Emperor Ming

Checked the user manual that I down loaded from here and that gave the code of the platinum plug. Checked with several retailers both on line and local traders and they all listed the platinum plug. Bought the platinum plug and only when I checked what was coming out did I realise that it was the iridium plug. It was not a concious 'I will swop those for these ' thing Ming the Sorted

Plenum on and earthing kit re routed. Alarm box hidden and a little clean to make me feel better. All back together Ming the satisfied AND In front.

Ming I'm obviously not a mod but I couldn't see any prob with doing a guide - I'm sure that any addition like that would only be appreciated by all. Apologies if I'm stepping on toes here mods, I won't be offended if I've said the wrong thing and you've got to slap me into order!!! I'd agree Ming. Especially since it's still under debate if a Zed has HT leads!! Pictures will be very useful. Good luck with it, sounds like, hmmm, fun! Hi mate Well its all done. The plugs I took out were about done in my opinion. The tip was shorter and not so well shaped. I am sure they would have lasted a while long but why risk it. The job was more awkward than difficult and having done it once it would be a fair bit easier the next time. As for HT leads. Nope none of those on the Zed. Each plug has its own coil pack which sits directly on top of the plug cap and is fed by two wires via a small connector. The write up is done and has pics. I even celibrated by waxing the car AGAIN. thats 4 waxes in a month now!! Ran out of time and finished in the dark Ming the Hand Sore

Changing the plugs is not difficult but it is fiddly slightly awkward and time consuming. To get to the plugs there are several items that need to be removed. The strut brace, front cover and intake tubing. Strut Brace Loosen off the two locking bolts - 24mm spanner - (They both turn the same way as one end is a reverse thread.) then back off the strut brace tensioner. Turn this a few times to loosen off the brace and then undo the three nuts and one bolt on each end of the strut brace and lift the brace off. If you dont back the tensioner off first the brace pushes itself onto the stud each end and wont pull off!! - I know I did it!! With the strut brace off taking off the front cover is only 4, 8mm bolts and the intake tube is one bolt on top of the plenum and two jubilee clips Now comes the awkward bit. Each plug has its own individual coil pack on the top of the plug cap. This is bolted to the rocker cover with an 8mm bolt and gets its power from two wires connected to the pack by a simple click on connector. Fortunately it is quite a big connector and easy enough to get off with a little squeeze. The easy way to do it is to remove the bolt that holds the coil pack to the rocker, pull up the coil pack and release the connector. the coil pack can now be removed whilst the plug is replaced. The back plug on the right hand bank - as you look at the car from the front - and the middle plug on the other bank have small brackets that get in the way of removal. The one covering the back plug can be bent out of the way enough to remove the coil pack but the other one has to be removed. (Only one bolt and easy to get to) As you are removing the plugs there are several parts of the wiring loom that seem to be in the way but gently pulling them to one side or the other allows the items to be removed. I replaced the iridium tipped plugs with platinum tipped ones for no other reason than they were the ones that all the books recommended for standard useage. The plugs I took out - after 22000 miles - were still in good order but showing definate signs of wear. My car had seemed ever so slightly rough on tick over and this seems to have cleared up but it is too early to say for certain. Allow a couple of hours for the first time and get yourself a 24mm spanner, a small plug socket with a decent extension and a normal tool kit and its a job any half competant spanner man can tackle. Ming the Smooth running

The do do some work on the surface but to fully flat and polish a surface prior to painting it on EVERY item they do would require another half a dozen staff!!!!!!! What do you expect for £45. Trust me the results are every bit as good as anything you could buy from the states and half the price!! Ming the satisfied

David I know they say that and I am sure its right but for the sake of £50 I am going to do it. Unless i had had the car from new there is always the possibility - no matter how slight - that the mileage was not 100% and it is not as if it is a £300 job! We only need to do the oil every xxxxxx miles but I do it at least twice a year just so I am happy. In the overall scheme of things £50 aint much so what the hell. Its an excuse to get my tools out Will let you all know how it goes. Ming the Ready

Mods Is it worth doing a step by step guide for replacing the plugs?? Can take a few pics and stuff if its a yes. Not shy of the old key board either!! Ming the Offerer

I am going to change the plugs, oil and filter on the car today and then put on the new plenum. Has anyone on here done the plugs before? Any short cuts or bits to avoid or is it pretty straight forward?? Any help appreciated. PS Plugs work out at £10 each. Ouch. Found one site on line that sold them at £8 (all the rest were £10) but my local Motor spares place is VERY helpful and worth the extra couple of quid for the service they provide. Nothing is too much trouble and they are ALWAYS very busy. I ordered the plugs half an hour ago and they will be in the shop for 2:30pm. Beat that!! Filter was £5. I am going to get a good quality semi synthetic 5-30 weight oil. have not deided which make yet. Ming the Grease Monkey

