waltzinblack

Agree with you Rich... you can't discount, as you might a standard one, the M without driving it. MY point was that to most people/family a Z4 is just a Z4. And tbh I see more Coupes than Roadsters these days! If your car only matters to YOU (as it should, I suppose?), the Z4m will be great I'm sure, but one of the nicest feelings is people who don't really know what it is appreciating the Zed, and when mine was stock it was fast enough to cash most cheques I ever needed it to. I know what you mean though... its biggest bonus its its biggest fault in a way - objectively it does look much better than it is and can disappoint some people wanting that Turbo rush from Evos etc. But the mantra I always went by.. I could have had an E46 M3 over the Zed, and similarly to the Z4M its probably a 'better' car in every way except looks and exclusivity. But I was 18, and wanted to impress girls. I imagine sitting in my M3, and she says 'oh yeah my mum has one like this' (thinking of Mum's resale silver 318d) and you have to break out the anorak voice and explain you have the 3.2 litre M tuned version etc etc. And then she gets out. Zed spoke for itself! And they didn't care that I could've bought an M3 that was faster...

I too have considered this, and from everything I have read and experienced... Pros and cons of 350, and Z4m , I think this is pretty balanced between Zed tinted glasses and Zed haters: 350z +Coupe is far better looking, and rarer than the Z4m, I think some people will say this is objective but really.. the Zed just looks so different, especially in Sunset or Azure and gets WAY more looks/interest than any Z4 will, due to the number of bottom of the range gunmetal grey Z4s that go around. Average joes always comment on my Zed, Z4s (even the M) to most people are unremarkable because they are so common. +Much more character, not out to please everybody +Sounds a hell of a lot nicer +More 'fun'/rewarding to drive if not outright quicker +Cheaper to buy. If performance is your deciding factor you could probably buy a Zed and go FI for the same money as a nice Z4m. +More reliable (vanos anyone?) +Better forum and community! -Slower in a straight line -Slower round a track -Japanese interior -Depreciation Z4m +Roadster is nicer looking than the Zed version +Far nice interior and quality +Badge +Will still feel more exclusive to YOU, if you can shut out all the basic gunmetal Z4s driving around +Much faster in straight line and on a track +More well rounded, and generally user friendly +will hold its value more -Nearly all reviews say, that although tremendously quick, the M is not as 'nice' to drive as others in its class, and particularly say that the E46 M3 is nicer to drive. -Will not feel exclusive at ALL if you can't shut out the other Z4s you see around, or if you have lots of non-petrolhead friends who point out all the other Z4s as 'the same'. -Expensive to buy -Not as reliable and probably more expensive to fix Hope I've been fair!

I have to say this is very interesting - for the price id be tempted to get a PZ, strip it out (I imagine there's a fair bit to lose in there! And upgrade the brakes.... Zed will always be the GT and have the RX8 for the track. However - the RX8s are only a little bit cheaper than the old entry level Boxsters... And I remember Ekona and I discussing how awesome these were before. Whether the Mazda could justify itself as a cheap track car over the boxster I'm not sure...

it may be the handbrake.. although that seems to release fine... And yes a Saxo.. it was a black VTR and was my first car. Has remained a hero - never let me down in any serious way and has served me well as a shed once the Zed arrived. 100bhp + 900kg can be fun in its own way too!

Hello guys, I am in need of a little favour.. my Saxo shed appears to have a problem: Was driving fine, parked up and left overnight and tried to drive this morning - feels like a brake is 'stuck' on. There is a grinding noise similar to if you scrape the curb, and obviously lots of resistance! Any ideas/anyone around tomorrow who would offer a second opinion or a set of tools? Many thanks in advance

I've done quite a bit of research into this Good wheels but without spacers they look lost in arches, hence why people change over to a set either wider or with a better offset. Completely agree as I want to get a set of 30/25 spacers for my own. But performance wise I'm guessing they are pretty decent. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk There are a few wheels out there that come in the same weights (near as damn it) but wider and lower offsets. I've done a fair bit of research into this. If you're after lightweight but wider/better offset there are few options and they sure as hell aren't cheap. The Rays really are terribly light. There are quite a few options that are a bit lighter in the same size, but I haven't found any 19s that are lighter, and 18s with nicer offsets are mostly the same weight or a tiny bit more - a nicer offset means more weight as I understand. The Enkei RPF1s are a decent bet, but fairly pricey for most and they look pretty dreadful, especially on a Zed. Volk TE37/TE37SL look great on a Zed, and are just about lighter than the Rays in 18 with nice offsets. They are very expensive and 19s are heavier though. My long term plan is to replace with 18 inch Volk TE37, to go wider and allow a little more rubber (275/285 at the back, probably the same on front).

