Puffmac

I was at a place on South Street, Scotstoun called Trim Workshops to get a quote for leather repair on my seat. They also do convertible roofs and they appear to have a Z on their website as well so might be worthwhile giving them a try.

The AA and RAC carry a tool to remove locknuts without the key. They use an impact drive and it basically forms to the shape of the locknut (had to get them out to one of my old cars as the lock nut was chewed and wouldn't grip). If you have cover with either give them a ring, although you may have to tell them you have a flat tyre to get them to send someone.

I like it, genuinely didnt cross my mind how many ways bush can be interpreted until now

I work in shipbuilding, the amount of funny words you hear in that industry is fascinating: flange; nipple; c*ck; shaft and penetration, to name but a few are all meaningful technical words in the right context, yet hilarious when you have the mind of a 5 year old and caught off guard.

Anyway back on topic. Someone help this man with his bush!!

Haha what was you expecting?

Zed gearboxes are very quirky to say the least. I always struggled with 2nd to 3rd.

 

As SMD says above, get some Molyslip added and do a gearbox fluid change. May or may not improve things (didnt for me, but when i dropped the gearbox oil it looked like new anyway so the previous owner to me had obviously done it recently).

 

In the end I settled on double de-clutching on every 2nd>3rd gear change. i.e.

 

Clutch in

2nd>neutral

Clutch out

Clutch in

Neutral>3rd

Clutch out

 

The eliminates any notchy/clunkyness. Annoying at first, but now, 4 years on, muscle memory causes me to still do this in most other cars i've drive.

was rev matching not enough?

 

i'm in the habit of trying to rev match while changing gears. means less strain on the sync and faster gear changes. but a double de-clutch is the momma of all gear change manoeuvres

If by rev matching you mean "blipping" the throttle when the clutch is depressed before bringing it back up then that's only half the story. In doing so, you're only setting the engine speed to the correct speed for the gear you're selecting (which will still stop the car lurching when you re-engage the clutch). However, because the clutch is still disengaged, the input side of the gearbox isn't speeding up with the engine, which means the synchros will still have to do all the work to speed up the input side of the gearbox to match the output side as you press the gearstick into gear.

When double declutching, you dip the clutch, put the car in neutral and then bring the clutch up again. Then either "blip" the throttle to speed up the engine and gearbox for a downshift, or let the revs drop for an upshift. Doing this, you are matching the input gears to the speed of the output gears, allowing them to mesh easily. Finally, press the clutch in and select the gear. This is all done in one quick action in practise, and can be completed in the same time as a normal gear change by an experience driver. Synchronisers were devised to remove the requirement to do this, but doing so can make for much smoother shifts and educes synchro wear, particularly on the bigger downshifts (6th to 3rd for example). Also a vital skill if synchros are fecked .

In case anybody else encounters this. I spoke to a Nissan technician and he said that alarms will often react this way, in case someone has unplugged the alarm to steal the car or whatever. He suggested plugging it in and leaving it as it may turn off on its own, however he admitted he was guessing a bit, as he hadn't seen many 350Zs. Anyway, he recommended I at least try it and see - what's the worst that could happen: some upset neighbours and a few angry dogs . Anyway, following on from his advice I decided I would give it a go but by disconnecting the battery first. That way, my head wouldn't be buried in the wheel well right next to the bloody speaker this time!

I then done the following:

1. disconnected the battery
   
2. tried to open the boot
   
3. realised I'm an arse
   
4. reconnected the battery
   
5. opened the boot
   
6. disconnected the battery
   
7. plugged in the alarm siren
   
8. shut the boot
   
9. unplugged the the bonnet alarm sensor
   

As expected, when I reconnected the battery the alarm went off instantly. However, I was not expecting to find that when I hit the key fob to turn it off it actually worked. Voila! Reconnected the bonnet sensor, shut the bonnet and sat in the car, locked it and waved my arms about like a fud, only to be met with an ear splitting screech that confirmed the alarm was working! Once again the key fob deactivated it. Job jobbed .

I just thought I'd post this in case anyone else runs into this situation. I know it's a nightmare when you search the internet for something and come across a forum post where the OP disappears and never posts the solution!

Small world eh!? I'm sure I'll see you around then, seen a good few in the area recently.

And the "cubby" glovebox was fitted on cars that didn't have the satnav in place of it. You'll be able to retrofit it.

