talkiet

Aargh - I would be all over this and have ordered b y now for my Skyline Crossover if I hadn't upgraded a couple of months ago to an Infiniti FX50S... I can't see a suitable model for the FX50 which is a bit disappointing.. I waited years for a replacement head unit for the Skyline... CHeers - N

It's not that I wish I had, it's that I wish I could. N

I'd love to know how to do this... I had done a little research a while ago and thought it was a complex process with a defeat device needing to be fitted (for a 2009 J50 at least) Cheers - N

Needle nose pliers to pull the old ones out and the new ones just slid in - the end of the wiper assemblies are bendy (for me) and got far enough out of the way for me to get the steel bars slotted in... After that it was just sliding them fully in Cheer s-N

I just bought metal bar backed refills from supercheap. A few minutes to fit and good as new. CHeers - N

Actually, I'm not going to go ahead... Being charged over $1000NZD for a pirated software upgrade is just something I can't in good conscience be part of. I'll continue struggling with the Japanese. MAYBE if it gave me navigation as well I could swallow my pride but just for an English translation? A pirated one? Nah... Cheers - N

Ohhhh, I just got another email from them and it's a bit clearer now and no-where near as good a deal as I thought. $790+$50 USD shipping. They send you a replacement main unit and you have to send them your unit. So it's $800 USD for their software still. Aaargh. [Edit - I read their email again - English is not their first language - but I know none of theirs! - it looks like they will give a credit for returning the unit you remove. Obviously that's how they get their stock of parts to flash the English onto. Maybe it's not such a bad deal. I have asked about the credit amount.] Don't know about the BCM programming... Cheers - N

Heh - look at my first post. I am wondering if I can trust them. I would hate anything I say to be seen as the start of a circular web of trust. Someone I don't know put me onto them and I am trying to get some due diligence done. Their website has the info but you have to autotranslate and do a bit of digging. Cheers - N

Definittely changed... This particular option is to get sent a new head unit, already setup for English... Cheers - N

xanavi.ru Xanavi.ru seem to have available kits for Japanese to English conversions (including Australian, but not New Zealand, maps). Pricing seems ok - I am just wondering if anyone had any particular cautionary tales to tell in terms of them taking money and not dispatching, or sending the wrong things? I'm more than happy that I have the skills to remove and replace the unit - more concerned with whether or not I can trust the Estonian company. Thoughts? Cheers - Neil G

That's simply a photo of using the video input to mirrorlink an android device to the screen. Yes it's a bit useful (are you using AV input or RGB?) but there's a lot of other functionality tied up in the car Japanese menus... I presume those are unchanged? Does this include disabling the video screen lockout when driving? How much and what Android box do you put in? Does it include something like the mimics touchscreen overlay? Cheers -N

I had Nissan plug in and they can't see anything obvious... Their belief was that there was a cable disconnected or broken while the aircon people took out and put back the dash - or perhaps they damaged/jammed something. In any case I went back to the Aircon place and their stance seems to have softened a lot and now they have said they'll make it right. They asked for a couple of days to find an auto electrician and will give me a call. I'm happy with their new attitude so far... Cheers - N

They can be changed, but the technique is slightly different on pre MY10 V36 cars (more complex) and MY10 and later (including 2009+ Skyline crossovers)... Unfortunately there's a cartel that has the method and they are keeping it secret and charging a phenomenal amount for it. (Think $1500+ for a software upgrade) Cheers - N

