Having been reading up on things recently I noticed that upon inspection my heads are stamped 10Y, not 40p which from my understanding are late spec NA heads...I paid a lot of money a few years back and got ripped off, now it turns out I may have been ripped off even more than I realised. Not happy and need to work out for sure either way. It looks like il be throwing this engine in the bin at this rate.

Just picked this up, is this the block in your car at the moment?

So someone had TT'd an NA engine?

Just picked this up, is this the block in your car at the moment?

 

Yup sadly so.

So someone had TT'd an NA engine?

 

Exactly that, it's also a late spec NA with the 10y heads. Was probably a very nice NA before I put boost through it for 4 years and blew it up.

That sucks, are you sure it's got NA pistons? I would have thought it would have gone pop much sooner with a TT map on it given the compression differences. The NA setup can take the power & boost as long as it's got the right fuel and map

If you want to look into legal proceedings talk to Trading Standards. Earlier in the year I paid a deposit on a car from a dealer described as excellent condition, that when i went to collect it found was a complete dog. The guy wouldn't give my deposit back so I contacted them and they paid him a visit, ruined his day and got my money back. They literally couldn't have been more helpful so worth a call. Who's the garage anyway?

If you want to look into legal proceedings talk to Trading Standards. Earlier in the year I paid a deposit on a car from a dealer described as excellent condition, that when i went to collect it found was a complete dog. The guy wouldn't give my deposit back so I contacted them and they paid him a visit, ruined his day and got my money back. They literally couldn't have been more helpful so worth a call. Who's the garage anyway?

 

Can't hurt to enquire I guess, time is my majour obsticle

 

Just spoke to trading standards, turns out I've got a case. You have a six year window to take legal action.

Edited September 4, 201411 yr by Stephen

That sucks, are you sure it's got NA pistons? I would have thought it would have gone pop much sooner with a TT map on it given the compression differences. The NA setup can take the power & boost as long as it's got the right fuel and map

 

Yeah I got a borescope in there and they are clearly (the ones not coked in oil) labeled 30p, the turbo obes are clearly labeled 30p1. There is also a visible step in the piston crown on the NA, the tt it's like a saucer. The heads are labeled 10y which is the later version of the na head labeled 30p as apposed to the tt head which is 40p or 48p.

 

The car detonated quite badly with the stock 1.1gap at 9psi, I had to close this down to 0.8 to stop it detonating, then the tubs would smoke at idle. All a bit of a pisser really.

Yes, 6 years. I took a crap bodyshop through small claims and got a result. You can (these days) do it all online https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Some advice here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/small-claims-court and http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/law_w/law_legal_system_e/law_taking_legal_action_e/small_claims.htm

You don't need to be Rumpole or rich. You do need to have evidence and follow their procedure exactly.

Best of British (which we won't be able to say if the Salmond-ites get their way :) )

 

Oh, and get the technical info confirmed and substantiated by, for example, the Technical Officer of a relevant Car Club...

Was this car sold by a trader or sold as seen? I think your right about time not bring in your side. Do you think it's possible that the seller didn't know it had been converted or are your suspicions that the seller carried out the work/conversion?

Either way, hope you get it sorted without too much wallet/heart/head ache.

That sucks, are you sure it's got NA pistons? I would have thought it would have gone pop much sooner with a TT map on it given the compression differences. The NA setup can take the power & boost as long as it's got the right fuel and map

 

Testament to the Herculean strength of the VG!

Sensible boost levels, colder plugs, some mapping and you have a very responsive set up. Would have liked to have got my hands on it :devil:

Testament to the Herculean strength of the VG!

Sensible boost levels, colder plugs, some mapping and you have a very responsive set up. Would have liked to have got my hands on it :devil:

 

I agree, very responsive but would need the appropriate map :)

Il reply properly later as I'm at work. This work was done under contract for myself after I purchased the car. I wish I had found out earlier as I could of taken rectification steps, mapping to suit swapped it for a TT and had an NA to sell etc.