The JDM satnav cannot be used here unfortunately! Get rid of it and put in the glove box instead - much more useful

Also Robert, which Dumbarton are you from? The Dumbarton outside of Glasgow, Dumbarton? If so, I'm probably your neighbour, that's where I stay lol!

When I bought mine the passenger window didn't drop on opening the door. I stripped the door down in about 5 minutes using a tutorial I found online, and then followed Nissan's official reset procedure (also online). It's working flawlessly now, although I must add that it never actually caused any trouble when it wasn't working. I only wanted to fix it because I don't like when things don't work as they intended (which is probably why I always end up spending so much fixing the silliest little things on my car )

edit: edited for smiley.

Do you still have the boot dividers? Do they just jam into place or is there something to secure them?

Would you ship the vertical tonneau to the UK?

It shouldn't be, no. If I manage to get hold of the parts I'll be sure to do a write up!

Hi guys,

Looking for the centre cubby and gauge surround to go with it for an HR. I've got the factory satnav but it's out of date even with the latest CDs, so looking to swap it for a more useful cubby.

The later models had a different shaped gauge surround when the satnav was installed which had a lip over the satnav, so I will also require the one that fits the cubby.

If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be grand!

Cheers

I just meant removing the satnav and putting in the cubby that is in the cars without satnav - seems more useful to me as the oem one doesn't get updated anymore and even with the latest discs it's missing a major new road near me.

Ahh I see! What are the possible workarounds?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some people splice into the audio wires on the satnav loom and wire in a small speaker behind the dash dedicated to the satnav only. Others have got a bit more complex with it and have also wired a switched live from the satnav into their headunit's "phone mute" connector on the back, which means the audio from the headunit will mute whilst the satnav is talking. I believe there are a few threads on here regarding it.

I also have the oem satnav and an aftermarket headunit, but for all I use it I don't really miss the audio. I tend to use a TomTom when i need satnav anyway as it has live updates etc. I am considering retrofitting the centre cubby actually if I can find the parts for a reasonable price!

From what I remember reading, the Satnav won't "speak" without the Bose system, but will still display instructions as usual. However don't quote me on that :/

I will indeed quote you, and confirm you are correct . The satnav itself is run off of the DVD-ROM drive behind the driver's seat, however the sound is tied into the bose headunit, so removing it will prevent the satnav talking.

There are workarounds, however.

My previous car was a corsa vxr. The original owner had either forgot to tick the upgraded two-tone horn option or it had otherwise broken; the sound it emitted was a truly pathetic monotone squeak... so I find the Zed's horn to be reasonable sounding in comparison!

I'm not sure about the earlier engines, but at least on the HR engines (later model cars), they idle about 1800rpm when cold for a couple of minutes before slowing down to normal idle.

Being local in Perth, I would love to invite you along and help you Andy, but my shop neighbours are already complaining to me about excessive noise and fumes.

Aex, I understand completely! I think my neighbours will be feeling the same way with the not-so-quiet start up at 6 every morning and now me playing with the alarm!

On another note, did you get my PM regarding clutch parts? I was looking for some rough figures as I plan to stash the money away just in case. It seems fine just now but I have a sneaky feeling.

Hi Guys,

Not long had my Zed, and as you do with a new car I was snooping around the whole thing at the weekend. I noticed in the boot a loud speaker with no plug in it, and a plug with no loud speaker on it. I added two and two together and plugged said plug into said loudspeaker... cue the most horrific shriek I've ever heard - amplified by the spare wheel well which my head was also in - and much swearing as I frantically tried to unplug the thing again!

Having learned my lesson the first time - I grabbed a set of earplugs and went in for some experimentation. I tried plugging it back in and shut the boot and then tried locking/unlocking to try and silence the alarm - nothing. I made sure everything was shut including all doors, windows, bonnet - even tried unplugging the bonnet switch which I had read online could be causing issue with the alarm but it still kept sounding. It was as if the whole system had been activated by plugging the speaker in, as the hazards were flashing along with the alarm.

I've left it unplugged for now, however I would really like to get it working. The only thing I suspect that MAY be causing an issue is the retrofitted reverse parking sensors. The wiring goes through a central grommet on the rear bulkhead in the boot down behind the bumper to the sensors, so perhaps there is a short being caused by those that is triggering the alarm. I shall need to get the bumper off for a better look.

