Jeff E

Cannot believe these sort of people. Cannot even be bothered to wash the car when trying to sell it. Tells you all really.

My race TR7V8 failed scrutineering because the exhaust was too loud. My road TR7V8, much noisier , passed its MOT no comment. Brands Hatch stricter than for M25 weird !!!

In your intro you say the car has been laid up for many months. Was that inside or out ? What year is the car ? Suspect mine was more a daily driver and hood had not been used excessively and looked fine to my inexperienced eyes. Mines stood outside and being a hood down nut, over the last summer it has been up and down like a yo yo. Cracks/small splits now beginning to appear in one or two places. Its a 2005 and ,as probably not previously garaged, the old UV has taken its toll . Life of a hood , I have read, is 8-10 years in the UK. I should sit in it and put roof up and down several times and then look for signs of cracking/creases.

Need to get out in my Zed more and lighten up Jeff E alias Victor Meldrew !!!!!!!!!!!

Apologies for my in haste and unhelpful response. I was involved with research/ technical staff in getting approvals with OEMs for petroleum additives and keeping them abreast of developments. There was an on going programme with Mercedes. As a marketer/chemist I had a period trying to sell gasoline additives to companies often referred to as national /second tier oil companies such as Fina, Agip, Aral, Kuwait. Majors such as Shell are supplied by their own chemical companies. I was also involved in selling a range of petroleum products/ additives to lubricant blending companies such as Castrol (pre BP ownership ), Valvoline, Fuchs, Millers etc. Later I moved into trading involving base oils, gas oil and gasoline. Now retired but I was involved at a time of significant change in the auto industry which required corresponding improvements in petroleum products.

And so what discussions have you had with these OEMs ? In what context ?

For many of us the Zed is not a high mileage transport so 6000 miles a year may not be uncommon. Using official combined mileage consumption for a Zed ,24 mpg, this means you would buy 250 gallons per year (1136 l ) of petrol. So for every 1 p/l you pay for a majors fuel vs a supermarket fuel costs you £11.36 per year. So Ekona I am prepared "to needlessly spend " that amount of money to be assured of a quality product. You contradict yourself, post 18/1/15 quote " why would I not give a performance car the best " ? Mercedes Benz, VW, Ford , Renault, Fiat etc have never, ever asked me about, or even mentioned, a BS standard in discussions with them. Have you read BS 228.2012 and BS 780.2006 ? I am not trying to fool anybody nor trying to imply, as you insultingly suggest, that they might be "daft". Major oil companies fuels and oils are worth the extra cost. It may not be evident to you unless you are the unfortunate, down the ownership line, when it goes prematurely wrong. I'm happily spending my £11.36 per year on my local Shell vs Tesco.

ok, so refineries of majors might make a mistake but if you are trying to tell me that traders/supermarkets consistently supply fuels of as good a quality as the majors then, I think you are wrong. Cars nowadays usually pass the 80k mileage mark with the fuel purchase often unclear. Buy a car from new and run it on supermarket fuel only or a majors fuel only and the supermarket one would fail soonest. If you are a PHD chemist and have had 30 years working for a major oil company and been involved in dealing with traders, then I will bow to your knowledge

So why 3-4 years back did cars coming out of Tesco have problems which were identified as being caused by the petrol ? Supplied by a company called Greenergy, a trader. As I said there are ways and means of meeting standards and there are plenty of traders out there who know how and are only interested in making a buck. Traders may not want to be known as Pikey Teds , they are substantially more sophisticated than that !

Those who save 1p/l by buying supermarket fuel as opposed to say Shell are misguided. Supermarket fuels are frequently bought from traders who buy spot gasoline, blend it in tanks in Rotterdam and shi to UK. They have to meet the minimum of specifications but there are ways and means of doing this without producing a quality fuel. Volatility levels , aromatic contents etc They use minimum additive levels. Majors such as Shell have spent years of research and worked with major car producers to ensure the highest quality fuels and lubricants.

The noise regulations for motor sport exceed those for road vehicles from my experience. My race TR7V8 failed for noise at scrutineering at a race meeting (fixed by strapping on a "bomb" silencer) but the following week my road TR7V8 passed its MOT with no comment and was much louder. If these people bought a house close to the M1 would they expect that to be shut down ? Ah well probably !! SIGNED

Please ad me to list for 1x calendar if not too late. Jeff E

My 2005 roadster had 85k+ in Sept. 2012 according to MOT and had 5 previous owners. So at 12k+ per annum car was clearly a daily use and some lucky people were having a great time , suspect they were not paying for their own fuel ! Now 2015 and only 90k on the clock as it has moved into hobby car territory.

