ChrisC

If you need new tie bar bushes don't get them from Nissan. They only supply the complete bar at £130 each side! Get the longer lasting poly bushes from Z Centre at about £45 for the pair.

I've repainted my calipers and want to put the Brembo logo back on. Can anyone make me a pair in either silver or white as in the pic below?

Wibble

Has their been a group buy on Acid whilst I was away? :rofl:

It's 85p round here!

P.S Do I get a prize for longest ever post? I don't care if anybody reads it, I feel better for typing it! LOL

I bought myself an absolutely mint Alfa 156 V6 at the end of February to keep me entertained until the Z was sorted. Fantastic handling, 6 speed box, full leather and the best sounding engine I've heard on a "normal" car all for a bargain £4K - it was £21K new 3 years ago! Feel sorry for whoever paid that... 9th March: Had it all of 2 weeks before a little shit smashed it up for me. I live in the corner of a cul-de-sac and arrived home after work to find a fiesta parked half up my drive with a couple of lads in it chatting to the young girl next door. I pulled up behind so he could see I was trying to get in my drive and then reversed back and parked on the corner of the road to let him out. The tosser decided to show off to his 15 year old girly friend and slammed it in reverse and red lined it backwards. Unfortunately he couldn't keep it straight and swerved towards me so fast I couldn't do anything to get out the way. He must have been doing over 30mph when he hit the side of me. Hit the wing mirror, both passenger side doors, rear wing & bumper. His rear wheel hit mine so hard his car went a foot in the air and bent my wheel out at 45 degrees. I got out looking not too happy. He said "I'm really sorry mate, you can hit me if you want" LMFAO "No" I said, "I just want lots of your money" He said he was going to pay cash and not to tell the insurance as he was only 17 and passed his test the week before and only had his car 3 days! He didn't want to give me his details so I threatened to involve the police so he'd have even more trouble. I ended up sorting it all out with his dad on his mobile to prove who he was. ****er! His fiesta just had scraped paint on the bumper but found out in the end there was £3.5K of damage to my car so suprised they didn't write it off. I did offer to let him settle privately for cash! :D Reported the accident to e-Sure who I only took the policy out with 2 weeks earlier. Thought there would be no probs as i'd get a free courtesy car within 48 hours if I use their approved repairer but I can arrange it all myself if I wanted to. Chased it up 2 days later when nobody had called me to arrange the car as the said they would. Was told they had never received my signed policy docs so they couldn't proceed but the lad HAS ACCEPTED LIABILITY for the accident. They put a new set in the post which took 4 days(!) to arrive and I sent them back next morning. Called to check they had got them a day later and they told me it takes them 10 working days to "process" my form so it could be nearly 3 weeks before I get the courtesy car! I went mental. Are you insuring me or not?!?! They told me I could hire a car and claim it back as the accident WASN'T MY FAULT. Decided it was too much hastle and I'd wait for their car. 23rd March CD Bramall of York (large Vauxhall dealer) finally towed away my car to start inspecting it! Eventually on 28th March an 850cc Corsa courtesy car arrived :( All this time I'd been spending £15 a day on the train/buses/taxis to work. Was told my car would be repaired within a week... Garage couldn't get a rear suspension arm (from Alfa UK or in Italy! Yeah right - an Alfa 156 is such a rare car!) so it sat for 3.5 weeks waiting. 29th March called e-sure to discuss my expenses being refunded. Was told the other party DOES NOT ACCEPT LIABILTY so they couldn't do it! It's a good job I didn't arrange my own hire car as you suggested then!?! Posted them all my receipts anyway. 1st May Car returned to me but the rear bumper is a totally different colour to the rest and 2 speaker grills, a handle and trim parts are missing from inside the doors! The side skirt still has a paint chip and there's rubber from the tyre impact hasn't even been cleaned off it. Had to pay £350 excess to garage so with expenses I'm £600 out of pocket so far. Would have rejected it but bank holiday in Scotland in couple of days and I wasn't driving a 600 mile round trip in an 850 Corsa. 3rd May, Chased my expenses and XS and was told I will get a cheque shortly as it's being dealt with by the other party's insurer who HAS ACCEPTED LIABILITY. 14th May, Garage insist on coming to inspect the car. "You're right. There's some trim missing" No shit Sherlock! "The paint never matches - it's because it's a plastic bumper" Do I look like a firkin idiot?! They will call me back to sort it out. Not heard anything since. Today 21st May Called e-Sure to chase my £600 expenses and excess to be returned. Was told the other party DOES NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY! Lost my temper big style and after lots of arguing was told they don't have my receipt... What receipt I asked. They have not even sent a claim to the other insurance company because I haven't posted a receipt for my XS to them! I wasn't told I had to do this and after being told it's in the policy I signed I asked them to point out where it says I have to send it to them. They couldn't... If it's their approved repairer, why do I have to do this for them? Asked why it's taken a month for them to tell me this when earlier they said it was in progress and asked how long they were going to keep my money before calling me... no answer. 3 months from the accident and I'm still having to chase them every couple of days. No wonder these companies are making so much money when they give no service and you have to do all the work for them while they earn interest on YOUR cash. I'll never use e-Sure again. The Z will be fixed this month so I may as well never have bought the bloody Alfa! Can you tell I'm pissed off?!?! :mad:

