DTA (UK)

I had the unfortunate pleasure of driving into central London yesterday to attend the funeral of a close friend (this is the third funeral I've been to in a week ...) It's pissing down with rain non-stop, the M40 may as well be called the "River 40" due to all the standing water and in the 250 mile round trip I didn't see a single other Z (apart from my own). What I did see though more than makes up for it ... 3 Lamborghini Gallardo's driving in convoi on the A40 near Ealing (think they were going to a dealership as all three drivers were wearing the same shirt/tie) 1 Ferrari F40 on the M40 just outside High Wycomb doing about 30mph in the slow lane (LOL) - the driver looked like he was sweating buckets to keep the car pointing in the right direction 2 Pagani Zonda's on a transporter near the Oxford Services junction on the M40 Did have a minor scrap in the Z coming off the roundabout at Oxford Services. I had just filled up with some BP Ultimate (at a rip-off price) and was continuing my journey south. Entered the first roundabout when some prat cuts me off from the inner lane to go down the north bound M40 slip road. I hit the brakes but because of the angle of the front wheels and all the rain the car just went straight on (abs did kick in but it was too late) and I clipped the left front wheel on the curb. I wasn't going fast at all but the crunching noise of the suspension bottoming out wasn't pleasant. I did stop to inspect the wheel, tyre and whatever I could see of the suspension arm but all seemed fine ... until I got back on the motorway - the car now pulls to the left ... And the prat didn't bother to stop either ... I really hope I won't have to attend another funeral for at least a few years. It does put things into perspective though ... life is just too short to worry about the trivial things. Dan

When doing a seat retrim, the more "reputable" companies (like Aston Martin) will always use a secondary layer underneath the leather/alcantara/etc. This is there to stop the top layer from stretching beyond it's limits and tearing over time. If you look at seats which have been retrimmed previously and have tears up and down the seat you'll probably find they didn't put a secondary layer underneath.

Stick silicone hose in ear. Find vacuum pipe. Attach hose to vacuum pipe and watch your eyes pop out of their sockets! I swear - I'll never do that again, once was painful enough! Dan

Was wondering the same myself ... and no, it's not me :)

Once you've sorted the voltage issue out have a look at the Hertz value as I believe these are different in the US and UK (50Hz vs 60Hz if memory serves me). This isn't a big issue if there aren't any moving parts but I remember an old tape deck I used to have which played quite a bit faster when I took it to the US ...

It's not the RAM that sucks - it's the combination of parts (memory, motherboard, etc) which determines whether some memory works better than others.

Best fitted on a ramp with two people. Stillen ones are fab. If you decide to go for it let me know as I'm a Stillen reseller. Dan

Also, if you're looking for sun strip lettering make sure it is printed on a curve. If the vinyl is printed straight then you won't get it to follow the curve of the glass nicely and it'll end up looking sh*te. HTH Dan

How are you testing the ignition timing? Using Datascan or a light strobe? The only accurate way of testing it is using a light strobe as Datascan will show what the ECU sees as ignition timing (which may not be the true timing as set by the CAS). The ECU uses the CMPS, MAF, Engine Temp. Sensor, TPS, Vechicle Speed Sensor, Ign. Switch, Knock Sensor, Neutral Switch, A/C Switch, and the Battery as the Input signals to control timing. Based on this input the ECU controls the trigger signal to the Power Transistor to advance or retard the Ignition Timing. The ECU controls Ignition Timing to improve acceleration and performance, while at the same time controlling vehicle emissions. How to test: o Warm up engine. o Air-Conditioning off. o Neutral gear. o no load. ⇒ Timing at idle: 15 BTDC ⇒ Timing at 2000 RPM: more then 25 BTDC HTH Dan

Ahem ... whilst living in Marbella, Spain I had access to over 8 different satellites (including Sky) through the, shall we say, ingenious use of a "modified" decoder card. Paid a one-off charge for the card (which magically appeared in an unmarked envelope the following day) and hey presto! ... Scandinavian porn, Arabic prayer channel and even UK Channel 5 (which my otherhalf who lives in Birmingham couldn't receive due to poor reception ;))

You really don't have to ever do any manual shifting in an auto - it certainly wouldn't make it any quicker. The reason these gears are there is to lock the transmission into the selected gear. You may be going down a very steap incline and want to use the engine braking facility that 2nd gear provides - keep it in 2nd gear so long as you don't let the engine over-rev. As for the over drive - leave it engaged and view it as an additional gear. It's there to promote efficiency (ie better mpg). I have mine engaged permanently and only switch it off when I'm about to overtake one/several cars. It'll give you quicker accelleration then if the gearbox has to downshift from O/D to 3rd. HTH Dan

I have an Arabic friend who's a member of REVO250. Whenever he goes to his villa in Marbella he gets an exotic ... Lucky barsteward! Also, £11k for a Murcie clutch replacement is overstating the truth a bit. A DTA client works for Lambo Manchester and they do a complete clutch replacement for £4.5k (£2.5k on centre plate alone ...) I've driven a Murcie a couple of years ago in the US and the clutch is very "organic" - as in it's not as heavy as the Diablo or Countach before that. In fact I found it rather easy to drive. If the "club's" Murcie has had to have 5 clutch replacements in 2 years I think it's safe to say it's a relatively "abused" vehicle.