Of course.. I didn't think of aftermarket bumpers that don't have them. I guess it must be fine? I'm basically going to have the black "Z" badges front and back, reflectors and washers smoothed on the front and have the 370z indicators on the sides.

Are there any legal/MOT issues with smoothing front reflectors and headlight washers? Such as this: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/55308-smoothed-front-bumper/ but with the headlight washers deleted. I'd really like to do it, but with all the EU laws in place about DRLs and curved bumpers etc for health and safety, wasn't sure if there were any implications of having it done.

its nice to see someone finally enjoying the Zed for what it is - clearly a true petrolhead!

Thanks Steve - but the wisdom of the forum means I think I will be alright now! I will try cleaning the throttle body, as far as I remember its 1 jubilee clip to get your intake off and then pretty simple! Presumably this stuff is good http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_202903_langId_-1_categoryId_255221 But say that cures the problem.. and then it comes back - is there any easy way now to diagnose/test if there is an actual problem?

thanks guys - sorry I get very worried when things go wrong and go into panic mode and dont think straight to look at the guides! slap on the wrist for me It would appear, after many tries, that the code it's throwing up is P1122 - throttle control actuator Guess I'll be PMing Alex!

Hi guys, Bit of a cry for help here - car went into limp mode last night after one full throttle overtake... Have no idea what it could be. Anyone close to Hertford-ish who has and OBD reader to diagnose the fault? I understand turning the engine off/ECU reset can get out of limp mode but really need to diagnose the problem as will almost certainly need the car this week! Please someone help a zedder in need! Lunch can be provided for your troubles! Many thanks

Hi guys... An odd one here. When going over speed bumps or braking/release brakes sharply the from end makes a creaky almost crumply clunking sort of sound. It appears to be when the front suspension is loaded up and ONLY happens in the wet/rain. Any thoughts?

I drove from London to Sheffield on a Friday, then from Sheffield to Scotland and went up to Ullapool and across to Inverness. Spirited driving on the Scottish twisties and certainly not trying to get the best mpg on the Mway. I filled up once in Scotland. So enjoy it if you want motorway mpg a 320d would probably be best! if you must though, cruise at 60 in 6th and relax

I had this... oil pressure dropping severely when turning/hard braking. Leave the car OVERNIGHT and of course on a flat surface. It surprises me even now how long Zeds seem to stay warm. Basically you want to wait as long as you can for the oil to cool and settle back in the sump so you can get an accurate reading. If you find it's low, then when did you last check it? If it was ages ago, then probably fine (some people's Zeds seem to burn oil a bit) - keep an eye on it. If you checked it less than a month ago, then top up and get to a mechanic - you're badly burning/leaking oil and need to get it looked at! Don't wait for the red light.. it's not a 'low oil level' light (as perhaps it should be!) but a 'no oil pressure' light, aka, 'youre f***ed' light.

Thanks for the replies! Concrete seems like a good way forward, ice doesnt matter really, I'll just be careful as I wont be walking on it everyday, and if its that icy probably wont be taking the Zed out anyway! How expensive, roughly per m2 would laying concrete be? And what is involved? I did like the idea of just plonking some great big flagstones down so thats still an idea, but without making an expensive foundation, how do you make sure that they will stay roughly level and wont sink under the car's weight?

Hi guys, I'm looking to sort out my 'carport' for the Zed. It's 25 sq m and currently is just that shitty woodchip stuff that you buy in sacks and spread out. Obviously this stuff is a nightmare when its wet because it's just like mud and makes you filthy before getting in and when getting out of the car! It also lets weeds grow through, and is just horrible. I'm looking for something solid, not only to be hard wearing and cleaner and to stop weeds, but because there's a small 'lip' where the dropped kerb comes up and then goes back down onto the driveway, and this can catch the car's belly sometimes! (It's only 2 inches or so, the driveway isn't sloped it just sits lower). So yeah, dig a square hole and pour concrete?? What are you suggestions? Don't feel like forking out £££££ for a proper block paved one as I'm not too fussed about how it looks. But at the same time I don't want a pikey tarmac surface that cracks and breaks up after a few months!

