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Guide for new members/potential buyers


martinmac

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Welcome to the forum :)

 

This post is to give new members and potential buyers a quick guide to the forum. It contains links to several of the most asked questions.

 

Search Function;

In the top right of the screen is the search button. Putting your phrase in inverted commas will search for the exact phrase. You can also search for two keywords by putting and in between them. The advanced search allows you to search using a members name ind in a specific section of the forum. If you cant find something then feel free to ask, we are here to help.

 

Buyers guide;

Many new members will be looking to buy a 350z, getting the right one is always a challenge. Many garages will not be quite sure what the spec of the cars is so the following links will be helpful.

 

Nissan's 350Z carries on (and restores) the famous Nissan Z car tradition. Mixing reliability and good build quality with a silky smooth 3499cc V6 and rear wheel drive.

While they are still available new (priced far less than any real competition) there is a growing used car market as owners upgrade to the latest spec. or get banned for drifting round roundabouts!

As with all Japanese cars there are loads of imported (JDM) cars on the market too. Briefly...

you can't take the roof off without a saw it is a Coupe, if you can it is a roadster. (Don't make yourself look stoopid by talking about buying a 350Z cabriolet!)

If it is a 350Z GT, Gran Turismo or has the GT pack fitted it means it has heated seats, cruise control and upgraded (Bose) stereo. When new dealers charged an extra £2000 for this. There is a GT4 limited edition too.

If it a Fairlady, Version T (Lux) it is an import.

 

While the 350Z is pretty reliable there are a few problems which happen to most cars. While most of these should have been fixed by the dealer under warranty there are a few that have not materialised until the warranty has run out. UK spec. cars have the usual Nissan 3 year warranty. If the car is under warranty and there are outstanding faults this may indicate a reluctance to visit the dealer (big service due? modifications that may invalidate the warranty?)

These problems are...

Tyres feathering, uneven wear, grumbling at low speeds.

Grumbling at 15 to 30mph is usually caused by the tyres, if it has original bridgestones.

Feathering, scrubbing and un-even wear is probably bandly set tracking. Nissan issued a bulletin on this subject which you can see at http://www.bonell.plus.com/350z/tire%20 ... lletin.pdf

 

Rear axle clicking noise. Sounds like something left underneath. Usually does it when shifting from reverse to forward or initial load when moving off. This is caused by the driveshafts. Due to the work involved make sure the price reflects this if the car is not covered under warranty. You can read the bulletin at http://www.350z-tech.com/wiki/index.php ... _Rear_Axle

 

Bose CD player skipping. The Bose system is intended as an upgrade but the CD player tends to skip or jump. Usually when my CDs are on. If my good lady puts 'Chick flick sondtrack' or 'Cheezy 80s cack' on it is fine! Yet as soon as the White stripes, the Who or the Zep are on it sounds like the dance remix! Most have been fixed under warranty though.

The N/S speaker can cut out when playing CDs too. Best to administer a sound thump to the passenger kneepad area (With your hand. Put the hammer down!)

 

Squeaky brakes. This is what happens when you fit big Brembo racing brakes to a car then people drive it like a Fiat Punto. Seat Turbo R and Mitsubishi Evo owners cars suffer from this too. Funnily enough those cars all have Brembo brake callipers too! At times the odd squeak from the brakes can be embarrasing but as a car mechanic I am happy as long as they stop the car when I press the brake!

Some owners complain about a spongy pedal too. Because the Brembo brake calliper has large brake pads more effort is required when the pads are cold. Sometimes over-zealous owners overfill the brake reservoir too. Because there is no space this causes the master cylinder to draw the brake pistons back in overnight, so when you come out in the morning, half asleep picking kebab from your teeth and yellow stuff from your eyes, reveverse out the drive and shi...get a big fright and have to pump up the footbrake, thats what causes it!

People always complain about handbrake travel (not just on Zeds, on all Nissans) For some reason Nissan like the handbrake to come on a convincing amount. If overadjusted, the rear pads will heat up and cause terrible brake fade.

 

Tailgate trying to eat you. The stops can be adjusted by taking them off and spacing them. Dealers can get the correct pads for doing that. If ignored the struts will weaken and adjusting the pads won't work.

 

Scratches/stonechips on bumper. This is normal because of the shape of the front of the car. There are 2 ways to stop this happening.

1.Buy something else

2.Buy some clear film and fit it before it happens. Most car accessory shops sell this film.

