DTA (UK)

Hi Mike, Long time no hear/see! Hope you are doing well and keeping out of trouble! FYI - my Series II heating ECU has worked flawlessly for over two years now but I suppose all things go kaput at some point. I will attempt a flush of the system first (always go for the cheap and straight forward option first ;)) before starting to look at more complex solutions to the problem. Thanks for the advice and speak to you soon (need to touch base with you on a couple of "items"). Cheerio! Dan

Just a quick note: 1) HID kits do not carry E-marks, only entire headlamp assemblies. In this instance, our ZX headlight units are e-marked (ie homogelated for use with halogen bulbs) but as soon as you put HID bulbs in there they are technically no longer e-marked. 2) ANY item purchased from abroad and imported in the UK WILL NOT have a warranty. Warranties are country specific UNLESS explicitly stated as an International Warranty (must state which countries as "international" is not a so called "blanket" term to cover all countries). 3) The e-bay kit specified in the link above most certainly is not the same kit as sold through DTA-Motorsport (UK) in the group buy. We are in a position to purchase direct from the manufacturer at the maximum discount level (we order a lot of HID kits per month) and I can guarantee you that our wholesale purchase price exceeds the retail price of the e-bay kit. Good luck with your kit - I hope it/they arrive in one piece and are a straight forward install. Dan

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll give it a go this weekend or next week sometime. Today I spent nearly three hours in stop-start traffic in freezing temps (both inside and outside the car). Wasn't a lot of fun, especially considering my rear tyres are about a bold as a billiard ball ... Couldn't even get up my own drive which is at the smallest of inclines. Cheerio! Dan

Yes - full diags are processed. Can also activate the various vent doors and alter the air mixture (temps) ... but "no cigar" (as they say). I'll bleed the system (again) at the weekend and see if that helps. I did bleed the system a little while ago after changing the coolant but this heating problem has been happening for quite some time now. Thanks for the feedback (both silly and serious ;))

Hey, As the temps have plummetted this week I've found that my car's heating is not exactly reliable. Most of the time it doesn't blow warm air regardless of the temp setting I put it on or whether it is in AUTO or ECON mode. Sometime it will only blow warm air when cruising above 60mph and reverts to cool air when stationary (ie waiting at a traffic light). And then, like this morning, it works properly as soon as the engine has reached operating temp. It's very frustrating and annoying. For the record, my coolant level is spot on and bled propperly and as far as I can tell the heater matrix is also in good working order. The car is a 1990 JDM TT with a Series II heating ECU and control panel. I have run a ConZult diagnostic on the AC system and everything seems to be in order. If anyone could offer some insight or advice I'd much appreciate it. Cheers, Dan

It won't affect it at all because you won't be using the earth mod lead (does that make sense?) When hooking up the HID bulb you'll be using the original bulb connecter. Alternatively you could hook the negative connector on the HID bulb to the earth mod lead (need to convert the male spade connector to a female spade connector though) and the result will be that your dip beam (ie HID) will stay on when you "flash" your lights. HTH Dan

Paul - Give me a bell (07044 016586) to discuss what you need. I can get parts for 350Z's. Dan

That was quick ...! :) Good luck with it. Funny you should mention Eversheds - my wife worked for them for some years in their Birmingham office. Good firm that! Cheers, Dan

OK - just tuning in after a long day's work. Andy (Meeson): the reason why your "ConZult" software isn't working with your "Blatz" cable is because the two are incompatible. You either need to buy the full ConZult from us or contact David [Legrath] for the proper software that accompanies the Blatz hardware. We [DTA] can supply a software only version of the ConZult but that will only work with the DIY version of the interface (links can be found on this Forum or via google). Andy (Duff): thanks for your efforts in explaining why the two are different things and why they don't work together ... appreciate it. HTH Dan

Chris - Just bunged the books in the post to you - should be with you in a few days. Good luck with the course and subsequent job hunting! All the best, Dan PS - just PM's you as well.

