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Johnny A

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Posts posted by Johnny A

    TYRES NEEDED where to buy

    in Tyres

    Posted

    Try http://www.mytyres.co.uk

     

    Always good prices and they have deals with a number of local fitters to whose premises they will deliver the tyres. You can buy a fitting voucher online so you know the total cost up front and you don't have to haggle with the local place. I bought my current set of tyres for the 370z (Falken Azenis) from them and they were cheapest I could find online.

     

    They offered three local fitters in Aberdeen, one of which is a family owned garage with a known good rep, so that's where I went. All very efficient.

    Tyre Pressure Warning Light

    in Tyres

    Posted

    It was very cold in Aberdeen this morning (heavy frost) and when I started up the Z the tyre pressure warning light came on. I checked the pressures which seem fine.

     

    I've read online that low temperature can cause this to happen. Any info from others appreciated and can someone tell me how to reset the warning light?

     

    Cheers

     

    Johnny A

    New to winter tyres

    in Tyres

    Posted

    I have a set of spare alloys fitted with Winter tyres for the missus's CR-V. Living in northern Scotland, I usually put them on in October and take them off in March but it has been unusually mild so I haven't fitted them yet this year. Freezing today though so I'll do them this weekend.

     

    A set of spare alloys is a good way to go as others have said. By changing the wheels yourself you save paying to have the tyres swapped twice a year; you avoid having your good alloys accidentally damaged by a garage; and you can sell the spare set when you sell the car. I bought a set of cheap discounted Wolfies from this place http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/ a few years ago and they've been fine. I've fitted them with Vredestein Wintrac Extremes which I can recommend.

     

    I don't put Winter tyres on my Z. Instead, I bought a tidy 2004 Suzuki Jimny which I use whenever there's snow or the roads are icy. It's cheap to run, reliable, and has proper switchable 4 wheel drive (rear wheel, 4 wheel hi and 4 wheel lo). In 4 wheel lo it will get through anything and it's also a useful car for abandoning in town on nights out etc (which I'd never do with the Z)!!!

    Winter tyres

    in Tyres

    Posted

    I found both my current 370z and the 350z I had before it hopeless in snow and ice on the standard Bridgestones.

     

    I thought about getting Winter tyres for the Zs but in the end I bought a cheap 2004 Suzuki Jimny which has switchable 4 wheel drive. You leave it in 2 wheel drive (RWD)for normal use and engage 4WD or 4WD Low when the conditions require it. Great little car - in 4WD Low it can just about climb the side of a house!

     

    It's also a useful spare car for dumping in town, say on a night out. I'd never do that with the Z as I'm so paranoid about it being damaged or stolen but no problem with the Jimny - no ned would ever bother with it!

    • Like 1

    Brake Pads

    in Brakes

    Posted · Edited by Johnny A

    I had Hawk Performance HPS pads http://www.hawkperfo...ormance/hps.php. (from Ewen at Clark Motorsport) fitted to my Z after having terrible squeal problems with the OE Akebonos (see relevant thread on the forum).

     

    Really pleased with them; no squeal and very nice feel at the pedal.

     

    These pads are non ceramic (ferro-carbon) and won't wear as well as ceramic pads, but I can live with that!

    • Like 1

    Condensation Problem Solved

    in 370z General

    Posted

    I run my car with the aircon on at all times but I've found that that doesn't stop condensation accumulating if the car is sitting overnight (or worse, for a few days), in Winter conditions. No problem at other times of the year.

     

    Also, if you have overnight condensation, while the aircon plus the rear demister will clear the window eventually after you start driving, it takes a fair bit of time and leaves dried water droplet marks all over the inside of the glass.

    Condensation Problem Solved

    in 370z General

    Posted

    I was having a problem with really bad overnight condensation in the rear window of the Z.

     

    Checked the hatch seals etc and everything looked fine. Also, looking online, it seems a pretty common problem and a few sites recommended one of those bags of silica gel crystals which absorb the condensation in the car and can be dried out in an oven or on a radiator when "full".

     

    I thought it was worth a go and bought one of these off EBay:

     

    http://www.ebay.co.u...=item1e86d72254

     

    Here's a pic of it in the car (sorry about the poor quality):

     

    post-9975-0-80495900-1392714305_thumb.jpeg

     

    Anyway, it seems to work really well and the rear window is now clear in the mornings. :thumbs: I haven't needed to dry out the crystals yet (an indicator strip on the outside of the bag tells you when you need to do this).

    PIAA or Bosch Wipers

    in 370z Technical

    Posted · Edited by Johnny A

    "Daft question but how are these fitted? Is it easy to remove the original blades?"

     

    Yes, very easy. There's a small catch under the original blade body where it fits onto the hooked wiper arm. You press that in, which allows the whole blade to pull off the wiper arm. It can only go in one direction.

     

    The new blades come with clear fitting instructions on the packet. It's just a matter of lining them up properly per the illustration and clicking into place.

     

    Johnny A

     

    P.S. Just noticed that you got a set and that they're working fine :thumbs: !

    • Like 1

    Servicing - Aberdeen Area

    in Servicing

    Posted

    Zmanalex/Clarkie

     

    Thanks for the tip re. Clark Motorsport in Kintore. It's now owned by Jim Reid Car Sales who run the workshop, but I understand the same guys are still working there.

     

    I just used them for fitting new pads (see "Brakes" thread) and I understand that the recommendation on which ones to go for came from Ewen.

     

    Good service and a free loan car. Would certainly use them again.

    Low Speed Brake Squeal

    in Brakes

    Posted

    OK - latest update! My Z went in for its first service (one year old) a few weeks ago. I'd decided to live with the low speed brake squeal until then and get it checked out at the service.

     

    I discussed the problem with the dealer when booking the car in and suggested that what was required was probably for the brakes/calipers to be given a full clean out and the back of the pads done with Cupraslip. Having left the car with them, I later got a call saying that it was just a case of the brakes being gunged up with road crap over the Winter and, yes, all that was needed was a proper clean out. This would be £75 on top of the service cost. I reluctantly told them to go ahead as I really wanted the squeal dealt with. When picking up the car, I spoke to the mechanic who confirmed that he'd done the brake clean and road tested the car and the squeal was gone. Great, I thought!

     

    Drove home with no squeal apparent and was really pleased.............untiI I next drove to work which involves slow town driving with a lot of low speed braking for junctions, lights etc. Yes, the squeal was back and, if anything, I'd say it was even worse than before :rant:! As the HPC dealer I took the car to is 145 miles from where I live and I really can't be ar5ed taking it back there again, and I'm going to either strip down the brakes myself or take it to a local independent I've had recommended on the Forum. The last time I had this squeal problem was with an Evo VI I owned a few years ago and trying to cure it nearly drove me insane. As Mayhew820 has found with his Z, the only way to fix it in the end was to change to a different make/compound of pads which solved the problem completely.

     

    I'd also mention that after losing a valve cap last Autumn I'd replaced it and the 3 other plastic ones with nice, shiny metal jobs.......without first lubing the valve stem threads. Really bad idea as the Winter crud had caused them to seize which only became apparent when the mechanic wanted to check the tyre pressures as part of the service. He managed to get 2 of them off but couldn't shift the other 2 and was reluctant to force them further in case the valve snapped. These valves are apparently pressure sensing and cost £120 a pop to replace! I told him to just leave them and managed to get them off myself later using penetrating oil and mole grips. It wasn't at all easy though, and the threads were filled with white powder from the corrosion. I'm now back to plastic caps!

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