I would recommend the later option. It is better to see a few stonechips than a horribly repainted bumper, bodged because they are trying to sell the car!

 

Finally, if the car is over 4 years old or past 54,000 miles make sure it has had its major service because it is a biggie! (Currently about £500!)

 

In addition to the above remember all the usual car buying rules. To summarise...

1.If you are buying off ebay, don't hand over a penny until you have actually touched the car and seen the registration document.

2.Take the Missus. While you are picturing yourself driving along the seafront with girls swooning at you the battleaxe will be noticing scratches, stains and asking 'Why are you selling it if it is so good'!

3.Get it HPI'd. Don't bother doing this to them all but if you are serious, get it done. It will avoid tears at bedtime.

4.Phone the dealers in the service book. Nissan servicing can be pricey so there is a temptation to commit 'Service book fraud' Nowadays any dealer mentioned in the book will have a record of each service being done (or not done!)

5.Don't be forced into anything. God as it is, there are plenty 350Z about so if you have to walk away, walk away!

 

 

Having joined up you may want a personal avatar, this link helps you to get one.

 

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3552

 

We also have personal signitures which appear under our posts.

 

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7695

 

Having joined up owners will be pestered to post pictures of their cars, we like pics ;)

This will help you to post them up.

 

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7695http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5091

 

The cars fall into two main categories, the UK spec and the JDM, Japanese domestic market. Here are the differences between the UK and JDM cars.

 

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=1781

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  • 1 year later...
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You have to be very quick to stop the flywheel being knackered when the clutch has gone. Most dont risk it and just order a flywheel anyway as if you get it all apart and dont have a flywheel, you will have to tear it all down again to change it later.

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  • 2 months later...

This has happened to mine and looking around the forum I've seen it mentioned a few times. It might be worth adding to the buying guide.

 

On a car with about 60,000 miles the rear brakes pads may have started to break up. It looks fine when inspecting the pads through the calliper but when you remove the pads you see the problem.

 

The inner pad also wears more than the outer pad and may be down to the metal. The inside face of the rear brake disc is also not visible, it can be rotting when the outside face looks fine.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all,

 

Due to the impending sale of my car I have been doing some research into 4x4s (test driving a fully loaded 2.5L pertrol Nissan X-Trail tomorrow ;) ). What strikes me during my research is how difficult it is to get meaningful reviews and buyers guides. The 350z-uk forum has been asolutely incredible for me and has added greatly to my ownership experience. However, while all the information about every type of fault is contained on this forum I thought it would be good to get it all in one place and put it as a sticky for new buyers in the Zeds for Sale section.

 

I will not claim to be any kind of Zed expert but I have read (and experienced) many of these faults and have just pulled the list from memory. This is intended to be a collaborative effort so please correct any mis-information and add any more issues that you think are relevant. There may be debates on some of the information..... :lol:

 

I'll try and keep on top of the post and add in any extra comments from people in this original post and delete all my blab.

Mods - please feel free to dive in and tidy things up if you want...

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

350Z Buyers Guide

 

Advice and what to look out for when buying a used 350Z….

 

Servicing

 

Engine Oil + Filter - Every year

Brake Fluid - Every 2 years or 27,000 miles

Coolant - Every 3 years or 36,000 miles

Spark Plugs - Every 5 years or 54,000 miles

A/C Belt - Commonly replaced after ~60,000 miles

Serpentine Belt - Commonly replaced after ~60,000 miles

Gearbox / Diff Oil - Commonly replaced after ~60,000 miles

Fuel Filter - No replacement necessary

Timing Chain - No replacement necessary

Cabin Air Filter - No replacement necessary

 

Note: There is no Nissan recommended change for the gearbox/diff oil change or the belts – about 60,000 miles is normally when people change these items.

 

Interior

 

Seats

- No particular issues with seats, electric seats or heated seats

 

Sound System

- Bose sound system is renowned for skipping when playing CDs

- Passenger speaker can cut out. Hitting the right hand side of the passenger footwell can rectify this!

 

Sat Nav

- Issues?

 

Interior Trim

- Generally hardwearing but can suffer from scratches

 

Electric Windows

- Motors on the electric windows can fail. Can be rectified by cleaning or getting a new motor.

