Jack94

5 hours ago, Laurence C said:

Certianly seems to go on a bit past the shift light set at 6600 before the hard cut limiter

The hard rev limiter is 6500 on DE's, 7000 on Revups.

The shift light is customisable though, so you can set it to flash at whatever rpm you want.

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

Nope, I just use any liquid soap and water - massage the soap through the pad until it's clean, rinse through thoroughly to remove the soap and then leave to dry.

Sounds simple enough! I saw you can buy specific pad cleaning devices but guessed this was just a marketing ploy. 

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

Again, nope. No one will be able to tell the difference, it'll just determine how much you have to work at it to get the result you're after really.

Okay great, in that case I might get a scholl neo honey spider pad to see what all the fuss is about. 

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

Yes, carbon fibre can be polished in the same way, just go gently at first as it's possible (perhaps likely) that the gel-coat/top-coat will be a different hardness to the paint. All the same principals apply though.

 

Not really any difference when using a DA to be honest - there's a small need to be more aware of heat build up when using a rotary on a plastic panel than on a metal one, but a you'll struggle to generate any heat related issues with a DA unless you're really, really, trying.

Good to know it's the same principles with carbon or plastic.

I guess when working with any new surface it's safest to start off with the least aggressive combo until you work out how hard it is, then you can always step things up. 

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

It is. That was me not reading all proper and/or failing to pay attention.

Okay phew, you had me confused there for a moment. 

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

If you're using spot pads you'll most likely be fine with 2 large pads and one (or two, if you have a lot of fiddly areas) spot pads to do the whole car in one go.

Definitely sounds easier to have a few pads and swap them as you go rather than having to stop and properly clean/dry a single one. 

Do you use anything specific when cleaning the pads after use? 

Everyone seems to rave about the Scholl Neo honey spider pad used with S30+ but they don't offer it in smaller sizes sadly. 

If using multiple sizes of pad is it important to stick with the same brand/model to get consistent results? 

20 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

I've had a Kestral DAS6 for over a decade and used quite a lot of "different" machines over the years; I've never been tempted to change it out for anything else I've used except for the Rupes.

You mentioned the Rupes and Flex machines are different to DAS6 machines before, how so? 

Also got a couple more questions (apologies if they're stupid ones)... 

My R8 has carbon fibre side blades, can they be polished using the same product/process? 

Similarly are there any differences when polishing a painted plastic bumper compared to a painted metal (in my case aluminium) panel? 

14 hours ago, mr v6 said:

I'd get yourself onto Detailing World, have a good read. Just remember, some of them on there think you need a 40 stage wash & decontamination session lasting 3 weeks.. You really don't need as many products as you think if you're starting out. I've got an old school Kestrel DAS6, had it for about 12 years & it's never missed a beat. I have a couple of 4" pads, 6" pads & 2 polishes, that's more than enough for me for my usage. A couple of tins of wax, a clay bar & a few other bits, you certainly don't need a whole lockup full of the stuff.

Thanks yeah I'm not a member but do regularly browse detailing world when I'm looking for product reccomendations etc. 

Tonnes of useful info on there but I agree some of it is OTT.

I've already got an arsenal of supplies so I think the only things I'll need to buy are the machine, some pads & some polish.

13 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

No problem at all, happy to help. Just remember to post pictures of your work to show your gratitude.

I'll be sure to post up some photos once it's all done and sparkling 😄

13 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

S30+ finishes down really well even on soft paint so you shouldn't need anything lighter to finish - you might want to consider a finishing pad (red one of the LC Hydrotech range) but I wouldn't say it was essential, especially on harder paint, to be honest. That said, if you're planning on polishing regularly (or other cars even) then there's no har in having one to hand, even if you don't use it this time.

Perfect. Ideally I'm just looking to use one product and one type of pad for my first attempt, although I might try hex and flat varieties of the same pad just to see if I prefer one or the other. I'm guessing it'd be a good idea to get some smaller pads for the more intricate areas too? Will one of each be sufficient?

13 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

Fillers serve a purpose, especially where you're looking to get a good finish without removing as much paint, but in my opinion unless there's a reason to rely on fillers it's better to get the paint perfect and not have to rely on fillers. The biggest downside to fillers is that they will both reduce the durability of your LSP/protection and ultimately the swirls will reappear sooner than if you correct them. It's a trade off but there's no right or wrong answer.

 

That makes complete sense, and in that case I agree that removing the imperfections is better than hiding them! Plus if I'm going to all the effort to apply a coating, I'd like it to last as long as possible. 

I thought a ceramic coating was an LSP?

13 hours ago, ilogikal1 said:

They are much (or in most cases when talking about DAs, literally) the same machine under the casing.

