DTA (UK)

Thanks NismO, Group buy is not a problem - will need a minimum order of 10 - priced at £26 each plus £1.10 postage. Regular price for forum members is £32. There are a lot more chromed goodies for under the bonnet so have a look at the website: http://www.dta-motorsport.co.uk. PLUS you'll get a discount on the rings if you order them in conjunction with another chrome set! I've just sold the last one I had to Syko so if anyone who is interested leave me a note in my trader section (DTA-Motorsport) then I can try and get this organised. I will need some time to get the rings in as the supplier can be a bit unreliable on delivery schedules. Regards,

Thanks for the info James. I've been considering AVO's and getting in touch with Tony Lack for a good price ... Tony if you read this drop me a line mate! ... Having dropped the car 30~35 mm do you find it more difficult to pass over speed bumps and driveways, etc? I would imagine that since you're running 18" wheels that the car only sits about 5~10mm lower than the stock car (if I've done my math correctly). I just think that lowering the car slightly fills the wheel arches much better. Cheers matey!

Thanks Chris - that's a good starting point. However, I would like to not receive e-mails AND not be subscribed right from the start ... Mods?

I didn't realise that when you post a reply to a thread you are automatically subscribed to it ... Seem to subscribed to well over 20 threads. I can list them but want to unsubscribe from them. Is there an easy way to do it in one go or do I have to go into each thread and manually unsubscribe using the drop-down menu? When posting a reply I always select "no e-mail notification" because I don't want to receive more e-mails than I already do. However, if I select "do not subscribe" then I'm not subscribed but still get e-mail notification ... Is it possible to have both options available? Your help - as always - is much appreciated. Regards,

Hi James, The car is looking very nice ... I'm glad you posted these pics because I've been considering putting a 99-spec bumper on mine (which is silver as well) and your pics have given me a great visual of the end result. Questions: your car looks lowered - how much and on what equipment? Did you get the camber corrected, if so using what equipment? How did you get on with the chromed speedometer rings? Would appreciate a pic if you can ... Cheers mate!

Wootley, I've said this a hundred times and will keep saying it (until someone finally listens ;)) - try to buy an unmollested, un-modded, low mileage Z. This may sound boring but trust me on this you'll have a lot more fun in the long run. Perform a major service (ie, cambelt, ancilarry belts, plugs, oil, brake pads, etc, etc) and make sure it runs sweet first. Then and only then should you start considering bolting on modifications, boost upgrades, etc. It is far more likely you'll end up with a good car if it is in stock condition (as it is less likely to have been thrashed about by the previous owner(s). Of course there are exceptions to the rule so don't hold me to this. The Zeds you can buy today for £4-5k are litterally 10~13 years old and you "should" expect there to be some problems. However, they are likely to be smaller annoyances - like corroded connectors, split hoses, etc - on standard cars then the big money sucking epic problems - like blown gaskets, ceased tubos, heads, etc, etc - on modified cars. Anyway, I can go on and on but to answer your initial question - are there reliability issues - my opinion is "no more than you'd expect from any 10-13 year old performance car. The key is to find a good unmollested example and try and pre-empt any problems by maintaining the car well. Priority should be to get the car running properly first, then you have a good foundation to build modifications on. HTH Regards,

Hey Berks! If you are thinking of binning them then I'll have the lot off you. Mine has started to blow from somewhere underneath the car but it's too cold to crawl under it and try and fix it. Would rather have a known good one I can fit until I get a "proper" exhaust. Anything is better than the current farting noises it makes ;)! So, send me a pm, e-mail (dannyzaat@yahoo.co.uk) or call me (07044016586) when you're ready and I'll come and collect. Thanks matey - speak soon.

Haven't seen your other post (as refered to by Berks) but your symptoms point in the direction of low powersteering fluid level. Take the cap of the p/s reservoir and fill to the mark on the stalk (fixed to the cap with floater) and your symptom should disappear. If not, let us know because then it could be something else. When the car is cold and the p/s fluid level is too low the sensor is triggered and the dash light comes on. As you drive a long for a while the fluid expands/is moved around and the light goes off. Hope this helps.

Just checked my maintenance records: Genuine Nissan Oil Filter (part no:A5208-H8904): £5.20 (incl. VAT) Sump Plug Washer (part no: 11026-01M02): £0.97p (incl. VAT) From experience: The Halfords and WIX filters are of a different size to the Nissan filter. Oil filters (like fuel filters) have a certain capacity and flow through rate. It is therefore best to use a genuine Nissan part. I'm not saying the other filters will cause any damage (I don't know about that) but if Nissan fitted a specific type of filter to the Z - a car once billed as Japan's first super car - then I suspect they did so for a reason (granted it could have been for ease of supply if it was a common part amongst the range). For a total price of around £6.50 you can have peace of mind. Don't try and save money on the wrong things - clean oil and filters are vital to the proper running of the car and can be viewed as money in the bank. Use the right products at the correct interval and you'll save money in the long run. The handbook does say to change the oil every 6k miles but going by the way most owners drive their Zed it is highly advisable to change it more frequently, ie every 3k miles.

Hi Mark, I fixed mine behind the driver seat in the footwell - since I don't carry many passengers who voluntarily opt for the back seat it has not been a problem. Not difficult to get to either - can do it with my left hand whilst driving if necessary. PS - if you do decide to purchase a fire extinguisher try to get a halon one. If you fire the powder version into the cabin or even the engine bay then you'll be cleaning off the residue for the coming months! ;) Also remember that if the engine does catch fire DO NOT open the bonnet as the flames will shoot out and fry your face. I'm sure Mark (Topless) can educate us much better on safe tackling of a fire. HTH

If I'm not off to Torquay that weekend I'll most certainly make an appearance. Matty - let me know if you need help organising this as i know the management at the Boat Inn quite well now (after having organised two meets to date). Cheers matey!

