Shamaz Majid

Sounds strange I know and can't explain it, but I respect the E-class even more now that I have the Z. And I like the Z...

OEM from Nissan. 3.5 litres of oil.

OEM filter from Nissan. Approximately 3.5 litres of oil, the same as my wife's 1 litre Micra! Strange but true. My 2.8 litre Merc takes 9 litres...

Just completed my first long run with the family and thought I'd do a write up as I'm sure there must be a number of people interested or wondering what it's like. I've done a number of 200 mile round trips in the Z ON MY OWN but this was the first 500 mile round trip AND with my wife and daughter (5 year old) in tow. First the facts: - Car : 1993 NA 2+2 Manual, 98,500 miles (claimed). - Average speed : Can't say! - MPG : 28 over 480 miles (Basingstoke to Yorkshire and back) - Ownership : Since June 2009 although lusted after one since 1990! Considering I usually do this journey every 3 weeks in an E-class (one of the best motorway cruisers around), I have to say that the Z experience was generally very good. Of course it was noisier than the E, the ride was harder, my right foot was aching from the lack of cruise control but what do you expect from a sports car? My wife of course complained that there was no where to put her bottle of water and no door pockets but hey, who's listening? What my wife didn't complain about of course were the number of people staring at the car all the way up the M1. You don't get those kind of looks for 20 times the price! Oh, and my daughter felt the TV screen on the headrest was too close to her face in the rear, but then she's used to the E-class which is as big as your bedroom. Spoilt brat! What was surprising however, was how much luggage I managed to fit in the boot. I expected this to be a nightmare and was ready to fill the seats with stuff, but I didn't have to and was easily able to fit not just a couple of holdalls, but also my laptop and quite a few shopping bags. The boot doesn't look very deep but the area is large so a weekend away is easy to manage. Very impressed. Finally, I know that many do not use Zs regularly. Mine is used 3-4 days per week in all weathers, and I have had no issues whatsoever. It's even more economical in town than my Merc! (18mpg vs 15mpg). Obviously winter will be interesting... In summary, a very usable car.

Well, finally changed the oil this weekend and it has certainly made a difference. Quieter and smoother; oil change definitely needed. BTW, between 5 & 6 litres of old oil came out...

Knight Rider springs to mind...

100NX...almost as ugly at the front as a Scorpio or 1998 Corolla. Rest is OK though. Perhaps the front could be covered over by newspapers or black binbags.

Thanks all. Changed my oil this morning and used the stand points. No problems (yet!).

Can I get a duplicate key cut from any key cutting shop or is it a special key? I don't need the fancy fob; just a duplicate for emergencies. Thanks.

Sorry, gone stupid! The garage jacking points are effectively the cross members. Correct?

Thanks guys. I take it the cross member is strong enough then? Also, are the garage jacking points easy to identify?

Hi, Read lots of posts on here that suggest if the car is not jacked from the correct place, the wings could get damaged. Looking to change the oil this weekend, so is it OK to use the protruding sills just behind the front wheel, at the back of the wheel arch? This is the place I would normally have jacked up previous Nissans. Thanks.

nope!

I'm a Project Director for a Telecommunications company.

That's what people said about yahoo etc. Then a small company called Google turned up. The rest is history... You have to start somewhere I suppose. Perhaps Google could start something.

It must be one of the best £20 I've ever spent.

Very clever!

I tried my local scrap yard not expecting any success and was lucky!

Definitely. The feel is real quality. Combined with the looks, it's a great upgrade. Just need a decent interior mirror now as the OEM looks like it's from my mum's 1990 Micra! Then there's the cheap looking Micra wipers...

Photos of how it looked before: And after: In the end, I decided to try it without removing the door cards. It took about 40-50 minutes in total and was certainly very fiddly and frustrating but worked out in the end. I have no doubt that with the door cards removed, it would have taken 5 mins per door but removing door cards cleanly and refitting them is not a skill we all have! In terms of the work itself: 1. Remove the trim around the handle by prising out the plastic from all 4 sides. I used a flat blade screwdriver. Be careful though, as you may want to keep the original for that rainy day! Once removed, it should look like the following: 2. Undo the screw that holds the whole unit to the door and free it. 3. The photo below shows the rod for opening the door. Below is a photo showing the rod for the central locking. First, pull the door rod out of the hole in the lever using a screw driver to lift it. This is quite easy. Next, pull out the rod for the central locking from the hole in the lock button. I found this very tricky and the only method I found to work was to pull the whole unit out of the door and effectively twist it so that the central locking rod was visible. This is OK as it seems it is designed to twist. The rod is released when the clip holding it is pulled off the rod. 4. The fitting of the new unit is the same process in reverse. The hardest bit is fitting the central locking rod in to the required hole. Persevere however, and you shall succeed! It took me 30 mins to do the first door and almost the same to do the second. The second was the RH door and the angle was not as good for me personally. Like I said before, if the door card was off, the actual fitting time is probably 10-15 mins total as opposed to 40-50 mins. The end result though is nice. Just need to sort out a new handbrake grip and I'll be happy...for now!

Si - thanks for the great idea and inspiration and also thanks to everyone else for the advice. Finally managed to replace the door handles and the result is amazing. This has to be the cheapest, simplest and best solution to improving the interior and I have to say that the previously 'tired' and 'worn' interior is now looking a lot fresher and the chrome handles look very classy and modern. Highly recommended to everyone. I will post photos and details later today.

They are criminals for sure, especially for private sellers. It's time a rival started up; they will do very well.

Thanks. I'll try without removing the door card firsts as I don't want to break any clips etc. If I fail, the door card comes off.

Thanks Si. Yesterday, Turbocraigy stated: NOTE: you do NOT have to remove the door cards to change these. It is a little fiddly, but not difficult. 15mins per side maximum, but be sure to have a good look at the set up to make sure it all goes together as it should....

Called Nissan but they said these parts are no longer supplied and cannot be ordered. So tried the local scrap yard and amazingly they had a Terrano II in. Even more shocking was the fact that it had 2 chrome handles still fitted! Lucky or what? Removed both handles (still in plastic housing). £20 for the pair. Would have taken any others if available to help out any other members but will keep on checking regularly as I know most people want them! The question now is: how do I fit them? The handle seems to be secured in to the surround by a pin that seems to be embeded in to the plastic. Any advice before I start to destroy the thing?