350zedd Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Nice job......I'm after one of those pro 6 polishers myself. Up until now, I've just been using Black Hole to cover the swirls and finishing with Sonax Polymer Netshield. Hard work doing it all by hand though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Looks great matey! Well done, looks loads better now. I need to get myself a machine polisher Thanks mate, it is a big improvement but just wish I was a tad more aggressive! Go on to cleanyourcar.co.uk, there is plenty of choice and decent prices as well 👠Nice job......I'm after one of those pro 6 polishers myself.Up until now, I've just been using Black Hole to cover the swirls and finishing with Sonax Polymer Netshield. Hard work doing it all by hand though! I think the best price for them is on cleanyourcar.co.uk, got a good range of polishes and pads as well! I have been doing the same, can't beat black hole I swear by it 👠Yea much harder than using the machine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Look's like a decent job Conor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Look's like a decent job Conor. Thanks Although I have noticed in the sun there are a few 'buffer trails' left from the DA on the drivers' door which is a little disappointing. Perfect excuse to get the machine out again . I am also on the look out for some 25 and 30mm spacers to go with the new shadow chrome Rays that will be going on the Zed when mine sell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Update Finally, after weeks of deliberation and attempting to prioritise what I was going to do next to the Zed, I listed my 'old' Rays on eBay in order to recoup some money to purchase my cousin's old Rays from him. Ideally, I wanted to simultaneously buy and fit 30mm/25mm whilst I had the wheels off but unfortunately this didn't pan out... Nevertheless, I eventually found a buyer for the wheels and therefore needed to get them swapped over with the new ones. Now me being the 'OCD' type I wanted to make sure I did this right, which meant purchasing some Gtechniq C5. I have always been quite keen to use this, especially seeing how well C4 works, but have always been put off by the price tag (£23 for 15ml !). However, considering Gtechniq boast that it lasts 1-2 years it seems like good value for money, right ? C5 requires an absolutely immaculate surface to bond to and therefore the most important part of the process is the cleaning. The wheels I bought were finished in shadow chrome and didn't seem that dirty at all, mainly dust from storage:- So I started with the usual routine, rinse them, spray with Bilberry Wheel Cleaner whilst agitating with a ValetPro brush on both the inside and outside of the wheel:- With this done on all four wheels, it was then time for my new favourite product Trix (despite the awful scent!):- Again, this was washed off and the wheels were taken into the garage to prep for the coating. It's essential with this type of sealant that the wheel is 100% dry, and so I used the air compressor to get the water out of all the nooks and crannies:- The wheels still showed some sign of previous sealant above, but also showed some heavy marring as well The next step therefore was to try and remove some of these marks. When I had the Clio I picked up a handed drill attachment for headlight correction, and so I utilised this in combination with Gtechniq P1 to try and get the best finish on the wheels. Shiney Finally, the last step was to ensure that the wheels were free of any oils or polish residue and CarPro Eraser was used to remove any oil/polish left on the wheel:- Now for the fun part ... The coating comes with four 'application pads' (probably better described as cotton pads!), which they say you should dab the product on and apply to the surface. I found this bit particularly difficult, as the sealant is clear and is very difficult to see where you have applied. As a result I probably ended up using too much . I ended up setting up a little work station in order to try and catch where I had been:- Once the product has been spread, any excess should be removed immediately using a microfibre. It is also essential that any pad or cloth are replaced quite often as the product forms 'crystals' which can scratch the finish! And some afters:- The results speak for themselves, but I am very pleased with C5. Leaves a glossy finish, very easy to apply, and if it really does last up to 1-2 years it is well worth every penny of it's £23 price tag. I was rather generous with the application on the first wheel whilst I got used to it, but I still have around a quarter of the bottle left and that's having done the inside of the rim too! Depending on how this holds up, I would definitely recommend it to others . After I had done all this I left the wheels to cure inside for a little while before I tackled my dirty arches! Predictably, the arches started rather filthy and so I used a combination of Auto Glym Wheel Cleaner and Bilberry to clean the arches and the Brembos, then finishing it off with Auto Glym Wheel Sealant to coat the Brembos (wasn't entirely convinced that C5 would cope with the heat so used something cheaper!) and Auto Glym Tyre Dressing for the plastics:- I didn't take many pictures of the arches as there isn't much to see and shortly after this photo the heavens opened which was not what I wanted . Unfortunately, Gtechniq state that the coating must be left to cure for 12 hours before getting wet, serves me right really for not thinking ahead and sealing the wheels before they had to go on! Regardless, I cracked on and got all four on and C5 was already working:- This was a little disappointing after spending so long getting the wheels ready for the product I may probably now shortened the coating's lifespan, but hey-ho we learn from our mistakes! However, I was very pleased with how the wheels sat on the car - they are big improvement over the standard silver Rays (please ignore my finger in the first photo ):- Just need some nice new nuts and some spacers and the wheels will be perfect . Comments and suggestions welcome! Conor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Great job and lovely colour on the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Nice work, shadow chrome looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirag1988 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Great work on the car mate - looks very nice and clean. Good choice on wheel colour