stanski

the phrase 'Self fulfilling prophecy! ' has never been so true as at the moment - have you seen the way SKY news in particular are so negative about everything? All you can see on the titles : is UK heading for recession, the papers are just as bad, in fact most of the telly channels are all the same even BBC is dumbing down to this level of so called journalism. Yes things are not looking too rosey but whats the point in constantly instilling such negative headlines in peoples minds - you tell them its bad it will be bad!! Ok so we dont want to watch fluff on the telly and stick our head in the sand but come on be realistic - dont dwell on it - just think our economy is built on how people feel about shares etc etc just as much as strategic decision making!! Stepping down from soap box and trying to remain positive! (PS those barstewards at Opec want to raise price of oil again now - typical - not making enough profit are we??)

Thanks mate Funny thing we should'nt need to do that kind of thing anymore - the system should be able to work it out these days but hey we all rely on technology to fix stuff

Think they are going to have a few letters from legal departments round the world soon..... they could'nt have tested this before!! The fix has been released though so fingers crossed!

Bugga!! 34.5 is the most I 've got out on one motorway trip... but it does'nt last and well I dont trust that damn read out anyway - switch it off and have the clock on instead!! he he he

Sorry geek thread! Sap error ZDATE_LARGE_TIME_DIFF running on IBM AIX Unix release patch TL08 There is a bug to do with time zones (clocks go back issue) apparently its global! System just freezes as its detecting a large time difference ! Oh dear dont want to be on an IBM call centre today or SAP call centre!! Its funny as people round the world are trying quick fixes and googling - gotta love that global economy! Ow well keeps me busy and off the roads!

Coincidentally (got my soap box out now) M60 this morning - they had closed outside lane near cheadle turning - 2 cars had a light bump I think - the traffic jam was horrendous - worse thing the highways signs are saying slow down and then the 'X' lane closed right on the actual incident not about a few miles back - so as mentioned above everyone trying to squeeze into 2 lanes in last minute - but guess what - no lane block they had already moved the cars to hard shoulder and nothig bad that I could see a few bods just having a chat with highways men (have you ever seen them doing anything yet?) so then we realise the outside lane is actually empty and everyone canes it again!!! Why the hell do they leave the DANGER PANIC signs on for ages after things have been sorted - do they not call the control centre back and tell them!! They case more delays than the actual events? Sorry folks just means I lost my lunchtime today and will probably be back for 2-3 hours on the way home on top of the 2 hours this morning!!

Your right thats the best way I forgot to put that down yesterday actually- please can you take pictures of the fittings on the top and underneath so I can see what the underside of the trim is like -i.e mouldings etc - well whatever you can anyway - its a big job I expect? I will do a general guide to trimming processes but maybe bias it to Nissan flimsy fittings!! Like you my work is getting in the way but hopefully get it done in the next week or so! Thanks for your time on this btw

Aha nice ragtop indeed - wonder how long before you get onto the waxing section of this forum - they are obsessed with it here!! Looking forward to meeting you at one of the Club runs and pop yer name down for the Scottish Hoon if you can make it - maybe we can all do a synchronised Ragtop opening ceremony!! (Sad!) Colin you tempted to get another Zed???

Re: additional 12v connectors - pop to Aldi - they are still selling those 3x 12V female sockets - screw then under the dash maybe - and run the 12V feed from the rear socket

Erm funny you should say that! But its erm resting at the mo - after 19 years its going to be back on the road for its 20th Birthday anniversary next year (being off the road that is!)

I think most Tomtoms fit but have a quick surf in the ice section a lot of info on satnavs ! Re: Bluetooth - we dont get that as standard like the coupe for the very reason you cant hear a soddin thing anyway !! Why would you want to talk to someone when you have that engine to listen too Get yourself an FM transmitter for a couple of quid for the Ipod - neater solution than the tape Hey whats wrong with Bose 8 track and wax cylinder technology - it was ok in Marconi's day!! You get really good heat off those Mullard Valves also!!

Buy or borrow a 70's VW Beetle - that will teach you all the advanced driving skills you need! i.e -safe overtaking with no power -do not go on roundabouts in the wet with Crossply tyres on faster than 5mph -wipers that are as fast as the beat of a Motown tune -no heating or defrost facility for windows, -no adequate heating, -you cant see the corners of the car -candles for headlights ...... master that lot and any modern car is a doddle (I speak from experience!)

Hiya Cool thats 2 extra roadsters in the fold in 1 day cool! Roasters are cool (unbiased totally)

Dont worry chap, its not mine, I stole the pic from somewhere. I know you have to handle airbags with care, I've had the drivers one out a few times to re-finish the steering wheel Re the thickness of the material - thats whats putting me off doing it atm. The stuff I have is foam backed so dont think it will take well to the dash around the vents. Might have to buy some proper alcantara which isnt foam backed to do it. But first we need to work out how the air bag works Well you can get round problem by trimming the foam backing off the material when its near the edge of the vent for example - that way you dont have that problem - in fact trim it a few mill before the edge so as you stretch the fabric round you get a nice tapered effect - hang on for my guide and you will see what I mean - a picture speaks a lot more than my words!!!

