Anyone From Nz?

[win4ever]

Thanks Spong for the update on the bandwidth expander. My car is a S2 model so hopefully it'll be much easier to install. Do you mean I'll need 2 bandwidth expander for it to work?

Blade NZ, looking forward to hearing your experience with City Nissan.

Also, what's the usual service cost they are charging? I asked TMG Newmarket today and they are suppose to be Nissan experts? Their service cost seems to start from $285 up, so not sure that's a high or low price. What's everyone's experience?

Guys, are you Stags the 3.5 version or 2.5? Thanks!

[Blade NZ]

Thanks Spong for the update on the bandwidth expander. My car is a S2 model so hopefully it'll be much easier to install. Do you mean I'll need 2 bandwidth expander for it to work?

Blade NZ, looking forward to hearing your experience with City Nissan.

Also, what's the usual service cost they are charging? I asked TMG Newmarket today and they are suppose to be Nissan experts? Their service cost seems to start from $285 up, so not sure that's a high or low price. What's everyone's experience?

Guys, are you Stags the 3.5 version or 2.5? Thanks!

Hi win4ever, I have just ordered the band expander from EDL and asked the guy if I would need two. He said has found one to be enough and recommended the PB2000N ( N for nissan) @ NZ$65 incl. + $5 for courier. Check the website it's quite informative.

I'll update you all once the service is done but $285 seems reasonable. Mine will be a large 100k service and the estimate started at $400. I'll be asking for a couple of additional things done like a trans. flush and plenum clean ( as I want them to see the build up as per the other thread on this subject). After this I will be doing most of the routine servicing myself.

Mine is the 3.0L i.e. VQ30DD.

Cheers.

[win4ever]

Thanks Blade! Do update me how good is the bandwidth expander once u got it installed plz... Thanks in advance! I'll probably be asking the dealer to do the installation for me b4 handing me the car. Anyway, does EDL do installation?

The car i m getting has only done 35k km but seems like a lot of ppl here are saying it's best to do a full service when I get the car regardless. I know we need Nissan transmission fluid based on the threads here so was thinking of sending it to Nissan to get it sorted. Not too sure with only 35k km on the clock, I'll need to change the fluid or not. Any idea anyone?

Btw, really great to c some NZ owners here as it's always good to share experience wif ppl closer to home as well to know more on the services we can get here for our cars! Is there any V35 coupe owners here fr NZ in this forum? Cheers!

[Spong]

Thanks Spong for the update on the bandwidth expander. My car is a S2 model so hopefully it'll be much easier to install. Do you mean I'll need 2 bandwidth expander for it to work?

Blade NZ, looking forward to hearing your experience with City Nissan.

Also, what's the usual service cost they are charging? I asked TMG Newmarket today and they are suppose to be Nissan experts? Their service cost seems to start from $285 up, so not sure that's a high or low price. What's everyone's experience?

Guys, are you Stags the 3.5 version or 2.5? Thanks!

My Stag is an RX250 FOUR S2 VQ25Di (non-turbo). EDL do 2x grades of band expander these days. I'm not sure if their better 2000 model has a separate converter for each aerial, (their 1000 model doesn't) but traditionally, to get the best performance in marginal areas with lots of multipath, it pays to retain the factory dual aerial (diversity) system. That way the best aerial is selected, and regularly switched back and forth on the fly. I did all my original training in the radio/electronics field, and the tests I did a few years back gave far better results with two expanders, particularly in hilly areas. You can get away with a single, but EDL will know best of course. Band expanders aren't technically the best solution. A native 88-108MHz FM tuner will probably give the best result, but then you're likely going back to a single aerial.

Edited June 21, 2010 by Spong

[win4ever]

Guys, did anyone of you take up a mechanical warranty for your car? If you do, which company do you go to and how much is the cost? You reckon owners of a v35 here in NZ should take up one? Advice most appreciated! Manay thanks in advance!

[chad bob]

I have a 300RX M35 stag, VQ30DD 3000cc, 2wd.

I'm not sure how much help I can be on the servicing / maintenance side of things as I have the annoying habit of doing everything myself. I have found however that you won't get change from $500 for a new wheel bearing, I had my left front go all coffee grinder on me at 90,000Km, the bearing was as easy to fit as puting on a spare tire though so I wasn't too worried about the price.

On the servicing side of things the VQ motors are surprisingly easy to work on for the home mechanic, the only pain in the butt is the under tray that has to be removed for sump plug access, it has 183273848 Bolts holding it on.