Another brain wave I had today was to try and deactivate the alarm before plugging in the speaker (I read how to do this somewhere in the manual at the weekend, but never thought to try it), which I'm going to try later on tonight. If anyone has any suggestions please do let me know, as if I can't sort it myself tonight I'm going to book it in to Infiniti Glasgow to have them have a peak at it.

Cheers,

Andy

What time are you all meeting?

Cheers for the warm welcome lads!

LRF4N, I'm actually from Dumbarton, but it's easier to just tell people Glasgow. Where/when is the meet on Sunday?

Hi Guys,

Picked up my black 07 plate HR on Saturday:

I flew down to London to do the deal then drove it home. It took me a little while to find the right one, but the wait was worth it! Well looked after by the previous owner and a cracking deal that would put any garage to shame!

With a Cobra cat-back the V6 sound is even better, and I'm well and truly in love

See you all about on the forum

If it's any consolation, I wrote off my first 350Z after a mere 3 days.

Poor tyres (low on tread, old and cracked - i used this a leverage during the deal), unfamiliar car, first rear wheel drive car and wet conditions all also contributed. To add salt to the wound I was collecting 4 brand new Eagle F1s the following morning! I wasn't going fast, I had only pulled out of a junction and had binned it about 100 yards down the road, if there wasn't a nice big wall to help me come to a stop then I'd have more than likely spun and drove off.

The days following I felt utterly stupid, as if I'd made an example of myself and just gone to prove that young guys can't have fast cars. There I was a few days previous showing off my new car and now it's scrap metal. I thought I'd never get another one as I'm only 20 and surely my insurance would be through the roof. Fast forward 6 weeks, managed to get my money back on the car and some, insurance hasn't even doubled, and I went and collected my 2nd Zed on Saturday past.

I learned a very hard and very expensive lesson, but it could've been much, much worse upon reflection. My ego was severely bruised and I was car-less for 6 weeks, but I can now look back and realise I was just lucky to have walked away unscathed, got my money back, and got another one!

Things will work out for you - if you want another Zed then you will get one!

Hi there,

Also from Glasgow. I spotted a 58 plate 350Z on their website the Saturday before last. It had pretty high mileage at 96k but it had 1 previous owner and apparently had a full service history. I done an HPI check and it came out OK, looked great in the pictures and the guys down the phone sounded brilliant. I explained to them on more than one occasion that I would be coming a fair distance so wanted them to be honest with me as I would rather not travel that distance to find out the car was not up to the mark. However, I was reassured that the car was in excellent condition, "very straight up for the mileage", with no marks other than some minor stone chips and a scratch on the rear bumper which wouldn't even show up in photographs. They also assured me they would service it before it left their garage. It looked great in the pictures, and I was convinced that a garage with the caliber of cars in their showroom must be trustworthy, so I placed my token deposit and told them I would be down on Tuesday.

I arrived and the bumper was covered in scratches and stone chips, and all around the body there was dents and dings which I wasn't told about, despite stressing how far I was travelling. There was no receipts for any work having been done, so the only history was the service book. In the service book there was a year missing from it, which normally wouldn't be the end of the world, except that in that year the car had travelled over 30k miles with no proof of any servicing having been carried out in that time. There was also no stamp in the book from the service they had apparently done the day before. The windscreen had been replaced at some point - badly. The rubber trim along the top was cut about 2 inches too short and was bubbled in other areas; "it came in like that" they said. Again, another thing they hadn't mentioned. There was only 1 key, and they were unwilling to supply a new one, nor were they willing to drop the price in order for me to supply one myself.

The final straw came when I couldn't find the lock nut key. The salesman frantically searched the car for it to no avail, coming back with "ah yes well they repaired a puncture when it got serviced yesterday so the mechanic must have it. I'll ask him to get it". Waited 20 minutes, still nothing. Asked him if he had any luck, to which he told me there were now 3 people on the case of the mystery lock nut key! Having uncovered the various lies preceding this one, I decided to see for myself how the search was going. I popped out the door and had a look into the garage, where the shutter door was open, to indeed find 3 people. Three people sitting on their arses having their tea!

I told him it wasn't for me and left, and to my surprise actually got the deposit back without any fighting.

I flew to Luton on Saturday past and happily purchased a nice 07 HR in a private sale, and I could not be happier with it (will post a thread in the introductions section later).

TL;DR J17 are cowboys, walked away. 10/10 would not touch them again.