Just been to view a 350z, paint question
Discussion
Just been to see a 53 plate Nissan 350z which i'm really interested in and wanted to check a couple of things. The paint was solid black, are all the black ones non metallic? Also the paint seemed to be very orange peely and as i've not seen another 350 I wanted to know if its like that on the other cars? Really did stand out on it!
Thanks
Adam
Thanks
Adam
The paint is thin on 350z's, however mine was top notch - had a nice sparkle to it with the sun. Black is metallic and not matt finish - sounds like either a wrap or dodgy paint job. Plenty out there, so best to avoid the one you described.
Advice is to look around a few (as with any car); you'll soon get a feeling for the good, the bad and the ugly. Don't get too hooked up on the age of the car; go for quality. The difference between each year version is marginal - the biggest difference is between the GT spec and standard. Most in the UK are GT spec (leather seats and Bose sound) - no difference in power between the specs but they do get slightly more BHP the newer they are.
The difference in power upgrade throughout the year isn't huge, so there isn't a "must have" year; put an early zed next to a later zed side by side in a drag race and the speed difference won't be much. The newer cars have a ever so slightly different interior plastic (darker slightly softer feel grey?), but unless pointed out you won't notice - same layout and toys inside. Don't worry if it has the satnav or not; the Nissan one was rubbish and your standard TomTom will always be better.
In terms of the paint they do get stone chips a fair amount on the front. The paint is thin so black will show up white chip specs more - you can get the front bumper resprayed for a new car look.
Zeds are solid cars, quick but can feel heavy like a muscle car at times; it's fast enough for most and gives a great noise from the exhaust. Overall very well made - engine very reliable. I suggest you check out 350z-uk.com website (possibly buy from an enthusiast when the right one turns up as pretty much everyone cherishes them and most will be like new regardless of age).
Unfortunately because they have become cheaper the scumbags can now start affording them, so be careful - a lot of good ones out there but at the same time others will have had a hard life. My advice would be to buy from an enthusiast.
Make sure you have a good set of tyres on them (and not the original Bridgestones). Nothing wrong with original Bridgestone tyres but most people change them to a softer grippier tyre. The reason being that with the original tyres you get a lot of road tyre "roar" noise in the cabin - a better tyre with provide better grip and much less cabin noise from outside. Being rear wheel drive, expect the rears to go much sooner than the fronts. Wear should be even across the tyres.
Make sure it has good service history. If I am honest Nissan themselves provide a crappy service for zeds (most dealerships are used to servicing Micra's and such), so don't be put off from one that has had specialised service stamps. So long as they are serviced (every 12k miles or 12 months if I remember), all should be fine. Servicing isn't expensive - around £300 for a basic. Larger one every 3 years so around £600 (if I remember correctly).
Petrol...used to get about 24MPG on average. Not fantastic, but not bad considering it's fairly heavy - I only used mine as a fun weekend car. Obviously if you put your foot down more then it'll drink more, but the odd fast moment and casual driving isn't too bad. Don't expect it to be economical like a standard car though.
Brakes are pretty good, even standard Brembo's. Again it is rear wheel drive and heavy so be careful on bad weather days - it can catch you out if pushing it on a twisty B-road. Just be sensible and know when to put your foot down. By all means it's not scarey - just don't expect it to drive like a hot hatch with nimble ability. The power delivery is very linear - there is not sudden jolt pushing your head into the chair. It's very easy to be crusing along and realising you're doing 90MPH but doesn't feel like it - keep eye on the speed.
Engine modifications; forget it. Unless you just want to tart it up with shiney stuff you can't easily get more power from the engine unless you bolt on a turbo and start spending silly money. You can get a remap to improve responsiveness but it's not tuneable like a GTR or Evo. Plenty of after market stuff to make it look awesome though.
Good things come to those who wait (and do research) Goodluck.
Advice is to look around a few (as with any car); you'll soon get a feeling for the good, the bad and the ugly. Don't get too hooked up on the age of the car; go for quality. The difference between each year version is marginal - the biggest difference is between the GT spec and standard. Most in the UK are GT spec (leather seats and Bose sound) - no difference in power between the specs but they do get slightly more BHP the newer they are.