Personally I don't believe in mechanical warranties, I've owned some unreliable cars aver the years but my repair costs have never accumulated beyond the price of a warranty. I think to justify a warranty, your car would have to completely murder itself (broken cam chain, head gasket etc) in which case the repair bill will be monumental, but this kind of failure can be avoided with proper maintenance. Others may have different opinions / experiences though.

Edited June 21, 2010 by chad bob

[win4ever]

Good on ya Chad Bob! Unfortunately, I am not as knowledgable as you when it comes to self-servicing my cars as I am really quite bad at it!

Current plan is to send car in to Nissan for any major service and have my local mechanic which so far seems really good in servicing my Mazda 6 to do minor services. My only concern atm is with the car coming fr Japan n all, I am not sure if I want to send the car in for a major service with Nissan when I get it or I should hold on until when it's 50k km first to send it in. The car comes with full service history, so I guess I should check it out 1st b4 deciding. What do everyone think on this? Any advice for me? I am quite comfortable with the dealer sending the car to his usual mechanic for the usual minor service but from what I read here, the V35 needs a transmission fluid from Nissan and can't take other transmission fluids. So my concern is the mechanic putting in some random transmission fluid n create a big problem.

Is there any other filters / fluids that needs specific Nissan products?

As for mechanical warranty, I've never took up one so far as well since i owned 2 cars (a Toyota and a Mazda 6). Dealers have said that these are reliable cars and hence do not need it as long as I take care of the car. So far, touch wood, both cars have been good. I read that the v35 is equally reliable it seems but do have niggling minor issues. As it is a more sophisticated car, that's why i was toying with the idea of whether a mechanical warranty is required or not. Other's opinion on this is most welcomed!

Cheers!

[Spong]

Is there any other filters / fluids that needs specific Nissan products?

As for mechanical warranty, I've never took up one so far as well since i owned 2 cars (a Toyota and a Mazda 6). Dealers have said that these are reliable cars and hence do not need it as long as I take care of the car. So far, touch wood, both cars have been good. I read that the v35 is equally reliable it seems but do have niggling minor issues. As it is a more sophisticated car, that's why i was toying with the idea of whether a mechanical warranty is required or not. Other's opinion on this is most welcomed!

Cheers!

I've imported my own cars privately via a friend in the business in Japan, so have taken all risks myself. So far from Japan over several years, I've brought in a 1982 Bluebird SSS Turbo. 1985 Bluebird wagon, 1997 Stagea (sold today), 1998 Cefiro, and 2006 Stagea RX250 FOUR. None have given me any grief, apart from the auto in the 1985 BB wagon after I'd owned it for many years.

Personally, I would avoid mechanical warranties in NZ. I believe that their terms are very strict in that you then have to committ to strict service intervals, in some cases with the company of their choice, and when something does go wrong, some companies do their best to wriggle out of their responsibilities. Like extended warranties on consumer electronics, you maybe better to pass them by. My 0.2c worth. However, if you're nervous or want peace of mind, by all means give them your money.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Spong

[Blade NZ]

I've imported my own cars privately via a friend in the business in Japan, so have taken all risks myself. So far from Japan over several years, I've brought in a 1982 Bluebird SSS Turbo. 1985 Bluebird wagon, 1997 Stagea (sold today), 1998 Cefiro, and 2006 Stagea RX250 FOUR. None have given me any grief, apart from the auto in the 1985 BB wagon after I'd owned it for many years.

Personally, I would avoid mechanical warranties in NZ. I believe that their terms are very strict in that you then have to committ to strict service intervals, in some cases with the company of their choice, and when something does go wrong, some companies do their best to wriggle out of their responsibilities. Like extended warranties on consumer electronics, you maybe better to pass them by. My 0.2c worth. However, if you're nervous or want peace of mind, by all means give them your money.

I second all these opinions. My one and only experience many years ago mirrored your description here.

And congrat's on selling the S1 today. I knew it wouldn't take long, best example I've seen .

[Spong]

I second all these opinions. My one and only experience many years ago mirrored your description here.

And congrat's on selling the S1 today. I knew it wouldn't take long, best example I've seen .

Thanks Mike. We're pleased it sold quickly too, especially when prices at auction have been so incredibly low lately. The S1 gave us 10 memorable years, and the new owner has named it "Zoe". Sadly it will live most of it's life in a shed at Sandspit, on the mainland, as the owner lives on Kawau Island where there're no roads!

