autorune

Hey guys, might be an odd one.

Rear speakers make next to no noise. If I put balance all the way rear and turn it all the way up I can hear them. Sub works fine. Had a peep round and seems the fronts/sub are amped but rears are not - all aftermarket. Is it worth swapping the Bose rears back in or could I be missing something?

Hi all, been having a look at Nissboard and other such apps on my Linux laptop but never managed to get it connecting with any of my cables. NDS2 worked with them on Windows so not sure if I'm perhaps missing something? Would love to have something working ideally and then potentially replace the cluster with an R-PI one day

1 hour ago, ilogikal1 said:

 

Yep, that's quite a lot, depending on what you're using. Assuming you're pre-mixed stuff it should only take 1-2 sprays per panel (although it's one of those things you find yourself getting more efficient with the more you use it).

For clay residue, either a thorough rinse or a wipe over with QD should remove everything you need to before polishing.

 

 

If the white bits flying off were still wet and at the beginning of the passes, then definitely too much product on the pad and what you're experiencing is sling. It's best to prime a fresh pad (assuming a 5inch pad*; 2-3 pea sized spots of product on the pad and spread it around the face of the pad with your finger until it won't spread any more - optional, but often worth doing is to spritz the face of the pad with a QD first. Not too much, one spritz across the pad is plenty, and it just helps to lubricate the pad on the initial pass); but once it's got some product on already, you don't need to add any more than you're using. 2 pea sized drops per section is plenty - again my technique is to spread some polish across the panel/section you're about to work on by dabbing the pad on the panel before switching it on, that way you end up with less product on the pad to begin with but pick up product as you move over the panel. You may find something else works for you though.

*If you're using different sized pads, adjust quantities accoridngly.

 

The other thing that causes sling is not having the pad flat on the panel when the machine in on - the Z is a curvy car so smaller spot pads are useful, especially on the quarter panels, pillars and bumpers. There's no secret tip for this though, it's just a case of concentrating and being aware of the angle of the pad and surface.

 

The solid compound left behind is textbook not working the product enough. "Enough" is determined by what you're using, but in all cases you want to keep working it until it's clear and you almost can't see it anymore - most polishes will start to "cure" (as such) like a wax after it's worked, the aim is to get it as thin as you dare really (and that might mean more passes or working over a larger section - with more experience you'll find what works best for you though so keep at it).

 

 

You can never have enough microfibres when polishing. No matter how many I have, I always need at least 3 more. Always!

 

The foam bottle that comes with pressure washers isn't a proper foam lance so if you don't want to shell out for a lance then switch to a citrus pre-wash - spray on, leave to work for a few minutes, rinse off with the pressure washer. You'll never get good performance out of a snow foam without a proper lance (or at least a foamer pressure sprayer). Although I should note that there are much cheaper versions available than the one I linked to before (e.g.). Just make sure to get the right fitting for your pressure washer if you do get one.

The reason the bottle that comes with the machine isn't any use for foam is because it doesn't incorporate the innards of a proper foam lance (which you can see here), so instead of having foam hit the panel, you just get soapy water which foams slightly on impact instead. As I say, if you want to use snow foam then invest in a proper foam lance, otherwise spending money of snow foam will be a waste of money really.

 

Give it another go and let us know how you get on. There's plenty of good detailers (pro and amateur) on here that are happy to share advice - most are less verbose and demanding than me too!

Thanks. Is the QD necessary though if I'm already using QD as clay lube? And I meant the pad was throwing semi-solid like the excess compound is drying up at the edges of the pad, getting rolled up and thrown off. Still getting used to following the curves so that probably contributes!

Cheers for the tip about the lance btw. Will see if my friend minds lending his, otherwise will go with a prewash.

1 hour ago, ilogikal1 said:

 

Okay, first up, don't use Fairy on paintwork. Granted, the car won't spontaneously fall apart, but it's not designed for cars (or paintwork, etc.). If you need to top up foam with anything (because you're running low) then use car shampoo. (Not aimed at the OP, but more generally; if you're topping up becuase the foam is rubbish, just buy better foam...). Despite what some consipracy theorists would try to convince you of, Fairy is no good for cleaning cars under any circumstances.