The difference in power upgrade throughout the year isn't huge, so there isn't a "must have" year; put an early zed next to a later zed side by side in a drag race and the speed difference won't be much. The newer cars have a ever so slightly different interior plastic (darker slightly softer feel grey?), but unless pointed out you won't notice - same layout and toys inside. Don't worry if it has the satnav or not; the Nissan one was rubbish and your standard TomTom will always be better.
In terms of the paint they do get stone chips a fair amount on the front. The paint is thin so black will show up white chip specs more - you can get the front bumper resprayed for a new car look.
Zeds are solid cars, quick but can feel heavy like a muscle car at times; it's fast enough for most and gives a great noise from the exhaust. Overall very well made - engine very reliable. I suggest you check out 350z-uk.com website (possibly buy from an enthusiast when the right one turns up as pretty much everyone cherishes them and most will be like new regardless of age).
Unfortunately because they have become cheaper the scumbags can now start affording them, so be careful - a lot of good ones out there but at the same time others will have had a hard life. My advice would be to buy from an enthusiast.
Make sure you have a good set of tyres on them (and not the original Bridgestones). Nothing wrong with original Bridgestone tyres but most people change them to a softer grippier tyre. The reason being that with the original tyres you get a lot of road tyre "roar" noise in the cabin - a better tyre with provide better grip and much less cabin noise from outside. Being rear wheel drive, expect the rears to go much sooner than the fronts. Wear should be even across the tyres.
Make sure it has good service history. If I am honest Nissan themselves provide a crappy service for zeds (most dealerships are used to servicing Micra's and such), so don't be put off from one that has had specialised service stamps. So long as they are serviced (every 12k miles or 12 months if I remember), all should be fine. Servicing isn't expensive - around £300 for a basic. Larger one every 3 years so around £600 (if I remember correctly).
Petrol...used to get about 24MPG on average. Not fantastic, but not bad considering it's fairly heavy - I only used mine as a fun weekend car. Obviously if you put your foot down more then it'll drink more, but the odd fast moment and casual driving isn't too bad. Don't expect it to be economical like a standard car though.
Brakes are pretty good, even standard Brembo's. Again it is rear wheel drive and heavy so be careful on bad weather days - it can catch you out if pushing it on a twisty B-road. Just be sensible and know when to put your foot down. By all means it's not scarey - just don't expect it to drive like a hot hatch with nimble ability. The power delivery is very linear - there is not sudden jolt pushing your head into the chair. It's very easy to be crusing along and realising you're doing 90MPH but doesn't feel like it - keep eye on the speed.
Engine modifications; forget it. Unless you just want to tart it up with shiney stuff you can't easily get more power from the engine unless you bolt on a turbo and start spending silly money. You can get a remap to improve responsiveness but it's not tuneable like a GTR or Evo. Plenty of after market stuff to make it look awesome though.
Good things come to those who wait (and do research)
Goodluck.Edited by Anubis on Sunday 3rd February 14:34
rsv gone! said:
Informative post Anubis. I would take issue with one thing. Scumbags are just as likely to drive a Lamborghini.
True but virtually all scumbags cannot afford Lambo's. It's the same with any car; if its desirable (i.e. fast, good looking, fairly cheap to maintain, etc) and it's within financial reach of most then it'll inevitably be in the hands of a general idiot thrashing it about and not looking after it.Just make sure you see a few and you'll soon see which one's are well looked after and others to avoid.
Anubis, thank you very much for that info, brilliant. The car to me did look like a solid black but then again the weather was darkish and no sun on the car. I suppose the annoying thing is I did want a black one, cue a mate who knows someone whos got one, black, UK GT spec, 60k, full history, Japspeed exhaust buscuit colour interior and good quality Potenzas all round. Now he wants 6k but at this present time has no job (He has a farm now he is trying to get to work) so I fancy low balling him. It was just the paint that keeps bugging me! He did tell me he owned the car for 7 years but on a check it turns out its 4 1/2 years (why say that?) and the interior while still screwed together the seats look fine not worn but leather cracked and dirtyish. This could just be a case of him and previous owners not feeding the leather though, how do they usually hold up?
There are plenty out there if your happy to wait for the right one. Don't be tempted to buy something just because it's from someone you know.
