cerb78

is that how it works? That's quite clever isn't it! It does it on cold startup so sounds about right. Anyway, whatever the reason my alternator belt's going to get tightened to within an inch of its life.... Cheers for all the help and advice guys, Chris

Is that a Freudian slip or intentional? :D My main fear is that attempting anything at all on my Zed will result in destruction!! Whether instructed to or not!! I'll have a look for the bolt tensions you mention. Will have a look at the online manual and then go in search of those bolts you mention Matty. Just hope my future posts aren't along the lines of "i tried to tighten my fan-belt but succeeded in dropping the engine out..." Cheers guys. Chris

It's getting worse.... it used to be once in a while, now it's pretty much every time I start up... It's a damn fan belt squeak (at least I think it's the fan belt). Very loud squealing which doesn't go away until about 3,400 rpm's. Which i don't like revving the car to when it's cold. Once i've revved it though the squealing stops. Now i presume all I have to do is take my car to the garage and ask them to tighten the fan belt but I was wondering if there's anyway I can fix it myself? Also, is it likely to be the fan belt? - there seem to be quite a number of belts lurking down in the depths of my engine... I want to make sure i'm blaming the right part! Any advice would be most welcome, i'm sure this must be a fairly common problem - with hopefully an easy solution..... the wailing banshee impression is really detracting from the overall image of my car in front of groups of easily impressed members of the public!

Nice Wheels Hoppy - exactly like mine in fact!!! Like me, you got them from WheelMania I suppose. How long have you had them - mine were on the car when i got it in September (it had previously had another set of them on before that though too)- what do you think of them so far? They do look awesome, and they're not bad to clean because the chrome-effect stuff makes brake dust wipe straight off. However - if they're still newish... WORD OF WARNING - be verrrrry careful about curbing them - they're made out of jam and peanut butter. The slightest scrape will have them tearing lumps off themselves which can be pulled off using only your fingers!!! I guess that's the price we pay for the looks. When my tyres are knacked (Eagle F1's - very very good) i'm going to try and trade the old wheels back into Wheelmania for another set of new ones - and become fastidious about avoiding road debris, curbs etc etc....

Coming up 4 Months. Haven't actually had much of an opportunity to spend wads of cash on it but i've got a grand's worth of bodywork getting done 13th January at PPS. Can't wait cos the tatty rear spoiler winds me up when the rest of the car is so awesome! Also going to get it serviced soon which may cost a bit. The funny thing is, I got a Zed as a cheap car to save money after spending a small fortune running (and losing money on) my old car!!!! (TVR Cerb) Let's just hope things stay that way and the Zed doesn't take to my wallet like a bitch on heat a la TVR.

Yep - i had the same thing. SUPER HICAS Light staying on. Got it topped up at my local Nissan garage for free with ATF as they say, and they even gave me a free bottle of the stuff for future!! :) I may even be tempted to take my Zed there for some work if they carry on like that....

I'm getting a mid-level Wings West spoiler fitter asap. It's been on order for about 5 weeks though and Pete (PPS) rang MSI (or someone like that) yesterday to see where it was and they have no record of his order!! Considering i've already paid for the damn thing and was hoping to get it fitted weeks ago i am NOT impressed!!! Reckon it will look awesome when/if it finally goes on - i'm getting the rear light conversion done at the same time. I too think the high-level monster wings look a bit OTT without a bit of a bodykit on the rest of the car. Weirdly enough I really like the way the mid-level wing matches the angle from the dashboard exactly - like a continuation of the lines of the car itself!

Good effort! Saw it when it was in bits and it looked like it was going to be awesome. PLUS now yours will be out the way my Zed might be able to get fitted in for the work that's supposed to be getting done!! Was due to go in on Nov 4th :( Didn't realise getting a spoiler from Wingswest would take SOOOO long.... it must have arrived by now... time for another call to Pete!! Don't know whether I can face taking my Zed on sunday down to Grasshopper when the spoiler is all flakey. Not in front of your nice new shiny beast - my silver badboy will feel unloved!! Hopefully not for long though.....

Hardly Ableson? Bwaahahaha.. Joking - they're actually pretty cool although i'm more of a fan of the crotch rocket at the mo! We'll see what happens when my GSXR scares the crap out of me! Was at the bike show at the NEC too, you've gotta love those V'Rods!! They look like something out of the future - and at last! A Harley that's f'in quick as stock!!! A lot of money for a bike though - i'd have a Ducati 999 and spend the change on insurance! :D Got a lot of time for the new Buell's though too - B I G twin in a sports frame and really unique looking. Get the reliabilty sorted and I could be a Buell customer of the future.... Have fun on the bike. Winter's sh1te for riding though isn't it?

