leo-r32gts

Thats bloody convenient, eh. Colleague on holiday, no cash in the safe... My arse! I'd still keep pushing for a full refund though Janus - sounds like this one could be nothing but problems and will probably cost more to fix than its worth. Get out while/if you can. I'm constantly reading about people who buy cars only to find they have major hidden faults... oh yeah, its on this forum!! And you said you wanted another Zed! Bad luck kidda, chin up - as Rich says, live and learn. Hopefully it will get resolved satisfactorily for you, one way or another. You could always take a tin of paint and write the words 'dishonest John's' on the forecourt. People would probably get the idea then.. :whistling:

There's a difference between not liking something and calling it gash and insulting people who have/would buy one. Perhaps you should consider your opinions a little more carefully, or think before you share them with others. If you can validate a strong statement with reasonable fact, then fair enough - you've at least made an attempt to qualify what you've said. If you can't or don't - don't be surprised if people take issue with what you've said. As far as your car choices go, I have nothing against them in all honesty. Wants and needs are different things - a family car needs to be many things - I appreciate that. I was hoping you might see the irony, however. As for telling me 'end of chat', I'll decide when I've said my piece, thanks.

Well, it seems to me you have plenty of experience of 'Gash' cars. And you had a problem with this!! Ever heard the saying 'People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'? :lol:

25 miles each way? Seems like a fair old schlep, Nick! I cycled about 8 miles each way for nearly 12 months, as I didn't have a car. That was when I was young, fit and still had some lungs left! I reckon 25 miles is too far each way - you're going to be looking at about an hour to an hour and a half depending on weather / inclines etc. Unless you're lucky enough to work an 8 hour day, it means you're gonna be knackered in no time mate. You'd definitely soon get fit, but I remember those short winter days and cycling home in a 20mph headwind that just crushes your spirit! That little electric motor might help a bit, but lets face it - you'll look bent as a 9 bob note with that lot strapped to your bike! Surpirsed it doesn't come in a front-mounted wicker basket for discreetness! If I were you, I'd buy a proper road bike (racer) and only do it when you can be arsed and feel smug about it, rather than actually saving money. Or buy an old moped that could be run on a shoe string. Maybe you're just in need of another project, eh!

I totally agree that these 'where's there's blame, there's a claim' outfits are just a piss take. Did you hear about that bloke who had about 40 accidents on the same roundabout? Each time with a car full of 'mates' who all got out holding their necks.. But, as far as the new SORN policy goes, I'm in favour of that. There's way too many people driving without insurance - which is why my premium goes up every year instead of coming down. Anything which helps get these scroungers off the road, has to be a good thing, right?

Is this why you're called Jap Slapper? On account of your hostility to other Jap cars! The FTO is a pretty looking coupe with reasonable poke and would be a decent enough car for my missus to drive around in. It might not be the last word in chassis dynamics, performance or economy - but I still prefer the looks of it compared to modern euro boxes. I think there are far worse cars you could take offence to.. I think the reason they are so expensive to insure is on account of their appeal to would-be boy racers and their likelihood of getting stacked. But 3000 for a 2.0l FWD car (even an import) to insure, is a bit ridiculous. Especially when you consider a Clio 2.0 Sport would crucify it in terms or performance and driveability. 470 is pretty good going for insurance. Its alright having a 20 year old zed on a classic policy, but I would guess most people are paying a minimum of 300-500 for a normal schitbox A-B motor. My old dears pay 200 quid a year and they live in 50 million acres of arctic tundra! The only crime up there is the occaisional sheep molestation :wub:

I spent frickin ages trying to get the girlfriend's insurance down. We renewed it last month - after she completed her first 12 months on her own policy (and got 1 years NCB). Last year she payed 1000 - with zero NCB - and this year the renewal was 1350. So after much looking around (and many companies refusing to quote on account of her EU licence), we went back to the comparison websites. Low and behold her current insurer offered the lowest rate - back to 1000 before credit etc.. I phoned them up and asked why as a new customer we we're offered a better rate than an existing one... Sat and listened to 5 minutes of utter tosh, then finally agreed to resign if we could have the internet quote. As a matter of interest though, I was keen to see what else she could get insured on, if we change her car - so had a bit of a play on a comparison site. These are roughly what she was quoted: Clio 1.2 Sport (current car) - 1000 Mazda MX5 - 1000 Toyota MR2 - 1350 Clio 2.0 Sport - 1500 Golf GTi MkIV - 1550 Audi TT - 1650 200SX - 1750 Toyota Celica - 2000 Mini Cooper S - 2000 Honda Civic Type R - 2100 Seat Ibiza Cupra - 2200 Seat Leon Cupra - 2500 Nissan Pulsar - 3000 Mitsibishi FTO - 3100 Nissan Skyline - 3600 Biggest Surprise for me was the 200SX, or the missus' next car, as I prefer to call it! She wants a Celica, but I offered to pay her insurance (again) if she gets a car I want to drive! Was also surprised how high the FTO was, quite fancied one up until that point.

