BACON

Great guide very good and I'm almost tempted to try and complete mine myself.......and this is coming from someone who is so technically unadvanced that I struggled to change my stubby all on my own Although you must have the smallest camara ever.....how did you manage to get such good photos of each stage???

I'm not 100% sure about these can you change the indicator to a clear or silver bulb? I think this may help with the overall look and may help to reduce the clear line between the upper and lower segments of the headlights.

Lovely motor, definitely would love to have own one of these.....white looks

Coolio......amazing job; I wish I could aford to purchase all of the products listed so I could get my GM looking this good! I would be quite about ever driving her again looking like this; although the dust would be all over her before I even left.

They sh*t their pants on the ground

Hi all........any thoughts on this motor I have just found on Piston Heads??? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2820886.htm Seems a similar motor to Clare's current car the Black BMW 1.8 Compact and the rims look tidy

I find the auto really good - yes lazier but in semi-auto mode still enough to play with. Its obviously no zed but the torque and the gearbox make it an everyday car that is pleasant to drive and trust me you will enjoy it enough when you are on your own. Also a 118d is plenty fast enough in real world. You may not win a traffic light GP's but it gathers and keeps speed very capably. The economy (regular 36mpg around town however its driven) is a bonus. You will end up leaving the zed keys on the side if you know you are trawling through traffic. Thanks "drivebyabuser" , your guidance is very helpful and it sounds like the 1 series is a good option to certainly look further into! I know she quite likes the 1 Series styling, not really my style but everything you describe with this model is exactly what she desires. Thank you also to LRF4N for your suggestion of a slightly older and bigger model in the 3-series; this would certainly be more to my liking but I think Clare, after reading all the comments seems keen to search for a 1 series. I suppose it just depends on what we stumple across in our search.

Welcome

I must admit I'm not particularly a fan of Autoglass either since my recent windscreen replacement!!! Unfortunately driving to work a few weeks ago I was caught my a UFO (or perhaps just a rather large stone from a truck passing on the other side) which caused a chip at the base of the black strip of the Zed windscreen......could hardly notice it as was hidden from my driving view by the rear facing mirror. When arriving at work and after closer inspection, the chip was apparent so a call to my insurance was made. Informed to call Autoglass for a fill to prevent a crack appearing. Repair booked for the next day as couldn't make it due to work commitments that particular day. Driving home that warm evening from work, after the Zed had been sitting in the sun all day, I turned the Aircon on..........BIG MISTAKE all of a sudden from behind the mirror a crack proceeded to work its way down the windscreen and reached the base of the screen within 30 seconds......gutted!!! Anyway onto the replacement......Autoglass came to my place of work and the technician was very helpful....only issue was that even after I advised Autoglass over the phone that they would need a new rubber seal (knowledge gained from a previous windscreen replacement 6 months ago where the old seal was used with the new windscreen with horrendous aesthetic results) and on arrival it was very clear that they had no intention of providing a new seal and would try to utilise the old seal for a 2nd time!!! I refused the replacement and told the technician to resolve my issue immediately. After agreeing with my view, the technician arrnaged for the replacement and new seal to be completed the next day. Unfortunatley my car was in for it's MOT and service the next day but he actually communicated with my local garage allowing him to conduct the replacement at their premises so at this stage I was relatively happy with the service. Obviously car wouldnt pass MOT until screen was replaced so this was completed and I presumed all would be fine. Now I'm a bit fussy when it comes to the condition of my Zed and I take real pride in it's appearance. Clearly even after communicating this to the technician......HE DIDNT GIVE A DAMN! When I collected the Zed I couldnt believe the sate he had left it........the screen was covered in a sticky solution (seems like he went to clean the screen after installation but couldnt be bothered) couldnt even see out to drive home! The inside was just littered with rubber cuttings, pieces of a sticker that may have been the windscreen coding or barcoding, my bluetooth aerial was chipped and hanging from its roof mounting as oppossed to be attached to the screen and then to top it off there was tobacco everwhere.....dirty b***ard!!! Not impressed at all.......I'm sure my insurance company probably paid a fair wack for that job to be completed and I had to pay them the £65 excess for some tool to make my clean Zed a total mess. Sorry, rant over!!!

I must admit that after reading a few posts over the past few weeks, I had begun to worry that I may need to change my banana.......but after a quick initial search it seems changing these would be very expensive so I really hop this isn't the case May go down the drop link route first.

I love how it describes it as a "Cherished Plate"

I must begin by thanking you all for your responses and suggestions everyone is so helpful on here. Clare does love her current Beemmer so perhaps a newer version would be the best solution. I do think a golf or focus could be a possibility but if I'm being honest they are a tad common (I'm not trying to be nasty and I apologise to anyone on here that may own either) but I think the BMW is more exclusive (oh great now I sound like a snob as well) Current Beemer is a 1.8 petrol and is a lovely motor that has done us well over the past few years......how would the 118d auto compare? I take it the auto drive is the 'lazier' option but is it still an enjoyable car to drive in regards to responsiveness and power delivery??? Being a true petrol-head I hadn't considered a diesel but I suppose with our mileage a diesel would be beneficial to have in the household!!!