So here's what I've learnt. Anyone else as uninformed/stupid/paranoid as me may find this useful: -The Zed demands 50/50 antifreeze and demineralised water mix for coolant, suitable for aluminium engines. -The manual recommends 'Nissan L250' and the internet cannot provide you with any direct alternatives! -Mixing the wrong type of coolants can be bad as the additives work against each other! The internet in inconclusive about whether the colour matters! So, Halfords 50/50 premix that I had in my shed is RED, but does say that it is recommended for aluminium engines.. The coolant at the bottom of my reservoir was ORANGE. The coolant in my radiator cap was YELLOW. I'd read bad things about mixing coolants, and arguments on both sides that the colour did or did not matter. I looked at my receipt from Abbey, which listed Motul Ingel Optimul, which is ORANGE. Still didn't explain the greeny/yellow colour in the rad cap. Drove to Nissan, the replacement for L250 is L248 Premix, coloured GREEN (it looked BLUE in the bottle, I was cursing to hell!). So probably not quite every last drop of my original nissan coolant was drained out, and the green and orange mixed to make yellow. Was this a problem? And which one should I add? Paranoid after my last engine, I had to make sure. Finally seeing in the small print the additive 'ethylene glycol'. The Halfords one contained it, the Nissan one contained it, and a google showed that the Motul stuff contained it. You would assume that three substances with this ingredient could not affect each other if mixed, as how could something that contains ethylene glycol adversely affect the performance of ethylene glycol!? So in went the Nissan stuff and now I'm done, after worrying over a rainbow of different colours it appears that the colour didn't really matter as long as it wasn't blue, and it contained the same ingredient, and its 50/50 mix. Also, from Min to Max in the reservoir is about 450ml out of the total 8 litre capacity. So probably didn't really matter anyway! I'm not sure if paranoia and suicide will kill me before the toxicity of the coolant ive been exposed to does!

But I don't get it.. how can it be 'recommended for aluminium engines', be 50/50 mixed and be the wrong stuff? It would help if they did away with the colours really!

Ok but now I'm confused.. it LOOKED Orange/red from the outside of the bottle.. taking the radiator cap off shows it as green/yellow.. and theres conflicting advice about whether the colour matters or not. Cant be too cautious in my experience.. shouldve seen the performance I made about which windscreen washer fluid to put in

Haha fair enough! I was sure Halfords couldnt lie about their product THAT much! So it's safe then? And Nissan's fluid isn't some godly concoction that is the only fluid capable of not destroying their engine? As you can imagine, I'm not a fan of stuff that destroys Zed engines

Also interesting! My bottle of red stuff (used in the S type too) says 'especially recommended for aluminium engine'

Ahh ok. Is red the extended life then?? I'm pretty sure my 350 has red orange in it at the moment??

I'd like to sort of bump this as I was thinking the same. The manual is very specific, but says alternatives can be used. I have some 50/50 halfords extended life, will that do?

I used to be an assistant applying it as a part-time job. I'll try and set a few pointers out: -It doesn't chip and definitely doesnt scratch as easily as paint, you can quite happily key your car with it, and unless you really dig in with force, there will be no mark. I'm happy to do this on my own car in front of anyone! Also, even if it does scratch or chip the film a bit, because its clear its much harder to see than a white line or white chunk out of blue or red paint, for example. -Yes it's expensive, but will resist more scratches than plain paint, and you don't have to worry about respraying just your bumper and the colour not matching. -Kits are usually made to measure for specific models, and cover the danger areas (different for each car, but usual basic kit is half bonnet, front bumper and half front wings. maybe front of spoilers/splitters and front of rear wheel arches). -99% of the time, nobody notices unless they take a really good, hard look. I personally don't think it affects shininess much at all (I have my full bonnet done so a big, flat panel!) but it will never be the same as metallic I guess. You can see the lines where the film stops, but again, only if you look closely! If you get full panels done this is much less noticeable. Having a half bonnet, you can often tell when showroom/petrol station lights reflect differently from the non covered half to the covered half, but again, it doesnt make the car stand out as looking odd! -White cars are most prone to showing yellowing, pretty much every other colour is fine. UV will eventually yellow it but as has been said only after a few years. -3M is supposed to be the best stuff, so try and find an installer who uses it. -It can be cleaned and polished just like any paint. Just no really hot water (but you wouldnt wash your car with that anyway...). welcome to come and see mine anytime!