or me ;)

Has anybody told you guys you are funny? I doubt it LOL Do any of the traders want to do a brake pad test/feature on my car? I'll tell you which is best next year some time :D

I've got a straight through system with hardly any baffles in the back box and it sounds superb. Not many people heard it running before it went off the road but those that did loved it! When I floored it you could hear it like a Ferrari from 6 cars back on the motorway :D I got mine made up by JP Exhausts in Macclesfield http://www.jpexhausts.co.uk/ Recommended by Johnny at Grasshopper. My system is fully adjustable in every direction to fit and even the tailpipes move in and out to suit the kit. Only paid about £450 for cat back as I had decat pipes from Z Centre previously.

Thanks but no thanks! I tried the red stuff ones on my standard brakes and they really were dodgy when cold :nono: I was hoping to get something for about £50 but if it says Skyline on the box they will probably be twice the price.

They area lot of cash though aren't they? Spending a fortune on minor bits at the moment getting this beast back on the road.

Need some new pads for my front R33 V-Spec calipers. Can't afford much now and I'll be taking it steady for a while anyway so where can I get a good set of pads at a decent price? Was thinking of Ferrodo's or something?

Someone must have a pic of the one on the SE stand at Billing last year?

Don't waste money on expensive binoculars, Just walk closer to the object you are viewing.

Is that from Viz Top Tips? LMAO I feel a new thread coming on...

Thats exactly what happened to mine, with the same damage. New handle and lock barrel was about £90 from Nissan I think but it came ready painted which suprised me. Only takes an hour to fit. Is your rear wing painted with hammerite?! :o

They are just standard large washers you can get from any DIY shop. I'll type out the instructions tonight if I get chance.

Booked it in for the bodykit and major mods but once the car was in bits the side skirts took 9 months for delivery so the job couldn't be finished! :( Had it on the road 3 weeks after that and the auto box died, then within a couple of weeks the engine went too. Decided to upgrade lots of bits and waited another 6 months for parts to arrive by which time it was winter so didn't get it fixed. Should be sorted within the next month :D

The Turbo XS ones come with packing washers and it tells you in the instructions how to install them to give a stronger spring...

Best part of 2 years for me :shock:

Still can't make my mind up about the aircon... I do like it but it's pretty useless when the roof is off anyway! Is there a cheap way to remove the HICAS or do you need to buy one of the kits to do it?

Got rid of loads of crap from the Z now. Removed: Plenum hoses. EGR system. AIV's. Engine going back in at the weekend hopefully. What else can go?

I'm sure I can help but my Z is in bits at the moment. Give me a call one evening on 07834 837093

Yes I'm in Leeds and know sod all ;)