Interesting... They did say they had taken out the whole dash but they weren't clear on whether they disconnected the stereo/head unit at all. From the clock being about 15 minutes behind when I got the car back it looks like the disconnected the battery for that long. The head unit still accepts commands and I can see the changes update on the screen (arrows, temps etc) and the LEDs on the buttons all work as designed - it's just that the only commands that seem to be actioned are the fan speed ones. Unfortunately the shop took a very defensive approach and suggested it was a problem that I should solve. Only then did I tell them I had dashcam footage of their mechanic talking to someone else and commenting (in colourful language) that it was "working before"... That only mitigated their position very slightly and they still seemed clear that they didn't expect to be held accountable for the cost of fixing it unless it could be proven it was something they actually did. In any case, I have the car booked in to go see Nissan on Wednesday so they can at least plug a consult into it and hopefully at least tell where the fault is. If it's a computer reset or something simple then I'll get them to do it and forward the bill to the aircon specialist place - otherwise I'll look at going through mediation with the MTA (Motor Trade Association) or other legal remedies like the disputes tribunal/Small claims... I can't imagine that this is anything but an open and shut case given the evidence I have. I should also note that when they disconnected and discharged the aircon a month or 2 ago (they couldn't find a compressor at the time - I eventually sourced one), when they handed the car back to me the guy sat in the car with me and demonstrated to me that all the heating and fan controls still worked, and only the AC didn't work because the system had a failsafe lockout when the system wasn't pressurised. So they demonstrated all the stuff working after the worked on it last time, and when I get the car back this time, it's all busted. Damn shame the dashcam over-wrote that conversation :-( Cheers - N

Oh dear. I decided to review the dashcam footage just in case it caught something interesting and it clearly recorded two staff discussing the issue and the main technician stating "it was working before but now it's &^*^*$".. "What happened" asks the other.. "I Dunno" says the first guy. (There are some more specifics that make it clear this blower fan direction and temp issue were not pre-existing). They are going to get a polite but firm request in the morning to make this right at no cost to myself. Cheers - N

Aircon "fixed" but now broken I managed to find a replacement compressor for the one that self destructed and supplied that to a (currently) nameless respectable Auto Air conditioning specialist and after some mucking about (they had to delay 2 weeks until they had a hoist working!) they took the car in to fit it... They found 2 other issues, both of which seem reasonable (remove and clean TX valve and fit new filter drier) but when I picked the car up they mentioned that the blower fan had stopped working and I'd need to see an auto electrician or Nissan themselves... However as it was described to me it sounded like it only affected the cold air - they said cold was only coming out the drivers side vents. On the receipt it says "Note: Blower fan direction not working needs a scan and electrical repair." On the way home though I noticed that the only control that worked was fan speed. It wouldn't demist, or change any vents, and even setting the temp to 32C the drivers side still blew cold air at me. Even with AC turned off, the heater controls still didn't work. So I'm pretty annoyed and I will be phoning them in the morning as all those controls worked for the heater before I dropped the car off to them and they admitted they had disassembled the entire dash to get to the TX valve. I have attached a photo of the self check from the head unit... It seems to show an error 14 on one of the HVAC systems but not sure what that means. I also tried the AC slef test and while it beeps and all the lights come on, there's no action - no clicking, no blower, no nothing. While I am going to make this their problem (worked before they took it, broken when I got it back!) if it's a simple reset procedure I'll give that a go first. Any advice? (Oh, I noticed from the clock in the car they removed power to the car for 15 minutes) Cheers - N

I can back this up - rear traction in the wet, especially turning (like pulling out of a T intersection) is awful and I have reasonable tyres. Unless you're genuinely dainty on the loud pedal you will get the flashing dashboard light of slipperyness.. To fix the issue with tyres you'd need unreasonably soft rubber for this sort of car. Cheers - N

Hey thanks again for this pointer. I spoke to them and have paid $400 for the AC compressor. (importing one from Japan new even through direct channels would cost about $2300NZD). CHeers - Neil G

HI Dylan... The EX37 is the same as the Crossover... In fact they also had the EX35 which is nearly the same but had the earlier 3.5L engine. Getting the Satnav converted to English is either extremely or eye-wateringly expensive, depending on your approach. There are some people doing a dodgy software upgrade and last I checked they are charging about $1000 if you can find someone. If you want a genuine English system you need to get one from a Canadian car and have it installed - that can run $3-4k, if you can even find a system. Basically... Learn Japanese and use your phone for GPS. The Bluetooth is also VERY hard to setup and not reliable with all phones. (It often cuts out) I got a towbar fitted to mine and it wasn't expensive (Same price as a V36 sedan although they hadn't seen a crossover before). It uses either exactly teh same or very very nearly the same as the V36 sedan in terms of parts. Cheers - N