A close friend of mine has a burgundy DB7 Vantage Volante :bow: and it's a superb car. Contrary to popular believe it is not much more expensive to run than any current luxury performance car (ie Mercs SL or BMW 8-series) provided it is looked after. He takes it to an AM specialist here in Warwickshire for services, etc and apart from regular oil, filter and tyre changes he's had no major repairs or maintenance issues over the past 6 years he's owned the car. It's been a reliable weekend car and he takes it across to France every summer to his summer home near St Tropez. You do get what you pay for so if you are seriously considering buying one of these it pays to speak to the various specialists, owners club members, etc. Don't buy the cheapest car you find and expect it to run flawlessly. Just remember, you can't run this car on a shoe string budget so be prepared to have enough money put aside.

I was on a PRINCE 2 course for a few days until the company pulled me out and made me redundant :mad: Still have the workbook and accompanying text book - yours for the price of postage if you like. It's a good qualification to have on your CV as it opens doors but nothing is better than experience. If I recall correctly you can work through the book yourself and just pay to take the exam - should save you a few quid.

I've had a look into this for our DTA ConZult equipment. In theory it's a good idea and also quite workable as we could ship the ConZult together with a dedicated laptop in a hardcase. However, the rental agreement would only work if the customer has a credit card on which the full replacement cost of the equipment could be pre-authorized. Payment would also have to be up front and via the same credit card - a bit like renting a car. To be honest, I haven't thought about this for a year or so now so perhaps it's time to get the ole' braincell working again to iron out the details. I'll keep you posted. Dan

The problem only affects a small number of Zeds. Nissan used whatever connectors they had available at the time and this changed from time-to-time. Basically, most cars have female ends on the car so the goodridge hoses with female ends and male-to-male adapters are fine. However, some cars have metric male ends on the car which won't fit the above kit. Goodridge can provide the correct adapters to make this kit work with the above setup. I've been working with Goodridge over the past year to get them to manufacture the kit with the correct ends and adapters - this will then cover all the bases. This has now been put into practice and current kits should work on 100% of the cars. I'm in the process of procuring some adapters to make the old kits work but it is taking quite some time. I've been in touch with James Wills on several occasions and he's been most helpful. Dan

Why are people still messing around with non-H3 fitment HID kits/bulbs? I really don't understand it. There are kits out there which are a direct replacement for the standard H3/H3C bulbs (as in the new HID bulb has a H3 base) which means you'll not have to "butcher" anything to fit them. The kits I sell can be bought with every conceivable bulb fitment (H1, H3, H4, H7, H11, HB4, HB5, HB6, etc, etc) and this saves you endless troubles when trying to fit the kit and at any point in the future if you wish to revert back to the original kit. (Yes, I know that my kits are more expensive than the average flea-bay/Taiwan/Japan/China kit but they are also a cut above the rest in terms of quality of both the bulbs and the ballasts - by a mile). With regard to the bulb issue being discussed here I can see three possible causes: (1) the incorrect bulb fitment is causing electrical problems, (2) the bulbs and/or ballasts are of such inferior quality that they are not up to the job they are supposed to perform, or (3) the ballasts are overheating due to the rubber shielding on the outside impeding heat dissipation. Good quality ballasts are shielded on the inside of the casing at the point where any contact is made with the outside case (ie at the mounting screws). What that means is that heat can be easily transfered to the casing and dissipated to atmosphere to keep the electronics cool. If you then pack the ballast in rubber you are stopping the heat from being able to disspate and this "may" cause overheating (especially if the ballasts are mounted in the engine bay behind the headlights). I think your best option is to purchase a "proper" HID kit - from a UK retailer. You will then have full warranty on the ballasts and bulbs plus a local point of contact if things do go wrong. I'm not fishing for sales (as I've got plenty going on as it is) but in January 07 our HID kits (car specific) will be on sale. £235 (club r.r.p. = £250). Easy installation, no modifications required, completely reversible and guaranteed. HTH Dan PS - Vijay - that HID bulb in your picture sure looks like it has seen better times ...