The leather can go a bit funny (as with any car), however for its age should be fine if it was well looked after. You shouldn't have a problem finding one with good paint and leather; they are modern cars even if 10 or so years old now. You should always buy on quality - always.
The car you described doesn't sound like the deal of the year; you will be able to find a good black GT spec if you wait and look around. If you're serious about getting one then don't be shy travelling some distance to get a test drive.
I recommend getting on 350z-uk.com and asking if you can go to a meet. Really friendly owners and they will let you know everything about zeds; you'll also see some very well looked after examples to base your search on. The owners club are real enthusiasts so can tell you what is what, let you hear different exhausts, what to look out for, etc.
The leather can go a bit funny (as with any car), however for its age should be fine if it was well looked after. You shouldn't have a problem finding one with good paint and leather; they are modern cars even if 10 or so years old now. You should always buy on quality - always.
The car you described doesn't sound like the deal of the year; you will be able to find a good black GT spec if you wait and look around. If you're serious about getting one then don't be shy travelling some distance to get a test drive.
I recommend getting on 350z-uk.com and asking if you can go to a meet. Really friendly owners and they will let you know everything about zeds; you'll also see some very well looked after examples to base your search on. The owners club are real enthusiasts so can tell you what is what, let you hear different exhausts, what to look out for, etc.
Alv said:
Anubis, thank you very much for that info, brilliant. The car to me did look like a solid black but then again the weather was darkish and no sun on the car. I suppose the annoying thing is I did want a black one, cue a mate who knows someone whos got one, black, UK GT spec, 60k, full history, Japspeed exhaust buscuit colour interior and good quality Potenzas all round. Now he wants 6k but at this present time has no job (He has a farm now he is trying to get to work) so I fancy low balling him. It was just the paint that keeps bugging me! He did tell me he owned the car for 7 years but on a check it turns out its 4 1/2 years (why say that?) and the interior while still screwed together the seats look fine not worn but leather cracked and dirtyish. This could just be a case of him and previous owners not feeding the leather though, how do they usually hold up?
The orange ('Alezan') leather on mine started getting very dirty, but half an hour with some wipes brought it up nicely wih very little actual scuffing or wear. Re paint: my rear bumper was exactly the same, I put it down to s
t paint! I'd also second what was said about re Nissan dealers: after several fights with my supplying dealer to fix niggly things under warranty I had all my servicing done at an indy (Japex in Kings Langley) who were excellent.Anubis said:
The paint is thin on 350z's, however mine was top notch - had a nice sparkle to it with the sun. Black is metallic and not matt finish - sounds like either a wrap or dodgy paint job. Plenty out there, so best to avoid the one you described.
Advice is to look around a few (as with any car); you'll soon get a feeling for the good, the bad and the ugly. Don't get too hooked up on the age of the car; go for quality. The difference between each year version is marginal - the biggest difference is between the GT spec and standard. Most in the UK are GT spec (leather seats and Bose sound) - no difference in power between the specs but they do get slightly more BHP the newer they are.
The difference in power upgrade throughout the year isn't huge, so there isn't a "must have" year; put an early zed next to a later zed side by side in a drag race and the speed difference won't be much. The newer cars have a ever so slightly different interior plastic (darker slightly softer feel grey?), but unless pointed out you won't notice - same layout and toys inside. Don't worry if it has the satnav or not; the Nissan one was rubbish and your standard TomTom will always be better.
In terms of the paint they do get stone chips a fair amount on the front. The paint is thin so black will show up white chip specs more - you can get the front bumper resprayed for a new car look.
Zeds are solid cars, quick but can feel heavy like a muscle car at times; it's fast enough for most and gives a great noise from the exhaust. Overall very well made - engine very reliable. I suggest you check out 350z-uk.com website (possibly buy from an enthusiast when the right one turns up as pretty much everyone cherishes them and most will be like new regardless of age).
Unfortunately because they have become cheaper the scumbags can now start affording them, so be careful - a lot of good ones out there but at the same time others will have had a hard life. My advice would be to buy from an enthusiast.
Make sure you have a good set of tyres on them (and not the original Bridgestones). Nothing wrong with original Bridgestone tyres but most people change them to a softer grippier tyre. The reason being that with the original tyres you get a lot of road tyre "roar" noise in the cabin - a better tyre with provide better grip and much less cabin noise from outside. Being rear wheel drive, expect the rears to go much sooner than the fronts. Wear should be even across the tyres.
