hype Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Hi all, So I'll shortly be needing my first service on the 370z, it's the 27,000 mile service so I make it a P1. What are peoples views on whether it's best to take to an independent specialist or a Nissan dealer. Don't get me wrong, this isn't about the quality of work that would be undertaken, if anything I'd trust a reputable indy far more than a faceless dealership - but how important is it for an all Nissan stamped service book? I'm not under any obligation to take it to Nissan as it's privately financed, but i've always thought that when coming to resale it's preferable to have a full *make of car* service history. But actually, when I was buying my 370, I wasn't bothered about where it had been serviced, just that it had, and in accordance with the schedule. As a sidenote to this, I phoned Nissan Nottingham for a price. When I told them the model they said they'd never heard of it, and asked if it was a "specialist" car?!?! They then said that they weren't accredited to service the 370z anyway and couldn't give me a price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Only time it truly makes a difference is when you come to part ex a car. Z if selling it privately it makes very little difference. Indy stamps may put off some buyers, but to be honest not enough to make the car unsellable. I only use Independents and have done since having 2 complete screw ups by dealerships in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 IMO you are better off having the servicing done at a Nissan HPC as most of the other Nissan dealers do not have the equipment/training to work on 370's, nor in my experience the willingness to undertake the work. See my reason below. You don't have the 3 year free servicing deal? Yes a good Indy can do the work providing they use the Nissan parts etc and in some cases you may well get a better job done. The one downside for me during the warranty period was if something was amiss with the car it was then how the dealer would handle the issue. Yes, they are obliged to anyway but in my book it was building up a relationship with a HPC (in my case Motorline, Tunbridge Wells) so they knew the car and me and when I did have some concerns about the gearbox they supported me in a complete change of unit rather than a rebuild that Nissan UK initially instructed. I now use an Indy (Kaizer Motors) - the fact he is a trained Nissan HPC technician with awards for his work before going solo and is far more reasonable in terms of labour costs and built up a great reputation on here servicing not only 370s' but 350's and R35's, for me is worth the 160 mile round trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hype Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks both, kind of what I thought. Truth is I will almost definitely end up part-exing, although I'm not even thinking about that at the moment obviously! And just for info my car isn't under warranty, it's actually a 59 plate, just with a very low mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 As soon as mine was out of warranty I had serviced at an Indy, better value for money, i have part ex'd many cars and they have never looked at who serviced it, only is it stamped up to date I would rather have someone service it that knows the cars, they can check for common faults and know what works best I had my p1 done by tdi north £130 .. To give you a guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Hype, we can help with your P1, we have a 370z in tomorrow for the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hype Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks Mitz, if I go down the indy route you were my first thought obviously Could I get away with just the morning or afternoon off work if I brought it to you? Or would you need it for the day? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 We can either allocate a morning or afternoon slot, or even Saturday morning if it helps... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saihaynes Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 It seems some people have good experiences and some people have bad experiences with dealerships, for me anywhere that deems the 370 as a specialist car sets alarm bells ringing! My own Nissan dealer (fish brothers) are beyond useless and have demonstrated nothing but complete incompetence when I've enquired about anything.... For me Id rather go to a well respected Indy who deals with performance cars and has a solid reputation, for me that's performance autoworks in fairford, the guys are experienced, race in the VTEC series and look after cars way more impressive than mine. I've used them on all the cars I own and would never dream off going elsewhere! Just my two cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hype Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 i have part ex'd many cars and they have never looked at who serviced it, only is it stamped up to date I traded in a Z4 for my 370z - and the garage specifically asked if it had full BMW service history - but yes, previously to this they've only ever been interested that it had a full service history, regardless of where it's been maintained. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limey Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 i have part ex'd many cars and they have never looked at who serviced it, only is it stamped up to date I traded in a Z4 for my 370z - and the garage specifically asked if it had full BMW service history - but yes, previously to this they've only ever been interested that it had a full service history, regardless of where it's been maintained. How do you find the Zed compared to the bimmer you had fella? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hype Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 How do you find the Zed compared to the bimmer you had fella? 370 feels a lot heavier, think the difference is around +200 kg. At the same time I really feel the additional power in the 370 - which is around +80 bhp. I was far more confident chucking the Z4 around than I currently am the 370 - but sure this will come over time. The 370 is definitely the better cruiser which I think would come as a shock to some as they see as a no-holds barred muscle car, but the Z4 was a bit like a go-cart to be honest. I honestly couldn't put one above the other - but I certainly love the 370 enough to have no regrets. And one area where the 370 is leaps and bounds above is the exhaust note - courtesy of Mitz at CS and a cat-back Cobra exhaust. Here's a pic of the Z4 for posterity... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limey Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Thanks for the reply Hype, appreciate it. I asked as although I never owned a Z4 before I did own an e36 M3 Evo (321bhp at the crank) when I was living back in the UK, hard for me to compare too closely as I have owned many cars between then and the 370z. However one thing I did know was that the M3 was my most fun car that I had owned back then, and more importantly the 370z reminds me alot about it even though its an auto and 100kg heavier. In traffic and normal driving it feels like a just another car, but put pushing the loud pedal down and it screams and goes. Nice pic of the Z4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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