Arrgghh... am disgusted at myself that I got that LAN-lord joke. Networks.. urghh.. and I keep trying to tell people I don't want to do anything technical. There doesn't seem to be much demand for Alligator Wrestling and Virgin Converting Consulting Services though. Maybe i'm in the wrong catchment area...

Try Adrian Flux. They've got me at £1500 p.a. Fully Comp with modifications declared. And that's with me being 24, 3 points AND a ban on my record!!! naughty TVR.. bad TVR.... Had a bit of a mare with the insurance factory - but they might do right by you.

Can't see how not having a spare tyre is illegal. All TVR's are sold without spare wheels. My Cerbera just had a can of that crappy foam sealant stuff you're supposed to fill your tyre with in the event of a puncture. I suggest you just buy a can of that. Not much use in the event of your tyre being shredded though - i'll admit.

I'm 24, a management consultant and always seem to be at the other end of the country to where I want to be for the weekends. I like horse riding, feng-shui origami and trying to create World Peace... oops, that bit was supposed to be in my Miss World application form. Also, I have a theory about the number of IT related people owning Zeds. This is an internet forum, inhabited by people who have access to a computer throughout the day and also the interest in technology to search the internet for places like this when we bought our Zeds. :rolleyes: I'd be amazed if the majority of members weren't in IT!!

Cheers Mark, i've edited my original message to let any opportunistic car thiefs in on what they'll find if they try anything at all. (although the door locks and alarm are both fine - just working independently of each other) Not to mention the battering i'll deliver to them if they are daft enough to get entangled in my `Spiders Web TM` Scally Detainer until I find them.... As for the problem - why is nothing ever simple on a Zed?? :confused: God know's what i'll have to do if I ever have a problem with something as complex as the boot release!! :D

Cheers guys! I will give the "valet" switch a flick (if I can find one) a few times and see what it does. You never know, it might clean my car while it's at it!! Have got the instructions somewhere - will dig them out and try what you suggested Birdie. Bob - I'll check to see if it's locking the passenger side when it arms - that'll give me an idea if it's the drivers side door lock! If it is, i'll be in touch very shortly - 12-15 quid seems eminently easier to swallow than 60 quid!!!

Or anyone else with experience of Car Alarms.... :D My alarm - **SUPER BANZAI IMPENETRA III** - used to be very happy and contented and would both arm the alarm and lock the doors when I pressed its button, giving a cheery couple of beeps while it was it. Now however, all it does is set the alarm. Its suddenly decided it doesn't want to lock the doors any more and i'm having to use THE DOOR LOCKS (urrgghhh!!) :( **Fortunately the Rottweiler that lives in my car is still in full operating order and my anti-jacking remote flaming `crisp n dry` additional security measures are in tip top form** Is there anyone out there who knows what could be troubling it, and how to resolve it. I think it went a little mad after I pressed the button at the wrong time (within the 30second immobiliser timeframe) and it beeped and flashed like something off the Enterprise. Should I disconnect the battery? Will that just make things worse? I've tried suprising it by pressing my button at random times but it won't be fooled again. Any ideas gratefully appreciated. This is severely ruining my cool because not only do I now have to stand around my car looking dodgy waiting for the turbo timer to shutdown, i have to fiddle with the dodgy locks too! **NB - the locks still work when I use the key so don't try it Car Thiefs... even if you knew my car was kept in an underground bunker on the Isle of Muck** I can't do that casual carefree bleep bleep when I walk towards / away from the car either - I've found myself checking door handles and generally looking far less suave than I should be with such a beautiful car! cheers, Chris

Never knew they were illegal. Hmmm.... mine's staying there - not only does it provide an interesting topic of conversation when you have a new lady in the car Q: "what's that red thing down by my feet?" A: "oh, careful love, don't touch that - it's a " or "...it's an 8 year old Japanese flare, no idea how it works or how you set it off... best keep your feet well back....and perhaps recline the seat a little...." BUT, it's also surely going to come in handy when involved in a severe incident of road rage! Set it off and lob it through your assailant's passenger window!!! Haha!! (look out for me on Police Camera Action!)