I cant beleive that!!! Motorway driving is all about confidence , forward thinking and anticipating the next moron in his Beemer before he is up your ar**

Cool stuff - gents! I cant help with removal of the parts on the Zed - as I've not done it other than the centre console, but I can help with technique , materials advice and other stuff you may get stuck with. Chris just be careful with that airbag - last thing we want is it exploding in your face! Just remember if its thick material, you need to consider how it fits around things like the air vents etc - too much pressure due to the thickness can cause unsightly bulges and distort the fittings? Will save all this gunf for the guide - and do some easy to follow (hopefully) drawings too. I used to repair/ recover Figaro dashboards as a side line will dig out some of those pics if I can find them!

- hey a roaster is the best - he he he

Those 370 Zanussi's are pretty damn quick - give an RX8 a run for its money! Lexx check your car properly mate phil may have hypnotised you into thinking you have not really spent £2K on bits

Hi and welcome to the land of Zed! Hey another roadster - our stock is rising!

It does'nt matter where the drivers are from - its a common problem here in the UK - as soon as the rain starts this time of year people just forget the basics - slow down , drive with your headlights , leave a bigger gap - use those damn yellow flashy things and dont tailgate! Thats it that is all you need to know!! Until people stop being so selfish in the way they drive - we will continue to see these incidents well into Febuary I'm afraid. M56 is my hated route this time of year - taking me on average now 2-3 hours per night to get home

Chris I am inclined to agree - you can see slight dimples under the skin so to speak when the light catches the dash - shame really - well you can cover the whole thing and just risk it but personally I would be a bit concerned? We really need someone who knows about airbag deployment to advise how it works and how it breaks the surface? I mean is there a sharp edge underneath that breaks it or is it just the brute force of the explosive? The fake leathercloth can look pretty real these days and is easy to use - maybe what you can do is cut the backing ( a light netting material) gently with a knife to break that strength where its located over the airbag area? At least its just vinyl that breaks after that - but material - cloths are far stronger than vinyl? I am guessing the steering wheel bag just flings the plastic cover out of the way? Well anyway will do a guide in glorious technicolour .

Hello Gents ok had a shuftie at the dash on the journey home - the thing we need to find out is where exactly the airbag deploys? Does it break the vinyl in the middle of the dash roughly where the 'airbag' writing is - or does it flip the whole top off (from the bottom seam where it joins the lower underside panel (you know where there should be a glovebox!! ) If its the whole thing then your ok - just cover up to that seam - and use a seperate piece for the last underside bit - overlapping as you say that way you have 2 sections like the dash is at the moment? If on the other hand the airbag is just that bit in the middle then well its gonna look pants is'nt it with a seperate section? The only way to make that look reasonable is a seperate section but hidden by sewing flutes down the dash at regular intervals - this is hard to explain in words.... Ok give me a couple of days to get some work stuff out of the way and I will post a fresh thread - basic guide to trimming techniques with pictures - helps me explain better - will dig out some old pics hopefully give the club some ideas on how to tackle these jobs - its not hard but prep is everything and spending time choosing the right materials ?

Oooh just seen thsoe pics while I was typing - see a contrasting thread is cool Nice job btw!

I would be concerned about the airbag not being able to fire correctly? The manufacturers spend years testing this stuff out and have a dedicated trimming research dept that chooses plastics etc etc for specific properties? Think its preferable to have seperate material not joined but maybe overlapped slightly than a solid fabric? Fabric is surprisingly strong car fabric is designed to last 10 times more than household sofa material for example? To do a welded seam which you can do in fabric and velour - you need a soldering iron that has a thin metal wheel above and below the material - to reproduce that at home is near impossible - best thing is maybe make a design feature out of it? Overlap the fabric onto the dash material - use a nice coloured thread material I dunno contrasting colour like red or orange maybe? (Like in some Bentley /Jag interiors) Other option is to get some very thin black edging plastic and sew or glue that to the edges? Or you coudl go Chav and get soem chrome plastic strip and work it round!! Bottom line is you want that Airbag to go off and save your skin ! Hmm let me have a look at the dash tonight on the way home - cant remember how it looks at the mo?

Well imagine you are rolling pastry over - just a small lip to be turned over - its hard to explain in words? Failing that - turn the material over a bit bigger than you need - sew it on a fine stitch setting and then just cut the excess material off (from underneath) then you just glue the whole thing on top of the airbag (no need to switch off) Come on Chris you've done a good job so far - go for it! My sewing machine is a manual Singer from the 1920's yes a proper tredle job - never get it in the Zed!!! Ha ha would just give Ebized more ammunition to take the p*** out of my Granny driving!!