So when is someone in Sydney going to start a ZedCare franchise??

I could really use a hand installing some bits and pieces on my car, and maintenance stuff too. I dont want to pay massive hourly rates tho, and also want to be involved in the work which you cant be at a workshop.

Any z-experts up for a bit of tax-free income next weekend?? Im in the eastern suburbs.

I dont have many tools, but i do have an enviable beer stash.

 

yep, its called a tech day.....

and its one of the easiest things to organise (which is why I have one every year)..

Do what I do.....
" tech day at my house on this date, pizza for lunch, and lots of zed experts"

You'll be surprised how many people will turn up..

Cheers

 

Re: yep, its called a tech day.....

Its not really a tech day tho, cos i just want these things on my car worked on that i have been putting off for ages. i dont have the time/expertise to do them, so i obviously couldnt invite people over then expect them to work on my car!

Seems much fairer to compensate them for their time.

 

But Rohan, that's exactly what Tech days are for.

Most of the forum guru's are always looking for an excuse to get into someone else's car!

 

Organising a Tech Day

After yesterdays cruise I was thinking its about time the Sydney Zedders had a tech day. Quite often its just guidence from an experienced Zedder thats needed to do quite a few jobs ourselves. Someone to check what we are doing is right, not to do it for us. We have heard alot lately about cleaning connectors,that would be a good job for a tech day. Zed engine bays can be intimidating(at first!)
I unfortunately dont have appropriate parking for more than 5 Zeds at my place........but if someone has the room I am happy to help with the organising and on the day with what diagnostic/workshop tools I have.

 

a Tech day would be good although i dont think you would get the time

to work on more then one car, if you want to complete a major service like the zedcare package offered in QLD which im pretty sure more people need in NSW. It would be awesome if we could actually get a franchise of the Zedcare package offered in NSW where you can book in drop the car off and drive away with happy 300zx.

Do we have somebody like that in NSW?

 

Sounds good guys, and itd be great to meet more of you

Unfortunately, i have a one car garage and theres not even much street parking here, so i doubt my place would be much good.

I'm happy to organise food tho??

 

Proceed with caution

As Chewy pointed out when the initial stages of ZedCare were coming up, there are legal and taxational implications involved. Whatever you decide to do make sure caution is taken with when, where and how you advertise, do business and make statements. All it take is one person to report to the ATO or MTA (or whatever in NSW) and you are in deep sheet.

It is a very good idea, and a very good program, but you don't want a great arrangement to turn sour or go pear shaped because you rushed into it without thinking about these things.

 

Re: Where are the gurus?

Stuff i want to do (ideally):

Install boost controller
Clean electrical connectors
Change AT and diff oils
Replace spark plugs
Run amp wiring to boot
Install some interior panels that i have bought replacements for
Mount my playstation somewhere
Flush radiator
Check for boost leaks
Try and eliminate some squeaks in the interior
I'd like to check my O2 sensors as well

Its just stuff that i dont feel comfortable doing myself. I changed my engine oil yesterday, but thats an easy task and its the same on every car. I also dont have many tools which makes even easy tasks a real pain.

As you can see above theres a hell of a lot i want to do which is why i wouldnt mind paying people to do it.

 

You also can't franchise time.......>>

It is fine to be a Zed Guru, but finding the time if you have a normal job is tuff. After working Mon-Fri last week I spent most of Saturday working on Zeds. That gave me one day to relax with the family before back to work again. Most of my weeks are like that.

Experience and knowledge are great things, but gurus aren't born with it, they gain it with time. If more people would just have a go they might suprise themselves.

 

Re: You also can't franchise time.......>>

Thats right mate, which is why i want to be involved in the things i want to do to the car, instead of dropping it off at a workshop. On the other hand, i dont want to go it alone and risk breaking a sizeable investment.

 

If you don't want to break stuff then start small....>>

Start by getting your self some decent tools. Good tools will last you a life time and should be looked at as an investment. Lets have a look at your list of things to do.

Install boost controller
Depending on the type it could be as simple as plugging in a few T pieces and some new hose and away you go. Plenty of instrutions on the net with lots of pictures. If it is something like an AVCR then leave it till you have more experience.

Clean electrical connectors
Simple. Get some contact cleaner, a selection of small files and screw drivers and away you go. Work one plug at a time starting with the easy to get at and by the time you are on to the hard ones you will be an expert.

Change AT and diff oils
You changed your engine oil, the diff is no different, just make sure you take out the fill plug before the drain plug. You should be getting you AT serviced every 20,000 ks so get the oil changed then.

Replace spark plugs
Very simple with basic tools

Run amp wiring to boot
Also very basic. Lift some trim and carpet and away you go.

