rickoshay

Hi I am thinking of replacing the windscreen as it has lots of little chips, possibly as the result of a gritter lorry. Its unlikely that Swift cover will replace it as its not illegal. I have contacted windscreensonline and they have quoted £259 to supply and fit, after I confirmed that it is not a screen with a built in aerial ( since the aerial is on on the back of the car )- they had advised that there are 2 versions, one of which is near £1,000. Autoglass quoted over £700 for a standard windscreen!! I assume Autoglass must use Nissan parts whereas windscreensonline use OEM parts. I am a bit worried about going for the low quote in case of problems with the windscreen,or bad fitting. I am wondering whether its worth the risk!! I also understand that the windscreen trim is a bit delicate. Its just that the small chips create a few problems when driving into a low sun. I tried glass polish but that did not help! Any helpful thoughts appreciated!

Zmanalex advises that I have to dismantle the console to get at the unit which can then be taken apart on a bench as long as I am careful!!

I have the factory fitted sat nav system ( new version with no black plastic cover ), When the sun shines on my Sat nav screen, I notice that there is a small area in the middle of the screen which is blemished as if it needs a bit of a clean but its not on the outside surface but on the back surface of this screen! Perhaps there has been some moisture penetration behind this screen! I was wondering whether this plastic screen was just a cover over the actual sat nav unit screen and if so can be removed and cleaned, or is it part of the sat nav unit. I do not want to dismantle the centre console only to find I can not get at the back of this plastic screen!! If it is a separate screen which can be cleaned on both sides, do I need to do a full centre console dismantle to get at it!?

Zmanalex says that the damage is repairable so I will frame the Westover quote when it arrives- I bet it is over £1,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi I have managed to split my front bumper, on the side, about 5-6 cms vertical split. I took the car to my Nissan dealer body shop and they say I need a new bumper as repairing a split is not normally successful long term because of flexing. They are sending a quote but I dread to think what the cost of a new bumper will be- probably £700 or so knowing Nissan!!!!!!!! QUESTIONS 1. Are they correct or can splits be successfully repaired- I did a google search and found someone who basically used a blow torch ( bucket of water ready just in case of fire!! ) and some "surplus" bumper material ( cut from an unseen area ) to mold and fill the split, although he says a heat gun could be used. 2. If I need a replacement bumper, I may go for a 2nd hand one. Has there been any changes to the front bumper over the years or has it remained the same part?

Darren, Please advise which products you used, i.e. Gliptone, did you use GT11 + 12? Which dye did you use?

Not really as I am a bit sceptical about what the garage has told me!!

Its garaged overnight. I suppose I could put its cover and blanket on it as well!! I must say its not very butch if it has to be spoilt so much! Must be a female!

Thanks for that. Yep, I applied silicon spray a few weeks ago. I just wanted to know whether they were telling porkys, especially as I am thinking of taking her up to Blackpool soon- I didnt want any problems 300 miles from home!

Hi The Nissan garage carried out a repair to the soft top just over a week ago ( well they subcontracted it to a specialist ). It was going a bit at the seems and the bottom corners where it meets the back of the doors. This seems to have involved them stretching the fabric a bit. This was done under warranty. Now I find that when I first open the roof, it often gets stuck just at its last phase, and I have to close and open it again, then it tends to go in with a thud. This never happened before ( although I have only owned the car for just 5 weeks ). The Nissan garage says its probably because of the temperature being low, but as you know, its been mild so far this winter, and I live in Bournemouth near the sea. I wonder whether the repairers have over stretched the fabric, putting pressure on the mechanism. Am I being fogged off!?

It seems to me they are doing and ID check on you plus at the same time making sure you have the V5 and checking the car details. A bank statement or utility bill is a good form of ID together with you driving licence. Send a copy of a utility bill in your name rather than a bank statement. As long as you have never cost them any money then the worst that can happen is they can cancel the policy, but a honest mistake should not be a problem. Have you ever carried out any mods on the car that you should have declared!?