I saw an immaculate 2000 Diamante 3.5L sold for $3200, and several other bargains at Turners Online this evening, so I think we did well by comparison. I now get my garage space back.

[Blade NZ]

Thanks Mike. We're pleased it sold quickly too, especially when prices at auction have been so incredibly low lately. The S1 gave us 10 memorable years, and the new owner has named it "Zoe". Sadly it will live most of it's life in a shed at Sandspit, on the mainland, as the owner lives on Kawau Island where there're no roads!

I saw an immaculate 2000 Diamante 3.5L sold for $3200, and several other bargains at Turners Online this evening, so I think we did well by comparison. I now get my garage space back.

Ah ah, the question now is what will you put in that new found space? Opps no, you already have another car to go there sorry....would have been a nice space for a bike .

You did very well with the sale in such a buyers market but it really was a first to see would buy senario. Lovely car!

I even mentioned it to a few friends. Hope the new guy treats it as well and that the shed at sandspit is effective.

I might even see it this summer as we have family up there.

[chad bob]

would have been a nice space for a bike .

Hmm it's precisely this logic that put me in the bind I'm in now! The stag takes up a fair bit of shed space but I filled the gap with a project car and now the bike has to be jammed in between the stag and the door!

Free space doesn't last long.

[Blade NZ]

Hmm it's precisely this logic that put me in the bind I'm in now! The stag takes up a fair bit of shed space but I filled the gap with a project car and now the bike has to be jammed in between the stag and the door!

Free space doesn't last long.

Ha ha, not a bad problem to have really! I know what you mean though, could also do with more man space .

[win4ever]

Wow!!! A 2000 Diamante for $3200!!! That's abit too low eh? Well, that car is supposedly full of problems right? I heard the tiptronic transmission is crap! Anyway, so Spong, did you sold a stagea or what car is it? Sorry for being blur!

I am trying to sell my 2003 Mazda 6 now as well.... it's on trademe with quite a large number of watchers but no bidders yet... my v35 is coming in 2 weeks' time n i'll definitely need garage space as well! Hopefully the car will find a new home by then....

Anyone u guys know that is interested?

Anyway, is there another v35 coupe owner in NZ here? Cheers!

[Spong]

Wow!!! A 2000 Diamante for $3200!!! That's abit too low eh? Well, that car is supposedly full of problems right? I heard the tiptronic transmission is crap! Anyway, so Spong, did you sold a stagea or what car is it? Sorry for being blur!

I am trying to sell my 2003 Mazda 6 now as well.... it's on trademe with quite a large number of watchers but no bidders yet... my v35 is coming in 2 weeks' time n i'll definitely need garage space as well! Hopefully the car will find a new home by then....

Anyone u guys know that is interested?

Anyway, is there another v35 coupe owner in NZ here? Cheers!

We sold our old '97 Stag 25x with 183,000km within 6 days of listing it on Trademe. It looked like a million bucks when we'd cleaned it up, and we were realistic in our expectations, unlike some others there. One guy had one with 430,000km and wanted $6k, which is crazy for NZ. I'm sure you're Mazda 6 will be easy to sell. They must be about the most popular used car in NZ, and we considered an Atenza Sportwagon before deciding on a newer M35 Stag, which is what we replaced the S1 Stag with. Wife was very keen on the Mazda though... All looks over substance, and I'm talking about the car now! BTW, what's the listing no: for your Mazda 6? The online realtime auctions at www.turners.co.nz are very interesting.

[win4ever]

#297223248 is the number!

Mine's a sedan and it's a Atenza being an import from Japan. I gotta say, it's an awesome car and loved every moment I have it to date. Gotta be the best car I've driven to date (although I haven't really have too many cars). It's just that I wanted so much to upgrade to a v35 that I decided to sell it as I don't need 2 car and need the garage space for my new baby. Been asking my wife to keep it but she's just more keen to drive her little Nissan March instead of a bigger sedan!

I do believe that it'll be relatively easy to sell. In fact, i actually would have sold it a couple of weeks back as there's this couple that's super keen but they needed the car ASAP and I can't pass the car up until next month when my new car comes.... They so loved the car that they didn't even bargain on the buy now price! Darn....

Btw, a 430k km Stag for $6k, that's insane!!! For sure there're many comparable cars out there with much lower mileage and cheaper price rite!! A mate was selling a 2004 Nissan Wingroad the other day for $6k and it's around 100k km only (coz she's desparate to get rid of it b4 she goes to the UK)! Who's that guy who's asking for that kinda price??!!

