sonicii

Jetwreck, thanks for the partially sensible/reasonable reply, I was starting to think all I would get for disagreeing is flames.. Firstly, I never claimed this would make no difference or is a bad idea.. just that I am highly skeptical about simple braces making much difference. To your question, if the S2 V35s have the extra bracing, and it makes so much difference, why don't we ever hear people claiming how much better a stock S2 V35 handles compared to a stock S1 V35? In regard to the J30, yes it was a luxury designed vehicle, and will never handle like a 350Z, but there were many, many posts, on Australian forums and US forums, singing the praises of the FSTB and front lower tie bar, lots of 'huge difference', 'best bang for buck mod', 'car handles so much better', 'corners much faster' claims (it's amazing how much the placebo effect works), I already had stiffer springs, and stronger whiteline sway bars, and figured the chassis wouldn't be designed to handle the extra stress, and would flex more than a chassis of a 'performance' car, which would be stiffer in stock form. So it makes sense that bracing would be more noticeable in this situation. I ordered both the FSTB and Lower tie bar, and they had no noticeable difference to vehicle dynamics. After stating this on the forums, i got 1 of 2 types of replies. firstly, flamed for 'not knowing a thing about cars', or 'would know handling if I fell over it'. (similar to what I see here) or secondly, lots of backpedaling like 'you will only notice it if you have other suspension mods (which I did have), and 'you will only notice it on track/circuit events, and not with normal street driving'. Feel free to correct me here, but I figure the only thing bracing can do for handling is reduce wheel camber and caster changes on rough roads or heavy cornering, there is no way it can reduce body roll, or make the car itself sit flatter in the corners. If the stock chassis is flexing so much to cause noticeable instability under normal street cornering and rough roads, when you already have uneven surfaces, stones, line marking, etc. Then I would expect to find cracks in the chassis after a couple of years. As I said.. I am not saying these don't do anything, and I am more than happy and willing to be proven wrong. I am just outlining the reasons for my skepticism.. and a link to a page with a few 'stress measurement' graphs with no axis labels and no notes to show how the figures were obtained, doesn't mean much. Given my previous experience, a few people saying 'huge difference', 'corners much flatter' doesn't hold much weight either. If I had a spare $200 or so that I didn't know what to do with, I may have even just given it a try for the sake of curiosity. Perhaps if someone was to do a few 'blind' back to back tests and was able to determine 100% of the time if the bar was fitted or not, it would be a credible result. - ok, bring on the flames!

Australian Nissan mechanics don't get trained on imports. Some dealers are ok, some outright refuse to work on them. Do a search on this forum for any suggestions. If you can't find anything, ask. A good independent mechanic is often better than dealer mechanics for most cars anyway.

^^ don't say that!! my NRMA policy is due for renewal in a couple of months time...

There aren't really any major issues with this particular type of car, so you really need to concentrate on the same process you would with any car. Get a mechanical inspection - ask them to check for major accident damage/repairs. - unless you are a mechanic or are happy to check yourself. Ask for a service record, at least for the time it has been in Aust. Maybe give vicroads a call and see if they can do a history check, might be more accurite since it is registerd in Vic. $14,500 is a good price if it is a sedan. It's a bargain if it is a coupe (almost think it is too cheap for a coupe..??) Genuine KM is difficult one on any import.. you can only check for other signs that the KM aren't right, like excessive seat wear, excessive pedal/carpet wear, brake rotor wear. although at 120,000km, you would probably expect some wear on these items anyway. I'm in qld, and purchsed mine from Vic.. I just paid with a bank cheque, but I had a friend on the ground who didn't hand the cheque over until the car was dropped off at the carrier in the described condition. Servicing shouldn't be any more than most other cars, they are mechanically a 350Z with a different body, so most 350Z parts will fit. If you need anything V35 specific, there can be a bit of a wait while you source parts, and they can be expensive. But the USA Infiniti G35 is the same, so you can pick up parts for a good price from there if you can afford to wait.

I found the price, but I couldn't find the year? I'm not actually interested, but if somone is, they will probably ask this.

