NebraskaZ

Well, here we go. I graduate college in a week, got offered a full time job for a good company that I intern for. I owned a 2000 Nissan Maxima that had about 170k on it. Wasnt going to last much longer. Looked at a lot of cars, and after test driving two Z's (a stock 03 base and a modified 05 that my friend has), I knew I needed one.Picked up a 2006 Touring with 63k on it- burnt orange interior, 6 spd manual, stillen exhaust and Injen cold air intake, tinted. I love it. Everything about the way the car looks, sounds, and drives is beautiful. That said, here are my questions! (Been lurking a while, and I'm sure some of you will make the normal "thats what search is for" comments).


1. The interior, as you all know, isnt great. There are some scratches on the door around the window switches. Any easy fixes to hide them a little?

2. The car has an Injen cold air intake. On hard accel and between agressive shifts, I hear a hissing sound. It almost sounds like turbo spool. Do cold air intakes make that noise?

3. There is a small microphone on the top door panel. Is this something that was a bluetooth that comes standard in the car. If so, I have no idea how to use it....

4. There is a dealership emblem on the back of the car. How do I remove this without damaging the already delicate 350z paint?

5. Finally...(sorry!), on hard accel it's difficult to get any wheel spin. Even with TC off and in first gear, it feels very difficult to lose grip. Not that I want to do any burnouts, but I felt that on the two Z's I test drove, there was wheel spin in first and in second gear on hard accel. I have no trouble forcing wheel spin in my old max either. The car feels like it pulls hard, but being new to a car with more power maybe it's supposed to pull harder?



Thanks guys! Exterior pic. I'll add more once the interior/exterior is detailed.

BRONZEE

Correct the above for you.

Why the heck would you need to wheel spin if you're not at the track?! Best that behaviour not on a public street. And different tyres make a massive difference. Perhaps your Z has some reasonable tyres on it, so don't let you wheelspin without some serious effort.

Why not look after your tyres. We don't condone street racing on here either.

NebraskaZ

Maybe I've been misunderstood. I don't intend to street race, nor do I intentionally do burn outs. That's what I have a track motorcycle for-to go really fast and do so safely.

Simply stating that under hard accel in the two Z's I test drove, I did get a little wheel spin. On mine I do not. I didnt know if this was normal, if those first two simply had bad tires, or if my car is lacking power? That's why I ask. Just being sure!

Besides, who buys a Z without getting a little aggressive on an on ramp once in a while?


Edit: Can't emphasize this enough- I do not condone street racing either. Plan on tracking the car eventually.

cgkp0925

iTrader: (14)

Welcome, and yes searching some more will yield most of these answers.

1. Either replace the window switch panel or wrap in your choice of vinyl.

2. I know my stock intake box with the k&n drop-in filter makes a "whirl" sound when I step on it.

3. Are you talking about the tweeter for the sound system?

4. Is the emblem acrylic or vinyl? If acrylic, get some dental floss, heat up the emblem and work at the adhesive behind it. If vinyl, slowly peel away at it.

5. What BRONZEE said, all of it.

JCITY

iTrader: (2)

1.Door switch plate scratches are common.You can remove&paint.Or,some guys buy CF
overlay covers.Looks great with your black Z.
2.A "hiss" is normal for CAI's.Just the air being sucked in.Turbo?Wishful thinking...
3.That "mic" is a tweeter for the Bose system.
4.Remove the dealer emblem(decal?) by heating with a hairdryer.Use tweezers to remove
the lettering in pieces.Use some GooGONE or plain car polish to clean and seal.
Should not harm the finish.Ii a metal/plastic stick on,remove with fishing line.Just
"saw" through the tape that holds it on.Use GooGone or,adhesive remover and
your finger nails to chip away the gunk.Clean&polish.
5.Wheel spin?Why do you want wheel spin?Whats this gonna prove?
You may be imagining the wheel spin you had with the other Z's.
Go FI,you'll have plenty off wheel spin!

NebraskaZ

Time to pull out the dental floss! Yeah I found aftermarket panels for about $100 each, but I'd rather do other things (like buy winter tires) before I spend money on purely cosmetic things.

Not too worried about the "whirring" noise. I assume it's fairly normal for an air intake (since it only tends to happen when I'm a little harder on the throttle). Other than that, I'm pretty happy that nothing else is rattling on the car! Seems to be a pretty common thing from reading.

NebraskaZ

What you mean turbo's aren't stock on these things? My dad owned a 300ZX turbo when I was a kid. Obviously I never drove it, but he still stands that it was the second best car he's ever owned after his M3.

Haha yeah I was almost positive it was the air filter.

taryon

Not sure if serious..

NebraskaZ

I was hoping you had a meme for that. Haha, not serious. Although I've seen (heard of) a couple of turboed Z's here in Lincoln before.

Blu Hvn

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure where in Nebraska you are but check out www.zcarsofnebraska.com . They have chapters in Omaha and Lincoln.

They are a great group of guys and very knowledgeable.

BoomerZ33

iTrader: (23)

welcome

NebraskaZ

Appreciate it! I was looking at RX-8s and M3's. Two high maintenance cars, the RX8 having a temperamental engine and the M3 that was a little out of my price range. I have a friend in the club and he suggested looking at Z's, so that was initially what put the Z on the radar. They seem like they know a lot, and their cars are really really tastefully modded from what I've seen.

Bmurray350z

iTrader: (34)

welcome and congrats!

resident25

iTrader: (3)

Congrats man! Looks great, I have a Z in the same year and love it. Just be sure to check your oil every now and then, manual 06's are known for oil consumption.

BRONZEE

Ah that's ok then. Been a few muppets lost via street racing, hence us being a bit over-sensitive about it.

It's more likely the tyres taking play here as I suggested originally. The stock RE040 or RE050 will spin easily, if you change over to a better tyre you will rarely see your traction control christmas tree.



Yes, somewhat unfortunate for us that a T or TT'd 350 wasn't an option out of the box, especially considering the R34 was quite a few years before the 350, so maybe they could have. For an NA, they still go reasonably well.

NebraskaZ

After experiencing motorcycle forums, I totally understand. These days, it seems like bikes especially (and unfortunately 350's as of lately) are fairly affordable ways for stupid people to do stupid things.

In terms of the tires....I'm starting to believe that they might be snow tires. If I remember correctly, they were M3's. The only M3 tire I find online is a winter sport tire. (I'm not near the car right now, or I'd check). Rookie mistake....at least that'll save me from buying some in the winter.

MB33

iTrader: (6)

Welcome

BRONZEE

We hear you that's for sure!