You shouldn't get orange peel on a powdercoat Was that just normal paint? Trust me its powder coat. I collected it from the oven!!!!!!!!! I have been using this firm for three years now and it is a POWDER COATING firm!!!! Dependant on the powder used and the quality of the metal coated - look at the surface of your plenum - the surface COULD looked slightly rippled no matter what you use. All i can say is "Wait until you see it in the flesh!!!!!!!!" Ming the happy Hmmm, am now rethinking the powder coating route if there's the possibility of it not looking perfect. Just deciding on that final Kolor...... HINT. LOL Hint received I thought you said you were not going down the powder coat route anyway House of Kolor eh?? That should be good they have some Wicked colours?? Good man! Ming hte Interested For those reading this and now thinking that Powder Coating is crap let me try and explain. The finish of any 'painted' or 'coated' product depends on the surface underneath. If the surface is as rough as a bagers arse the no matter how well you paint it its gonna look rough. If the surface is glass smooth then its gonna look good with Halfrauds special and 10 minutes in the garage. Powder coating is put on with an electric charge and there for has a very even coating. It is then baked in an oven to set the paint. Dependant on colour there are several coats that go on giving a nice even and THICK coat. It is also much tougher than normal paint. It cleans much more easily and therefore is ideal for engine parts - dependant on heat of course, you could not powder coat a TURBO or an exhaust pipe as it only goes on at about 170 to 190 degrees and both those items get hotter than that - as well as other items. I had parts on my GTO that were chrome effect and they were on there 2 1/2 years when I sold the car to no detriment what so ever. I did over 20,000 miles in that time. For those still not convinced then either 1. Wait and see! 2. Use tinned stuff! 3. Look on the GTO site and see what they say about powder coating! 4. Leave your ally stuff looking old and haggard! The reason I say this is that at present i am borrowing a plenum to do mine and Vals but if I can source one I will be able to do exchange plenums, powder coated to a decent choice of colours for £45 plus postage. I get this price as the powder coaters are friends of mine and do it at almost cost to me. To give an example of thier commitment to quality some stuff they did over 6 months ago for a friend of mine has tarnished. We don't know why it just has so they are taking it all back and re doing it for FREE! Just a thought!! Ming the Helpful

You shouldn't get orange peel on a powdercoat Was that just normal paint? Trust me its powder coat. I collected it from the oven!!!!!!!!! I have been using this firm for three years now and it is a POWDER COATING firm!!!! Dependant on the powder used and the quality of the metal coated - look at the surface of your plenum - the surface COULD looked slightly rippled no matter what you use. All i can say is "Wait until you see it in the flesh!!!!!!!!" Ming the happy

Cheeky!! That I think you will find is the reflection of the bubble wrap!! Trust me the photo's DO NOT do it justice. Its BETTER in the flesh!! Other bits went down today!! Do you wanna know what?? Gonna look top notch mate!!!! Strut mounts anyone!! He He He Ming the thought provoking

Went down this morning and guess what . . . . They CAN match the blue!!!!!!!!!!!! I should have the cover on by the weekend as I am not now at work until Monday morning (Have you seen the forecast ) so I will get yours in ASAP. I will PM you with the details later. Mrs Ming wanted Candy Apple Red but I reckon GM and Purple will look the mutts nuts!! Can't wait to start the bling thing!! Ming the Happy

I would say this is BOLLOX. If I lend you something and you break or damage it then its your fault and you fix it. Once the car is with the dealer/mechanic/garage etc its in thier car and on their insurance. If it gets left on their forecourt and some chimp opens a door into it then I reckon its down to them to fix it! I would definately pursue them for costs!! Ming the Considered

I like the Cayenne. have done so since it came out. Change the colour to a deep plum metallic or a british racing green or similar and it would look a different bolide entirely. Yes please one for Mr Ming I wish!! Can you imagine sat at the lights knowing and i mean KNOWING that just about anything next to you is going to get anhilliated by a 4x4. Fun Fun Fun Ming the impressed

No probs mate. Nice to be able to help. Cheers Ming the Happy

Just a quick pic as I only picked it up this afternoon but how about this Ming the Bling man

Consider this. A police officer is classed as a professional witness. Two officers stood by the side of the road see a car fly past. Both agree that it is considerably over the speed limit- shall we say 50 in a 30 - and locate the driver and report him. One corroborates the other and the matter could go to court! Its no different than two officers seeing a disq driver and later presenting him to court. Its their evidence. I did the later a couple of weeks ago and he went to jail. Ming the Helpful

My car was similar Base model with lots of little upgrades including leather, mud flaps, upgraded exhaust and a 12 month guarantee with 22,000 on the clock It is a 52 plate 03 car and cost 15,500 taxed, tested and keys in my hand. Buds just cos the book says they exist doesn't mean they do mate. I looked real long and real hard before I spent my folding and all the stuff in the 16k bracket was either VERY high mileage of JDM??The english cars are 1500 to 2000 more pricey than the JDM cars for the same thing but some still have a bit of Nissan warranty on them. the early ones already have three salty winters on them though. michaelwr Dude i didn't mean to scare you but I have a little experience of the JDM auctions and i have a friend who has imported several himself. Personally i would not touch an R car unless it has had a full independant inspection. You are spending a LOT of money on a car that has had a resonable shunt at some stage. It could be just a wing or rear quarter but find out first and DONT trust Bonsais word on what it was. find paper and try to confirm it!! Good luck mate Ming the VERY Cautious