I thought this might be the case. From the reviews I've read the DAS6 Pro is the same machine as the standard DAS6 just improved, but worth the extra money (still less than half the price of the megs offering). The Pro plus is bigger and has a larger throw, which I guess makes bigger panels quicker/easier to deal with but it's not suitable for smaller areas because the smallest backing plate you can put on it is 5".

13 hours ago, zelda said:

I bought a Vonhaus DA polisher 4 years ago and it's been great for my needs. Best part about it is probably the cable length, which IIRC is about 5m.

Thanks for the input, the Das6 Pro comes with a 6 metre cable 🙂

8 hours ago, davey_83 said:

JDM window switches, an upgrade over the UK cars which only have auto drivers side.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385384187927?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=vSR3qSaARoO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=UVSJOLRJSwe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Great spot, did this on mine. The way all zed's should have come out the factory! 

Lots of very useful info in there, thanks very much! 

I don't think I'll need a very aggressive compound because the most I'll be trying to remove is very light swirl marks, so I think the S30+ will have more than enough cut. Worked properly should that leave a nice finish ready for sealing? Or would I need to do a final pass with a lighter compound? 

From what I understand, fillers help reduce the appearance of imperfections, which I thought would be a good thing? 

Interesting you prefer flat pads over dimpled/hex, are there benefits/drawbacks to each or is it simply personal preference? 

I think I'll definitely need some smaller pads on some of the more intricate areas, unsurprisingly most demonstration videos only show a flat bonnet being done 😂 

Are some machines better than others or are they all pretty much the same? The Meguiars one seems popular but isn't cheap. 

It'll be the art pipes causing the volume & drone, so if the bungs don't work out I'd look at replacing them with HFCs. Nearly as free flowing but less/better noise, plus you won't have a headache when it comes to MOT time. 

29 minutes ago, Hansburger said:

Somebody asked for some wheels? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays I'm back to the trusty GT-R wheels. Just love the way they look on the Z. 

How many sets of wheels!? 😂 Personally I think 20's are too big for the 350z, think my favourite from that selection is the third one down. 

So I've always been a detailing enthusiast but been too scared to attempt machine polishing, mainly due to the horror stories you hear of people burning through paint or clear coat after generating too much heat/friction from a rotary polisher. 

However after doing some research into DA polishers they look far safer and can't really cause any damage unless you're doing something really wrong.

I'm looking to buy one ready for when the better weather arrives, so I can give my new R8 a good once over. There's not really any defects in the paint, I'd just like to get it looking as good as possible, so I think a single stage polish with a mild compound should be sufficient?

I'd love to hear people's reccomendations on which DA polisher, pads & 1 stage polish to go for 🙂

Here's my plan-

1. Pre wash: Bilt hamber auto foam
2. Decontaminate: Bilt hamber korrosol & auto finesse oblitarate
3. 2 bucket wash: Autoglym bodywork shampoo & conditioner
4. Clay bar: Bilt hamber auto clay
5. Dry: Towel/blow, autoglym rapid detailer as drying aid
6. Single stage DA machine polish: ???
7. IPA wipedown: Bilt hamber cleanser fluid
8. Wheel sealant: Gtechniq C5
9. Arch liner dressing: Chemical guys bare bones
10. Ceramic coating: Gtechniq C1 crystal lacquer

I'm not usually a fan of stanced setups but that's a beauty, especially the second from last photo 👌 

GLWTS. 

If your clutch/flywheel are well worn and you can afford it you might as well get them replaced at the same time seeing as the gearbox has gotta be pulled to access the CSC. 

@ZMANALEX to the rescue

Now that I've sold my zed I've got a few parts which I ended up never needing, all are brand new in their original packaging. 

- HEL Red braided clutch hose £20.

- Stoptech uprated clutch slave cylinder (OEMs ones are a known point and prone to failing). 

Part #138.42019. £25.

- Complete Xtreme stage 1 clutch & single mass lightened flywheel kit £600.

Prices are for collection from Warwick, happy to arrange postage at the buyers cost. 

Thanks for looking. 

17 hours ago, GranTurismoEra said:

Any videos would be great from cold starts to taking off. Or some POV. 

Haven't got any videos as of yet but I'll try and take a couple when I get a chance! 

10 hours ago, monkeybrain1234 said:

Welcome to the 350z to R8 club. 😊Had my V8 for 1.5yrs and love it. Few things to look out for and keep on top of. Great car different to the Z in many ways, particularly maintainence and running costs.  While this Z  Forum has always been amazing there are a few great R8 ones too PM me if you want any further info. Happy to meet up, I am in Cheltenham so not far from you. 