 

Air Conditioning

- Does not normally need to be recharged

 

Convertible Roofs

- Check to see if it has been greased (it it recommended that this is done annually)

 

Clutch & Gearbox

- Clutch lifespan seems to vary. Some have been replaced at 40,000 miles while others have lasted up to 80,000 miles

- Synchromesh in gearbox?

- It is common for 2nd gear to be ‘notchy’ when cold. This is not known to cause an issue and will disappear when the car is up to temperature.

 

Suspension

- No particular issues with springs/dampers

- Failed droplinks can cause knocking sounds when driving

- Knocking or vague steering feel can indicate worn bushes in the suspension

- A clicking sound from the rear when manoeuvring at slow speed indicates an issue with the rear driveshafts.

 

Engine

- No issues normally reported

- Do not normally consume oil

- The car should be run on 97 Octane – ask the previous owner if this has been the case!

 

Common Modifications

- Pop charges / cone air filters can slightly reduce power but give better induction noise

- Plenum spacer …..

- Cars with UPREV tuning can have increases of up to 15 bhp and ? ftlb on non-modified cars. This can be increased with a couple of extra modifications. DON’T EXPECT MIRACLES!

- Do plenty of research before buying a turbo or supercharged car!

 

Exhaust

- The standard exhaust pipework frequently splits due to corrosion. If the exhaust has not been replaced then it should be inspected for rust/damage. There are lots of aftermarket exhausts available with most of them being louder than the standard version.

- The flexible metal hoses on the exhaust Y-pipe can suffer from tears/wear over speed bumps or on lowered cars

 

Wheels

- Rays wheels can suffer from bubbling and corrosion

- Make sure all tyres are the same brand and the correct size to avoid problems with the traction control system

- Check for uneven tyre wear indicating that the tracking is off

 

Brakes

- No issues normally reported on Brembo or standard brakes

- Brake discs can suffer corrosion over time

- Research any aftermarket discs as some brands get bad reviews

- Nissan pads are fine but are frequently upgraded

 

Bodywork

- Paint is extremely thin and can suffer from stone chips on the front bumper

- Genuine Nismo bodykits are desirable and add value to the car

- The boot may not stay open if heavier aftermarket wings are fitted - new stronger boot struts required

- The fit of aftermarket bodykits can vary so check all shut lines

- Check under the car and on the sills for rust

- It’s a powerful RWD car so check all bodylines to ensure the car has not been crashed!

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Convertible roofs - Annual greasing of the mechanism is highly recommended

Wheels - Tyres should be the correct sizes too

Oils & fluids - be worth putting up exactly what the correct specs are, although I don't have them to hand any more.

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No Postcodes on the sat nav.

 

Although this is a crap design it doesn't sound like a fault or something you need to watch out for when buying the car. Happy to inculde it if people feel strongly about it....

 

Chris

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For the roadster definitely mention a check for seals around the doors and any tears in the hood They normally start just over the drivers right shoulder or passengers left shoulder.

 

Id be tempted to soak the hood around the doors checking for leaks around the window and also at the bottom of the door as water can leak in here. Also be aware that 350 roadsters will leak a little.

 

Also check the top left and right corners of the hood above the window as in many roadsters the hood pulls very tight here and starts to come apart.

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No Postcodes on the sat nav.

 

Although this is a crap design it doesn't sound like a fault or something you need to watch out for when buying the car. Happy to inculde it if people feel strongly about it....

 

Chris

 

I'd consider it useful info when deciding on a car, if I was specifically looking for 1 with sat nav I may change my mind and go after market knowing this.

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  • 1 month later...

I have a question about the first post in this thread. It states that the 4 year/54000 mile service is a big one currently around £500. How accurate is this? I ask because I have seen several members of this forum stating they've paid much less for a P3 service.

In this thread alone viewtopic.php?f=64&t=6668&start=60

someone has paid only £240. Granted, the post is from 2009. But the OP in this thread was also made in 2009.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rubber / all,

 

Thanks for putting this together, I am new to Zed's (looking to buy my first!) and am thoroughly researching into the do's and don'ts when buying.

 

I am still very much a newbie so all information is useful.

 

Cheers guys! :thumbs::teeth:

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  • 8 months later...

Hi All,

Firstly great site its a brill pass time at work on them slow days at the office!!

I am looking to buy my first Zed and this info will help loads so . :D Any were between now and hopefully no later that August i should be the proud owner of my very own. Keep up the fab work!

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  • 11 months later...
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