Engin

I want to keep this car until the day I die, it’s basically my life mission now. I’ve started making a list of everything I need to take care of. I’ll be buying all the parts over the next few months and fitting/replacing them at a friend’s garage. I’m planning to change the gearbox oil as well. One question though, you mentioned that you used Motul S ATF, but I couldn’t find that product. There’s a Motul Multi ATF available, do you think that would work or should I do more research?

Can you share the link if you are still around? 😁

So fluid for life is not actually fluid for life? I am really lost. I just want to keep my car in the best condition and can't decide if I need to change or not. I don't feel anything wrong with the car, but wouldn't mind paying a couple hundred if it is going to save me from a couple thousand in the future

Booked my ticket 😎

I know this is about 12 years after the last post, but I’m curious, does the “UK is for life, US is not” rule also apply to Japanese-imported cars? I’ve done a bit of reading (mainly forum posts lol) and saw that a veteran user ( @ZMANALEX ) says gearbox oil for UK cars is lifetime, whereas US ones don’t. Can anyone share how things stand for Japanese imports to the UK?

Okay, here with more updates. Antenna: Replaced! I got one from Temu, it didn’t fit quite right, had a bit of a gap between the base and the antenna. So, I added a rubber washer in between and voila! looks spot on. Also painted the base using... wait for it... nail polish! Worked like a charm. So yeah, antenna is now sorted. Underbody rust-proofing: Took the car to a local body shop for this. Left it there and headed home. Later, the guy rang me up and said the underbody looked factory fresh, nothing needed doing at all. So, unexpectedly, this one’s off the list too. Head unit: It just... started working again. I’ve only been ejecting and loading CDs now and then, and somehow it fixed itself. No clue what the issue was, but I’ll take the win, no need to replace it anymore! A-pillar finisher: This one still stings a bit. Took it to a body shop and they fixed it perfectly. I asked them not to fit it yet since I wanted to change the weather strips myself. All done there, but when it came time to reinstall the pillar, it snapped in half right at the old crack. Brutal. The guy welded it again, but I didn’t want to risk it cracking again near the clip area. So... I bit the bullet and ordered a brand new one from Amayama. While I was at it, also picked up a new door seal (old one was a bit tired), new emblems for front and rear, and a rear wiper arm cover. The pillar alone cost me just over £350 including shipping, tax, and duty... for a plastic trim piece. Still hurts. But everything’s now installed by yours truly and it looks great! Other things are still on hold. I recently bought a polishing machine, along with cutting compound and polish and other bits and bobs, planning to try compounding and polishing the car myself. Fingers crossed I don’t mess it up So, all in all, here’s what I’ve done so far: Major service at Nissan New tyres (Michelin Pilot Sport 5) Front bumper resprayed Headlights cleaned and restored Dashcam installed (Viofo A229 Plus, hardwired) Antenna replaced and base refinished Underbody inspected – no rust, all clear Head unit started working again (still counts!) A-pillar finisher replaced Door seal replaced Rear wiper arm cover replaced New emblems bought – just need to fit them ALMOST FORGOT! Installed oem spoiler That’s it for now. Slowly but surely, the car’s getting to where I want it. As always, open to advice if anyone has tips for polishing or detailing, this’ll be my first go at it.

Quoting for the people who missed the reply

1. andy James Paid 2. Keith D 3. ShortPaul 4. Fozzydaz 5. MrT-350z 6. Monkey1983 7.olly350z 8. 350_Jer 9. Leigh_370Z 10. Buptaboy 11. MicktZZZ 12. Engin Paid 13. Sutton1511 14. FG_Zee 15. Richie94gt 16. Nismoandy 17. Ben350 18. Edip 19. Jamah_Zed (x1 Passenger) 20. Cain_350z 21. harvers

@andy jamescan we start booking now? We’ve hit 20.

Hi everyone, I’m looking to replace the factory Bose stereo in my 350Z, and I’m currently considering two options: Kenwood DPX505BT Kenwood Excelon DPX795BH The main difference seems to be the preamp voltage: the DPX505BT has a 2.5V preamp output, while the Excelon DPX795BH has a 5V output. Unfortunately, I have no experience with sound systems and don’t know how this difference might affect sound quality or compatibility with the factory Bose amp. I also vaguely recall something about the ohm values of head units when replacing the Bose system, but I’m unsure how it applies here or what I should watch out for. I’d really appreciate any advice on which of these units would work best, or if there are other better options. My main priority is to keep the car as close to original as possible, so I’m not interested in anything with large screens or modern-looking interfaces. Thanks in advance for your help!

Can we do it with 18? 🙄

It would be a shame if we can’t get a stand for missing just 2 😕

We need to bump the post more lol

Count me in 1. andy James 2. Keith D 3. ShortPaul 4. Fozzydaz 5. MrT-350z 6. Monkey1983 7.olly350z 8. 350_Jer 9. Leigh_370Z 10. Buptaboy 11. MicktZZZ 12. Engin

Duty was 2.5% not 5%, did they change it recently?

