rickya

Thats absoloutely correct The Minel. I know mine is an ST (Uk equivilant GT) but the insurance companies do not have a clue what is what. All they know is the UK model range & Base model for imports. All the Admiral group companies inc. elephant only insure base model imports not ST. I came very close to insuring it with them by specifying all the differences between base model & ST & getting them to note it down on the policy. This they did but when I asked for this in writing in case the car was written off I did not want to get a pay out for a base model. They then said they could not insure it as all the differences would be classified as modifications. What crap. The few that did insure it were some specialists & churchill & ultimately who I continued insurance with TESCO's! They actually have the 350ST import listed. (in fact I think they call 350zGT import), at a cost of £850. But this is due in part to an unresolved accident (all unresolved are treated as fault) & the fact that I am 29 not 30 yrs old. ps will take pics this weekend once polished/waxed a few stone chips sorted & badges done.

Alright alright!! Happy now

Just a quick qu abou the JAE show. If we will all be parked in our own area does that mean that we have to enter & park up at a certain time & can only leave when it has finished for the day? Apologies for my dumb qu!!

Yes the fairlady (not ladyboy) arrived yesterday morning!!!!! Will post pics some time next week. Brief update. Unexcpected bonuses! 1)It has Europe suspension 2)Has VDC (Esp) 3)The unknown exhaust though huge is Fujibutso & sounds absoloutely amazing when it hits a certain rev band. I think Fujibutso is basically a rebranded Nismo from a bit of research on the net. 4)The jap gps doesnt work but the screen is connected to some kind of connection box into which you can plug in a DVD player or tv module. Should work I think. Unexcpected bad bits 1)Dealer scuffed up one alloy since I saw the car last week 2)He has added another 500km in the las week since I put down deposit 3)He did not produce a second key as promised but has agreed to pay cost from Nissan to get one. Might be easier said than done. 4)Rear tyres upon closer inspection have not too much life left. 5)Insurance companies messed me around. Many do not insure imported GT version but only imported basic version. (all Admiral grp - elephant & admiral & also first alternative no imports) In the end had to pay £850 insurance But I have one unresolved accident & I am 29 years old. Hopefully when these issues have changed next year should get it down to about £650. But still bought the car at a bargain price so cant complain too much! Mods done 1)Removed Ladyboy badge 3)Removed square no. plate & plastice mount. Fitted Uk style front no plate with no mounting plate. Made piece front grill that slots in over towing eye, which was missing. 2 piece made from black plastic from old no plate mount. Mods to do this week 1)Change ariel 2)Fit 350z badge in centre in place of nissan 3)Fit Z badge on bonnet 4)Try to fit portable dvd player to Jap screen 5)etc etc.......until the wife finds out lolol :o Spent two hrs last night giving the interior full valet. Hope to give full polish & wax on Saturday & go over any stone chips with paint pen/brush. Anyway its booked in tmrw for P2 service/clutch adjust/spare key made-hopefully. & lots

Thanx mate,!!

As some of you may know I hopefully will be getting my JDM Zed tmrw!! Anyway Iv booked it in for a P2 service for Saturday & clutch adjustment so that it bites lower down as at the moment it is quite high. Opinions on the clutch issue greatly appreciated. But after much phoning around my local area (Greater London/Hertfordshire) I have a little bit of interesting info on how not so cheap London Nissan dealerships are compared to what I have read about the ones up north! Asked for P2 service on 350zGT (JDM didnt make diff to price) inc normal parts, labour & VAT. (no courtesy car & no clutch adj asked for). Ps almost all dealers said they would knock off approx £30 if I supplied my own oil. Some used 10w/40w & some used 5w/30w. no6) Glyn Hopkins-St Albans £300 no5) WLN-Hanwell £278 no4) Dan Perkins-Ruislip £275 no3) Glyn Hopkins-Watford £272 no2) WLN-Mill Hill £269 no1) Dan Perkins-Slough £252 & thats with the clutch adj free! Dan Perkins Slough were approx £50 cheaper than Glyn Hopkins StAlbans who were also asking for another half hour labour approx £40 to adjust the clutch! When I rang Watford Glyn Hopkins to say that I live in Watofrd & would prefer to come to them than go all the way to Slough, could they try & come down a little on price they were not much use! I was quite impressed with Slough branch as they said they have given me a new customer discount of 10% & that dont worry if its a JDM they service almost 50% jdm 350z's. Anyway I dont mind the drive, my cousin lives there, gives me an exscuse to go bother him first thing Saturday morning for a few hours!! ps theyr putting in 10w/40w Castrol Gtx Magnatec, any thoughts

I too have been looking at buying a JDM & hopefully, fingers crosses XXXX, tmrw is the big day!! Anyway after loads of researching & asking qu after qu on here the only real drawbacks I could find with JDM's is the lack of reliable Japanese service history & no. of Japanese owners. Many dont come with any docs & the service history if any is in Japanese anyway. This is not done maliciously, its just the way its is. Also this is not such a problem if: 1)The BIMTA cert will at least certify mileage upon export 2)Almost all Jap cars have low miles anyway 3)God forbid it was clocked, their idea of high mileage would be e.g 50,00km which is still peanuts in miles for UK drivers & Nissan engines are fairly strong anyway. 4)You can always verify mileage approx by condition of car in general. 5)If your car is fairly new e.g. 1 to 2 years old this is not such a problem anyway as it may have only done e.g. 15,000km (approx 9,000miles) which is when your first service would be due & hence no need for service stamp. 6)Your UK V5 log bk will have the no of UK owners not Japanese so if the cars not too old, no. of Japanese owners will not be such an issue. Dont get too bogged down with differences in spec between JDM & Europe they are insignificant. You can easily find JDM St (GT) spec ones which have all UK bits like xenons/brembos/ etc. The only real difference IMO is the saving of approx £3,000 to £5,000 with JDM's!