Make sure it has good service history. If I am honest Nissan themselves provide a crappy service for zeds (most dealerships are used to servicing Micra's and such), so don't be put off from one that has had specialised service stamps. So long as they are serviced (every 12k miles or 12 months if I remember), all should be fine. Servicing isn't expensive - around £300 for a basic. Larger one every 3 years so around £600 (if I remember correctly).
Petrol...used to get about 24MPG on average. Not fantastic, but not bad considering it's fairly heavy - I only used mine as a fun weekend car. Obviously if you put your foot down more then it'll drink more, but the odd fast moment and casual driving isn't too bad. Don't expect it to be economical like a standard car though.
Brakes are pretty good, even standard Brembo's. Again it is rear wheel drive and heavy so be careful on bad weather days - it can catch you out if pushing it on a twisty B-road. Just be sensible and know when to put your foot down. By all means it's not scarey - just don't expect it to drive like a hot hatch with nimble ability. The power delivery is very linear - there is not sudden jolt pushing your head into the chair. It's very easy to be crusing along and realising you're doing 90MPH but doesn't feel like it - keep eye on the speed.
Engine modifications; forget it. Unless you just want to tart it up with shiney stuff you can't easily get more power from the engine unless you bolt on a turbo and start spending silly money. You can get a remap to improve responsiveness but it's not tuneable like a GTR or Evo. Plenty of after market stuff to make it look awesome though.
Good things come to those who wait (and do research) Goodluck.
Good write up, and I'd agree with most of that. Apart from a few minor corrections pertaining to the facelifts.Advice is to look around a few (as with any car); you'll soon get a feeling for the good, the bad and the ugly. Don't get too hooked up on the age of the car; go for quality. The difference between each year version is marginal - the biggest difference is between the GT spec and standard. Most in the UK are GT spec (leather seats and Bose sound) - no difference in power between the specs but they do get slightly more BHP the newer they are.
The difference in power upgrade throughout the year isn't huge, so there isn't a "must have" year; put an early zed next to a later zed side by side in a drag race and the speed difference won't be much. The newer cars have a ever so slightly different interior plastic (darker slightly softer feel grey?), but unless pointed out you won't notice - same layout and toys inside. Don't worry if it has the satnav or not; the Nissan one was rubbish and your standard TomTom will always be better.
In terms of the paint they do get stone chips a fair amount on the front. The paint is thin so black will show up white chip specs more - you can get the front bumper resprayed for a new car look.
Zeds are solid cars, quick but can feel heavy like a muscle car at times; it's fast enough for most and gives a great noise from the exhaust. Overall very well made - engine very reliable. I suggest you check out 350z-uk.com website (possibly buy from an enthusiast when the right one turns up as pretty much everyone cherishes them and most will be like new regardless of age).
Unfortunately because they have become cheaper the scumbags can now start affording them, so be careful - a lot of good ones out there but at the same time others will have had a hard life. My advice would be to buy from an enthusiast.
Make sure you have a good set of tyres on them (and not the original Bridgestones). Nothing wrong with original Bridgestone tyres but most people change them to a softer grippier tyre. The reason being that with the original tyres you get a lot of road tyre "roar" noise in the cabin - a better tyre with provide better grip and much less cabin noise from outside. Being rear wheel drive, expect the rears to go much sooner than the fronts. Wear should be even across the tyres.
Make sure it has good service history. If I am honest Nissan themselves provide a crappy service for zeds (most dealerships are used to servicing Micra's and such), so don't be put off from one that has had specialised service stamps. So long as they are serviced (every 12k miles or 12 months if I remember), all should be fine. Servicing isn't expensive - around £300 for a basic. Larger one every 3 years so around £600 (if I remember correctly).
Petrol...used to get about 24MPG on average. Not fantastic, but not bad considering it's fairly heavy - I only used mine as a fun weekend car. Obviously if you put your foot down more then it'll drink more, but the odd fast moment and casual driving isn't too bad. Don't expect it to be economical like a standard car though.