Install some interior panels that i have bought replacements for
Do it when you do the above job

Mount my playstation somewhere
I consider myself reasonably knowledgable when it comes to the zed, but I wouldn't have a clue where to stick your playstation. Mine is in the lounge room, since I drive my car and realx at home it made more sense that way.

Flush radiator
Don't waste your time. Take the car to a radiator shop and have the radiator rodded.

Check for boost leaks
A boost leak tester and a compressor are all you need. There is a tech article on how to make one cheaply and most servicestations have compressors these days. Build it, plug it in, then tigten everything that leaks.

Try and eliminate some squeaks in the interior
Tighten everything that is loose and makes noise. Takes most owners months through a process of elimination to try and eradicate all interior noises. A guru will not be able to do much in one day.

I'd like to check my O2 sensors as well
By a Blazt interface from Caz and you can do it anytime you want.

See, that wasn't hard. Take it one job at a time, start with the easy ones and before you know it you will be helping other owners out at their tech days. I'm not trying to poke fun here, just trying to break down some of the fear people have about touching their cars.

 

Absolutely spot on Pete...

This time last year I had never done any serious mechanical work on a car, but between August and late November I somehow managed a complete engine rebuild. There were times when I was sure I couldn't continue but with a bit of advice from here and there I persevered. The feeling of accomplishment is brilliant and almost overwhelming.

This doesn't of course make me a guru (far from it) but having a 300zx engine in bits and putting it all back together and having it fire up first go sure takes a lot of the mystery out of it.

My advice to anyone - get yourself some decent tools and go for it. (Oh and take lots of digital photos so you can remember where everything goes):LOL:

Cliff

 

Re: If you don't want to break stuff then start small....>>

Let me start by thanking you for taking the time to go through my to do list and giving me good advice, and i'll definitely take it all into consideration, however i have a few issues.

The first is a short term issue, its that i dont have much money right now. If i did i would probably take the car in for a 100K service, gold plating and a bubble bath. To start with, this means i cant buy a good set of tools (i guess. i have no idea what tools i need or how much they cost). I cant service the auto trans, so i want to replace the fluid as a preventative measure until such time that i can afford to do it properly. Same with the radiator. I cant afford to have it rodded right now, but flushing it and putting new coolant in may stop something from breaking in the mean time.

Second, I dont have much time. This has a lot to do with trying to solve Issue Number 1, and full-time uni. For things like running the amp wire, i would imagine it would be a hell of a lot quicker the second time you did it, so a more experienced helper would be invaluable.

Its not that i'm lazy or too scared to have a go, its just a lot more practical to pay someone more experienced to do it with me. It'd be heaps more fun too.

 

If you don't have money then why.....>>

Waste what you have paying someone else to do what you can do yourself. Remember I said start slow. A transmission service costs around $120 dollars. You can't effectively change the fluid at your house without dropping the pan on the trans, and even then you only get half the fluid at best. The cost of fluid and a new pan gasket to do half a job doesn't make sense, save some money and do it properly.

Getting your radiator rodded (from memory) is under $100 dollars. Flushing your radiator will do absolutely fu(k all to remove any obstructions in the core. If you want to change your coolant because what you have in there at the moment is past its use by date then great, a screw driver to take off the hose, some concentrated coolant and a garden hose is all you need.

If you want to save money then do the job once and do it right. Do it one job at a time just like buying tools. Start with a set of screw drivers and a set of open/ring spanners. I'm not suggesting you go and spend big on Snap-on gear, you can get some good gear cheap at Bunnings. Buy it a piece at a time. Do your jobs slowly one at a time. If you want a hand with something like mounting your palystation or running amp leads then ask for a hand from someone with ICE experience, because you don't need a Zed guru for that. As for it being more fun to pay someone else to do it while you help.......trust me on one thing. It is far more enjoyable to do the job yourself. The sense of accomplishment will out weigh the joy of the money you save.

 

if people in nsw are keen for a tech day. we should organise one. i could h

ost but im up near newcastle and im sure people would prefer to stay in sydney. by the way rohan where are you in the eastern suburbs?
juice

 

Re: if people in nsw are keen for a tech day. we should organise one. i could h

Im in Randwick North, near Queens/Centennial Parks.

 

Re: If you don't have money then why.....>>

Fair enough man, I didnt know it was that cheap to have a AT service and radiator rodded, and that changing the fluids at home was so difficult in the case of the trans or useless in the case of the radiator. I'll have them done at shops.

Removing those things we've discussed from my list i guess all i have left is installing the boost controller, replacing spark plugs and doing a consult check of the O2 sensors, which sound like ideal tech day jobs!