davec

Ok cool, I will PM Alex and see what he says. Thanks for your feedback, will let you know if I get it sorted. Cheers, Dave.

Sorry, I was trying to be down with the kids, but by tranny oil I meant transmission/gearbox oil. I put in Amsoil which matches the specification: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60092-amsoil-synthetic-manual-transmission-transaxle-gear-lube-75w-90-api-gl-4.aspx GL4 so it doesn't damage the synchros and it says: "Recommended for synchronized manual transmissions and transaxles that require 75W-85, 75W-90 or 80W-90 viscosities" Nissan recommend a 75W-85 GL-4 so it ticks all the boxes on paper and seemed to be well recommended (from the research I did anyway). I got it while Opie had a deal on, but it still wasn't cheap, so I don't want to get rid unless I know it is definitely the oil. It has been doing it before the oil change though. The reason I changed the transmission oil was to see if it helped solve the problem and it hasn't. It kind of seems the clutch isn't disengaging from the engine properly until the car has fully stopped, but the clutch is less than a couple of years old and it isn't slipping or anything. It seems really odd. Cheers, Dave.

I know it is common for these cars to have notchy gears, but mine is doing something weird that I don't experience with any other car I drive. When I roll up to lights I usually coast, slip the car into neutral and then depending on what the lights are going to do select the appropriate gear. When the car is moving relatively slowly, say 5mph or so, the car feels like it is stopping me going into gear (1st or 2nd). It isn't grinding or anything, it just feels like it is locked. When the car comes to pretty much a complete stop the car slides into gear smoothly with no problem. When moving slowly I can get into third fine, it is just 1st or 2nd that appears to be doing this weird locking thing. It was suggested maybe the clutch fluid needed changing and I tried pumping the clutch, but it didn't appear to make any difference to the low gear changes. Does anyone else experience this? Any ideas what it may be? I upgraded my tranny and diff oil to amsoil and redline to see if that made any difference. Gearbox feels smoother, but it is still doing this weird locking thing... Thanks in advance. Dave. Edit: Just thought I would add, drove the z to work this morning and changing up the gears is fine, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc and if the car is going at 10 mph then it is fine getting into 2nd. The car won't go in first at all unless the car is stopped (although it was only a 5 min drive to work and it is pretty cold - seems to improve when the gearbox heats up, but I haven't taken it on a long run for a while to check). It is a bit annoying having to come to a complete stop before engaging first gear. I know it is only a starting gear, but having it presetup in first before pulling off from a junction saves me about a second per junction.

Thanks 4RE, will do. Weighing up whether to replace with salvaged trim or get the existing trim restored. Been quoted approx £70 by a recommended plastics restorer in Leicester, but the finish will be slightly different to the original. I thought someone had glued something to the original dash I have, but apparently it is the goop that has leaked from an air freshener and the plastic on the nav cubby button is white from being warn away so much. Love the 350z, but the quality of the materials used for some of the interior fittings is pretty poor. Saying that though, I guess they had to save money somewhere...

Thanks Alex, PM sent.

Hi, I am after a couple of interior parts for my 54 plate Nissan 350z, looking for as near mint condition as possible (no chipped paint or noticable scratches). The first is the centre console plastic that goes around the three dials and stereo system. I need that complete with the plastic lid that covers where the satnav goes as I do not have a satnav in my car. See http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/vv13 ... C_3849.jpg for a photo of the bits I am after. Secondly I need the black plastic trim that goes around the three temperature/aircon buttons and the gear stick, see http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4 ... AA300_.jpg. I am after both parts in black. I am based in the east midlands so the closer the better as I would prefer to collect. Many Thanks, Dave.

You're not a Rolls Royce employee are you? My girlfriend works at RR in Derby and says there are a few 350zs in her work car park. Dave.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Glad to say I have got myself a 350z! Gun Metal 2004 GT Spec (decided against black as I would be forever cleaning it!) with black leather interior. New clutch recently fitted and the car has been well serviced and looked after. Went to view some "interesting" examples, but this one was head and heels above the others condition wise and I got it at a very good price, so have a bit of money spare to get it exactly how I want it. Car is currently in Devon with family, but won't be picking it up for at least 2-3 weeks though as I have two cars I need to sell first, which is a good insentive to get them shifted! As soon as I have it back in Loughborough and given it a good clean I will post up some pics. What year/colour 350z are you driving Aaron? I'll keep an eye out for you. Saw a really nice black one parked up in Loughborough at the underground Tesco carpark the other day, can't remember the year though. Cheers, Dave.

Hi there, I have just joined the forum as I have started looking for a Nissan 350Z as a replacement for my current car, a 3 litre Porsche 944 S2. I have had the Porsche for over a year but, because most of my time is spent running my business, I don't have the free time available to spend tinkering with it at the weekend when things need fixing (which they often do on a 22 year old car!). So I have decided to sell the Porsche and buy something newer (and faster) instead. I have been looking at options around the £6k mark and I have looked at lot of potential cars such as the Honda S2000, BMW M3, TVR Chimera and the Porsche Boxster. All great cars for different reasons, but none of them ticked as many boxes for me as the 350Z. I got to drive a 350Z a couple of months back and I was really impressed. The gear box felt excellent, the handling was great and felt very similar to the Porsche 944 (with the gearbox at the rear and engine up front) and it can shift as well! After looking at what is about, my ideal spec would be as follows: 2004ish Nissan 350Z GT package Black exterior Black/Grey interior approx 50,000 miles FSH This one almost fitted the bill: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3808139.htm I love the design of the alloys but they are too big (18 inch was a pretty firm ride and I was informed that 20 inch would be too hard and spoil the setup/ride of the car). I was also put off by some of the modifications (tinted windows, smoked lights, etc). Nothing wrong with those sort of modifications, just not my personal taste. Just out of interest does anyone know what type of alloys those are and do they do the same style in 18s? Also looking on eBay I have found several 350Z GT Nismo cars which have a more aggresive styling, but still look pretty nice in my opinion and is definitely a look I would consider having for my own 350Z. Here are a couple I have found below: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-NISSAN-NISMO-350-Z-CHILL-RED-/200760036799?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2ebe3b0dbf http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350z-Nismo-GT-UK-64k-IMMACULATE-2004-not-Audi-TT-Z4-Skyline-370z-/251052356081?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a73e2f1f1 I looked on wikipedia and it said: "Nissan's performance tuning division, NISMO, began producing modified versions of the 350Z shortly after its introduction, although in the UK these were only available one year after the car was launched. NISMO R-Tune (2004) The R-Tune was introduced into the NISMO line-up with modifications including headers, cams, pulleys. The R-Tune voids the Nissan factory warranty, but gains significant horsepower, intended for track racers." I take it the cars listed above are not the Nismo R-Tunes (although they look the same as the R-Tune based on some images I found on Google)? I have seen cars with Nismo exhausts, Nismo body kits, etc. Are these all aftermarket add-ons or did Nissan actually release a Nismo package for the 350Z that came with all of these extras included? Also are most of the cars advertised as Nismos likely to have the original Nismo body kits, or replicas such as these? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350Z-Side-Skirts-Z33-Nismo-1-Style-Bodykit?item=170841399850 Cheers, Dave.