Brakes are pretty good, even standard Brembo's. Again it is rear wheel drive and heavy so be careful on bad weather days - it can catch you out if pushing it on a twisty B-road. Just be sensible and know when to put your foot down. By all means it's not scarey - just don't expect it to drive like a hot hatch with nimble ability. The power delivery is very linear - there is not sudden jolt pushing your head into the chair. It's very easy to be crusing along and realising you're doing 90MPH but doesn't feel like it - keep eye on the speed.
Engine modifications; forget it. Unless you just want to tart it up with shiney stuff you can't easily get more power from the engine unless you bolt on a turbo and start spending silly money. You can get a remap to improve responsiveness but it's not tuneable like a GTR or Evo. Plenty of after market stuff to make it look awesome though.
Good things come to those who wait (and do research)
Goodluck.Edited by Anubis on Sunday 3rd February 14:34
2006+ was marginally faster than older cars, but 07+ gained a more significant bump (revised engine, the numbers don't tell the whole picture). Making it noticably quicker than an 05 or older. The interior got revamped, better and diffirent coloured materials, more storage space. You WILL instantly notice if you go from one to another.
Onto the Satnav.... It makes the interior look a lot more up to date for one, and in the facelifts, has proper built in controls, was very effective at navigation, with features like lane guidance and alternative route selection. Which, considering it was released in 06, is not bad at all. Only thing it didn't have is post code search.
As with most on board computers, the car lies about fuel economy. 24mpg is probably a bit optimistic for true mpg calculations. I used to get an average of 22 on the computer. Which really meant about 17mpg. Worth bearing in mind...
The paint is s
t and thin, andat least on the facelifts, black was metallic.EDIT:
The later cars also got LED rear lights, LED side lights at the front, and Bi-Xenon upgrades to the headlights.
Though, TBH, an early 2004 car is going to be 90% of the car a later 07+ is, and will handle all but the same. The only difference is you're probably going to be spending 50% of the price (I can't actually be arsed to check the prices, so I stand to be corrected). So that makes those minor changes seem very expensive if you look at it objectively.
Edited by Number86 on Thursday 7th February 22:58
Just borrowed a 350Z conv for the weekend(member of a club), which to be honest I have always dismissed - not because I didn't think it would be competent, but more because it didn't really light any fires in the groin department. So I wasn't expecting to like it much, and at first I thought it was a bit ordinary. But the end of the weekend I was loving it. The exhaust note was nice, loads of torque everywhere, tons of grip - my kinda car really. Like an earlier post said - heavy like a muscle car, but also nimble like a sports car. Had a quick look at the prices - wow. So now I'm in the market for one (as long as an S2000 or a Boxster don't steal me away), so I appreciate those short reviews.
Sounds like its a good tip to find a well looked after one with good service history. Anything else to watch for?
Sounds like its a good tip to find a well looked after one with good service history. Anything else to watch for?
Copy and pasted from:
http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/22880-guide-for-new-m...
Listen carefully for any squeaks (go over some speedbumps or something) the bushes in the "banana arms" often go and are expensive to replace.
Get underneath and have a look at rear section of the exhaust as the factory fitted ones are known for corroding fairly early in life, not a deal breaker but worth bearing in mind. I also notice a few suffering from rusty arches on my search, avoid these ones.
Lastly check the operation of the windows, the motors are fairly costly to replace.
http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/22880-guide-for-new-m...
350z Forum said:
Buyers guide;
Many new members will be looking to buy a 350z, getting the right one is always a challenge. Many garages will not be quite sure what the spec of the cars is so the following links will be helpful.
Nissan's 350Z carries on (and restores) the famous Nissan Z car tradition. Mixing reliability and good build quality with a silky smooth 3499cc V6 and rear wheel drive.
While they are still available new (priced far less than any real competition) there is a growing used car market as owners upgrade to the latest spec. or get banned for drifting round roundabouts!
As with all Japanese cars there are loads of imported (JDM) cars on the market too. Briefly...
you can't take the roof off without a saw it is a Coupe, if you can it is a roadster. (Don't make yourself look stoopid by talking about buying a 350Z cabriolet!)
If it is a 350Z GT, Gran Turismo or has the GT pack fitted it means it has heated seats, cruise control and upgraded (Bose) stereo. When new dealers charged an extra £2000 for this. There is a GT4 limited edition too.