Well, it seemed to get a bit off topic anyway. Feel free.. Why is it that some seem to get so upset when you question their results? I got the same result when I told people the FSTB on a J30 maxima did nothing.. with plenty of people claiming it 'significantly reduced body roll', despite the fact no bracing can do that.

Some could be 'show offs', other may just be skeptics..

You can get HIDs in a range of wattages, but as pv35gt8 said, you will need the ballast to suit.

On mine, the dash lights don't dim until it gets dark enough, so if you turn on the headlights in the middle of the day, the dash lights stay at full brightness.

ouch.. with those repair figures a write off is a possibility.. how much is it insured for? If the insured value is $20k or under, I would expect them to write it off.

Don't listen to the towing company.. abosolutly you should tell your insurance company, this is exactly why you pay them all that $$. As Paul stated, give them the details and the police report or report number, and they will deal with the rest

Coupe will probably be fine.. Sedan would need the guards rolled for sure.

Sorry, I forgot to mention, the FSTB was on a J30 Maxima, FWD with McPherson strut, so I would have expected any improvement with a FSTB would be noticable on a front heavy car with that suspension setup. Sway bar upgrades made a big difference, FSTB and front lower tie bar did nothing.

All good. no intention on buying one.. but I thought sharing experiences with similar mods was what forums are all about?? obviously I am mistaken.. sorry.

^^ what he said.. cloning makes an exact copy of the existing chip code from a working key, so NATS is already programmed to accept that code. A new key chip (not cloned) has a new code and NATS needs to be programmed to accept this new code as well. Obviously cloning only works if you have an existing working key. As for the actual metal part of the key, any locksmith can cut that.

The locksmiths are just scared off by the term 'import', but it is just a normal Nissan key with a immobiliser chip in the key head. Maybe just tell them you have a Nissan with a chip key and ask them if they can clone it? In regard to the codes. There is a NATS PIN which is required to re-program the NATS in your car to accept new immobiliser key chips. Nissan dealers should be able to obtain this PIN based on your VIN. But it can be difficult to obtain if you aren't a Nissan dealer.

Sorry, wasn't trying to insult, just wanted to point out it isn't just 'based off', it 'is'. like some people say the Murano is 'based off' the Maxima, because it shares the same FF-L platform. Where as the Fuga and Infiniti M are the same car overall.

The Infiniti 'M' IS a Nissan Fuga.. just rebadged as an Infiniti.

I think there are 2 separate ideas here.. any good locksmith should be able to cut you a new key and clone the chip from an existing working key. However, it seems you have a new key with a new chip that NATS needs to be programmed to accept.. this is where you probably need Nissan, or someone with a consult device to program it for you. You probably also need the NATS PIN to program it.

I'm kind of with you on this.. but probably because I have been burnt before with strut tower braces, with many people telling me that make a big difference, then I fork out the cash, install it, and find it makes no difference at all to a daily. This appears to be a similar item, but tries to tie the lower section of the rear suspension together. I feel that forces required to flex this section of the suspension member would need to be significant, and a bent metal bar isn't likely to do much to reduce it. But since I have never used one, I can't really make any definitive comments. other than to say that I would be surprised if you would notice any change by fitting this to a normal street car..

True I guess.. a downside if you are into the stretched look... I prefer the look of the tyres sitting flush with the rim, and most tyres do have a lip to prevent damage with a minor gutter/kurb touch.

It is concerning how often some people gutter their rims.. had my J30 Maxima for 13 years, never touched the rims on anything.. even my wife has never damaged the rims on our J31 Maxima, and she isn't really a car person.

Interesting.. they seem to think the M sedan is a 'mid-sized sedan', yet compare it to the BMW 5 series, which is hardly 'mid sized'. I would classify the G sedan as 'mid sized', but the M as 'large'

get some quotes from other insurance companies first.. I'm with NRMA. They weren't the cheapest, but have a policy to beat competetors quotes by 10%. I pay about $800 a year with glass cover.

According to the quote from Chris Rogers in the above link, it is used to enable/disable the alarm.