We sold our old '97 Stag 25x with 183,000km within 6 days of listing it on Trademe. It looked like a million bucks when we'd cleaned it up, and we were realistic in our expectations, unlike some others there. One guy had one with 430,000km and wanted $6k, which is crazy for NZ. I'm sure you're Mazda 6 will be easy to sell. They must be about the most popular used car in NZ, and we considered an Atenza Sportwagon before deciding on a newer M35 Stag, which is what we replaced the S1 Stag with. Wife was very keen on the Mazda though... All looks over substance, and I'm talking about the car now! BTW, what's the listing no: for your Mazda 6? The online realtime auctions at www.turners.co.nz are very interesting.

Edited June 24, 2010 by win4ever

[Spong]

#297223248 is the number!

Mine's a sedan and it's a Atenza being an import from Japan. I gotta say, it's an awesome car and loved every moment I have it to date. Gotta be the best car I've driven to date (although I haven't really have too many cars). It's just that I wanted so much to upgrade to a v35 that I decided to sell it as I don't need 2 car and need the garage space for my new baby. Been asking my wife to keep it but she's just more keen to drive her little Nissan March instead of a bigger sedan!

I do believe that it'll be relatively easy to sell. In fact, i actually would have sold it a couple of weeks back as there's this couple that's super keen but they needed the car ASAP and I can't pass the car up until next month when my new car comes.... They so loved the car that they didn't even bargain on the buy now price! Darn....

Btw, a 430k km Stag for $6k, that's insane!!! For sure there're many comparable cars out there with much lower mileage and cheaper price rite!! A mate was selling a 2004 Nissan Wingroad the other day for $6k and it's around 100k km only (coz she's desparate to get rid of it b4 she goes to the UK)! Who's that guy who's asking for that kinda price??!!

That looks a really nice Atenza, and very low k's at that. Good luck with that. The 430,000km Stagea is still there on Trademe, Listing no: 289483946, but the guy has dropped his expectations to $3500 ono.

[win4ever]

Thanks for the compliment Spong! Like i said, it's a fantastic car, but my heart is with the v35 now. Just spoke to the dealer today and it'll be here on the first week of July as expected and it's already on the ship now! Another 2 weeks more.... can barely wait....

Anyway, Spong, u imported your cars in yourself through a friend is it? Is your friend in NZ or he/she's in Japan? So do you go through the compliance process yourself?

How much did you save? How much did you actually have to pay to ship the car over and is there any cost that you need to pay for compliance?

I think I've got a pretty good deal for my v35 by importing myself thru a dealer as the price is lower than all the ones I see on trademe which has much higher mileage. Did however saw one b4 on trademe which is a 2003 premium version done 70k km+ sold for $18.7k which is probably the lowest i've seen. Is the lucky buyer of that car in this Forum?? The car was sold by a dealer in Otahuhu.

That looks a really nice Atenza, and very low k's at that. Good luck with that. The 430,000km Stagea is still there on Trademe, Listing no: 289483946, but the guy has dropped his expectations to $3500 ono.

[Spong]

Thanks for the compliment Spong! Like i said, it's a fantastic car, but my heart is with the v35 now. Just spoke to the dealer today and it'll be here on the first week of July as expected and it's already on the ship now! Another 2 weeks more.... can barely wait....

Anyway, Spong, u imported your cars in yourself through a friend is it? Is your friend in NZ or he/she's in Japan? So do you go through the compliance process yourself?

How much did you save? How much did you actually have to pay to ship the car over and is there any cost that you need to pay for compliance?

I think I've got a pretty good deal for my v35 by importing myself thru a dealer as the price is lower than all the ones I see on trademe which has much higher mileage. Did however saw one b4 on trademe which is a 2003 premium version done 70k km+ sold for $18.7k which is probably the lowest i've seen. Is the lucky buyer of that car in this Forum?? The car was sold by a dealer in Otahuhu.