Thanks for the pointer to the wrecked Crossover... I have sent them a message! I imported through Carwebs in Auckland (The short recommendation from me about them is DON'T)... Here's a wrapup of what happened. http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=162&topicid=161839&page_no=5#1306869 In fact - I'll paste it here to help out others... ----- cut here ------ Well, the car is here and the company involved has had EVERY chance to do the right thing, so here's the wrapup and what I discovered.I decided to go with Carwebs in Auckland to manage the bidding, inspection, importing and compliance... ( http://carwebs.co.nz/ ) And initially all was well. Their site is ok to use (They can see all the same auctions as most of the other sites) and I was able to get hold of people by phone to ask some questions.Their site clearly states that you can place a bid with them, and ask questions / request a translation of the auction sheet BEFORE they will place the bid with the auction house. I placed bids and asked questions on 3 or 4 vehicles and each time they details when they looked into them weren't complete on the auction sheet, or the vehicles were missing a feature I was asking about. In each of these cases their process worked great and I asked them not to bid. No problems so far.These are some of the relevant conditions from Carwebs site. Then I found a car and it looked good. I filled out their form for bidding and asked for a translation of the auction sheet, as well as specific questions about whether it had two smartkeys (since they are expensive) and if the tyres were snow tyres or normal tyres, and the level of wear. I specifically did NOT ask if they would pass compliance as they can't guarantee that.. I asked these questions about 23 hours before the specified cutoff time for questions.Then I waited. No answer. Hmm, Oh well, no big deal, maybe they didn't get someone to see the car or maybe the auction sheet was so inaccurate, or they found rust on the underbody or something.2 days later I get an email congratulating me on winning the auction.Wait... What?They apologised for not being in touch with me about the questions I had asked, and congratulated me on winning the auction. They also asked for their 80% deposit (about $20k) and confirmed in the same email that the car had a single smartkey only, and would require new rear tyres at least.At this point I phoned them and asked very politely why they hadn't given me a chance to retract or modify my bid based on these less than favourable answers and was told "Sorry, I wasn't at work on Friday so no-one sent them through"... (Since that time I have received several contradictory stories from two staff at carwebs about what actually happened, including at least one of them lying outright. I was told that the bid was placed at my initial max bid, and another time I was told that they had subtracted an unspecified amount from it since the car had only a single smartkey)On the phone at that time, Katherine from Carwebs said they would work with me to address my concerns so I decided to take the risk (of the approx $1200 direct cost implication of tyres + smartkey) and paid the deposit.I should mention that despite ongoing discussions about whether they should shoulder any responsibility for not following their own declared procedure for handling bids, they remained contactable and responsive about other questions like shipping status etc - although it took longer to get the car on a boat than they said on their website.Finally, the owner told me he was not prepared to make any financial consideration in respect of their error. (Both he and Katherine were open that their process broke down and they were wrong not to get the translation and answers to me before the bid became binding)I contacted the MTA mediation service and while they took my concern, they received less than accurate information form Carwebs about the situation and in any case, they are unable to make any sort of binding decision. Eventually they were unable to even give me a written finding so it's clear they are pretty toothless.The car turned up and was complied in a reasonable timeframe (about the six weeks as specified on their website).It wasn't groomed though (They state this is included - but in my case they gave a $64 credit since I was not in Auckland) The first I knew about this was when I received the invoice for the final payment.Although the car passed compliance, the rear tyres were well under legal tread depth and had LARGE cracks near the tread and many smaller cracks around the inside of the tyre near the rim on the rears. The tyre place I got to replace the tyres refused to believe the car had passed compliance like this...I have also had to get a second smartkey made so I am out about $1000 for tyres + key so I am not happy that Carwebs acknowledged mistake in following their own specified process cost me that money.The car itself, I am very happy with, and based on some similar models locally that are now available it looks like I saved about $5-6k doing it this way.I'd probably recommend the process if the car you're after is over about $20k, and isn't common, but I would wholeheartedly NOT recommend using Carwebs. They made a mistake that cost me money, refused to make any consideration for their (admitted) mistake, and mislead the MTA mediator about a few small issues.Going through the MVDI Disputes process would cost several hundred dollars and I would have to get to Auckland, so the whole process is stacked in favour of the car dealers. Instead I will accurately and fairly convey my experience with Carwebs to anyone interested.Cheers - N