I’ll keep sharing updates about my 350Z here. Here’s what I’ve done so far: Major service at Nissan – Just for peace of mind. New tyres – Went with Michelin Pilot Sport 5. Laser alignment done. Front bumper resprayed – It was faded from sun exposure. Also had the rust on the bonnet sorted with a simple paint job. Headlights cleaned – They look fresh again. Dashcam installed – Viofo A219 Plus, hardwired. Really happy with it. To-Do List Replace antenna: It’s broken, and I keep forgetting to fix it. I will need to get it sorted soon. I may use one of those shorter antennas. Underbody rust-proofing: Top priority, but still not done. Head unit: Stuck between finding a used Bose unit to stay original or upgrading to a Kenwood. The current one shows a “Check Disk” error, maybe a sign to go aftermarket? Open to ideas... Steering wheel & shift knob treatment: Both have some sun damage on the top parts. I have to find a way to get it done... Remove the Jap TV: I don’t want to put a tablet there, but not sure what else to do with the cubby. Again, open to ideas... Weather strips: Bought some from Amazon, but I’m not sure if they’re all the same size. Will check this when I get a chance. A-pillar finisher repair: Thinking of reinforcing it from the inside with resin and fiber. Planning to do this when I sort out the weather strips. Emblems: Considering replacing them, they look a bit aged. Tiny rust bubble on the side of the bonnet: It is very small, I wish I saw it before the paintjob... Refurbish wheels: They’re showing some wear, and I think refinishing or repainting them will really improve the car’s look. I’m happy with the progress so far, but there’s still a lot to do. If you’ve got any advice or suggestions, especially about the head unit or cubby space, let me know. I’ll post more updates as I go.

Hi, it is pretty simple actually. You have two options; 1- ask exporter to help you with it, which is the easiest way 2- you can request it from japaninspection.org the certificate I got is through the exporter but it came from this people. also as a third way I am sure you can find a middle man in the UK.

I will continue providing updates in this thread, because, why not? Finally, she is ULEZ compliant! It took around two weeks to receive the Certificate of Conformity and just one day to be officially marked as compliant.

No way, you quoted me 5k which is more than 3 times the quotes I got from other providers.

I got this one, perfect fit: https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/b31/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpMGd6-b6iQMVYJdQBh2gwwHXEAAYASAAEgLcGfD_BwE

You are a saint, attaching images here. I am also attaching images of bonnet, just in case someone can give a quote on that.

A little bit late, but for anyone else who is still trying; this is the answer I got from Nissan Japan after trying for a long time: Regarding your inquiry, we regret to say that we are unable to provide you with information regarding UK or European rules and regulations that the vehicle complies with since the vehicle is a Japanese specification model and homologation test has been conducted under Japanese regulation. Also, currently we take our position not to allow providing information/support for the market that the vehicles are not developed or manufactured since we do not recommend exporting Japanese specification vehicles to other countries.

Hey everyone, it’s me again with some updates! 1. Turns out the import duty for a Japanese car manufactured in Japan is actually just 2.5%. I wasn’t sure at first, it sounded too good to be true, but it checks out! Also definitely no IVA needed for cars over 10 years old. 2. After a long wait, I’m collecting the car from the garage tomorrow. The DVLA took ages to process the registration. 3. Looks like I misunderstood the garage initially. The prep they did was for the MOT and didn’t include fluid changes. Still, the service was excellent! 4. According to gov.uk, the car is ULEZ compliant, so no charges in most of the UK. Only Bristol and Birmingham charge for their clean air zones. I’m getting a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) to exempt it everywhere else. 5. The CoC costs around £300. It’s specific to the chassis number, not a generic document. I struggled to find clear info on this, so I hope this helps anyone in the same boat. 6. The front finisher is cracked right above the B-pillar, battery was dead when car arrived so it’s probably happened at the ship. It’s frustrating, and I wasn’t expecting such a part to be pricey. I’ll try to get it repaired. 7. I’ve booked a used car inspection at Nissan on Tuesday for just £25, which is a good deal. It’s on their website, you should look at it if you need a general check. 8. I’ve got new tyres, Michelin Pilot Sport 5, and they’re being fitted on Thursday. I struggled to find a clear answer for tyre sizes, looks like jdm is different than UK spec, and decided to go with the size on the car. 215/55/R17 for front and 225/55/R17 for rear. 9. Insurance costed me £1,460. Considering it’s my first car, I’ve only had a UK license for a year, and have no NCD, I think that’s fair. Fingers crossed for a better rate next year! Now I’m looking into oil recommendations and hoping to tackle the change myself. Thanks, everyone for the advice and info so far!

Thanks, Payco, amen to that. I’m not sure if fluids are included in the price; we haven’t discussed that yet. I was basically too excited to remember what to ask. I’ll clarify that in my next communication with him. I have some questions about E10, like whether it matters if it’s 97 or 99 octane, but I think there are enough posts about those already. Thanks, Ekona. Yes, on second thought, it’s not bad at all. It’s even lower than my initial calculations. I'm also still looking for a reliable place to buy the HKS Speed Limit Defencer. If either of you or anyone else has recommendations or tips on avoiding knock-offs, I'd really appreciate it. Or should I go for the cheapest I found?

Okay, I have more information. I visited a guy who deals with Japanese imports, and he said I don't need an IVA since the car is well over 10 years old. And I have more good news: he said there is a change in duty. If you are importing a Japanese-manufactured Japanese car, you only pay 3.5% duty instead of 10%. I confirmed this with the freight forwarder as well. It sounded like the forwarder said 2.5% instead of 3.5%, but I didn't bother to ask further. I will see when they send the bill. I will also let the guy handle all the conversion and registration, but I need to buy an HKS Speed Limit Defencer myself; he will install it. Do you guys have any recommendations on where to buy one? I wonder if there are any knock-offs, as I don't want to connect something unreliable to my car. He will collect the car from the port, prepare it for the MOT, do the odometer, MOT, DVLA registration, 6 months road tax, number plates, and install the HKS. He charges £825 for this service. How does that sound? It seems a little high to me, but considering it will be a hassle-free operation for me and I won't have to deal with anything, driving the car straight from the garage, I feel like I can live with that.