Dynamic Turtle

I was a bit miffed to see that my indicative quote on Meerkat magically jumped by £100 when I came to actually buy the damn thing and they had to flick my ear by charging me extra for using a credit card. Anyway, mine came in at £880ish.

Held my license for 2 years ( ), age 32, 1 year NCB. Perhaps not bad, considering that I live in SE London. The car's been parked outside for a fortnight now and not been keyed/broken in to/vandalised/petrol bombed in a riot/stolen.

Give it another week perhaps...

1) Having driven through central London & back during rush hour, I understand why 350's might be cheap. Averaged 8mpg, and 6mph.

2) Still don't understand why these are so rare though. Been on the lookout for over a month now and still haven't seen another 350 or a 370, despite passing about a million cars on the road. Certainly seem to get lots of interested looks.

3) The car really seems to come alive in third gear, around 3000rpm. Seriously addictive catapult power!

DT

OK this has now been solved and is working much better now. It's catching 1-2mm of rubber on the seal, but I think that's a "feature" of the design, having no frame...

Thanks for the advice

Just a quick one chaps. My 2005 350 has 49k on the clock and had a P1 at 44k. It's just had an MOT (clear), and some work done to it (new clutch, window motor, tires & pads), but my brother/god's gift to sports car maintenance, insists that I get it serviced again next month, despite the fact that it's still under a dealer warranty and isn't due a P2 for another 5k miles. It drives fine and doesn't have any mechanical issues. I will ask the dealer if he changed the oil last week, but is it really worth having another garage look at it so soon? Is he being a bit fussy?

Cheers,

DT

I've held a license for 2 years and have 1 year NCB, the 350z (shockingly) came in £100 lower than the 68hp Skoda Fabia 1.2 it replaced.

However,

Given that it's becoming relatively "afforable" for us less experienced drivers, the number of accidents is quite possibly going to increase, which might have an impact later down the line. The car absolutely terrifies me and I really can't control it very well yet (OK, so I've only done 20 miles in it). The thing goes from 20 > 45mph in the time it takes a boson to vanish in a puff of logic. Very scary for town drivers, despite the efficient brakes...

Spoilers look pretty.

Why are they called "spoilers" then?

Understood - Thanks for the responses

Hi,

The dealer I bought the Z from has given me 6 months insurance with the car (+ a host of other goodies). However, he left the previous owner's tax disc in the car too, which expires at the end of the year. It relates to his private plate, rather than the one that's currently on the car and registered in my name.

Can I return in to the DVLA in exchange for some Moolah, or would they send the check to the registered address for the private plate (i.e. the previous owner's home)?

Apologies if this is a noddy question...

DT

Cheersy thankyee for the info! Will have another rummage around down there...

In the (USA) manual, it says these switches are underneath the steering wheel, but I can't find them. Can these things be turned off?

I have searched the forum for answers already...

Cheers,

DT

Exactly the same thing happened to me yesterday whilst driving in sub zero temps (not fun!). The window had been acting up ever since I got hold of it (i.e. not winding up fully when clicking the switch up. It would go up, then come back down again). Thankfully it's still under warranty, so the mechanic will have it done for me by tuesday. He said that I'd burnt the motor out by using it on such a cold day, without giving time to let the car warm up. I can't believe that's true. Anyway, it appears to be the only window motor my car has needed in 7 years, according to the recepits list.

Incidentally, I have the skipping bose cd problem. Is that kind of thing typically covered under 2nd hand / used dealer warranties? I know there are a million posts about it. But it doesn't strike me as the sort of thing that would normally be covered. I don't have a copy of the T&Cs with me.

Cheers, DT

Welcome Paddy, sounds like you're in a similar situation to me

Ok thanks for clearing that up

Wonderful, thanks for the tips Dan!

Hmmm, pretty sure my oil gauge was reading 30-40psi the other day. Seems very low according to this thread. Weird, because it had a "full service" and MOT last week (albeit by a porsche specialist).

Cause for concern?

Thread gravedigging....

Is anti freeze used to prevent cracks from happening within the engine due to expanding ice water? Or is it because you guys are acutally crazy enough to use a 350z when it's -20c outside?