Easy bud, Welcome to the fold :thumbup1: Manuals are difficult to come by - I ended up driving 400 miles to collect my eventual purchase. But there are ways around the problem - a manual conversion is a tryed and tested path for many on this website and also gives you the best of both worlds: if you're unsure about which box to go for, you can sample the auto first and if you're still sure you want a manual, you can fork out the extra grand or so to have it done. That said, if you're 100% confident only a manual will do, you may have to spend a little more time looking for the right car. As for the seats, I gave my sister's two kids a ride in the back recently - the seats are pretty good for kids upto about 10-12. I've also had the sister in law in the back of the car (no, not like that) for about an hour and although she won't ever stand upright again, she has now managed to ditch the crutches! Good luck with the hunt matey

I hope it isn't your rings/pistons, but that's exactly what my car was doing - just before its rebuild. I took it to Zedworld and they confirmed that 2 cylinders were low on compression. If your compression test shows everything is fine, then you could start looking elsewhere for the issue. My car quite quickly got to the point where it was undriveable as it was a hazard to other motorists and started spitting out the dipstick with comically huge clouds of smoke. Except, it wasn't actually funny. Fingers crossed for ya bud

If you have a read on the Z1 website, they recommend swapping to a twin intake system if you want anything over 450bhp (and they're the smaller american nags we're talking about). If you switch to a dual intake system then you will need an additional MAF or a dummy MAF. Didn't fully understand the dummy MAF bit, but basically you need two sensors - one for each cone. If I were you mate, I'd think about running a dual intake. Firstly, it will undoubtedly give a free-er breathing engine, it will improve responsiveness and ultimately add a bit more poke too. You could just run a single intake - but with your turbos, it'd be like an asthmatic breathing through a biro tube. Reckon on about 500 quid for a dual intake system and another MAF unit. I will be going down this route and I'm aiming for 100 less horses than what you should end up with. HTH

So how fast does your cat go? Think I may have set an unofficial record on my way upto Scotland. As I'm working away and the missus is off for her summer hols, there was no one about to look after the cat. After a little grovelling I pursuaded my folks that the cat would be no bother to look after and they can drop him back to me 6 weeks from now (bit like a summer holiday for my cat). Only problem was getting him up to Scotland! I was absolutely amazed - put the cat in his little travel box, stuck a few cushions underneath the box so he could see the horizon and six hours later, he hadn't made a single squeak. Personally, I'm convinced he likes being in the Zed - but its quite amazing really (I think we bonded a bit more on the journey!). Somewhere up the M6 just before Carlisle, the motorway was completely deserted and the cat was travelling well into 3 figures - completely unfazed by the whole event I might add. Forget your Cheetas and Pumas, my little Samson would destroy them in a race! Fastest cat in the UK? Could be - :lol:

Jesus Christ mate, This is bloody awful - I've dispatched the missus, with instructions to to tell you about her weekends shopping plans. I'll give you five minutes... Just a thought, maybe the problem isn't the fact you can't get to sleep - maybe its the fact your life is too stressful and/or you don't have a release for your stress etc. Sleep deprivation might be the symptom, but not the cause.. Have you considered you may need to make some lifestyle changes (more exercise, less time at work etc)? If all else fails, ask Sussex Stu if you can smell his hanky, I've heard many things about his 'magic' hankies!

good grief, I hope this has worked... If it has, please can a mod make them a little larger? Many thanks It has! Joy at last - only took me an hour (WTF?)

Here's a few pics of the car up in Bonny Scotchland - wish I hadn't had a couple of glasses of wine - its 10.30pm and its still broad day light, I could be driving my Zed now :crying: Epic fail - will try again..

Its already due an oil change! Just over 600 miles in 2 days - so got it booked in tomorrow at local garage. Jim's advice was to use the car pretty much as normal but avoid constant speeds/throttle loads and stay away from the redline for a while. So I've been yo-yoing up and down with my speed on the motorway, which feels daft until you realise thats how everyone else drives anyway!! No, the engine let go in pretty spectacular fashion at the Xmas bash at Zedworld (how ironic!). The road in question leads upto Glen Shee where I went snow boarding during my last trip upto Scotchland. Was an awesome road, but we were in the brother in laws Focus in drifting snow.. But I could tell it was just one of those roads that needs a thorough going over in good conditions. Hopefully get on it tomorrow or Saturday. I'm at Aberfeldy, or just up a mountain a wee bit - unfortunately, its only a flying visit as I have to be back in the U.A.E on monday :wacko: Going to get some pics up now - bear with me! Thanks for all the positive comments guys (and gals)

cheers for the replies guys, Sometimes life can seem like its constantly trying to beat you down, then you have an evening like this one and you realise - it ain't all bad! Can't thank Jim enough or recommend him more highly. I will update again in the next few days, as I have a score to settle with a certain Scottish road, which should provide an awesome back drop to some new Zed pics. Keep your eyes peeled! All the best - Leo

