MattG

Well some of it is to repair some damage on my rear bumper so that wouldn't mean much to anyone who hasn't seen my car. However to remove,respray and refit my front bumper and bonnet to get rid of all the chips they have quoted £495. That includes blowing into the front wings too so the colour matches perfectly. I thought that was ok for a quality job. I've now got to go back to them and ask how much they want for fitting the Veilside urethane front lip and a replica FRP Nismo rear spoiler too. I was also thinking of asking them about wheel refurbishment whilst it's in as the previous owner has absolutely mullered the Rays and it would be handy not having to take it off the road again to get that sorted in the future. I'll update the thread once I've been to see them again, hopefully on Saturday.

I'm going to be using a placed called Newcoat Garage in Dukinfield for some work on my Z. They came recommended to me by a mate of mine. Aside from the usual stuff they do a fair bit of work on classic sports cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The price they have quoted me for a few bits and pieces has been very good so I'll let you know how the work turns out. I'll be getting it booked in as soon as I have my front lip and rear spoiler sorted so it shouldn't be too long. HTH. Matt.

Hi all, After looking at many pictures of Z body kits I've decided to go the subtle route with my Z. The Zerosun kit would have been nice but it's a bit too expensive for me and I don't really want an FRP kit due to the potential headaches involved. So I've decided to just go for a resprayed front bumper with the grill either colour coded or gloss black and a Veilside V1 front lip in urethane and a Nismo V1 rear spoiler. A bit like this one (but my car is Gun Metal): viewtopic.php?p=224060#p224060 I have a few questions though: 1) Is the Nismo V1 spoiler still available (or at least a very good copy)? 2) If yes, is it available in FRP and uerethane or just FRP? I guess it doesn't matter too much if that part is FRP as it won't see much punishment, provided the fit and quality is top notch. 3) Will the oem spoiler leave holes or does the Nismo cover these? Basically will my whole tailgate need a respray if I swap spoilers? My car is an UK GT 53 plate if that has any bearing. 4) Any recommendations for where to get the Veilside and Nismo bits from? I could do with them asap really as my car is going into the bodyshop soon for a few other bits and bobs, although I can reschedule if I have to. Oh and if anyone has any pics of the oem front grill painted GM or black I'd love to see them. Any help would be much apprecaited. Cheers, Matt.

Take a look here: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=23151&start=0 All the info you need plus loads of other stuff to tempt you!

When you manage it, a guide would be useful as they look tricky to get off! There's already a couple of guides floating around, do a search and you should find them.

Glad you got it all sorted Mark, you'll have to let us know how it all turns when it's fitted. I didn't notice that both threads had been started by you so sorry for repeating myself!

I've just posted in this thread about this box and the postage fees: viewtopic.php?f=27&t=23085&p=336536#p336536 I've yet to put the sub in mine (waiting for my Dual Mono amp to come back from having a service at Genesis) but I've installed the box and it's a great fit and doesn't move around whilst driving. That may change when there's a heavy sub in there but I'm sure it won't be too difficult to resolve if it does. Personally I'd go for a single 10" sub. Partly because the box is pretty small (although CDT do some 10" SQ subs that only need 0.4 cuft) and also because you really aren't going to need more than that in two seater like the Z. That's if you want sound quality anyway. If you just want volume then go for the 2 x 12 box! Genesis and JL gear are both great and you can't really go wrong with either. Seen as you already have the Genesis comps I'd be tempted to go for one of their subs and also this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genesis-Series-3- ... 1|294%3A50 This is a £650 amp new ( http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/genesis ... -6402.html )! It's just been serviced by Genesis too which consists of a full test (and repair if necessary), a full repolish, new birth certificate and a brand new box and manual. Genesis have amazing customer service and will be happy to confirm that when the work was done if you email them the serial number of the amp ( http://www.genesiscaraudio.net/ ). Just get the seller to tell you the number and mail it to Genesis before you bid. Here's the spec for that amp (ST60) http://www.genesiscaraudio.net/amps/spec.html Buying second hand makes a LOT of sense with car audio. You can pick up all sorts of equipment in mint condition for a fraction of what it costs new.

I got one of those a few weeks back and it's a great little box with a perfect fit. Just make sure you buy a sub that is designed for around 0.8 cuft of air and you'll be fine. USPS (United States Postal Service) will most likely be the cheapest to get it sent over, they are the US equivalent of Royal Mail and they hand it over to Parcel Force when it lands in the UK. To get it sent by USPS will be around $100 on top of the price of the box and when you factor in duties and VAT you'll be looking at around £150 for the box delivered to your door (+ or - £10 or so depending on the exchange rate). Mine came to about £160 all in but the interest rate is a bit better for Brits at the moment. So not the cheapest but when you consider that Nissan want £80 for the vertical tonneau it begins to look a lot better! EDIT: Forgot to add, if you order from that company you probably won't get much of a choice of how it's sent. They'll just send you an invoice with an extra $100 added to it for USPS shipping. That's what they did with me.

Another satisfied customer here! I went for 20mm all round and at the same time took the opportunity to clean the rust off the centre of my brake discs and paint them with black hammerite. A couple of hours work for both mods and the cars looks soooooo much better now. The spacers are definitely one of the best bang for the buck mods you can do. I was worried that the ride height would look a bit high with the spacers on but to be honest it looks fine to my eyes, although I'm not a fan of "slammed" cars anyway. Although that's not to say I won't be ordering a set of Tokico Spec Ds and some RSR Ti2000 springs when my suspension shows the slightest hint of needing replacing!

Crafty! Shall be PMing you once I've managed to decide between brushed and shiny. Shiny looks nicer but brushed goes better with the interior bits I think. Are you're still making them in steel for those that want it? The heavier the gearknob the better the shift in my experience. The stock one is WAY too light.

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.