Right basically, I purchased my car about 5 years ago, about 3-6 months after I brought it for whatever reason it spat out it's coolant and overheated, blown head gasket warped head etc. At the time I wasn't a regular member here or did I know much about the zed, so I picked up on an ebay advert offering a low mileage vg30dett, for peace of mind they also offered a fitting service and even a 12 month warranty(providing the engine was running stock). So I parted ways with my cash and paid the chaps who collected the car took it to thier shop and began work to do the engine exchange for me. Time dragged on and we had a few conversations about why is this taking so long etc but I didn't want to get too funny and pushy as I didn't want a bodge job. Anyway after a few weeks I'm told the car is ready, my dad gave me a lift up there to collect the car, the mechanic gave it a once over and checked/topped up the oil and I pointed out my throttle cover was missing. Still happy to see the car running and ready to go we left.

About 3 miles later the car started pouring out steam from the engine bay, I quickly pulled over and called the RAC they (the RAC) refused to tow it based on the fact that it was due to faulty works just carried out. He identified various issues including a leaking exhaust manifold, after a rather cold conversation to the manager he finically agreed to organise a tow truck and to rectify the issue.

This is where it started getting silly, time started racking up. I was informed my car had been subcontracted out and was in a unit and they had no access to it as the guy has the flu. After a lot of badgering my dad picked the car up and drove it home to bournemouth promptly breaking down again in bmth. A snotty conversation later with the manager again ended with me saying I'd rather not have him work on it again as he has had his chance to fix it. Coolant leak fixed at home and the car was sent to a local shop to compression and coolant pressure tested which it passed. The car was then limped on for a while, few more RAC call outs one for a loose gearbox coolant line which drained all the autobox fluid leaving me with no drive on the m27, till it finally gave up and I started to investigate, multiplue missing hose clamps, open vac lines, loose bolts everywhere including those to the bellhousing, oil cooler looped out. a local specialist looked at it and eventually gave up and that when it went to zedworld, jeff spent a fair while sorting out boost leaks misplaced vac lines clamps etc etc. His take was it was a good engine fitted badly.

Thing were considerably better then for a while and I just kind if cut my losses, it was working now so you know nm. The gearbox hadn't been right and was getting worse, being drained of all fluid it motion probably didn't help not did the subsequent discovery that the engine was a manual engine and the trust bearing with it, so no trust bearing on the torque converter. So we plodded on, then the turbos failed, rebuilt replaced, the car at this point finally worked properly and was dynoed at 276hp about right for a stock auto TT. What I couldn't figure was why it would detonate at the stock plug gap...then began blue smoke on decel, which I assumed based on the great compression results last year. That brings us to now where I was thinking about valve stem seal replacement and wether it was a manual engine or auto and wether it was worth throwing in some manual cams, I then found the 10y stamped heads instead of 40p :s then I looked at the pistons with a bore scope ah 30p, it's an NA that explains the suspected Det on boost, I then checked the compression to find a lovely result passenger side of 170, 170,170 and a piss poor 170, 115,200 I repeated the faulty bank a few times number one returned that 170 each time, number 3 threw back and increasing number that finally topped out at 145, number 5 returned a rather clogged up result if 200 each time.

So one vg30de fitted in replacement of a vg30dett, modified to allow it to run turbos, poor instalation. Poor service, mis sold product, poor fitment and most importantly a not what i had paid for. Can I blame them for the gearbox and tubs failing, probably not no. However for selling me an inferior product and not even fitting it correctly subsequently resulting in the early demise of usable life yup.

Apparently it comes under the supply of goods and services act 1982. Once I've got my shit together, receipt, RAC reports, independent garage reports of faulty work etc etc etc they will be sent a letter informing them that a formal complaint has been lodged with trading standards, why exactly I have done so and that expect a full refund for the supply and fitting if a vg30dett which I never recived, within the next 14 days or I shall Perdue further actions with trading standards.

