galaxyg

My remaining one is a bundle of rust but I think they're welded on.

Thanks. I'd have to get someone to look at that. My hands-on skills are not good at all. Michael

For the 6 months I've had the Z, I'd come to the conclusion that the controls on the steering wheel's left hand side only were to do with the bluetooth phone stuff and would not control the CD player at all. Given that they did nothing. However today - I'd nudged them by mistake whilst going around a bend and what do you know, the CD moved on to the next track. The volume control also worked. When I pulled up later onto the drive I tested this again and nothing at all. Some experimentation on the driveway showed me that both the CD track and volume controls only work when the steering wheel is at any other angle than straight or nearly straight. Is this normal?

Sounds like textbook Banana-arm symptoms to me, mine did exactly that when they needed doing. I suggest you find a garage that knows about these cars. Yep. Sounds like mine. Nissan dealer pronounced it as banana-arm after putting it on a big shaking rig, the only way to really get it to occur when the car is not moving. Pulling on the wheel won't make it happen, it can't reproduce the force of the weight of a whole car.

Cheers, thanks. I'll give them a call.

I have the inevitable low-speed knocking noise, so I've purchased some new banana arm bushes from ZMANALEX and now I'm looking for some recommendations on who can fit them for me reasonably locally, given that I'll have to do a while-u-wait when they're done. Thanks. Michael

Hi, I'm off to Tokyo in about 6 weeks for a holiday and I'l be sure to drop by the massive Super Autobacs shop. Aside from Soft99 Fusso wax, does anyone have any recommendations? Michael.

After 4 months of Z ownership and 4 months of shopping and stuff sliding around the boot, I'm wondering what I can get to prevent this. I've seen the cargo nets but I'm wondering if they're useful for bag/boxes of groceries? They can be quite large and the net doesn't look that big. Are there other solutions for preventing the sliding of stuff / anchoring it down?

Useful to know, mine have gone too although not to MOT failure level.

Hi, I got my 350Z back from the local Nissan dealer who spent some time diagnosing the knocking from the suspension whilst it was in for a service. They've said the lower trailing arm bushes are split and there is movement. Are they talking about the banana bracket here? They said they should be changed as a pair and it's nearly £1k from them, so it's going to get ignored for now. I'm presuming i could just get one done elsewhere cheaper, but I could do with knowing if they're talking about the same thing I think they are. Michael.

Thanks for all the info. Enzyme Eater sounds good. Not that I'm shy of all the cleaning work either, another clean won't do any harm.

Awesome as my 350Z is (aside from some minor mechanical faults), it does smell like a combination of old car and back-street garage, which seems to have permeated everything about it in it's 12 years of life. Is this reversible? I'd be happy with "neutral" which is what my other car, a 2008 Honda Accord, smells like (or rather, smells like nothing). Air fresheners only mask it for a while. I'm looking for something more permanent. Where is this smell living? In the fabric trim? Michael

What brand polishing machine are you using? My black 350z is more scratched than your first photo and it's making my wrists tired trying to polish it manually.

Thanks. Some good Christmas reading!

I guess so yes. I managed >30 even in the RX-8 down the M40. Around the Peak district come the better weather will be an entirely different matter

Hi All, My new purchase is a black 2005 350Z GT that I've had for about a month. So far I'm loving it, if anyone can help with the exhaust and suspension questions I've posted in the technical forum, much appreciated. In the meantime... this 350Z is the third in my trilogy of mid-life crisis sports cars. Part 1 was a 1997 2.2 litre Honda Prelude 5th Gen, Part 2 was a 2008 Mazda RX-8, the 192 version. I learned with the RX-8 that perhaps it's better to avoid post 2006 high-tax models. Aside from that both Parts 1 & 2 were very enjoyable, and Part 3 in the form of the 350z is shaping up well too. My Z seems in really good condition bodywork and engine, and has FSH, 92,000 miles and purrs along the motorway very happily. I'm wondering how accurate that fuel economy computer is. I'm going to test this once the current tank is near empty and I can divide the refill amount into the odometer reading to see. So far I've not seen the mpg dip below about 32, which seems suspiciously good. For a 92K car the steering wheel is remarkably good - shiny but not destroyed. However the gear knob is rank, so I've ordered another off Ebay. Merry Christmas. Michael.

Hi All, I got my first 350Z a few weeks ago, and I'm loving it so far. There are a couple of issues though and not being mechanically minded I'm hoping for some advice. 1) Annoyingly within about 300 miles of getting it, one of the exhaust tips fell off due to rust. The rest of the back box looks rusty but is not blowing. Kwik-Fit quoted £344 for a new back box and tips, is this a) good? are there alternatives I've got? I can see tips on Ebay that are not expensive but I'd have to find some way of getting the other one removed to make them match, and it's well rusted on. 2) There is a knocking sound from the passenger side when I go over sharp bumps (such as a cat's eye). It doesn't happen when soft bumps like a speed hump. An ex-mechanic friend has suggested it might be the drop links. Does the 350z Have any weaknesses or things that commonly get worn out in the "making a knocking noise" department? Thanks for any help & advice. Michael.