Thanks mate, excellent post, great help!!

If the clutch bitting point seems a bit high up is there a way to adjust it for a lower down bitting point. Its just that I find it uncomfortable as my heel always seems to be in mid air otherwise! Or does it mean that the clutch is worn out & hence bitting point is getting higher & higher. How many miles do clutches normally last on zeds? Many thanks.

Aesthetics are aesthetics, if it looks good I don't mind what make or country's car it is. I think that its quite an original idea (like Porsche) putting the model insignia in the middle. Other wis every car has badge in the middle & model on left or right. Well when I do the mod I'l post some pics, (ps not forgeting the fact I dont actually have my zed yet!!)

If it works it may look good, a bit like the back ends of 911's which say e.g Carrera S etc in the centre & not to one side like most cars.

There is a member on the forum I believe who has this lovely carbon fibre z bonnet badge & z wheel centres. Where do you get them from & how much?? (ps the cars is bloody amazing!!) http://www.cardomain.com/ride/820268/1

Normally though what service should it be at approx 9,300 miles? Is there meant to be one before?

Thanks Mike for excellent link & quick reply Will probably buy front z badge & try & position 350z lettering at the rear over holes left by rear Nissan burger badge!

As you may have read from my previous post I have almost bought a 2004 JDM. http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2493 I just have a few qu's about initial things to do. 1)The car has done 9,300 miles (apprx 15,000km) & I will need to start a Nissan Uk service bk. I do not have the Jap one, though I'm not sure if it would have had a service yet as it has done only 9,300 miles? The first thing I will do is send to Nissan for service. But which one (oil serv or something more major) bearing in mind the low mileage & that it will be the first stamp in the book? And what would it cost approx? 2)This is a bit unrelated but my first mod has to be getting rid of the "Ladyboy" badge off the back & take off rear Nissan badge. Will the UK 350z letters be wide enough in total to cover over the holes left in the centre of the boot where the Nissan badge was? Secondly will the black Z circular badge that goes on the side of the car fit on the front to replace the Nissan bonnet badge? ps I dont want to really spend £100 on badges from Germany. Many thanks.

Thanks all very much for your advice & knowledge. I do feel more relaxed now about the car especially after hearing from other z owners, especially JDM owners. I have now put down the deposit & the car should be with me early next week!!!!!!!! :teeth::D:):teeth: yeaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! Pardon the excitement. I was'nt able to sleep last night till 2:30am like a kid thinking about it!

£16,250 What do you think?

Thanks Chesterfield I feel a whole lot better now that yoy said that. I was getting worried about it not being ST model! The car is May 2004 with 15,000 km (ST spec manual) Imported in 2006 with the garage as 1st owners on V5 log bk (dont know how many owners in Japan) Bimta Certificate present 2 sets of keys No Japanese service history. No export documentation reports. Looks like it had not done many miles, overall condition I would say is 9/10 exterior & 8/10 interior All GT extras inc xenons;brembos;alezan heated seats;bose sounds) plus has what looks like an Impul rear wing & stupidly big exhaust. ???

This car is being advertised as a GT (Japanese ST) spec & has all other ST bits as mentioned. Is it strange that it has no controls on the steering wheel?

A JDM ST spec car has no buttons on the steering wheel, is this possible. Does that mean it does not have cruise control. Is cruise control positioned on the steering wheel? Also on the V5 log book it says 350z, it does not say ST or GT, is this normal? (It does have all other ST features inc. brembos, 18" wheels, xenons, alezan heated seats, bose sounds) Please can someone advise as I am about to buy this car

Thanks a lot Lomoto Should I walk away if it does not have A Bimta Certificate? Is it quite important to have the Jap service history? Ricky.

I'm going to view a UK landed JDM which has been here for 6 months & have a few questions which I would be very grateful for some help on. 1)Are the SVA douments in addition to MoT docs or will there be no MOT docs. 2)Will it have a UK V5 log book. 3)Will I be able to see or have the Japanese export documentation. (including report i.e 4.5BB etc) Will this state how many owners in Japan the car had. 4)Will the UK V5 log book show how many Japanese owners it had. 5)How do I know by looking at documentation that the mileage is genuine. 6)If I do a HPI etc check from e.g. the RAC will this be of any use as it a JDM car. What if there are loans outstanding on this car in Japan or if the car has been declared a write off in Japan. Apologies for asking so many questions but I am a little apprehensive about spending all my hard earned dough on something I am new to. Any advice appreciated.

Going to see a car & dealer says the exhaust is an Japanese aftermarket exhaust called I think "Kibono" or Kaboho"?? Can anyone shed any light on what this might be, is it expensive, & is it really loud? Many thanks

Sarnie mate, r u selling a car??:headhurt: lololol

Thanks for the advice hagar