too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Wheel colour look great. C5 will cope perfectly well on the calipers, for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Great job and lovely colour on the wheels. Thanks, I wasn't entirely sure at first that shadow chrome would work, but it definitely suits the car! Nice work, shadow chrome looks great Thanks Great work on the car mate - looks very nice and clean. Good choice on wheel colour too Thanks luckily my cousin has good taste in cars and in colours Wheel colour look great. C5 will cope perfectly well on the calipers, for future reference. Thanks I did think that it would, just didn't want to waste the little bit I had left especially seeing as the car (and me!) was getting soaked at this point . What do you think of C5? Forgot to mention in my last post that I also managed to pick up a set of Cosworth drop in air filters for £1.04 on eBay on Sunday, which are being delivered to my door at a measly sum of £4.99! Very pleased with that eBay find, I just hope they arrive in decent condition, but at £1.04 I can hardly complain ! Not sure really what's next for the Zed, it's really crying out for spacers and other totally not needed (but wanted ) modifications but at the same time it's due a P3 service this year, so I am at a bit of a conflict as to whether I should do this myself and save a little money or get it done with Nissan to maintain it's FNSH . It's something to consider, but I am sure it won't slow the zeditus . What's the general consensus on here, I take it everyone would prefer a car with FNSH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Thanks I did think that it would, just didn't want to waste the little bit I had left especially seeing as the car (and me!) was getting soaked at this point . What do you think of C5? It's the one coating that I've actually bought for my own wheels (when/if I get round to refurb'ing them). Once it's on, and as you've found that's the tricky bit, it's bloody good! It's the same as C1 and C4 so if you want to use the bit you've got left, you can use it on any painted surface or plastic trim. What's the general consensus on here, I take it everyone would prefer a car with FNSH? I'm not convinced many on here would value a Nissan service much, certainly over a known and respected specialist to be honest. People outside the forum might be a different matter though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Great job there young in. Good to see another Night Blue getting the works. Very interesting post and some useful information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 It's the one coating that I've actually bought for my own wheels (when/if I get round to refurb'ing them). Once it's on, and as you've found that's the tricky bit, it's bloody good! It's the same as C1 and C4 so if you want to use the bit you've got left, you can use it on any painted surface or plastic trim. I think I would be quite tempted to use it on the windscreen scuttle and the wing mirror plastics. I can imagine it's going to last a while though, just so annoyed that I didn't leave it overnight ! I'm not convinced many on here would value a Nissan service much, certainly over a known and respected specialist to be honest. People outside the forum might be a different matter though. Something to think about I suppose, quite keen to do it myself to be honest. Where's the nearest specialist to Cornwall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Great job there young in. Good to see another Night Blue getting the works. Very interesting post and some useful information. Thanks, appreciate it Got to look after it, it's the best colour after all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Great job and well written with some great pictures too. Keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT350 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Really good this. Literally all the things wrong with mine you've corrected on yours. I bet it's fantastic to be in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Great job and well written with some great pictures too. Keep it up. Thanks mate, all on the iPhone too Really good this. Literally all the things wrong with mine you've corrected on yours. I bet it's fantastic to be in. Thanks But it has got a long way to go, still a few things that I want to fix and improve... I even saw on a 350z page on Facebook a Zed with an alcantara wrapped boot, so definitely going to tamper a little more So on Friday I picked these up from the Post Office:- My £1.04 Cosworth Filters , which turned out to be in unused condition - bargain! Over the weekend I set about replacing whatever the previous owner had put in at the Zed's last service (OEM filter as it turns out!), which actually turned out to be a very simple task, the Mrs' even had a go ! The state of the OEM filters:- The left airbox also managed to suck in a small tree Side by side:- Oddly enough it looks as though the two OEM filters are a different shade, perhaps two different filters? Nevertheless, in went the Cosworths. Not sure really the difference they will make and I did think that these would be foam style filters that would be washable, but it turns out they are paper. For £1 though, how can I complain! I also managed to get the weather for a decent clean, and following illogikal1's advice I decided to also use the remaining bit of C5 I had left on the various plastic items on the car. In particular, my wing mirror plastics were looking rather worse for wear:- As you could tell they were slightly faded and had also been a victim of some polish flicking up from the DA. So I taped up the surrounding painted areas just to avoid any over-application and wax removal in the cleaning process:- Clean and ready for C5:- 50/50(ish):- And after that photo was taken I got a bit carried away and forgot to take any final shots, but ended up doing the scuttle panel, front and rear wiper arms, and the windscreen surround. Definitely leaves the plastics looking like new! Not sure now what's next for the ol' girl, I am really struggling to get hold of some 25 and 30mm spacers (if anyone could help that would be appreciated), the OEM exhaust is just, well, meh, but I guess a P3 service is paramount. We shall see... Comments and suggestions welcome. Conor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPod Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Love the colour of your zed What did you use after to make your faded pillars better? This is what I am trying to sort same with the seal around my front window looks grey rather than black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Try using auto glym trim and bumper gel. I swear by it. Brings those wing mirror mountings back like new.