 

Next up, wash technique:

Foam on a dry car - rinsing first does nothing except encourage the foam to run off quicker, reducing the contact time and therefore efficiency. Whilst you do want the foam to run off (take note Magifoam!) you need the balance between working time and run off, all snow foams that are designed to work (rather than just look pretty - take note Magifoam!!) are designed to work on initially dry panels.

You might have seen this coming, but use a good snow foam instead. And a proper foam lance if you're not already. If you don't want to/can't use a proper foam lance, switch to a Citrus Pre-Wash instead which will be infinitely better than using a snow foam badly.

Rinse thoroughly & methodically after the foam/citrus pre-wash and before washing.

Wash with the 2 bucket method you've used as usual & then rinse again.

 

As Stu has already mentioned, from this point you can do one/two panels at a time. If you run out of time, re-wash before starting again another day (whether you pre-wash & wash will be determined by how dirty the car is when you start again, but I would always recommend a contact wash of any panels you'll be working on as a bare minimum, regardless of how clean the surface looks, before claying).

 

Clay, as you have done.

Rinse the panel again.

Polish - always start with the lowest cut and only work up (in stages, i.e. polish OR pad, never both together) until you're getting the cut you need. If you're using a DA machine polisher, I'd suggest 6 slow passes to properly work the polish. Adjust accordingly if using a rotary. Work on a small section on one panel (about one 6th of the bonet is a fair area, for example) to start with.

When you feel you've worked the polish enough, use the IPA wipe to remove any polish residue and inspect the area - if you need to, step up either the pad or the polish to get more cut, work the polish, IPA wipe and re-inspect. Repeat as needed.

Once you're comfortable with the results, move onto the next section using the pad/polish combo that you're most comfortable with.

 

The IPA wipe should be used for removing polish residue to inspect the actual results of the polishing and/or before waxing. There's no benefit/purpose to IPA before polishing.

 

Once you're happy with the polishing, then apply wax as usual.

 

In terms of what you've acheived, whilst you've not tackled everything there is some correction evident. I'd suggest taking it slow with the passes and working the polish for longer over each area. It looks more like you've rushed and just not acheived the correction you were after rather than done anything fundamentally wrong, so hopefully the steps above will help you address that and improve the results you're getting. Don't get too disheartened, just take a bit more time.

 

 

As above, split the claying across multiple days as well, just clay a panel before you polish it. If you're just picking up the following morning where you left off before, a quick wipe over with a soapy mitt will suffice in terms of re-washing (you could even foam the area and wipe over with a mitt before rinsing if that's easier). Whilst not necessarily essential if you're polishing anyway, I would advise it to remove any micro-particles especially when parked on/near an active road even if it still looksclean, just to minimise the risk of grinding fine dirt into the paint when claying and/or polishing.

 

 

I wouldn't recommend microfibre pads for soft Nissan paint (hard German paint perhaps though), it's too abbrassive and you're more likley to cause (potentially irrepairable) damage than correction to be honest. On soft Nissan paint you shouldn't ever need to go higher than medium cut polish on a medium cut pad, especially for swirls. If you're sturggling to correct swirls on medium/medium combo, you probably need to look at your technique over stepping up further and even then I'd always suggest an alternative polish to extend the working time over going more aggressive at that stage.

Extra care should always be taken for RDS anyway, but it's important to know how much paint you're working with before tackling those.

Really sound advice, thanks. Good spot on the IPA wipe, I thought it was to remove the clay lube/residue and any other non-solid contaminants. Jees though, I might have just been using too much but it took half a bottle lol.

Sounds like the size of my sections was right maybe overboard as I think I actually split it into 9 but yeah definitely doing it a bit quick given I got through it in less than 4h.

Something I didn't mention though is some of the panels might actually be worse off as my first couple I had white bits flying off and "solid" compound being left behind on the panel - I figured this was from using too much product though and proceeded with that in mind and it cleared up after rinsing the pad and using less.

I think you've got it in one though - more and slower passes with the orange pad rather than white will probably see a much better result. I'm borrowing my friend's DA at the mo so will probably go for it again soon, dedicate a full day (or two) and baseline this method. Will probably grab a couple more towels and some good foam. On that note, I am using a foam lance on the pressure washer albeit definitely not the best around - came with the B&M unit I'm using although seems good enough for someone who's not going to be using it for anything beyond their own car

10 hours ago, Stutopia said:

Gorgeous colour BTW.