Unfortunately we both commute over 30 milles each way for work and because of our varying working times we cannot even share the journey so to have a fuel cosumption worse than my Zed is just never going to be an option.......if I'm honest I justify the lower MPG to myself because I love the Zed so, so, so much that I just try not to think too much about the petrol stop every other day at Tescos!!! Sorry Cesc....I know this doesnt help with your sale but I do appreciate your honesty.....also rather scared by the idea that an RX8 engine could blow up at pretty much any stage of its life. I've also seen from Mr G Man's comments that there's some form of procedure for starting and stopping the engine.......this is just not going to happen with the Missus if I'm being completely honest Thank you for the very informative responses though; has definitely changed my opinion of the RX8. I think I was only seeing the fact that I could get Clare a 2008 motor in tip top condition with sometimes as low as 17k miles on the clock for around £7,999 but now knowing all this other information that sounds rather expensive really.

Oh.....that would make perfect sense....exactly as you say I hear it on uneven surfaces or small speed humps but I have spent weeks thinging my spare was loose in the boot and kept checking in case something may have changed since the last check. Thanks for the info Chuck21; might have to loomat getting this sorted. Where are you getting the links? Any traders on here with the drop links?

I seemed to have developed a rather anoying clunking noise at the rear myself, it's as though something is banging around in the boot but obviously there isn't! I'm not very technically minded and always learning from you guys on here.......this may show my level of knowledge.....but what is a ARB Droplink???

My better half Clare is looking to change her daily driver but we are not sure what would be a good replacement to meet her requirements. Currently driving a black '52' plate Beemer compact 318 with 120k on the clock. The car has been a great motor with very few problems (touch-wood) but she is now looking for something a bit newer, fresher with a cleaner appearance / styling whilst also benefiting from lower mileage. The missus would love a Zed but would never have a motor with such fuel economy figures as this so she's ideally looking for 35+ mpg. We don't have kids so a 'people carrier' is certainly not required but rear seats are probably desireable. Budget somewhere between 5-10k. Any ideas??? We have been looking at a few RX8's but unsure of their economy rating and whether they are a reliable purchase.......heard that at around the 100k mark, they will undoubtedly need a new engine........is this true??? Any guidance or suggestions welcome

Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas Great tyres with a cool tread pattern all at a reasonable cost..........can be a nightmare to track down though; just spent 6 months trying to source my front two to match the rears! I believe they come out of Norway and now because they have fullfilled their local market demand they are now exporting to the UK again so going forward it should be easier to track a set down. I secured mine through my local dealership in Norwich but www.camskill.com is a good starting point and also acts as a great price comparison site. Secured my front Vreds for £144.25 each including fitting and new valves; rears were slightly dearer at £175.00 each.

This one has obviously had its time as I'm sure I've read this in a Superbike Mag! Still funny though

I have now gone with the Retro-fit flat beam wiper blades or Aero wipers........look absolutley stunning, far less bulky than the standard wipers on the Zed and they are SSSSOOOOOOOOO Good, can't believe my eyes that I have glass in my screen sometimes now. What a difference new wipers make!!!!!!! I would like to say though.....if anyone is after this style of wiper blade, then DO check out the Autobulbs Direct or ABD website; superb customer service and delivery. I ordered via the internet on Friday 27th May at 09.30am, recieved an email from them 10 minutes later stating my order had been processed and within 30 minutes another email stating they had been dispatched via the standard 2-4 working day delivery package that I had chosen at no extra cost (bargain). Even with the free standard delivery service selected I still recieved my wiper set from my posty at 10.00am on Tuesday 31st May (this is taking into account that the Monday was a bank holiday) so basically recieved the wipers on a next day delivery.......WOW!!!! And to top this..... being a member on here, one of the FANTASTIC administrators will PM you a special discount code and the order becomes even cheaper. As I have said WOW........check them out.....ABD

Yep as long as you stay with the standard OEM rims then this is the sizing of tyres you require!

Did you stel them and then feel quilty so you left 30 notes behind....why so cheap?

Ive got picture evidence I can confirm one person is within 30 miles of the correct answer 1 hour to go till the winner is announced.... I don't how good the reception is on a 3" stubby btw 13.53 is the approx time for result!!!! OMG....I hope work don't mind me keep logging in to check the status....anticipation is killimg me!

Steve, I have just blown a rather large hole in my exhaust pipe, just before the back box where there is a join Having it welded up today to get me through my up-coming MOT but keen to get a new system and been reading reviews on the K1! It seems there are many varying view points on this system and its noise potential........coming from an actual owner of this system, would you say it is good for a daily user? I use my Zed and love driving my Zed everyday and I do like from previopus motors to have a lively exhaust tone but is the K1 just that little bit too much? You mention the DB ratings with and without bungs but how would these compare to the standard OEM exhaust DB? Any assistance greatly appreciated

55,798

I bought my Zed back in December 2009 and this motor had been up for sale a good few months before this! Not my cup of tea or perhaps many others either if its still being advertised.