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 What did you use after to make your faded pillars better? This is what I am trying to sort same with the seal around my front window looks grey rather than black He used GTechniq C5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 Love the colour of your zed What did you use after to make your faded pillars better? This is what I am trying to sort same with the seal around my front window looks grey rather than black Thanks, at first I was looking at black and grey Zeds but in the end I went for this colour and have been very impressed... in the sun and at night it is a totally different colour, I thought it was a flat blue when I first saw it in pictures! I used Gtechniq C5 which is alloy wheel coating, but it is the same product as Gtechniq C4 which is a permanent trim restorer. You can pick it up off of cleanyourcar.co.uk or any other detailing website for around £22 (15ml), which may seem like quite alot but it does go a long way and you will struggle to find anything that works as well! To put it into perspective, I have used nearly all of my 15ml bottle but managed to do all four wheels inside and out, the windscreen scuttle panel, both front wiper arms, rear wiper arm, the wing mirror surronds and the windscreen seals. Try using auto glym trim and bumper gel. I swear by it. Brings those wing mirror mountings back like new.. I haven't used this myself but if it is anything like Megiuars Endurance tyre gel I wouldn't use it on any of the plastics on the car. It contains silicone, so when it rains or the trim gets wet it can leave streaks on the car . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPod Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Ok thanks man appreciate the info going to go for gtechniq c5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 doesn't happen to the autoglym product I have referenced. Best product I have found by a distance for the job in hand.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) UPDATE - POST 1 of 2 It's been a while since I updated this thread and I have been busy with a few little tweaks since I last posted. Over the last couple of weeks I managed to gather a RDX stubby aerial, 25mm and 30mm spacers as well as other service related items (boring!). So onto the RDX aerial... And fitted:- Definitely smartens up the rear and I personally haven't noticed any difference in radio signal whatsoever, it is an absolute must on the zed in my opinion, especially seeing as the OEM aerial makes the car look like it's receiving long distance radio messages I then spent the next week or so cleaning the car and just enjoying it whilst I looked for spacers. Since I attempted to machine polish the zed I wasn't 100% impressed with the finish I had produced, so I had another dig with a Chemical Guys Hexlogic blue pad and Menzerna SF4000 to refine the paintwork a little more... Results:- I gave the car another good clean last week, and also managed to use this:- Of late the air con in the zed has been rather 'pungent', and after a little bit of research it seemed likely that there was mould/mildew in the system where condensation builds up and is left to stew. In order to stop this, the air con should be turned off before you reach your destination and hot air blown through the system to try and clear out the condensation. A week later the sanitiser and this 'technique' seems to be working well so will have to keep a nose on it ! I also ordered some Auto Glym HD Wax at the same time on offer from Camskill... at £26 I don't think you can beat it! I think these pictures do it justice... IMO it's a very good wax, durable, provides a glossy finish and the water behaviour is fantastic. I definitely favour it over Dodo Juice Blue Velvet which I have been using previously. Comments and suggestions welcome. Conor Edited March 1, 2016 by CPhillips93 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPhillips93 Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 UPDATE - POST 2 of 2 I then got a bit bored of cleaning the zed (believe it or not!) and turned my attention to finally getting my hands on some spacers! In the end I managed to get both 25mm and 30mm spacers from people on here. When I got both sets they were both in need of a good clean up and so the routine went as follows. Bath and scrub in some Gunk degreaser:- Once that had been rinsed off, I enlisted the girlfriend to wire brush the surface corrosion:- 50/50:- Some of the more serious rust had to be attacked with some 240 grit sandpaper:- All masked up in preparation for spray:- In the 'booth':- Sprayed initially with etch primer:- Baking in the sun:- After a couple coats of gloss black:- The finish isn't the best on these but it will do. I really just wanted to make sure that the spacers were black just to suit the inside of the wheels. I thought it would also be clever if I used the remaining bit of C5 I had to seal them:- Then to the fun part... fitting them! A few photos of before:- I whipped the wheels off one by one and made sure that I used plenty of copper grease as these buggers love to fuse with the wheel/disc. Rear one on:- And on goes the front:- Some after shots:- I am very happy now with the way the car is looking, it has a few niggly things that need to be addressed (interior door handles etc) but other than that the zed is nearly there . I have also managed to find a decent price for a P3 service down at Town and Country Nissan in Truro, so once I order the fluids, filter and washer the zed will be booked in for that. I have some ATE Super Blue fluid left from the Clio, does anyone have experience with that in there zeds? I have managed to get OEM coolant, oil filter and sump washer so I am now just waiting on oil and possibly brake fluid, depending on people's opinions of ATE! Also, being as anal as I am, I ordered some clips for various plastic items as I noticed that the brake fluid reservoir surround was missing some. Before:- Excuse the dirty bay, I have been meaning to give it a good clean for a while After:- I will definitely sleep better tonight now ! Comments and suggestions welcome. Conor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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