 

Next time I would suggest not to worry about the whole car, just find a test section with some of the bad swirls and work away at just that section with different, pad, polish, arm pressure and arm speed combinations. See what it takes to make just a small section 90% defect free, under a little light. This might take quite some time but if you find the right combination, then you can do the rest of the car one panel at a time, without time pressure or feeling you have to finish it up all in one session.

 

If you wanted to go more aggressive, you could always step up to a microfibre pad and see what that does.

Good call, I was worried that I'd have to re-wash and clay splitting across multiple days though as I park on the roadside rather than in a garage. Definitely worth perfecting one panel first though before doing the rest of the car especially given its all equally "bad". Will keep that in mind next time I attempt it.

3 hours ago, The Bounty Bar Kid said:

Ps fairy liquid isn't something I'd ever use. It has slight abrasives in it.

Thanks for that, I'd heard its fine but will bear this in mind. Will probably have some decent foam for the next run 👍

1 hour ago, HEADPHONES said:

What YOU see as far from perfect, 99.9% of the population will be admiring saying that the car looks brand new.

When I got my first car I loved waxing it. I didn't know anything about detailing and just thought Wax/polish was all the same and made it bead in the rain.

I don't know whether to thank or curse the friend that showed me what swirls were and then introduce me to detailingworld coz now what has been seen cannot be unseen

That is very true - definitely show quality compared to my dad's old Ibiza thats lost 90% of its clearcoat lol. I thought the same with previous cars and had this idea after my friend showed me the difference on his A4. Scratches aside there were sunscreen marks all over the place and understood a good cut+polish would get those out. Headlights were also pretty bad so this also sorted those out for the most part - time will tell how long it lasts but hopefully the ceramic spray stuff will keep em together.

Not sure if its a trick of the lighting but in all fairness it looks like I've taken a lot of the shallow scratches out, paint definitely less hazy  Its true though I can't unsee it on any car anymore haha

Before

After

Wasn't on the todo list but had the chance to try my hand at detailing today. Not terrible but not great either, still, paintwork is far from perfect so not worth going overboard

Hey all, so got round to giving the Z a detail today, first time doing more than a bucket wash all told. Probably took around 3.5 hours to complete. Bearing in mind, I'm not going for some crazy 90% defect reduction or something as the paint is littered with stone chips and the occasional scuff anyways.

Steps as follow:

• Rinse 
• Foam (CarPlan Demon Foam - running low so chucked in some Fairy. Am I mad for doing that?!)
• Agitate (Generic microfiber mitt, two buckets one for fresh water another for rinsing the mitt)
• Rinse
• Clay (Mothers clay w/ quick detailer as lube. Side note the smell of this had me wanting to eat the clay)
• IPA wipe
• Cut 3x passes per area(Chemical Guys white pad, Meguiars ultimate compound)
• Polish 3x passes per area (Chemical Guys orange pad, Meguiars ultimate polish)
• Wax (Turtle Wax hybrid solutions ceramic spray)

I AM AN IDIOT! While typing this out I realised I got the sodding pads the wrong way round 🤦‍♂️

Sadly no comprehensive set of before and after pics but I have a couple showing the swirls and final result. As you can see, most of the swirls are still present although the finish still has plenty more "pop". What can I do better next time?

Thoughts so far:

• Heavier compound (maybe pad too, getting them the right way round would probably help lol)
• More or slower passes
• Better prep
• Accept that the scratches are deeper than I thought and move on

Before

After

Results

10 minutes ago, ShortPaul said:

Hi and welcome from Bristol, sounds like your having a nightmare with the zed, sounds like your getting the better of the issues 😁

Cheers lad, thankfully got some amazing mates, couldn't do it alone! 