If it a Fairlady, Version T (Lux) it is an import.
While the 350Z is pretty reliable there are a few problems which happen to most cars. While most of these should have been fixed by the dealer under warranty there are a few that have not materialised until the warranty has run out. UK spec. cars have the usual Nissan 3 year warranty. If the car is under warranty and there are outstanding faults this may indicate a reluctance to visit the dealer (big service due? modifications that may invalidate the warranty?)
These problems are...
Tyres feathering, uneven wear, grumbling at low speeds.
Grumbling at 15 to 30mph is usually caused by the tyres, if it has original bridgestones.
Feathering, scrubbing and un-even wear is probably bandly set tracking. Nissan issued a bulletin on this subject which you can see at http://www.350z-tech...se_When_Braking ... lletin.pdf
Rear axle clicking noise. Sounds like something left underneath. Usually does it when shifting from reverse to forward or initial load when moving off. This is caused by the driveshafts. Due to the work involved make sure the price reflects this if the car is not covered under warranty. You can read the bulletin at http://www.350z-tech..._From_Rear_Axle _Rear_Axle
Bose CD player skipping. The Bose system is intended as an upgrade but the CD player tends to skip or jump. Usually when my CDs are on. If my good lady puts 'Chick flick sondtrack' or 'Cheezy 80s cack' on it is fine! Yet as soon as the White stripes, the Who or the Zep are on it sounds like the dance remix! Most have been fixed under warranty though.
The N/S speaker can cut out when playing CDs too. Best to administer a sound thump to the passenger kneepad area (With your hand. Put the hammer down!)
Squeaky brakes. This is what happens when you fit big Brembo racing brakes to a car then people drive it like a Fiat Punto. Seat Turbo R and Mitsubishi Evo owners cars suffer from this too. Funnily enough those cars all have Brembo brake callipers too! At times the odd squeak from the brakes can be embarrasing but as a car mechanic I am happy as long as they stop the car when I press the brake!
Some owners complain about a spongy pedal too. Because the Brembo brake calliper has large brake pads more effort is required when the pads are cold. Sometimes over-zealous owners overfill the brake reservoir too. Because there is no space this causes the master cylinder to draw the brake pistons back in overnight, so when you come out in the morning, half asleep picking kebab from your teeth and yellow stuff from your eyes, reveverse out the drive and shi...get a big fright and have to pump up the footbrake, thats what causes it!
People always complain about handbrake travel (not just on Zeds, on all Nissans) For some reason Nissan like the handbrake to come on a convincing amount. If overadjusted, the rear pads will heat up and cause terrible brake fade.
Tailgate trying to eat you. The stops can be adjusted by taking them off and spacing them. Dealers can get the correct pads for doing that. If ignored the struts will weaken and adjusting the pads won't work.
Scratches/stonechips on bumper. This is normal because of the shape of the front of the car. There are 2 ways to stop this happening.
1.Buy something else
2.Buy some clear film and fit it before it happens. Most car accessory shops sell this film.
I would recommend the later option. It is better to see a few stonechips than a horribly repainted bumper, bodged because they are trying to sell the car!
Finally, if the car is over 4 years old or past 54,000 miles make sure it has had its major service because it is a biggie! (Currently about £500!)
I would add the following which you will more detail on in the afore mentioned forum:Many new members will be looking to buy a 350z, getting the right one is always a challenge. Many garages will not be quite sure what the spec of the cars is so the following links will be helpful.
Nissan's 350Z carries on (and restores) the famous Nissan Z car tradition. Mixing reliability and good build quality with a silky smooth 3499cc V6 and rear wheel drive.
While they are still available new (priced far less than any real competition) there is a growing used car market as owners upgrade to the latest spec. or get banned for drifting round roundabouts!
As with all Japanese cars there are loads of imported (JDM) cars on the market too. Briefly...
you can't take the roof off without a saw it is a Coupe, if you can it is a roadster. (Don't make yourself look stoopid by talking about buying a 350Z cabriolet!)
If it is a 350Z GT, Gran Turismo or has the GT pack fitted it means it has heated seats, cruise control and upgraded (Bose) stereo. When new dealers charged an extra £2000 for this. There is a GT4 limited edition too.
If it a Fairlady, Version T (Lux) it is an import.