Yep, Jim'll Fix It has made another dream come true! :clap: After many months of being Zedless, I took my first drive in the Zed today. A five hour journey on public transport got me down to Bristol to collect the car from Jimmer's unit. So you can imagine my delight when I clapped eyes on my car looking as shiny as a new pin, engine purring quietly :thumbup: For anyone considering going down the rebuild route, all I can say is - you will not be disappointed! The car was sent off by transporter a little over 5 weeks ago and is now in the rudest of health once again. In a world that seems hell bent on scamming and generally robbing you of your hard-earned, its extremely refreshing to deal with someone who does a 'Ronseal' job. No hidden extras, first class service and the confidence inspired by someone who knows these engines better than the guys who built them - a really pleasurable experience. About 3 days after Jim had received the car, the engine was out and the diagnosis from the autopsy was in. An oil feed line to one turbo was fouling the wastegate and consequently causing the engine to overboost and, ultimately, self destruct. After some much appreciated advice, the spec for the rebuild was finalised and Jim wasted no time in getting on with the task. My only concern is that Jim's kids don't recognise him when he comes home, because anyone who devotes so much time and energy to his work musn't have a lot of time for family life! Either that, or Jim is extremely quick with the old spanners, which I suspect is probably more accurate. 5 weeks may not seem like a record for an engine rebuild, but if Z1 had delivered the parts as promised, then it would have been even quicker. So what was it like to drive the Zed again? Awesome. Its still got to be run in yet and will no doubt loosen up a little as the miles pass by, but they will be racked up with some vigour over the next few days - a trip to scotland tomorrow morning will really start the process in earnest. Running in asides, Jim's advice on the turbo specs and other tasty tuning bits have already made a measurable impression. On a near deserted M5 on the way back to the Midlands, the old girl hauled ass in true fashion. I couldn't give it the full beans, but it is already evident that the mid range has swollen nicely. The engine note has become a bit more audible thanks to the new manifolds and decat pipes clearing the restriction of the old system. All in all, it was an absolute joy to drive in the Zed again. The guy who gave it big guns in his Mitsi FTO can count himself lucky the Zed didn't have another 1000 miles under its belt, or I may have been inclined to piss on his parade - but the need for a little restraint will pay dividends later down the line. But careful throttle application did not stop me from savouriong every moment on my 2 hour journey home. To cap off a perfect evening, I was treated to an awesome sunset and spectacular rainbow just as I hit the M69 into Leicester. A good omen I feel. So - a big thanks to Jim, who has given the old girl a new lease of life. I can say, with some confidence, if I had to do it all again I wouldn't change a thing. Muchos respect. :punk:

Max Power changed for the worse after the original editor left after about 3 years of publication, a chap called graham... can't remember his last name. But it definitely changed. It was a shame really, I used to enjoy buying max power and seeing how some obsessive had spent 20k on his mk3 escort! I think it celebrated car culture early on, its just a shame it associated itself with all that is wrong about it too. I remember when Max Power went over to Japan and were reporting on the Midnight 300 club. That was my first real taste of Jap tuning etc and undoubtedly set the seed that is now bearing fruit. Back then, there was actually a little effort put into the reporting, not just 'look at the airbags on that!' type schit that we came to expect. Also, we have Max Power to thank for Vicki Henderson Butler, without MP her career never would have got started!

From what I've seen of vinyl wrapping its a very skilled affair. You could do it yourself, but I think it would be best to leave it to the professionals. Its a bit like window tinting - if its done on the cheap, it will look cheap. The last thing you want is creases or stretch marks. The thing about vinyl wrapping though is you can have any image you like printed on it. You could go for a full carbon look! Ok, I think people would guess your car wasn't really carbon fibre, but it would still look cool! I think the only draw back other than cost is, that the front bumper will be showing signs of wear after 12 months of stone chips etc - it is only vinyl afterall. But you could get individual panels replaced. I first read about it in evo magazine - a chap called David Yu had his GTR wrapped in purple. Presumably to make it look more like his purple helmeted warrior.. :oops: Looked shite in purple, but with a little taste it would work on any car.

That's incredible! Not one single thing needed replacing or adjusting! Oh, and top job to the Zedworld team too - I think being close to Zedworld is the ONLY good thing about living in Leicester!! :laugh:

How did the paint last on the prelude? Did it keep a nice finish? The thing is though, the amount of washing and polishing my car gets, I'd be worried about it getting buffed into a gloss finish after a few weeks!! Its a good point about the vinyl wrap - it does mean that if you don't like it / change your mind you can revert back to your original paint scheme. It can cost more than a respray though..

Personally, I love a nice matte finish. But wouldn't a coat of lacquer defeat the object a little? Wouldn't it give it a bit of shine? Then again, it might stop the paint looking all marked and untidy after a few weeks. I don't really have much experience with matte surfaces, but I would have thought they would pick up grease and stuff? I know the BMW matte paints are very difficult to look after. It would still look bad ass though, but you'd have to get the right wheels to set it off.

In all honesty Paul, I thought it was gonna be one of those '..and now I'm gonna have to pay to fix it' stories. Fair play to the father for offering to sort it out - he'll possibly take it out of the little uns pocket money, so that'll be him not getting anything before Xmas! Still a shame it happened though mate :no:

Didn't think banananas could grow in the tropic of greenland? :stupid:

Well thats cleared that up! Who generated that data? Hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy? "Well how many zeds are there in the universe..?" "You're not going to like this..."