Doesn't compare to my old Golf mk4 I bought in limp mode which had something break seemingly every week lmao. Took full set of vac lines, brakes, radiator/coolant, coolant temp sensor, three sumps (my fault for going low lmao), turbo oil feed, crank sprocket (bolts sheared???), clutch/smf, all round suspension and several window regulators. Only had it less than a year before the engine blew due to shoddy workmanship (still no idea if was me or Halfords but they left oil all over the engine bay from a timing belt change soooo) 😅

Finally back together, new slave in. What a pain to bleed it was (Yes, we followed FSM process lmao)! Obviously taking it easy for the first few hundred to break the clutch in but holy cow does it run  

The only downside is the union nut from the hardline to attach the flexi was so rusted that even a line wrench and WD40 ended up rounding it off. That being said, we used the original flexi. I know, bad idea but it'll do until I can sort out an alternative, probably thinking of replacing the whole system with braided SS flexi similar to what you'd see on some MX-5s. If anyone's done this before please PM me and let me know how it is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS1aJ_wel8o

Of course, it has the SMF rattle but no biggie. Fair trade-off for how rev happy it is!

Ok guys so some might have seen me floating around a bit after buying the blue Z from another member. So, I still haven't really driven it yet as the clutch went after 20 minutes of ownership  So I got the parts pretty quick and was waiting for a friends to clear out some space in their unit so we can crack on. Thank the heavens they did, as you'll see why it'd have been a nightmare in an actual garage lol. This is basically starting off as a big rant but it'll be more of a build thread as it (hopefully) progresses.

To start with, the rust. Oh, the rust! We had to grind and drill every exhaust bolt that had to come out. Not a surprise given its age and the fact its spent most of its life up north I guess?

Anyway, after getting the box dropped and old bits out (my days, the friction plate was down to the rivets and had dug a ditch in the pressure plate and flywheel lol) the pilot bushing was stuck in the hole. It was already getting late so instead of using the bread trick my friend with the steady hand carefully chiselled it out. Painful to watch but probably saved a day... Had the damn car almost a month and haven't driven it yet! Kit didn't come with a new one either but luckily same friend had a couple spares from his S15 (thanks Nissan for using generic parts across cars).  Anyway, now to get it back together.

As a note, dowels on the flywheel were a bit more snug than OEM so we had to torque it several times to ensure it was seated correctly. Niceeeee.

Next up, getting the box back in. Wiggle wiggle and more wiggle. Nout. Turns out using the wack-ass "universal" alignment tool didn't even get close to aligned! Luckily pilot bushing still OK. Ended up getting the box and propshaft on the following day but oh no it doesn't end there. 

Nope. No siree. The exhaust needs to go back on now. I really have some awesome mates here. Turns out the Y pipe is from Toyosport and the backbox is Japspeed. For whatever reason, there was a massive gap filled by two spacers with no gaskets lol. So aforementioned friend actually got the welder out and extended the Y pipe by exactly enough to make a snug fit. Now time to wire brush all the flanges and get the exhaust in. Well, thankfully we thought ahead here and got gaskets ready. And gun gum for good measure. Well, we actually ran out of bolts so ended up whipping up some by welding nuts to some freshly threaded stems. Covered both sides of the flange in gun gum and sent it.

First start, no blowing which is awesome and its time to move it out of the unit to idle for a bit and cure the gun gum. Well, that went fine, clutch felt lovely and moved it out to idle. Then, went to test drive. Clutch in, go to hit R and... won't go into gear. Pedal feels light and lags behind my foot a bit. Get a look under, actuation isn't quite right. Mole gripped the clutch line by the slave and the pedal went rock solid, slave confirmed I guess. Got a kit (new slave and braided line) ordered from Horsham now but God damn I just wanna drive it lmao. That'll be on in a few days I hope so maybe I'll get some time in the sun before it chucks it down this weekend 🤞

Also, to balance out all the BS above, the interior is lovely, aftermarket sound system is pretty good too. Handles like its on rails compared to any other car I've owned (well, from the short time I got driving it anyway). No weird or dodgy noises/vibrations. Still feel like I scored a bargain despite the issues tbh.