Sorry, auto noob question I know.

Oh I’ve already placed an introductory post, but extra welcomes are much appreciated ïŠ

Yes I’ve noticed a distinct “colour war†happening here on the forum! My 2 cents is that they look nice in Black, Azure and GM. The light silver is a bit…tame for an aggressive sports car IMHO. The Yellows and Reds look cool too, but I’d be worried about them affecting resale. I just happened to chance upon a black example in my price range and with the config I wanted. Any, I digress…

1) Thanks for the heads-up on the Bluetooth guide. I couldn’t remember there being phone buttons on the steering wheel before, but now I remember them. Could be a useful too – just hope the audio quality is ok.

2) Didn’t realise they were all xenon from 03-06. Thanks for clearing that up. Mine is a UK car.

Incidentally, why doesn’t the passenger side door unlock when I click the unlock button on the keyfob?

Right, I've only had my black 05 GT a few days and it's my first sports car. I'm an auto noob generally, having only held a license a couple of years and previously driven flea-powered FWD microwaves of Eastern European persuasion.

I'd be very grateful if you could help me out with the following questions:

1) In the centre console next to the handbrake, there appears to be a (mobile phone?) adapter type thing with a little black dongle slotted into it. Umm, what does it do and how do I use it?

2) is it easy to replace the latch on the back of the passenger seat, if it's broken? It's basically worked itself loose from its fixing

3) how can I tell if I have xenon headlights? They seem to give off a blueish hue...

Think that's it for now. Still haven't given this thing a proper hoon yet (probably shouldn't either - brand new clutch in there). Never got it higher than 3rd and the new brake pads still squeek! Looking forward to a snow-free weekend to get some miles on the car and see how it performs above 30mph! I'll probably have some ride-related questions at that point. Parking is proving to be very difficult, partly because of the terrible rear viz and the speed it goes in reverse!!!

Loving it so far though. Absolutely amazing thing...

I want decent grip in all weather and long lasting tyres... My previous Bridgestones lasted 24k so thats goid enough for me road noise not an issue, thats why I have a good stereo :wink:

:

24k? Blimey, that's a good innings. My Zed is coming with brand new Bridgestones. I do <6k miles a year and drive rather gently [this is a lie ], so they should see me through until I get a 911. Or child. Whichever comes sooner

DT

OK I've just seen this on a US forum:

"turned out to be that the bolt that holds the shifter to the shifter linkage under the car had unthreaded itself and was very loose causing the linkage to seperate. They replaced the bolt and torqued it down to spec and now it feels just like i rolled it off the show room floor. Very happy."

With respect to a guy describing a similar issue to mine. Not quite sure if explains why it might be a bit looser in 1/2/3 and not 4/5/6 though...

Guys,

Did some more test driving today and have some questions re the gearbox. Is it common for 350s that have a lot of city mileage to have "looser" gears in 1>3? It just feels like it's not engaging properly in those gears, whereas you can really feel the box "bite" and engage when you slip it in 4/5/6. The stick is ever so slightly wobblier in the lower gears too - fractionally more play. Weak bushes/nylon or potentially a bigger problem? FYI the car has a brand new clutch.

Cheers,

DT

Oh don't you worry. Traction control, auto-targeting, warp drive adjustment and phase shields will all be left ON.

Don’t worry, I’m far from a boy racer and have always driven very cautiously. I guess you can’t exactly hoon a Fabia though! Icy conditions noted and I will be taking extreme care in my new baby.

As for learning at the (ahem, not so ancient) age of 30, I’d say that it wasn’t a problem. On the contrary, I think you can take things at a more relaxed pace and learn the ropes properly, rather than be in a rush to pass. Learning in London was tiring because you have to concentrate so hard around here. Much more traffic (vehicle and human!) to negotiate. I think it was a solid educational foundation though!

Hi & to the forum. Now that is one hell of a jump from the Fabia

Agreed. Couldn't wait to get rid of the damn thing. But a now that I have some NCB and two years behind me, my insurance costs have halved(!). Still expensive compared to you guys, but I got a very pleasant surprise with the 350z. 200 extra hp will be fun...