While the 350Z is pretty reliable there are a few problems which happen to most cars. While most of these should have been fixed by the dealer under warranty there are a few that have not materialised until the warranty has run out. UK spec. cars have the usual Nissan 3 year warranty. If the car is under warranty and there are outstanding faults this may indicate a reluctance to visit the dealer (big service due? modifications that may invalidate the warranty?)
These problems are...
Tyres feathering, uneven wear, grumbling at low speeds.
Grumbling at 15 to 30mph is usually caused by the tyres, if it has original bridgestones.
Feathering, scrubbing and un-even wear is probably bandly set tracking. Nissan issued a bulletin on this subject which you can see at http://www.350z-tech...se_When_Braking ... lletin.pdf
Rear axle clicking noise. Sounds like something left underneath. Usually does it when shifting from reverse to forward or initial load when moving off. This is caused by the driveshafts. Due to the work involved make sure the price reflects this if the car is not covered under warranty. You can read the bulletin at http://www.350z-tech..._From_Rear_Axle _Rear_Axle
Bose CD player skipping. The Bose system is intended as an upgrade but the CD player tends to skip or jump. Usually when my CDs are on. If my good lady puts 'Chick flick sondtrack' or 'Cheezy 80s cack' on it is fine! Yet as soon as the White stripes, the Who or the Zep are on it sounds like the dance remix! Most have been fixed under warranty though.
The N/S speaker can cut out when playing CDs too. Best to administer a sound thump to the passenger kneepad area (With your hand. Put the hammer down!)
Squeaky brakes. This is what happens when you fit big Brembo racing brakes to a car then people drive it like a Fiat Punto. Seat Turbo R and Mitsubishi Evo owners cars suffer from this too. Funnily enough those cars all have Brembo brake callipers too! At times the odd squeak from the brakes can be embarrasing but as a car mechanic I am happy as long as they stop the car when I press the brake!
Some owners complain about a spongy pedal too. Because the Brembo brake calliper has large brake pads more effort is required when the pads are cold. Sometimes over-zealous owners overfill the brake reservoir too. Because there is no space this causes the master cylinder to draw the brake pistons back in overnight, so when you come out in the morning, half asleep picking kebab from your teeth and yellow stuff from your eyes, reveverse out the drive and shi...get a big fright and have to pump up the footbrake, thats what causes it!
People always complain about handbrake travel (not just on Zeds, on all Nissans) For some reason Nissan like the handbrake to come on a convincing amount. If overadjusted, the rear pads will heat up and cause terrible brake fade.
Tailgate trying to eat you. The stops can be adjusted by taking them off and spacing them. Dealers can get the correct pads for doing that. If ignored the struts will weaken and adjusting the pads won't work.
Scratches/stonechips on bumper. This is normal because of the shape of the front of the car. There are 2 ways to stop this happening.
1.Buy something else
2.Buy some clear film and fit it before it happens. Most car accessory shops sell this film.
I would recommend the later option. It is better to see a few stonechips than a horribly repainted bumper, bodged because they are trying to sell the car!
Finally, if the car is over 4 years old or past 54,000 miles make sure it has had its major service because it is a biggie! (Currently about £500!)
Listen carefully for any squeaks (go over some speedbumps or something) the bushes in the "banana arms" often go and are expensive to replace.
Get underneath and have a look at rear section of the exhaust as the factory fitted ones are known for corroding fairly early in life, not a deal breaker but worth bearing in mind. I also notice a few suffering from rusty arches on my search, avoid these ones.
Lastly check the operation of the windows, the motors are fairly costly to replace.
Edited by waterwonder on Monday 25th February 19:12
peatmoor said:
I know I should be on the 350z website but it won't on the office comp.
Has anyone tracked their 350z - nothing serious just the odd novice trackday fun?
Anything to think about?
Yes, lots of the guys on 350zuk take their cars to the track. Main thing is buy good brake pads otherwise dont stay out too long as its a heavy car and will cook them. Mine isn't standard so not the best to ask, but for only just starting to do trackdays i.e. complete novice, I loved the car and it filled me with confidence. Not the fastest but fun on track and to drive comfortably home in.Has anyone tracked their 350z - nothing serious just the odd novice trackday fun?
Anything to think about?
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