Thanks for the comment on the photo - I was pretty happy with it but will take something nicer at a more attractive location at some stage. There is a relatively common issue with all V36s and the front lower control arm bushes. APPARENTLY (confirmed from a suspension shop, Nissan in Chch and jp-carparts.com) you can't get just the bushes so you need to replace the entire LCAs. Expensive if it needs it (I think I paid about $1500? I've also had the AC pump go kablooey and am waiting for someone to find a replacement - but that could happen on anything. Regarding the cruise control - I have never had an issue with it using the radar following - but it's annoying that it won't go higher than an indicated 110kmh And I'm based down in Chch... Cheers N

Well, I chase around the occasional rally and on gravel the VDC is so intrusive that it makes driving swiftly on gravel impossible. Not hooning, not racing, just travelling briskly isn't possible. Turning the VDC off isn't advisable either - with over 330BHP and RWD in something this heavy it's amusing but honestly a pretty terrible idea as well. In addition the rear diff must be proper stupid. At one stage going across a small ditch the car got stranded on diagonally opposite wheels and someone had to get out and push the car half a metre so it would grip again. My previous road cars have been a bunch of Legacys (1994 RS, 1999 GTB, 2004 GT) and a 2008 V6 Toyota RAV 4. The RAV4 drove a LOT better on any sort of loose surface than the Skyline, not just due to the 4wd but the less intrusive VDC. On sealed surfaces however the Skyline is actually good, really, really good. Much better than I expected for a heavy luxury car. I did notice some brake shudder when pressing on very hard, but skimming the rotors and new pads cured that. It's tremendous on the seal. (For context my benchmark for handling is my Lotus 7 replica... The skyline is nothing like it but at higher speeds it handles more like my Legacy GT wagon than the RAV4. If you can find a NJ50 (The 4wd version of the Crossover) AND you intend to go on unsealed roads more than very occasionally, then it would be a much better choice. Unfortunately they are a lot rarer. If I find one with all the rest of the toys (radar cruise, IBA, Around view monitor, Type P leather and seat heaters etc) then I'd consider swapping over to a 4wd version. Cheers - N

I've got one and love it, except the 2wd version is AWFUL on gravel. Really, really bad. Oh, and the AC pump is busted and won't be cheap to replace. Cheers - N (Christchurch)

I had remote start in my 250GT and it was pointless... I can imagine it could be useful in extremely cold climates to start the car a few minutes before you get there to warm it up, but apart from that I could never come up with a good reason to have it. For what it's worth - I don't think the remote starter acts as a smart key either.... In fact I am sure it doesn't as the car yard that sold me mine sold it as having "2 smart keys" but ended up having to pay for another smart key as they couldn't make the remote start key work as a smart key. I don't know how easy it is to remove, but if it's easy then yeah - junk it. Cheers - N

Ugh... system degassed and drained. There is a small amount of crap in the fluid and the bearing is fine... The resistance is coming from the compressor itself. So they are looking for a replacement pump and I am steeling myself for a significant expense :-( Fortunately the car is still perfectly usable in the current state and the pressure interlock means I can't even accidentally turn on the AC pump, but I can still use the heater ok. Cheers - N