err.... am i missing something... These are all pictures of Emero's Zed right? - before and after her roundabout ballet repair work was carried out. The first pic "smash1" has a Zed with a large rear hoop clearly on display. The last pic "bent bumper 2" shows a Zed with no rear hoop. You want to get the X-files over to ZedWorld Emero - "The Case of the vanishing spoiler" LMAO!! And yes, i'm bored. :D

Thanks for the warnings over the GSXR guys. I intend to take it real easy for a while just getting used to it. Had dirt bikes for years when I was a teenager but not had much road riding experience. Can't wait to do some track days to improve my ability within the (relative) safety of the run off areas. However, it does seem that the most dangerous thing about riding bikes is the cars on the road. Invisible - too right X-biker! One thing's for sure - If I ever see a red zed coming up behind me at 160+ i'm moving over straight away. MAC1's sonic boom'll be enough to put me into the biggest tank-slapper since Jo Guest!!

Sold my Cerbera in June, sometimes I didn't think it was "that" fast. If you're used to driving something day in day out you get used to it. That's how fighter pilots and formula one drivers learn to react to situations developing at speeds that would make you or I curl up in the footwell the first time. Had the Zed for 2 months now (ish) - loving it. And actually I do think it's pretty quick- it's all to do with torque, and turbo's give you gobs of the stuff early doors! Mind you, i've got a sneaky suspicion my zed ain't bog standard.... ;) Just bought a GSXR600 though... tis pretty much my first bike (passed test in July) - I reckon i'll find that "fast" for a quite a while.... :D :D :D ....as long as i stay sticky side down that is! ;)

"Porsche 944 Shape" - i.e. Pop-up lights. "tape player" - no cd - i thought all uk Z32's came with CD as standard.

Why fork out a fortune on traction control when there's loads of other things that could be done first that would really improve your car or make it more reliable? After all, the wheel spin you experience is closely linked to the amount of pressure you're applying to the right-hand pedal is it not? ;) Just go easy on it in the wet! Not only does it give you a better understanding of the grip available to your car in treacherous conditions, but it makes you feel like Fangio when you've got some open road and lots of opposite lock. I'm not saying TC is not worth getting at some point - i just feel there are many more mods i'd do before going all Captain Sensible. NB: Must admit though that the first few times I got "on-boost" wheelspin unexpectedly were a bit of a surprise. Although probably less of a surprise to me than to the bloke in the car I overtook sideways!!!

Another unbiased viewpoint here.... :D The Supra looks "overbodied" as standard (although it does look awesome with some changes), and has an incredibly dull interior and a much less involving driving experience. The RX7 is flawed by its diminutive size - could hardly fit in one I tried the roof was so low!! The Skyline R34 is an incredible looking car, every inch of it looking as aggressive as anything seen on the roads and is a fantastic trackday tool - but it's not beautiful. (although I still want one next!) The 300ZX has some timeless elegance, there are aspects of the car that are just not repeated on anything else. It's a great driving tool and above all, looks different to the usual japanese offerings. There are however some elements that look very much out of place in the 21st century (IMO). The rear lights being one. Too 80's/90's american for my tastes - like off the back of a Buick or something - they look good at night but make me reverse park into spaces everywhere in daylight. That's why mine are getting changed for the circular bad boys. Circular lights are timeless. The 355 / GTR thing just seems to complement the other parts of the car that are absolutely spot on, and will remain that way for many years.

Cool!! Cheers guys, most pleased that the beast just needs a bit of a top-up (hopefully). Will sort that out asap. Am concerned it's developing a drinking problem though - it's addicted to Stella Optimax, gets all fidgety if I try and pass it off with Tennants Unleaded, and now seems to enjoy the odd shot of HICAS Aftershock Fluid every now and then!!

My zed has gone all night-rider on me and started flashing its HICAS light when i start it up every now and then. As its an import and I don't have a manual - can anyone translate what my car's trying to tell me? Is it a fluid level warning, cos it seems intermittent? And if so - how do you top it up? Should I carry on drving it when it lights up? So many questions, so few answers. I guess in time i'll be able to answer a few myself. As another totally unrelated point - has anyone seen XXX yet? Saw it last night and have to say it has some incredible stunts in it. Lots of Freestyle MX action - was it Mike Metzeler or someone who did the stunts? I am now going to embark on a serious gym schedule, snowboarding season and mx career so I too can be a secret agent!!!! Any help on the hicas light thing is much appreciated. Cheers, Chris