stuRS

Woman in my office calls it the 'silver penis'. Couple of friends have sports cars (Elise 111R & Cayman S) and they view mine as a complete bargain - which makes me a tightarse in their book! Most females that don't know me like it. All women that know what it costs to run (my ex/current girlfriend/mother) hate it! Stu

M13KYF, I hold my hands up, I've not checked the oil level on a weekly basis or babied the car in any way. I warm it up and check my temp gauge and oil pressures on the dash, but I was under the impression that a big japanese V6 was a strong old lump and 1-2 octane rating wouldn't make a difference. I was working in the city when I owned what is now my brothers car, so probably only covered 3000 in it before selling. My current car has done 14,000 miles since November on unleaded. My brother told me that Mark at Abbey mentioned a sensor/detector that limits the car when lower octane fuel is detected. Apparently this works up to 4500 revs or so and then reverts to standard. Both cars blew with revs around the 6000 mark, any more info on this would be good, particularly for you fortunate soles with cars that are running. It might be worth creating some form of sticky for new owners about correct fuels and regular oil checks, as I've bought 3 of these cars now and never been told to use super. As the mileage creeps up on the majority of 350zs this could become more and more common so lets learn from it before you too are hunting for a lump! Stu

Hahahha. You might be on to something. Oil levels checked yes but both cars were due a service, that's why my brother's was in at Abbey

Does everyone run there cars on super unleaded then? Is it that simple and are we that stupid??

Hello again, Bit of background - both me and my brother have 350zs, I sold him my UK GT about 18 months ago and subsequently bought another. Both cars are GM grey and both have just over 80k miles on the clocks. My bottom end shat itself last Wednesday, ripping the entire engine to bits. I've just been told that my brother's car has gone bang whilst on the dyno at Abbey today. Mark's on the case as is R55LEE, but it would seem that I've taken the only good value engine in the country for mine and now my brother is stuffed! I felt compelled to share this as it's more than just a little odd. Mark suggested it could be that we've been running our cars on normal unleaded rather than super, but I didn't know that was a requirement. If it is then, well.....DOH! Stu

Glad you've found one mate, and also glad to keep my one going a little longer! I've just come into the house after 3 hours of pottering, stumped by the a/c pipes on rad. Have already removed: Bonnet Bumper Strut plenum cover Headlights Slam latch p/s radiator washer tank rad tank Pop charger Rad, washer fluid and p/s fluid drained, but need to get those a/c pipes off so guidance there would be good. I've even labelled the bolts and bagged them up...honestly, I must be getting old. Oh, and I didn't see your post requesting the guide before I started, sorry! I found a reasonable one on google but it isn't step by step. Stu

In her car!! Or a P38 Range Rover as a second car, but I'll worry about that in a couple of months I think I think I'm going to need a few other bits from you Lee, mainly front bumper clips as these have shattered in to several pieces already! Also, the passanger interior door handle (the 8 inch vertical one) and possibly a passanger side window motor too - let me know if you've got these in stock. Thanks, Stu

Thanks again to everyone for your comments. I've now decided to fit a used engine from R33LEE so the car will live to fight another day! Thanks to all for advice on breaking/selling the car damaged, you've helped me decide on the best course of action and no doubt saved me untold pain/effort. Lee has been great so far, a massive difference to the breakers/parts companies I spoke to who seemed to view my custom as somewhat of an inconvenience.... Looking forward to warming the car up, checking the oil level then smashing the sh*t out of my local B roads again soon Stu

Wehey! Cheers Lee, I'm going to wait until you arrive with the crane before attempting to remove the blown lump, as the chains and winch I have can't lift the engine out very easily. This evening I will remove the front of the car i.e. headlights/bumper/strut/slam/rads and I'll also pull the engine wiring loom through the bulkhead as you explained Looking forward to Saturday! My Dad is going to be on hand to help out too, and hopefully keep the tea flowing. Stu

This is the car as it is now (taken a few months ago, but the same) Done on the iPad so may or may not work! Stu

Thanks guys, Lee has been very helpful indeed and I think I'm now looking at a very reasonably priced engine from Lee and a days work swapping the engine. Spending the £2000 is OK, it's the fear of throwing good money after bad really, and a constant voice in my ear (the other half!) telling me we'll need 5 doors on or around the 26th April 2012!! I love the idea of getting it going again, I feel quite at home on this forum now - it'd be a shame to have to join a BMW E90 club instead

Hi Lexx, That price was + VAT and the guy wasn't exactly chatty.

