hi, im just new in this forum. i bought a 1989 300ZX twin turbo from WA for a cheap price. the seller said to me that the car was A1 condition, only few minor problems with air conditioning and heater. so i decided to buy the car from him. i used a transport compagny to bring it to QLD which cost me around $2K. i was so happy to first drive it, but after 10min, i realised the car was smelt burnt oil and petrol. i brought the car to a mechanic, and he told me the head gasket was gone. he also told me it was better to buy a new engine and quoted me around $5K to instal a new engine. i tried to ring the seller, but no answers ... is there any laws in QLD to protect me for that? he gave me a letter telling that he sold me the car for the price as it is. what sould i do? could i get my money back? please help me
i doubt you can get the money back if you bought it privately, unfortunately 2000 for freight? God almighty...
mmm, sorry mate but thats the risk you take with buying from a private seller - caveat emptor (or some rubbish like that) - buyer beware! take it to another mechanic, or ask one of the very knowledgable and friendly QLD boys to have a look. it may not be as bad as you think. head gasket can be replaced, and gives a good excuse for ridding the engine of other things. shame to hear though mate, the thrill of driving a 300ZX when first bought tainted. good luck with everything!! Jay
yeah, theres pretty much no chance of getting your money back.. which does suck but thats the risk you take when you buy sight unseen
nooooooooo, i love this Z but i feel very bad tonight because im now scared to drive it ... i really cant spend another 5K for a new engine ... is it possible to fix just the head gasket? how much would that be?
How did the mechanic diagnose this? Ive heard some some misdiagnosing a HG while its just a sensor problem. I wouldnt give it to that bloke to replace the engine just yet. Let a specialist or someone from the forum take a look at the car. If you have the tools to drop and replace the oil that would be a good bet for yourself. Same thing happened to me. Shit happens. I had the engine rebuilt here and its fantastic now.
I don't think a blown head gasket warrants a new engine. Get it looked at first to be sure it IS the HG. If any of these are yes...probably HG: - go look in the radiator (just take off the cap). Is there oil floating on top? - Rev the engine a few times (watch it doesn't overheat), is there heaps of white, sweet smelling smoke coming out the exhaust? - Pull out the oil dipstick. Does the dipstick oil look like chocolate milk (bubbly too)? Slightly more involved test: - Disconnect the fuel pump relay (it's in the engine bay): Now, run the engine until it stalls. Take off the radiator cap and get someone to crank the engine for you. While they do that, you watch the coolant level. If it pulses up and down as the engine turns, you might be in trouble. Probably the most involved you want to get with testing: - Remove the spark plugs, while they are out and fuel relay still disconnected crank the engine. Does coolant spurt out the spark plug holes? Are any spark plugs "rusty" and flaking off oxidation? - Do a compression test. Tools to do it cost about $30 or a mechanic can do it for you, doesn't cost much. If two adjacent cylinders have low compression, it could be the head gasket. If it IS HG failure, then maybe try this product. I only just stumbled across it, but it could save you $$$: http://www.rxauto.com/ has anyone heard of it? Money back guarantee and they make some BIG claims:
Those claims are outrageous! How the hell is some crap you pour into your coolant going to REPAIR warped/cracked heads? Stay away from snake oil products like that...
Sorry to hear about your car mate. Hope it turns out to be a simple issue rather then a blown HG or worse. Just go's to show that it pays to pay a little more for a peace of mind and seeing it in the flesh. All the best and on a good note, welcome to the forums.
I thought there was some recourse Either through the courts or the police. In either case you have bought something that was not as described, I beleive there is a method you can deal with this via the courts but I am not 100% sure. There is someone on the forum who has done this im sure and hopefully they can comment.
Different opinions... Hey mate, sorry about your trouble. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw. But you were just unlucky this time. Have you got a second opinion on your problem with the car? My suggestion is to go to a couple more mechanics and see what they say. Maybe try to find one in QLD who knows a little about Zeds because you might not have a blown head gasket at all. You know these mechanics, a lot of them talk crap, especially to young drivers and especially when they see Jap Imports. I would get a few more opinions first. Then go from there. How many KM's does the car have on it by the way? Blown Head gaskets aren't a common issue with Zeds...unless it's clocked up the mileage and been boosted over a long period of time... Cheers Rob.
Amec in brissy and Gavin wood on the Gold coast As pexzed said see member fleet at amec or if your on the coast so gevin wood in labrador. Both know these cars better than any others.
yeah but say if you come over to my house and i sell you my table. It seems ok and i say it's ok but you get it home and it's broken, the courts won't do anything. Just being realistic. Unless it was thru ebay of course, and then i guessss you could try and open up a not as described dispute or something. Yeah as the others have said i've hear AMEC is the bees knees up your way and they WON'T overquote something like (oh your head gasket is blown, give us 5 grand for a new engine). Contact them and see where you get to, and keep us posted
I don't know, the process for how it works is logical. IF they got the chemicals involved right. Basically you drain the coolant and replace it with this stuff. Anywhere missing head gasket/cracked etc. gets hotter and the chemicals fill that gap and weld themselves in. It's chemically possible.
The only way to fight.. is mabye under the courts, under the trade and practices act. however because the law is generally state jurisdiction it may have to be faught in W.A., But as u bought the car privetly and the fact u purchased of a non registered entity, means the chance of u winning is close to that of zero, not to mention court costs. sorry to hear that, good luck
Sorry mate but you learned the hard way not to buy a car sight unseen unless you know or trust the seller, especially a cheap TT zed. 'A1' condition and 'immaculate' mean shit all these days. I don't know if you can do anything about it legally but as someone else said 'Caveat Emptor'
