Help and how-to

Getting started

1. Create an account: pick a username, give a real email address and choose a password of at least 10 characters. Tick the box to accept the privacy policy.
2. Confirm your email. We send you a link; click it, then press the button on the page that opens. Until you do, you can read everything you're allowed to see, but you can't post, add cars or message people.
3. Come back and sign in. You stay signed in on that device for up to 30 days.

Were you a member of the old forum? Sign in with your old username and password. If that doesn't work, use Forgot password. If you never got an email, write to admin@sxoc.co.za and an administrator will fix your address.

The site works like an app on your phone. On Android (Chrome) choose Install app from the menu; on iPhone (Safari) tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.

The forum

• Start a thread: open a section from the forum and press New thread. Give it a clear title (“SR20DET swap: which ECU?” beats “help”) and write your post.
• Reply: write in the box at the bottom of the thread. To answer one particular post, press ↩ Reply under it: your reply then carries a small “In reply to” note linking back to that post.
• Add pictures: press Add image above the text box, or paste an image straight in. Pictures are shrunk and cleaned of location data automatically.
• Like a post to say thanks. Edit your own posts any time with the Edit link under them.
• Private messages: open someone's profile or use Messages in the top bar. Only you and the people you write to can read them.
• Search: the search page looks through the forum, guides and cars. Put exact phrases in quotes and use a minus sign to leave a word out.
• Some sections are for members only. Moderators can move, lock or remove posts that break the community rules.

Formatting your posts

Every text box has a row of buttons above it: H (heading), B (bold), I (italic), S (strikethrough), a link button, bulleted and numbered lists, a quote and code. Select some text and press a button, or press one with nothing selected to insert a placeholder you can type over. Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I and Ctrl+K (Cmd on a Mac) work too. The Preview tab shows how it will look before you post.

Behind the buttons it is plain Markdown, which you can also type by hand:

• **bold** and *italic*
• [link text](https://example.com)
• ## A heading, - a bullet, 1. a numbered step, > a quote

Raw HTML isn't allowed; it is shown as text.

Adding your car to the registry

The registry is a record of every S13, S14 and S15 still on South African roads. Anyone can browse it; members add their own cars.

1. Press Register your car.
2. Add photos first. They sit at the top of the form. Tap the box or drag pictures onto it. You can add up to 12; the first is the cover picture shown in the list. You can reorder by removing and re-adding.
3. Choose the chassis (S13, S14, S14a for the late S14, or S15) and the year, then fill in model (200SX, 180SX, Silvia, Onevia…), colour, engine, where in South Africa it lives (province and town only) and its status.
4. Modifications: one per line, for example Turbo: GT2871R. The part before the colon becomes the category (Turbo, Suspension, Brakes…).
5. Owned since and previous owners are optional but make a car's history more interesting.
6. Build story: write it in the box, or link a thread you already started on the forum (the car page then links to it, and the thread links back). You can also post the story to the Articles forum straight from the form.
7. Press Submit for approval. A moderator checks new entries before they appear publicly. If something needs fixing you'll see a note on the car; edit it and it goes back in the queue.

Chassis / VIN number. It's optional and private: only you and the moderators ever see it. It helps us spot duplicate entries and trace stolen cars. Type it however you like: RS13-205088 and the long JN1… form of the same number are recognised as the same car. If the number says S13 but you chose S15, the form warns you so you can check.

You can register up to 15 cars. Edit or delete your own cars from My cars.

Sharing dyno figures

Dyno figures belong to a car, so add your car to the registry first. Then:

1. Open your car and press Add a run.
2. Enter the peak power (kW or hp) and, if you have it, torque (Nm or lb-ft). The site converts for you.
3. Say whether it was measured at the wheels or at the flywheel. They aren't comparable, and the leaderboard lets people filter by each.
4. Fill in the engine for this run. It's remembered with the run, so if you later swap engines your old figures still show the engine they were done on. You can correct it afterwards on the car page.
5. Add the dyno type, workshop, date, boost and any notes (fuel, correction factor).
6. Press Submit figures. A moderator approves them before they appear on the leaderboard, and only once the car itself has been approved.

The leaderboard shows your best run for each engine, so keep adding runs as the car changes.

Writing a guide

Guides are how-tos and write-ups by members who have done the job: swaps, wiring, suspension, servicing.

1. Press Write a guide, choose the section and give it a title and a one-line summary.
2. Add a difficulty and cost rating (out of 10) so readers know what they're getting into.
3. List the tools needed, one per line, and pick the parts from the catalogue so the guide links to their part numbers.
4. Write the steps in the body. Use headings to split the job up: the guide shows an “On this page” list from them. Add photos as you go.
5. Save draft as often as you like; only you can see a draft. When it's ready press Submit for review. A moderator reads it and publishes it, or asks for changes.

Readers can save a guide for offline use, handy in the workshop with no signal. Great forum threads can also be turned into guides by the moderators.

Parts and part numbers

The parts catalogue is a tree: pick a chassis (S13, S14, S15) or the Engines section, then a category. Or just search for a name or part number. A part can fit several chassis, and every part shows the guides that use it.

Know a part that is missing, or spot a wrong number? Use Suggest a part (or Suggest a correction on a part's page). An administrator reviews it, and you can follow its progress under Your suggestions. Please only suggest numbers you have checked, ideally from the part itself or an official catalogue.

Manuals and downloads

The downloads page holds factory service manuals and wiring diagrams, grouped by chassis. Press Download; the files can be large, so use Wi-Fi. The manuals belong to their original owners and are provided for personal reference (see the terms). Spotted an error or want a manual added? Email admin@sxoc.co.za.

Your account and privacy

• Settings (under your name, top right) lets you change your email and password, sign out of other devices, download everything we hold about you, or delete your account.
• Anything in a public section of the forum, registry or guides is visible to everyone, including search engines. Think before you post personal details.
• Your car's chassis/VIN number and your private messages are never public. Photos have their location data removed when you upload them.
• Read the full privacy policy and terms of use.

Questions and problems

I can't post, or it sends me to “confirm your email”.

You haven't confirmed your address yet. Open the email we sent you and follow the link. Check your spam folder, or use Forgot password to get a fresh email.

I submitted my car or dyno figures but can't see them.

New entries wait for a moderator to approve them. You can see your own entries (marked pending) on your car page, but the public can't until they're approved.

My dyno figures aren't on the leaderboard.

Both the dyno run and the car must be approved. If your car is still waiting, the figures stay hidden until it is.

I've changed engine since my dyno run.

Open your car and edit the engine shown next to that run, then press Save. Add a new run for the new engine.

A photo won't upload.

Use JPEG, PNG, GIF or WebP files up to 12 MB each. If it still fails, try a smaller picture and tell us at admin@sxoc.co.za.

I want something removed, or someone is behaving badly.

Edit or delete your own content yourself. For anything else message a moderator or email admin@sxoc.co.za.

Still stuck? Email admin@sxoc.co.za and we'll help.