P. S. If you are running standard exhaust, consider swapping it out, simply makes it a different car. 

Cheers mate, nice to meet a fellow 350z to R8 convert! I'll send you a PM. 

Spent Sunday getting a few odd jobs done on the R8. 

Washed it for the first time, although due to time constraints only a basic one. In the summer when the weather is better and the days are longer I'll properly decontaminate, clay bar, polish & seal it. 

Once clean I set about the task of getting the rear bumper back to standard. One of the previous owners decided to spray part of it black with plastidip, I assume to mimic how the V10 looks. 

It looked alright from a distance, but up close it had bits of white coming through in places, plus I'm not a fan of trying to make a car look like something it's not. 

It took a pressure washer, some plastidip disolver and a lot of time & effort but I got there in the end. Thankfully there were no nasty surprises underneath and it's back looking OEM, with my new gel plates & private reg on. 

Next up was to replace the failing engine bay struts with some new ones from SGS, super quick and easy. 

Last job was to remove the old ipod cable that'd been run into the glove box and fix the non-functioning CD changer, which I guessed were probably connected. 

I removed the headunit and found a a denison module, which basically fools the car into thinking the connected ipod is the CD changer.

Luckily it was all just plug and play so no hassle removing, and hey presto the CD changer is now working. 

Not much else planned at the moment other than get the engine carbon cleaned (FSI engines are notorious for getting gunked up) and maybe look into whether a remap is worthwhile. 

SOLD, went to its new home earlier today, was a mix of emotions watching it drive off.

I thoroughly enjoyed owning a zed and it'll definitely be missed, asolutely cracking car that never let me down once in 6 years. 

Got a few bits and pieces left that I'll post up for sale soon, after that I'll probably still lurk around the forum every now and again! 

DEPOSIT TAKEN

Or find a "friendly" MOT tester. 

I thought the general concensus was that HFCs don't tend to last very long on FI zeds. 

99% of parts will be the same so shouldn't have any problems there. 

Being an import can change insurance prices so might be worth checking that. 

Also UK spec cars tend to be better specced (leather seats, cruise control, brembo brakes, rays alloys etc). 

12 hours ago, pintopete58 said:

Hi bud . I think it's a tad expensive taking into account rusty arch punters are thinking we're else is it rusty but that's my opinion and glwys

I know what you mean, if I don't get any interest I might look at getting the arch sorted.

The rest of the car and the underside is really clean, just that one arch that's letting it down.

I've priced it judging by what else is up for sale at the moment, there's bog standard pre face-lift DEs on Auto Trader for 10k... 

I'm in no rush having already bought the zed's replacement, so happy to wait for the right buyer to come along. 

Hi guys

Now that I've collected my new car the zed is up for sale. I'll be very sad to see it go but I don't have the space or need for it anymore. 

Anyways here's the ebay link-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325489776491?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Co8T9L1SSIe&sssrc=2524149&ssuid=Co8T9L1SSIe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Happy to do a little discount for a fellow forum member. 

Cheers guys 🙂 

The drive home was mostly busy motorway and the weather was pretty bad so didn't get much of a chance to properly stretch its legs. 

It drives lovely though! Plenty of power (and traction thanks to quattro), far more refined than the zed, brilliant feel from the gated box & addictive soundtrack from the V8 😍

For ages I've had the itch for a manual V8, and within my budget there were only 2 options I liked- first gen Audi R8 (4.2L) or newish (2018 onwards) Ford Mustang GT. 

After countless hours of research and viewing/driving both I finally decided on the R8.

Found a lovely 2009 example in Ibis White being sold by a small independent specialist car dealer down in London, which I collected today 😁

It's pretty low mileage (46,000), in brilliant condition, got a full service history and nearly every optional extra available (crazy how much stuff was optional on these cars considering they started from 75k back in the day). 

Only got 1 (crappy) photo of it so far because it's dark and the car is already dirty from a 2 hour drive home in the pouring rain, so I've attached a few from the advert too. 

Sadly this does mean the zed has to go, but hopefully it'll go to someone who will cherish and enjoy it as much as I have! 

Jheez sounds like you've been very unlucky with all the issues you've had. Fair play to you for spending all the time, effort and money to get it all sorted and keep the car alive. 

Hope no one reads this and thinks the 350z is an unreliable car, because that's not the case at all! 😂

38 minutes ago, davey_83 said:

Great little vid if not seen before

 

 

Agreed. I've watched every video like this I could find.

The one from reperformance is also useful because it shows how to check the manual frunk (front trunk) release, which is pretty important seeing as the battery is in there and the bonnet has 3 latches...