RPMS Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Good news! There's a 350 Z convertible in the family now! Bad news! It isn't mine - my daily driver is still a 15 year old BMW with 350,000 miles and no A/C. Good news! I'll be able to drive the new Z on a regular basis! Bad news! We're supposed to be saving for our retirement, not blowing cash on a stupid car. Good news! Now that Darryl's making payments on something new and shiny, he can't bitch when I spend a little money here and there on a 6-speed transmission or a destroked 400! Can you tell I'm conflicted on this? We traded in a full sized Chevy truck (a real poser - 4" lift with big mudder tires, yet 2wd and not a V8) which had horrible gas mileage and was as reliable as a crack whore, so it's not all bad. At least the Z is still under warranty. I'm jealous because it's not mine, I'm disturbed because it's so freaking expensive, and I'm excited because I like the new roadsters. Anyone care to help me sort this one out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 With a 15 year old BMW? 1990... It was a good year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Heck man, I'd take a 15 year old BMW over your average 5 year old domestic! Cool daily driver AND a well put together/handeling car... The 350's are something though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 I love the 350's good choice. My only beef with it is the weight :S wish it wasn't so god damn heavy. Other then that... awesome car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 What's so heavy about the 350z? base model in manual weighs 3150-3200lbs. That's 3-400lbs less than the z32 twin turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted August 20, 2005 Author Share Posted August 20, 2005 My mistake, guys. The BMW is 20 years old - a 1985 model. Nothing's much wrong with it, since it's been enthusiast-owned for the past 8 years (by me), except that the A/C system needs to be retrofitted to 134a and charged. And it overheats. The stereo rocks, and the car runs like stink, I'm just playing with the idea of buying one of the newer ones. Hell, eight years and 150,000 miles is a long time to keep one car, these days! I'm honestly more concerned with the amount of money the 350z costs. I could care less if I have to drive around an old car, it's just more difficult to maintain my enthusiasm when someone else in the family gets to have something pretty and shiny on a whim, and I have to struggle to keep mine on the road in a bid in the interests of saving money. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 RPMS: The whole retrofit thing is not neccessary. The retrofit procudure for many manfacturers is simply having conversion fittings, pulling a vaccuum on the system for an extended period of time, pulling all the oil out of the system and recharging using 134-A and the correct oil. It really shouldnt be very expensive at all. just my .02 Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 RPMS: The whole retrofit thing is not neccessary. The retrofit procudure for many manfacturers is simply having conversion fittings' date=' pulling a vaccuum on the system for an extended period of time, pulling all the oil out of the system and recharging using 134-A and the correct oil. It really shouldnt be very expensive at all. just my .02 Joe[/quote'] Some older cars (pre 1992) will not be able to use the new coolant, the compressor has seals that would need replacement, and it may leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 Thanks for correcting me on that brandon. Though i dont think that it is the compressor seals that leak (since most compressors leak a little anyways). But with a BMW, i personally believe that there would not be a problem. Technically the problem that the EPA thought they would have when they made the retrofits required practice back in the day, was that R134 has a "smaller" molecular structure than r-12, and they feared that the old flexible AC lines would allow seepage, which is why the new lines are an improved design and have a "plastic" liner inside of them. But i have seen numerous freon changes with no problems of leakage or any abnormal function, with a simple 2 hour deep vaccuum pulled on the system. If your system can hold a deep vacuum for 2 hours. I can almost guarantee that yu will have NO leakage when switching to r134a. But, its all hearsay and the final word comes from the people that actually do the work on it... which they will say that magic word: Retrofit.. and you will shell out hundreds of dollars that may or may not be neccessary. That said, none of you heard this from me, I like having my universal EPA refrigeration certs. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 I remember when they were first doing these swaps and they wanted to replace all the rubber because, "the new stuff don't work with the old rubber". That was probably just the service writers gouging the customers. We replaced everything rubber with a different type of rubber. Don't remember what. Included: compressor, hoses, o-rings, and evacuated the system and oil and flushed the system, and dried the system, then added the new stuff, but then again, I worked for a Jaguar Dealer and they probably would rather go overboard. Even in 1997, when I contemplated doing the swap for my Prelude, the kit was $1000 and consisted of new everything. Just another way to make a buck huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 I am not saying that replacing everying like that is a bad way to go. I am just saying that i dont believe that it is actually 100% neccessary, mainly due to the fact that i know of quite a few A/C systems out there that have not had anything replaced, and had the refrigerant changed and they work just fine. I'm not saying that you are wrong. The safest thing to do is to replace everything, especially on an old system that no longer works due to a leak. And i concede to the fact that you probably have more experience with this than I do. I was simply sharing what i have seen done, and what i have seen to work out well for many others. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nizmo Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Nead Another Part ******* (NAPA) sells a kit for about 50$ that you screw on an adapter and fill your R12 system with 134 works fine and no changes to the old rubber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 sorry nizmo.. But that cant be reccomended, the oil used with r-12 is definetly not compatible with r134. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.