Edited September 22, 201411 yr by Stephen

I agree, very responsive but would need the appropriate map :)

 

When it was first up and running after the turbos and gearbox were replaced it was so responsive and pulled so hard, it's got progressively less powerful, I thought I was getting used to it, turns out it was just falling apart.

Hi Stephen

 

I came across your thread today and was fascinated with your story and wondered what the final result was.

 

I live in Swanage, South Dorset, not far from you and increasingly as I read, bells rang. I bought a 300ZXTT in about 2003 from a gentleman in Bournemouth who had hydrauliced the engine in standing water at the Bakers Arms, and got taken for a ride trying to get it repaired. He put it into a 'garage' in Three Legged Cross that apparently specialised in these cars to take the heads off, investigate damage and repair. His nightmare began then and after months of prevarication he eventually took his car back finding that essentially they had down nothing of the original work, and instead used the transmission, rad, Turbos, etc etc as spares for other cars etc.

 

He was quite well off and the car had lacked for nothing before this and was immaculate, BBS alloys, Leather, 35,000 genuine miles etc. By this time he had taken up a post abroad and was so devastated he wanted rid of the car. I bought the car for £1000, with the block in the back and a couple of boxes with some of it- heads etc. Initially I went down the road of purchasing pistons etc, but never got round to rebuilding it, and ironically I have just decided to sell the block today!

 

I have a feeling that this is the same garage- a unit on a little 'industrial estate' off the Three Legged/ Ferndown road, owner was called Steve I think- as I went there myself to scare up some of the missing parts for the car they owed.

 

Instead, over the years I have bought several full TT Engine packs off members on here- I can't resist 300zx spares!- and actually now have four complete low mileage complete engines on pallets (not a trader- for me), and this was the option for the ZX I've mentioned.

 

I hope it worked out for you, and if I had noticed your post at the time, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to pay a visit to them again with you, to emphasise the point.

 

Happy to share a pint at any time

 

Dave

Hi Stephen

 

I came across your thread today and was fascinated with your story and wondered what the final result was.

 

I live in Swanage, South Dorset, not far from you and increasingly as I read, bells rang. I bought a 300ZXTT in about 2003 from a gentleman in Bournemouth who had hydrauliced the engine in standing water at the Bakers Arms, and got taken for a ride trying to get it repaired. He put it into a 'garage' in Three Legged Cross that apparently specialised in these cars to take the heads off, investigate damage and repair. His nightmare began then and after months of prevarication he eventually took his car back finding that essentially they had down nothing of the original work, and instead used the transmission, rad, Turbos, etc etc as spares for other cars etc.

 

He was quite well off and the car had lacked for nothing before this and was immaculate, BBS alloys, Leather, 35,000 genuine miles etc. By this time he had taken up a post abroad and was so devastated he wanted rid of the car. I bought the car for £1000, with the block in the back and a couple of boxes with some of it- heads etc. Initially I went down the road of purchasing pistons etc, but never got round to rebuilding it, and ironically I have just decided to sell the block today!

 

I have a feeling that this is the same garage- a unit on a little 'industrial estate' off the Three Legged/ Ferndown road, owner was called Steve I think- as I went there myself to scare up some of the missing parts for the car they owed.

 

Instead, over the years I have bought several full TT Engine packs off members on here- I can't resist 300zx spares!- and actually now have four complete low mileage complete engines on pallets (not a trader- for me), and this was the option for the ZX I've mentioned.

 

I hope it worked out for you, and if I had noticed your post at the time, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to pay a visit to them again with you, to emphasise the point.

 

Happy to share a pint at any time

 

Dave

 

Hi Dave. The garage in question was in Derby, Miles always from home. The thread here was edited as to not jepodase the action I was pursuing against them. We finally settled on a figure as a settlement that covered the cost of a replacement second hand block. They described it as a good will guesture to resolve the matter.

Cars all up and running now, just tucked away for winter.