These are very white bulbs but do have a blue "fringe" tint (if that makes sense). Incidentally, these are the same bulbs as Autobulbs Direct sell (only cheaper ;)) They are rated at 4500K so not quite as white as a 6000K HID kit (but pretty close). HTH Dan

This is really bizarre - my car has just developed the same problem! Rear brake lights and indicator work fine, just the tail lights that don't work (only on one side). I initially thought it has to do with the foglight conversion I've got installed (ie two inner brake lights double up as fog lights) but I'm now thinking it's the little black box. Will get one out of a braker and see if that resolves the problem. One thing I did notice prior to this fault was that the OSR lights were dimmer than the NSR lights. Dan

You need H3C bulbs - give me a call on 07044016586, I've got these in stock. Direct replacement for the stock bulbs and only £15/pair. HTH Dan

These bits of metal are there to define the beam pattern. Without these the lights will project a huge oval shape. Have a look at the pattern projected on a wall. You'll see that the top of the light pattern is practically flat - that's because of the metal bits ... Don't remove them - you'll fail the MOT and dazzle oncomers. HTH Dan

Si recently advised me to install the Kaspersky suite of protection software and I must say that it's been absolutely fantastic. I previously have been running McAfee, and a host of anti-spy/adware suites and after installing Kaspersky it got rid of another 18 virusses/spyware/adware crap! I did however encounter the same problem you've been having - internet sites being redirected to porn sites, etc. Did a quick search and found they all went through jupk.com. Another search revealed it to be further spyware and recommended the way to get rid of it. Can't remember now what it was as it's on my desktop and not my laptop from which I'm typing now. Can highly recommend the Kaspersky suite! Dan

I'd be happy to organise a GB in the new year. I'll diarise it for the second week of January and we'll see what can be done. I recently made contact with a firm who supply these Porter Cable polishers with a host of Sonus pads, etc. Cracking price for the lot and it gives you an immediate staring point without having to shop around for various bits and pieces. ATB Dan

Yes - I've got one and also sell these. Absolute king of polishers IMHO. Haven't got any in at the moment so would suggest you get one from Autopia as they are by far the best priced and quickest with deliveries. Don't forget to get a 750mVa transformer (230-110V). I got one for about £60 from MachineMart. Dan

Si - I used to live in the US for about 5 years but this is going back to the early 90's so rules will more than likely have changed. However, one thing would not have changed and that is the requirement of the company you'll be working for to provide proof that it can not hire a US citizen to fill the role you are applying for. It is the duty of the hiring company (regardless of whether it is an internal move or not) to submit all the paperwork to the relevant US authorities. You'll be sent various documentation which you'll need to complete, compile supporting documentation, you'll probably be asked to go past the US embassy in London for an interview session/stamps/etc. But ultimately it is the responsibility of the hiring company to do the work. They should have procedures/policies in place for this purpose and I suggest you contact the US HR office to get the ball rolling. They'll probably say that they won't do anything unless you have been confirmed for the new role so you may have to wait with the application until after you've been given the job. Again, this is all based on what I know from the early part of the 90's so please check with the US HR department first. Hope this helped buddy and good luck! Regards, Dan

Firstly - there is not much difference in reliability between Japanese cars and cars made elsewhere. In fact, I would say that Japanese cars are put together better (particularly if you compare early 1990's models with equivalent European or US cars). Secondly - the car you are looking at buying is now 13 years old and probably has very little in service history being a fresh import. The car could have been maintained with no expense spared and driven dilligently ... or it could have been raced to within an inch of it's life every weekend and not maintained properly. Therefore, if you are happy with the condition of the car (without getting into taking the engine apart or performing detailed diagnostic checks) then the first thing you need to do after you drive it out of the dealership is to take it to a Zed specialist (suggest ZedWorld). Have them go over the car with a fine tooth comb, perform all the necessary diagnostics, service the car (oil, fuel, air filters, etc), replace the timing belt, ancillary belts, thermostat, waterpump, pcv valves, etc, etc. Look at the suspension components (very important), brake components, change all four Japanese tyres for UK tyres (suggest Toyo Proxes) and only when all that's done and the car has been given a clean bill of health would I say you can be reasonably confident the car won't give you any more trouble than can reasonably be expected of a 13 year old sports car. Thirdly - even in NA guise the car is very powerful. Don't be tempted to put your foot down mid corner (especially in the wet) until you've had a chance to "acclimatise" to the car's performance and handling behaviour. For a typical ZX handling behaviour is as follows: slight understeer at turn in followed by massive oversteer. The car is inherently snappy to say the least. If the back does break out you need to be very quick to apply opposite lock and get off the gas. With practice, and the correct suspension setup, the car becomes easier to control in slides but it will always be a handful. Good luck with your purchase. If at all possible get someone with experience of 300's to come with you to look over the car before you commit to buying. All the best, Dan