My friend who's arranged cars for me is a long term Kiwi friend, who ended up married to a Japanese lady. He's lived in Japan many years buying cars and machinery for export, so I'm lucky in that it was all at cost. He looked for a long time to find a newer M35 at a reasonable price, as they catch really high prices for very good examples. The really best grade 4.5 exterior/ A grade interior cars with say 20,000 km were selling well over 1 million yen, even if they were 2002 models. I've been to the auctions in Japan (USS and Oyama) on a couple of trips over there, and it's a sight to behold for sure. Ten years ago, NZ pretty much had the scene to themselves, but since then, every man and their dog are up there buying cars so us poor kiwis with our weak dollar have to compete for those cars now. My friend emailed many auction sheets and photos and bidded on my behalf, but the best ones went for such high prices, they'd never get to NZ economically. That's why you'd probably never see a $28,000 Stagea in a yard here. There maybe a market for say an exceptional M35 Axis, but most Kiwis just want, and expect a cheap car from Japan. Once my car was bought, I transfered the FOB cost to my friend, and he delivered it to Kiwi car carriers in Yokohama. I paid the shipping agent after it arrived. Once it arrrived, it got transported to Maidstone Motors in Grey Lynn, and they arranged the compliance. Compliance (basically a big WOF) costs $300+ GST and at that point, if anything needs doing like brakes, tyres, or corrosion, the costs mount up, especially if it has to get an engineers report (another $300). M35 Stageas apparently are vulnerable to corrosion around the sub-frame at the back, and many get picked up for the slightest corrosion. They then have to be sandblasted, treated, and re-undersealed under supervision. Tyres, brake rotors and pads may need replacing also. They've got really tough, and you can't be sure what they'll pick you up on, so private imports can be risky. I was picked on, and ended up with around $1400 extra costs I wasn't counting on. Then there's on-road costs. When all is done, I think I did OK, but in my case the savings weren't spectacular. Competition and the slow market has meant that there's not a lot of money being made importing cars now. In future, I may even buy a car that's already here. There's a lot of newly imported cars going through Turners lately, and a few M35's and V35's too, but very few buyers. I've watched about five online auctions at www.turners.co.nz in the last week or so, and only about 4-10 cars out of 50 have been selling at auction, and those that have sold seem so cheap.

I know what you mean about the excitement of waiting for it to arrive. It's been 7 years since I imported my previous car, but I was full of anticipation, and kept looking at the photos I had. My friend even gave me a Video Skype tour of it before he sent it. I knew which ship it was on, and when it arrived in the country, I checked out the wharf it had been unloaded to, and saw it through the wire fence (but couldn't get closer). Unfortunately, due to the hold up at compliance, it was 2x more weeks before I actually got to collect it. That sure was painful.

I'm sure you'll really love your V35. I imagine it can only be better to drive than my M35, and I think once you've experienced that smooth torquey Nissan VQ motor, your little 2L Mazda will be quickly forgotten.

Edited June 25, 2010 by Spong

[win4ever]

WoW! Thanks for the detailed explanation Spong! What was your car's grade when you brought it in? So your car had some corrosion when it got in?

Mine is a Grade 4.5 exterior / A grade interior so I was kinda thinking it's gonna be a quick and easy compliance with no issues hopefully. My dealer seems ultra optimistic and thinks it will be cleared within a matter of 1 or 2 days! I sure hope he is right now coz if it gets stuck in compliance for a week or 2, that's really adding to my long hard wait of the car!

Anyway, he is covering the cost of compliance, so not too worried about that for now. He also apparently claimed he got agents over in Japan to do an inspection b4 bidding to ensure the car is in compliance with NZ requirements b4 bidding so hopefully there'll be minimal drama there. I did recall there's another car that he advised me against bidding coz the agent found some rust on the underbody and he is sceptical it will pass NZ compliance, so hopefully the agent there knows what he's doing and my car is issue-free.

Did you checked your car out when it arrives in the wharf on Quay Street? I saw heaps of cars there usually so I was thinking that's the place they keep the car b4 they are complied. I'm thinking of asking my dealer where the car is and go have a peep as well!

Your experience waiting in the past seems to really mirrors mine! I've been looking at whatever photos I have of the car and been going to youtube looking at clips of the v35! =)

With regards to the imports of cars in Japanese auction, from what I heard the Japanese auction sounds so unreal! 150,000 cars is sold each week!!! I doubt turners can hit that in a year! But yes, my dealer was telling me it's getting super hard to make much money by selling cars he won from auctions in Japan as it's too competitive with even taxi drivers going there 2 get a car! Do u know wat other countries are big importers of japanese cars? I know Malaysia is a country that brings in car from there as I would imagine the profit is much bigger due to high prices of cars in the country. My dealer is now importing quite a number of cars apparently from Singapore esp. European cars. He says it's much much more profitable apparently.

Finally, did you get your new M35 locally?