That has got to be the most horrific looking NSX I've ever seen. Obviously had a lot of money spent on it but they really should have stayed away from changing the exterior. What a shame ... I deal quite a bit with NSX these days and had one of only 2 NSX-R's in the UK with me last week to have a HID kit fitted. Now that's a tasty looking and unmollested car! One day in the not too distant future I'll have an NSX - black, 3.2L, 6-speed manual, coupe ... Can't wait! Dan

Also, for your future reference, you can only visit the ZCenter by prior appointment. Dan

Your Blatz/Datascan should tell you ... Failing that, some common symptoms of poorly O2 sensors are (in no particular order): (a) rich running (ie lots of petrol smell in exhaust and excessively blackend exhaust tips) (b) rough running under low load (ie going up a hill whilst keeping speed constant) © hesitation and/or "hopping" when cruising at a steady speed If there is anyone with a ConZult near to you get them to hook it up, check the fault codes and it will show up. Also, in data monitoring mode you'll be able to see the O2 sensors in real-time - they should be switching between rich and lean very quickly at 2k revs. If they don't alternate then one (or both) sensors are duff. HTH Dan

This is a US-spec thing - they all have it over there. Not illegal in the UK. Dan

If you've got access to a ConZult then it will come up as a fault code (can't remember off the top of my head what number though) or you could do an ECU diagnostic the old fashioned way (using the potentiometer on the ECU and counting flashes). I'd first take the connector off and look for oxidation, clean it up and then do an ECU diagnostic/ConZult check. HTH Dan PS - I'm not sure what voltages you're looking for when using a normal multi-meter. Perhaps it's stated in the user manual?

Hi Andy, Mine is quite temperamental when starting from cold too. I've been told that the engine has one sticky valve which causes lumpy running when cold. Once warmed up (and the oil has had a chance to circulate properly) she runs fine. I don't have to give her any more gas to keep her ticking over but it does cause problems when coming to a stop - if I brake to hard she'll stall (and yes, I've got new PCV's in). Not sure what can be done about a sticky valve other than rebuilding the engine ... £££££ I don't know if your problem is identical to mine but I have also heard that a faulty fuel temp sensor can cause similar problems. Might be worth investigating if the sensor has corroded terminals. HTH Dan

Just to let everyone know that the ConZult Group Buy ends tomorrow evening. For more information please click HERE. FYI: GB price = £245 After March 1st the regular retail price will be increased to £275 (previously £265) so get yours NOW! Dan PS - I have posted this in the General Discussion section to enhance the exposure of the GB as perhaps not everyone looks in the Trader Section.

Apologies folks for turning to Dutch. Having been on this island for ages I hardly ever get a chance to speak it and just jumped at the chance ... Sorry! For anyone who wants to know what was said, I refered him to contact Eric (Lymon) who runs DTA in Holland. He's considered to be one of the few true ZX guru's and I thought he could help this chap. Turns out he has contacted Eric but is still none the wiser. There you go! Cheers! Dan

Hallo! Ga naar http://www.dta-motorsport.com en bel Eric (nummer op de website). Wij [DTA] hebben een grote workshop in Nederland en er is niemand die een 300 beter kent dan Eric en collegas. Het beste, Danny

I can confirm (as an official HKS reseller) that they no longer produce oil caps :( What you're looking at is most likely a copy. That's not necessarily a bad thing if it is fabricated properly and retains the correct shape rubber seal. HTH Dan

Throwing it up the wall is ok so long as it doesn't land on the Zed's windscreen :o Good luck mate! Dan

Andy - You don't have to remove the bumper to undo the light units. Remove the wheelarch liner and you'll be able to get to two of the four bolts. Remove headlight panel as well as the leccy fan (held by only two bolts at the top) and you'll be able to get to the other two. Then you can pull the light forward just far enough to gain easy access to the light bulbs. HTH Dan PS - I'm doing this operation myself next weekend as I'm swappping headlights for ones which I've cleaned (on the inside) and re-installing my HID kit.

No problem Jon - speak to you soon! Dan