To answer a couple possible questions:

• I live almost at the south coast, got the Z transported down from Scotland "sold as seen" so its on me really and PO had no reason to expect the clutch would go that soon, however, he offered to put a couple hundred towards the clutch which is f***ing awesome given he had no obligation to do so! Other than the clutch issue everything was more or less as expected so no big deal really. Happy with the purchase regardless.
• I eventually plan to replace the exhaust with test pipes and a nice new SS system, but am a bit concerned about the (also rusty) bolts on the top side of the cats and the idea of having to get new headers makes me shudder.
• I get that I should be prepared for maintenance costs but god damn not so much so soon haha. Next course of action really is to get a de-rust under the car and redo as much undercoating as possible and replace some of the more accessible bits before they get real bad.
• If you're wondering, I went with a Fidanza SMF and Exedy clutch

To do:

• Fit new slave/braided line and bleed
• Replace exhaust system, probably when it starts blowing again (Sell the cats to fund it as well probably)
• Replace PAS lines as they're starting to become porous
• Rear tyres getting towards EOL but will probably replace the lot with PS4s.
• De-rust and re-undercoat before it becomes structural
• Figure out why fuel gauge is poo (I understand this is a business-as-usual issue)
• Sort out the minor arch bubbles before they develop
• De-cloud the headlights

As some might have seen, recently picked up the Azure 04 from another member here which unfortunately decided it to become a slip n slide after 20min of ownership. I have picked up a fidanza flywheel with an exedy 3pc kit and have secured some space to crack on with it this week. However, a couple things I need to clarify beforehand.

First, I've seen mixed mentions, is it an internal or external slave?

Next question, which gearbox oil should I use as I'll be doing that after dropping the transmission?

Finally, OEM flywheel bolts are a toss to source it seems. Do they need replacing or can I get by with some red loctite?

TIA guys, super excited to be able to actually drive it properly! 😅

3 hours ago, Mikey_S said:

Welcome!

 

Can't beat having a car that you can be confident it's been well looked after!

 

As an FYI I have an Exedy / Luk package for sale on here also if interested. See the 350 parts for sale part of the forum for more info 

 

 

I do recognise your name from an ebay listing - hopefully I haven't shot myself in the foot but have ordered an Exedy 3pc kit with a Fidanza SMF to go in when my friend's unit becomes available. From what I've heard and read they're absolutely fine for a combo

As one or two of you may have picked up, I am now the owner of Inspiral's 350z, which I also see belonged to ZMANALEX. Good to know the POs haven't dropped off the face of the earth haha. Finally got out in it yesterday and my god have I been missing out driving a 70bhp Ibiza for the last year!

Only trouble is after an hour ish of perfectly fine driving the the clutch started slipping, so fun times ahead, 99k miles on an OEM isn't half bad  Looking at the Exedy/LUK combo so should be fine from then on. Probably be seeing me a lot more here.

Very coincidentally spotted another Z the one time I took it through city centre haha, anyone from the south as looks like most members are midlands/northern?

Edit: Turns out Alex did not previously own this, I just saw his name in some paperwork from a PO buying parts lmao

1 hour ago, inspiral said:

He did. And my chidren now hate him for taking it away 🙄

"son's crying now thanks"

I did, feel like a kid on xmas eve rn! 

19 minutes ago, Azurez33 said:

You know what you need out of your car mate, I daily mine but wish I didn’t but it works for me currently, if I had space and the need I’d get something else but already got a few projects, both cars you’ve mentioned are very thirsty, but I’d go for the 32 over the s4 because they’re going up slowly in value especially the dsgs 

 

with regards to the steer clear, usually your first instincts are right, dealers are crafty and love using the ignorance card to make you feel like something’s okay when it’s not, if you buy it sounding like that they’ll try and pull your pants down. If it doesn’t have a paper trail it’s probably not worth it.  
 

For sure, I like a gamble but there's only so much risk I'll usually take. He didn't really press for a sale but tried to capitalize on the gamble. Not really for me but was definitely worth asking around in case.

An old Polo or something for UberEats/shopping runs would do nicely with something fun for days out/work trips to client site. Expecting the "fun" car to be thirsty but even 10mpg over a couple thousand miles a year won't make a massive impact.

5 hours ago, Jack94 said:

Yeah I meant service history, I'm always dubious of any motor that doesn't have a paperwork trail to show its been well maintained, especially something that's 17 years old. 