Don't let it put you off mate. A few dealers are spoiling it for most of the others. If it has an auction score of 4, 4.5 or 5 then it will be a very good conditioned car with guaranteed mileage and at a FAIR price. IMHO anything under 14.5k for a manual or a bit less for a tiptronic needs VERY careful inspection and consideration before purchase. Ming the thought provoking

Again not 100% on this but forces tend to err on the side of caution. (The limit for drink driving is 34 but all forces that I know of do not prosecute under 40) Therefore they may set a specific distance before they prosecute. Do someone a serious damage though and they will take you for speeding over a foot and a half mate Hope this help Ming the Lawman

Hi Mate Speeding is not my forte as I spend most of my time in drug enforcement but I would suggest the following. ALL police cars can be used for speed enforcement. All that is needed is for the officer to get the speedometer calibrated. Traffic cars have this done automatically but normal Pandas do not so they would have to get the speedo calibrated AFTERWARDS!! Lets assume it was a traffic car - most panda drivers would not bother on the motorway with speeding unless there were TWO officers in the car as one corroborates the other and both are corroborated by the speedo - then its speedo is callibrated. Rather than giving a snap shot of the speed as in "You were doing 96.2mph" They prefer to say that you averaged "96 mph over .... distance" It may well be that the distance between the two bridges is already well known and used regularly. If they were claiming 76 mph I would say you had a chance of arguing it but 96 could be a problem. I would be tempted to ask to see proof of speed and see what they provide. If it is note 100% reliable then offer the fact that in your opinion you were actually just under 86. This is normally the difference between court and a fixed penalty which is the difference between 3 and £80 and more points and big fine AND potentially a DISQUALIFICATION!!!!!!!!!! If the evidence is all over the shop then plead not out and let them PROVE your speed. If it gets to court and the trial starts and you have not been provided with the proof of calibration etc then any evidence of the speeds claimed is out of the window as the right to a fair trial states that you as the defendant are entitled to a copy of ALL the evidence. They cannot produce any evidence that you have not had copies of!! It is all a bit of a gamble and if it gets to the stage where they are offering to deal with it by way of ticket I would snap their hand off personally. Just my Ramblings Ming the Official

When I saw the price I feared that this was an R car. Having perused the auction sites I could not see any other way a car like this could be so cheap. An R on the auction sheet means SERIOUS damage. Bonsai will have picked this car up for small change hence the price to you. My advice would be to spend a little of what you are saving on a proper inspection - RAC, AA or similar - and ask to see the auction sheet as it should document the damage. Be careful mate or you may get a BIG shock when it comes around to MOT time. An R is, I believe, equivalent to an insurance write off in this country. Do you want a 155mph insurance write off. CHECK CHECK CHECK and CHECK once more before you part with a serious wedge of money!! I personally would not want an R car unless I bought it damaged and oversaw the repairs. Just my thoughts Ming the - very - cautious.

Can we add one to the vote at the top "Utter tosser and would love to meet him in a dark alley" I for one would be happy to do the above. Apparently he is now a little fat FUC*ER!! LOL Ming the Annoyed

Hi Guys Two things here. He regularly comes into the restaurant that Mrs Ming works at and you are right- he's a Knob!! Secondly 4 months of a 15 month sentence is standard. Ne special deals there. It goes like this. Any sentence uder 4 years is AUTOMATICALLY cut in half for good behaviour - its almost impossible not to be classed as of good behaviour - and a half of the remaining half is served on TAG Therefore 16 months = 4 months inside, 4 months free but on tag and 8 months FREE!! This goes for everybody from peadophiles to arseh*les and wifebeaters through to cocky little sh*ts like Hameed Ming the Annoyed

Come on guys back on topic eh!! Micheal Hi mate I bought my Zed as a landed car and as such the price was on the Windscreen like any other dealers car. I also imported a car a couple of years ago and I had no hidden costs at all. I contacted the importer and he showed me photo's of the car as it went through auction. He told me what it would cost on the road inthe Uk and that was what I was asked to pay. There were a few small niggles when I saw the car and we haggled a price a couple of hundred LESS than the asking price I would guess from the price that your car is a base model - like mine - but probably a tip-tronic. What grade did it go through the auction at. I have been checking auction prices and yen exchange rates a bit recently and your car does seem VERY cheap. There are a few sites that will show you what to expect cost wise for auction purchase, auction to ship and on board price, docking fees and SVA etc as well as other stuff. To get you a car at £13500 you have done REAL well and I would be very interested to see the condition of the car. Well done mate if it is as good as it sounds you have a superb deal. Good luck Richard