Just do not cover it with a tarpaulin or other non breathable cover. I ruined an immaculate TR7V8 by covering it with a tarpaulin over the winter when it was parked on a shingle over hogging drive. On sunny winter days the tarpaulin acts like a greenhouse and moisture rises. At night it condenses. Result pools of standing water on the V8 , corrosion everywhere, ruined electrics and I could go on. Better with a draught blowing round it and possibly a good waxing to protect the paint from water/UV.

As sounds as though you are going to keep the car suggest you fit a new oil filter pdq. Once had a major drop in oil pressure due to collapsed oil filter . That was on a 2.8i Ford engine not a Z. As your vendor sounds a dodgy character you have no certainty of service history so filter may have been in there for ages. Also why not contact previous owner from log book data see if you can get any comfort.

As I got into bed, wife asked me what I had been doing on the computer all evening. Looking for cheap flights I replied. Oooh I love you she said, cuddled up and we had great sex. Odd, she has never shown an interest in darts before .

I should not have posted, just made myself seem like a know it all wally. However, I had 30 years working for the worlds 3rd largest oil company and for 4 of those years, as a manager, supplying own brand lubricants. I stick by what I said and would recommend using majors that are dedicated to lubricants such as Shell, Mobil ( ExxonMobil) , Texaco etc and quality specialists such as Castrol(BP), Fuchs and similar. Todays lubricants are very complex so too difficult to cover here but HARMLU if you want to know more details PM me

I repeat what I said earlier. Nissan do not produce motor oils. Clarke Motor Sport, Z manalex, Cs etc may " only" recommend Nissan fluids, fair enough, you won't go wrong but frankly they probably know diddly squat about motor oil production. The Nissan oils are the equivalent of a supermarkets own brand Weetabix and they are produced down to a price. The major oil companies, Shell, ExxonMobil etc spend millions developing engine, gearbox oils etc and having them tested/proven. Nissan , Ford, JCB just have their labels put on the package at the oil companies blending plant. And whilst I'm at it not all petrol comes out of the same pipe as someone, on this forum suggested, with just different levels of additive. A few years ago drivers filled up at Tesco and their cars conked out. I know the supplier was a trader. Bought cheap fuels, put them in a tank in Rotterdam. Blend them to comply with a spec . and ship to Immingham. Put in minimum additive and delivery it to Tesco. My local suppliers are Tesco and Shell. Shell usually 1 p/l dearer. No brainer

Nissan don't make motor oils. It might come in a container with a Nissan label on it but it has been blended for Nissan by , usually, a major lubricant manufacturer such as Castrol, Fuchs , Mobil etc. It will be made to meet a specification which may be of Nissan origin but more likely an international specification. The competition to supply this " home brand" business is intense as volumes can be large . The price paid y Nissan, Ford etc is very low. The winning supplier therefore cuts the quality to the bone but has to keep within the spec. You an meet specs. with lower quality components and the majors own brand lubricants are always superior ,don't confuse specification with quality.

Before the Zed had considered 335D but as don't need to tow anymore, no convertible, diesel and use wife's Golf if want economy and sense. Reading this Forum people speak with passion about their Zed's which ,with possible exception of M3, you don' seem to get with 3 beemers. On Top Gear track Zed got same time as M3 of that era, E90 ? Having said that believe larger engines 3 series cars are the best mass production saloon you can buy.

Interested to learn how you get on. My 2005 is developing splits close to body behind windows. As I don't have a garage, I have to shut roof every night and so with this pretty good summer it has been up and down like the proverbial yo - yo. I am planning to take it to a chap to see if he can repair it. Have you tried that ? One car hood specialist was quoting £500+ that excluded fitting.

Yep, that would be me. I seem to spend a lot of time in the Shell filling station and its not just because there are regular queues !!! That is the stretch of road they are on regularly . Jeff E

Steve , you never run out of conversation with your peers, aches, pains,pills, operations ....... !

IMO black just makes a hole where your wheels should be. Good wheels cost money, why make them disappear ??

Thanks WW, I now use your technique. Don't have cruise control and this cuts out if you touch the brake. Nissan , Quashky now fit a speed limiter which stays permanently on until disabled