Any update on this? I feel for the owner. It's really bad when you get burgled but even worse when they take your car as well ... Hope they find the thieving scum and ... (expletives deleted). Incidentally, drove to the supermarket yesterday evening and found a silver 350Z smashed up ontop of the Tyburn roundabout in Birmingham. Driver side window smashed so obviously stolen. Pretty much all the underneath of the car was lying 10 feet behind the car on top of the island ... Thought I'd do the right thing and phoned the police to tell them about it and all I got was "yeah thanks, we'll have a look tomorrow in the day light" ...

Walk safely! Make sure you use your traction control equiped shoes! ;) Cheers matey!

Hiya Matty, Quick Q: How much length of cable did you get to do this project? See you soon matey!

Hi Mark, I spoke to them some time ago and have recently received their full price list - interesting bits - but the sales manager also advised me that delivery usually takes anywhere between 4-6 weeks! Hope yours will get to you quicker than that. Our [DTA-Motorsport] brake brace should come in at between £35-£40 (delivered) once it is ready for production. Have fitted the new prototype after the Thor RR and it requires some minor modifications so shouldn't be too much longer now! Regards,

No problem Tim! Glad you like them ... Regards,

SkratchUk: The reason your temp guage is moving down when you accellerate is because the connector is lose. Have a look at the black temp connector (next to the yellow one on the top coolant pipe) and see if you can fix it more securely onto the pin. This should stop it from moving. What is happening is when you accellerate the main fan spins faster, causing more air to move in the engine bay which in turn pushes the black connector around. If it isn't sitting properly then contact is lost and the guage moves. If you remove the black connector the temp guage shouldn't work at all - get the idea? This is exactly what happened to my car and it was the cheapest fix I've applied ;). Cheers mate!

The best advice someone gave me when I was looking to buy my Zed was to go for a completely stock model, do all the servicing on it (ie, cambelt, ancillary belts, water pump, thermostat, oil change, brake fluid change, brake pads change, airfilter change, fuel filter change, spark plugs, etc). Make sure the car runs absolutely spot on and only then start modding it. It is absolutley imparative that it runs well first otherwise you'll be looking at massive repair bills in the long run. Besides, if you get a modded one how will you know it has been treated right and not caned the t*ts off ... (but the same can be said about a stock one although the chances are significantly less). Also, don't buy the first one you see (as you've now found out) - I saw and tried out at least 18 Zeds before settling on the one I have now. It may take months to find the right one but in the end it will be worth it ... trust me. Good luck hunting! Regards,

Charis, I can't PM you and don't have your e-mail address. I still have not heard from Mikis so could I trouble you to ask him to email me on dannyzaat@yahoo.co.uk urgently please. Sorry to keep hassling you. Efcharisto poly!

Update: SORTED :D Big thank you to Duffman! Regards,

I am posting this message on behalf of Smithy who currently doesn't have internet access. Long story short: Smithy's engine has gone tits up after his trip down to THOR Racing from the Isle of Man. It needs to go to RC Developments in Warrington for a rebuild tomorrow afternoon. However, they will not be able to start the job for another 2-3 weeks during which time Smithy's car needs to be securely stored (as he doesn't want to take it to IOM and then back again in 3 weeks time). He is requesting help from forum members who live in or around Warrington to find out if anyone can store his car until it goes in to RC Developments. Perhaps someone knows of a place where he can store the car securely. If you can help him please contact him directly on his mobile: 07624490098 or myself on 07044016586 (and I'll relay your message). Ideally he needs to have an answer before tomorrow 11am as he will be travelling up from Coventry to Warrington at that time and of course would like to know where he stands. Many thanks for your help! Regards,

No, it's not adviseable to take them apart. Best to buy a new one from Nissan. Part No: 22620-40P01 Price: approx. £40.00(incl. VAT) This is a fairly common part amongst the Nissan range so should be in stock or at the lease easily attainable. HTH Regards,

These are moisture absorbtion materials placed there in the factory to keep condensation from forming on the inside of the light housing. I would expect that after 10 odd years or so that they have lost their ability to absorb so you may as well chuck them in the bin! Regards,

Just a suggestion: Make sure you keep the ability of starting the car as normal (with key in ignition) because I've heard of stories where the wiring to the start button failed and the poor guy couldn't start his car at all ... Regards,

Hi Scotty - yes, you are right about me misquoting what uprated anti-sway/roll bars do to the chassis. I did mean what you said but you said it far more eloquently! Again, and this is purely based on "extreme driving situations", if you're fitting only the front strut brace then effectively you're only doing half the job. Stiffening up the front without the rear will not give you much of a performance benefit over the stock situation. In fact, it "may" deteriorate the cornering characteristics of the car because the balance is upset - I say this with caution as this may only be evident at high speeds and under track conditions. I suppose you can go on and on debating the benefits of fitting a front strut brace with or without a rear strut brace and with or without fitting uprated front and/or rear anti-sway bars. At the end of the day the reality is that there are a lot more factors which will determine how your car behaves around corners - and I'm thinking of worn springs, suspension, bushes, tyre size/condition and so on - and under normal day-to-day driving conditions it is not going to make that much of a noticeable difference. Charles - could you PM me where your other half got these braces from please as I have a customer who wants some. Cheers all!