samsniss350z

IAN, My comment was borne out of fact as opposed to 'hearsay' I have driven all 3, regularly, mates have owned the Supra & S2K and it was driving the other two that helped in my making my decision to buy my Zed.

My Zed has her 10th birthday this year, I've had her for two and have never been to a stealership. Although previous owners had diligently forked out thousands of pounds in the preceding eight years and the service book has nine stamps in it and I have a folder full of receipts which I add to each time I service her. If something needed fixing that I didn't have the tools or couldn't do I'd visit an indie.

Love the way its advertised In a four door.

I really wouldn't want to be paying £450 for Rays unless the tyres were a decent brand with plenty of tread left and the rims were immaculate. £350 to £375 is the sort of figure I'd want to be paying.

Supra if you want to spend a lot of money and keep on spending. S2K if you're a hairdresser and like to rev the nuts off out of it to get your power. 350Z Wins hands down.

What a great job you've done there. Just out of curiosity, what polish and wax/sealant did you use?

Hey Wilster, welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase of your Zed.

Hi and welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase. Sounds like you've been giving it a bit of love straight from the off.

A really good informative guide, good job.

I use Megs metal polish, although when I first got the car the exhaust was a scabby looking thing so I used Ultra fin Scotchbrite on the inside of the tips and they came up a treat. Just polish them every second wash just to keep on top of them.

What a fantastic thread, its like watching a surgeon operate on a patient. I love the stage by stage photo's as well so you can see the progression as the 'patient' starts to get better. I can't believe the crap that came off the paint and onto the clay bar. A brilliant job.

I've spent the last day and a half trying to explain to the other half that we don't need two holidays this year and that the standard pipe on mine is looking tatty (feel like going out and sticking a screwdriver through it in a couple of places) and that she'd love the sound of this exhaust. Hopefully the drip drip treatment is going to work In my favour. . If I hadn't gone stupid with my spending at the start of last month this would be mine by now.

I'm just curious ( no not that kind of curious) does anyone, when they wash their car clean the inner lip on the rear arch? when I first got my Zed it was totally caked up and if that gets wet which it will in this country then it will take forever to dry out. I just wonder if this is the cause of blistering and rust on the rear lips due to mud and crap being forever damp, except perhaps in summer. When I bought both of my S14's, they were the same with the inner lip totally packed out with damp road crud.

Chirag, you have my sympathy as some sh**bag did exactly the same to my Azure blue but on the passenger side. I'd left my Zed for half an hour while I went for a dental check up and came back to an 18inch long scratch right over the rear wheel arch. I used 2000grit then 2500grit wet 'n' dry to gently knock the edges off it and then used Nissan Azure Blue (B17) touch up paint. I applied the paint with a cocktail stick as I don't see how anyone can do a neat job with those crappy brushes that come with the kit. It took an age to 'dab' the paint along the length of the scratch but by the time I'd completed the scratch I could start again as the other end was dry. I then rubbed it down with 2500grit again, gave it another coat and left it overnight. Another gentle rub down with 2500grit, then I applied the clearcoat. I'll be the first to admit it wasn't perfect but unless you knew it was there it wasn't exactly obvious.

That Pine tree you speak of needs to see the sharp end of a chainsaw. Tree sap and bird crap, the bain of every conscientious car owners life.

Instruction manuals......bloody hell this is definitely a professional approach and I very much likey likey. Top job OV, top job.

Also the electric switches are on the wrong side. OOoopps, dinking at diner time is never the brightest of ideas

Sounds to me like we all ought to club together and bulk buy Rock_Steady a box of incontinence pants as he seems to be having so much fun at the moment and after the re-map he's not going to be able to contain himself ---literally. Envy is a beast and I'm both envious and jealous and need to start saving.....Hard.

Whew!, glad to hear that a mechanic is going to spend the weekend with his family and not down at the local A&E having his broken legs repaired.

Keep on trying with the DIY as there is nothing like the satisfaction you get when you've completed a job. If you have anyone living near you who is competent and owns a Zed then ask them to give you a hand so you can learn 'hands on' and see how things are done. Plus you can save a small fortune and put that cash towards new parts. You've learnt something on this thread and that's what its all about. Don't give up just yet, keep spinning the spanners. Good Luck.

Hey Fug, I bought my '04 GTZed with full NSH, piles of paperwork including original delivery note with @ 75K on the clock and haven't had any trouble at all (bar a drivers door window motor which was repaired under warranty), Its also my daily driver and it cost me just under £7k 2 years ago, so you could effectively get yourself another Zed without wasting money on a runabout.

Wow, it looked like it had been used as a sandbag down at the Somerset Levels before you got your hands on it. Terrific job.

Never ceases to amaze me how owners are prepared to let their cars get into such a state, still with the fantastic job that you've done, it keeps you in business.

I use Meguiars Endurance Tyre Gel, I also use it for the inner front wings and the scuttle below the windscreen. I don't even add any product I just use what has been absorbed by the sponge applicator as it looks crap if you daub it on.

The HR obviously had about 6 all day breakfasts at McDonalds, plus a few bacon butties followed by a gallon of tea before it went down the strip.