Green Flag whatever you do. Google for some reviews if you want to see why!

The AA seems to periodically issue these type of press releases. I think it's part of their marketing strategy now... Sometimes they have merit but a lot of the time it's nonsense like this. The BBC ceased to be a credible news outlet some time ago IMO. Inaccurate scare stories and biased reporting seem to be the norm for them these days.

The 5220 is very nice indeed but has now been superceded by the 5240. It's essentially the same unit but has support for the latest generation iPods and iPhones which use a slightly different charging voltage. I foolishly decided to wait for the release of the new version as I thought it would be good to get the newer iPod support in case my 5th gen classic ever dies. That wasn't the wisest move given that Kenwood seem to have used it as an excuse to add £150 to the price!!!! http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/kenwood ... -7316.html £769.99 for the DNX-5240BT!!!

Have you tried ringing Car Planet? Most of the RC Developments guys have moved over to there now so they should be able to tell you what was done, or at least have a fair idea. They can't have had many 350s in so they must remember roughly the approach they would have taken. Ask for Clive as he was the guy who ran the workshop. For what it's worth, I had some work done by RC years ago and I wasn't at all impressed with their customer service or the work they did so I wouldn't assume it's been done properly. When I did some online research at the time I found complaints from other people too (on the Evo forums IIRC). And I don't just mean the guys who had their engines stolen and cars trashed.

I have a Q! What gearbox and diff oil would you recommend for a 350Z (53 plate if it matters)? Assume the car gets driven hard and I want the best oil available!

Yeah, I saw the P1,P2,P3 stuff on the tick sheet as posted above but it doesn't seem 350Z specific as some of the things on there clearly don't apply to our cars (e.g. Cambelt). So it's hard to know what they should and shouldn't have done! I can say for definite though that not all the boxes in the P3 section have been ticked, e.g. spark plugs.

I'd be interested in the answer to this too. Mine had the 54K P3 service from the Nissan dealer before I bought it in Jan and on the service tick sheet I was given there is no mention of the diff oil, gearbox oil and plugs being changed. As far as I can tell the only things they did outside of a normal oil and filter service was to change the brake fluid and the auxillary belts. I was under the impression the 54K service should be more than this though. It could be that the tick sheet just hasn't been filled in properly. It could also be that as the service was thrown in as part of the car sale they skipped a few bits to save costs. Might have to give them a bell to see if they can confirm what was done, although I'm not sure I'd believe them anyway as they haven't exactly been a model of competance up to now. TDI North are just around the corner from work so I might just get them to change the diff and gearbox oil and the plugs to be sure.... EDIT: From checking my service book, this appears to be the first P3 service it has had! For a 5 year old car with 50,000 miles that isn't right is it?! That seems really odd considering it has FNSH and was supplied by a Nissan dealer.

For reference, I paid £10490 for a 50,000 mile 53 plate (Nov 2003) 350Z with GT pack and the Rays wheels. That was from a Nissan dealer with 12 months warranty, 6 months tax and of course a new set of mats! It was silver (Gunmetal?) with Alezan leather if that makes a difference. That was in early Jan '09. Hope that helps.

there is a counter balance weight in the boot lid that can be removed. Check the guides section on how to do it but suggest you do this before purchasing new struts http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic ... t=removing Thanks for the info, I'll give it a whirl!

Hi all! 1st post! Just got my (53 plate) Z and within the space of a week it's already started to have issues with the boot. To open it I now have to simultaneously push the button and pull upwards on the boot (or it gets caught on the latch again) and I seem to be getting very little assistance form the boot struts when I fully open it. I take it these struts will solve both problems? If so, I'm in too! Less than a week of ownership and already planning my first mod.....