Cheers Dave, Storage is an issue (lots of spare motorbike parts already!) so I would have to get it done quickly I think. I've had a scan on ebay for used parts prices and the only thing I can see that sells well is a set of Brembos for £500. If I knew I could sell wings/doors/seats/brakes and raise £3000 quickly then it would be a no brainer. Maybe I should put an advert in the trading post for parts wanted and prices people are willing to pay to give me an idea? Surely it can't be that hard to raise £3000 in parts when a standard gear knob fetches £100!? Stu

Hi everyone, As you may have seen, my engine blew on Wednesday and I've been exploring my options since then. these are: 1) Buy a new engine - best quote is £2000 for a recon engine fitted with warranty 2) Sell the car as it is - I guess I'm going to get around £3000 - £3500 3) break it for parts myself in an atempt to get more than the above amount back The car is a GM 2003 import - GT spec (black leather/Brembos etc) and is in good condition. The question really is am I likely to be able to sell doors/bonnet/interior/engine parts/suspension for reasonable money, or will I end up raising £500 over a month and have half a car that's worth f**k all?? Any advice from anyone who has broken a 350z before would be good. I've broken motorbikes several times before and understand it can be a slow and painful process. If anyone is looking for a good doner car for an engine conversion or track car then please feel free to PM me What a bloody nightmare!! Stu

That would be nice!!

I have a supply and fit for £2000 available, recon engine with 6 month warranty. Currently considering my options of parting with the car for £4000 as it is. This sucks!

Thanks everyone, Mark - I'll give you a call tomorrow, my brother's zed is with you now so we might be able to swap it to his or something? RabbitStew - I'm going to atempt the same journey tomorrow on my R1 . What model have you got?

Thanks mate, I've had bike engines blow before but never a car. Wasn't a problem when it went, no locking wheels or grinding noises, just sucks now I'm having to pay for it. Called the guy with the breaker in that link - he wanted £1295 + VAT. When I said I can get one for £1800 fitted he said "I'd advise you go for that one then sir" W@nker.

Will the HR go in? Also my gearbox had been grinding on 5th & 6th, so if I'm swapping the engine I should really do the gearbox aswel. I've had it uprev'd by Abbey and I'm worried I'm going to lose my mapping rights, which is the majority of the cost if I remember correctly. And just to make this situation even more painful for me, I was hoping to sell the car relatively soon for a 5 door, as there's now a 'baby stuRS' on the way

Cheers guys, The dipstick was chewed up not just twisted, it's in a pretty sorry state I've also been given part of my bottom end that the AA man found on the roadside! My oil pressure was slightly lower than normal a couple of weeks ago so I topped it up with the right oil and was planning on getting it to Abbey for a P3 service. Frustrating knowing that it was probably caused by high mileage for work (2000 a month) and poor maintainance on my part. Straight engine swap is best bet if I'm going to get it going again, but I've considered selling it as is for around £4000 or even breaking it. Gutted is an understatement. Stu

Hi guys, My engine went bang today when travelling on the M3 for work. Car was on 80k miles. The revs trembled, I lost oil pressure and had a big cloud of white smoke puff out the pipes The AA man (had to join at roadside for £250 - if you don't have breakdown cover, get it now!) said it's got a hole in the bottom end. He took the dipstick out and it had been chewed up and twisted by the force. Soooooo - what are my options? Seems to me that a DE engine from ebay for around £2000 fitted is my best bet, but any advice/sympathy is welcome. Thanks, Stu

If you're a member on here, two things: 1) Good show 2) Get it delimited

If anyone is interested, this unit will fit in cubby, has built in bluetooth, Freeview and AV Input http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GARMIN-NUVI-1 ... 53e85f2cd7

Slimjim - looking great, will be ordering one of these shortly so thanks for being a pioneer! Chris - This month I'm planning a reversing camera on the rear linked to HU and front mounted camera fitted to sav nav in cubby with AV input - just trying to find a suitable nav unit at the moment. Thought about a Lilliput (think that's right) 7 inch screen for cubby but wouldn't want it sitting blank when front camera wasn't in use, so now reading up on satnav units with av input and freeview. Can keep you posted if you like? Stu

I was 20 when I got my first zed. Ring Bell.co.uk and get a quote, add old people to the policy (parents etc) and it can come down by 20% or more. They were the best by far for me. As for the advert, there's loads of UK GT models with low mileage for under 10k. Buyers market at the moment so take your time and get a good one. Oh - one last thing - double your fuel costs and budget £2000 a year running costs. Purchase price of car is nothing in comparison to running costs. I've spent over £4k on my zed in the last 6 months and it's no dog. Enjoy.