 

It looks fairly standard and tidy in the ad so that's good, but with no warranty whatsoever it's definitely a risk. Like you've said though, if you're happy knowing that you may have to sink a fair bit of money in to get it running properly and can get it for a really low price then go for it. 

 

Personally I'm not a gambling man so would rather something like this-

 

It needs some TLC cosmetically to sort out the rust and scuffs, but is mechanically sound and owned by someone on here so probably been very well cared for. 

5 hours ago, Azurez33 said:

Didn’t sound good mate, I’d say potentially chain or very possibly injectors, if you don’t have a service history I’d say you’re pissing in the wind, if you don’t know how many services it’s had that’s down to fate, did you check the oil level? 
 

It just goes with the fact if you don’t mind risking it FairPlay crack on, but if it’s not been serviced with an oil and filter regularly what other little nasty surprises are you going to find 

Cheers for the input both, I was tempted to lowball it closer to 2k but it looks like someone just picked it up full price. Oof. But yeah, too many unknowns. The V5 was in the car but didn't see any other paperwork and didn't ask for more once they opened the bonnet and the rattle became evident. The seller had clearly serviced it but when I brought up the noise I suggested timing belt and they were sort of blase about it and just went with what I said even though they seemed fairly clued up. The more I post and recollect stuff it just becomes clearer I was right to leave it first time round sheesh

Also thanks for the spot on that ad Jack, good timing but shame its a 13h roundtrip. Gave the guy a message anyways as can probably arrange a video viewing and transport if its a sure-thing. Compared to the OP which was a JDM import, the insurance decrease would cover the cost of transport twice over. Nice one.

Side note, been a VAG guy through and through but now I'm permanently WFH I was looking at getting rid/downgrading my daily to more of a shopping cart and getting something like an S3/4 or R32. That's what I came across the Z and tbh I'm questioning my loyalty now lol.

46 minutes ago, Jack94 said:

Have you got a link to the ad? 

 

The engine in that video doesn't sound healthy to me, plus if it doesn't have much history it's a major gamble and could end up very costly. 

By all means go for it if you're happy with the risk but personally I wouldn't pay anywhere near 4k. 

 

I take it the dealer isn't offering any warranty? If it truly is just a cheap and easy fix such as a fuel damper or crank sensor then surely they would do it themselves and sell car for a higher price..

 

Exactly, that's why the tapping wasn't in the ad. Assuming  you mean history on paperwork side

Ebay link here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184890841563

Given the risk wouldn't pay more than 3k; as far as I know that would cover chain+guides and some new buckets and whatever other misc bits. No warranty, a dealer got a bad PX and wants to shift it cos they know its a bit of a heap, though surely for the right price it could be remedied and still have costed less than a slightly better example.

I'd imagine fuel damper/crank sensor would likely fix the starting issue unless its due to being off-time but they haven't been clear about the other, more important issue lol. On  that note, found out I can use NDS2 with my VCDS cables which would have been helpful yesterday lol, assuming it doesn't use consult (though I imagine it would if it was a JDM import?).

I might lowball if the auction ends without a sale but would it even be worth the risk at that?

Hi all, just made an account for this. Spotted on a local FB page and is also listed on ebay. Seller is asking 4k and met up today to see what it was all about.

Not much on  history, sat at just shy of 90k miles and based on MOT history it was stored for about 3 years since 2017 and  part-exchanged to the dealer currently selling  it - they made a point that they just want to shift it and get back "what  it owes him". Might be adamant on the price but could make an offer  - so far I have  walked and said I'm going to ask some people that are a bit more clued up.

Oil pressure looks how it should, revs/drives as it should. However, when hot, takes a few attempts to get going (gotta  add a  little throttle too). It also has a ticking noise  which reminds me of  the fuel pump on my old mk4 golf VP37. Tick tick tick, goes faster with revs and disappears closer to redline. He reckons that it needs a new fuel damper and crank  sensor (cam has already been done along with a full service) and the sooty exhaust tips do point to dampers. Digging on here, youtube and various sources point to something less serious than timing chain guides as there's no grinding or irregularity. However, I do worry it could still possibly timing chain guide or valve related. What are your thought guys and girls?

Very similar to this video I found, but just the ticking, not grinding, nor knocking