Ask to see as many of the service invoices as possible. Check them to see what work has been done, and what the gararge has advised should be done but has not yet been done. Make sure you get 3 keys, the master plus 2. I understand that the master is expensive to replace. Find out if a UK or import car. Ask if ever used on the track. Fully test and make sure everything works- if it comes with no warranty, parts can be expensive.

My Nissan garage has been putting Mobil 1 ow-40 protec in my car.

According to Opieoils.co.uk and Halfords, yes, its the 5w-30 A1 that we need. Members with more knowledge on this than me hopefully will confirm! Unfortunately I understand you need 5L, and the oil is sold in 4L containers= 2 required!

I got a wireless set from Maplin, camera + display + fittings and leads etc, saves a lot of wiring and hastle.

Yes USA seller says the lights will not fit, so it seems its either Nissan parts or have a go at sanding/polishing them!

They also do headlight units, but they seem only to be for non HID cars ( presumably pre 2006 facelift ). I do not know whether mods can be done to fit these to a HID car.

I just touched up the marks that were showing white. The eye is drawn to the white, once these bits are black again, its not nearly so visable. I used a thin modelling brush plus black enamel paint. I did think of removing and spraying using my modelling spray equipment, but the indentations would still remain unless you rub down too! It depends how much time you want to spend on it! I think I will wrap at some time.

Warning! I am not technically minded- I just like to drive good cars! My existing headlight units are looking a bit tired- crazed surface and a few chips. Someone suggested claying but I am not sure this will work. So I am considering new ones. I assume my lights are HID as its a 2006 GT facelift car. The Nissan units seem very expensive, although I could get some from a scrap dealer. Anyone know of a cheaper option? Ebay has a seller in USA ( see post on led tail lights ) for £200 + £28 duty paid, but these are for non-HID cars. I am not sure whether they would fit my car even with some modification ( no idea what the mod would consist of! ). Any advice appreciated!

I'm not very good at links but if you go to Maplin site, and do a search "reversing camera", you will find the 2 systems available. Both were available at the Bournemouth shop although there seems no stock of the more expensive system available for online delivery. The more expensive one has a larger display screen and infra red for night time. It also has USB connectivity for say an ipod or mp3 player.

Sorry Dan, you just caught a raw nerve on your post to my thread! I basically agree with you, but we are not all 100% good drivers all the time and it takes a set of circumstances to cause car damage, not just our skills at driving= if we were all perfect and the world was perfect then we would not need the blasted things and we would not need any insurance either! If I did not have rear parking sensors for example, then I would have one flat dead cat by now, together with one 90 year old small dead flat father inlaw who insists on standing behind the car whilst I reverse, giving me directions and advice!. I confess, I am the silly pratt who did a couple of hundred pounds of damage to a car ( again ) by parking in the exact same car park at 10pm at night after a long day, where I damaged my SLK before, and have therefore got a thing about it, whilst being told by the wife not to park here because this is where you last damaged a car, whilst having a boy racer up me bum+ several cars behing him all ready to start a formula 1 race, stopping from letting me reverse into the only available space whilst being watch by a group of spotty herberts having a good laff.

I'm thinking of getting one from Maplin- they have 2, the more expensive one has a 3.5" screen with USB input for ipad etc. I seem to find drivers are more disrespectful with nice sports cars like ours- it brings their more aggressive nature to the front, normally wide boys who must overtake you what ever it takes or drive up you bum to get a reaction. When I drive the C3 Picasso, they just ignore me!

I would reverse too but often ( like Yesterday, ) someone is doing 30 mph in the car park and getting right up your bum so reversing is out of the question- it was my second attempt to park- the first time I was trying to park someone suddenly came out of nowhere driving the wrong way round the car park! Why can some people not follow the rules/signs when they are in car parks! But thats another debate too!!

Sorry, my reply was to Dans reply, not Stew, thanks Stew. Sorry but I do not want this to take the form of a debate on whether we should should not need parking aids!!

No offence, but thats not really helpful! It takes time ( well it takes me time ) to get to know where the front and back of the car is and an error of an inch can make the difference between no damage and damage. If parking was that easy, then there would be no need for parking sensors and cameras. I have access to drive 3 cars and they are all very different!