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Post by LandieMark on Mar 24, 2017 18:01:24 GMT
Took the Mazda for its MOT 13th March. Small, country garage that only does MOTs, so no axe to grind or work to find.
Passed with no advisories.
We have had the car for seven years and it hasn't really given us any bother in that time. I've put two sets of tyres on it - halfway through the second set st the moment, serviced it and it has had a new spring, a couple of brake calipers and a clutch master cylinder. Can't complain.
The bodywork is getting a bit tatty if you look closely - the perils of driving narrow country roads with thick hedges, and the wheels are desperately in need of a refurb as they are slowly leaking air. Someone has nudged the rear bumper in a car park and the headlights are yellowing - none of which is the end of the world.
The interior is in great condition and everything works.
No plans for it to go. It has only done 2000 miles between MOTs, but Lindsey likes it and it is her car at the end of the day. Insurance is less than £200 per year so it really does cost peanuts to keep and run.
That was clearly the kiss of death because Lindsey went to go out to lunch this afternoon with a friend and it was dead. Battery was reading 3 volts so I think it is safe to say it is knackered. £58 for a new battery from the local motor factor and all is well. Can't really complain, it was on the original Panasonic from 2007!
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Post by LandieMark on Apr 14, 2020 15:51:00 GMT
Bloody Hell! I am sure I had updated some stuff on the MX-5 since 2017, but I can't seem to find it.
Anyway, it passed its MOT a couple of weeks ago (it fell outside the extension) with a couple of advisories for tyres. I knew they were getting low, but it doesn't do a lot of miles so have left them for a while. A front was flat yesterday and on inspection, the sidewalls are cracked to hell so I am after a set of four.
The MX-5 specialist reckons the Uniroyal Rainsports are a great tyre that suits it. It has Michelin PS2s on it at the moment and I was happy with those. Blackcircles offered Rainsport 3s for £105 each fitted or Michelin PS4s for £120 each beofore a special offer brings £50 or so off the total.
Local tyre depot has Rainsport 3 at £92, the newer Rainsport 5 at £88 or the Michelins at £120 before the same £50 discount which is a Michelin promotion. I've gone for the Rainsport 5s, unsurprisingly. They don't wear as well, but this car doesn't do a lot of miles - about 1500 per year on average.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 17:11:14 GMT
Sounds like a reasonable result there, every little bit helps.
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Post by johnc on Apr 15, 2020 9:50:39 GMT
£88 a tyre is something I can only dream about. For the past 20 years my cars have all had tyres that cost £150+ and for the past 14 years all tyres have been £200+
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The MX-5
Apr 15, 2020 10:35:00 GMT
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Post by chocy on Apr 15, 2020 10:35:00 GMT
No thoughts on changing it for the newer version?
I do like them and I'd have one in my reasonably priced dream garage.
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Post by Boxer6 on Apr 15, 2020 10:43:39 GMT
Bloody Hell! I am sure I had updated some stuff on the MX-5 since 2017, but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, it passed its MOT a couple of weeks ago (it fell outside the extension) with a couple of advisories for tyres. I knew they were getting low, but it doesn't do a lot of miles so have left them for a while. A front was flat yesterday and on inspection, the sidewalls are cracked to hell so I am after a set of four. The MX-5 specialist reckons the Uniroyal Rainsports are a great tyre that suits it. It has Michelin PS2s on it at the moment and I was happy with those. Blackcircles offered Rainsport 3s for £105 each fitted or Michelin PS4s for £120 each beofore a special offer brings £50 or so off the total. Local tyre depot has Rainsport 3 at £92, the newer Rainsport 5 at £88 or the Michelins at £120 before the same £50 discount which is a Michelin promotion. I've gone for the Rainsport 5s, unsurprisingly. They don't wear as well, but this car doesn't do a lot of miles - about 1500 per year on average. Rainsport 3's adorn the mighty Skoda, and I'm very happy with both performance and price.
Much easier on the pocket than even 'cheap' tyres for the Legacy!!
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 15, 2020 10:44:27 GMT
Older MX-5s are just fabulous. Ours was cheap to run and I could even do stuff myself, like changing belts and things, with little time or effort.
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Post by Martin on Apr 15, 2020 10:49:33 GMT
£88 a tyre is something I can only dream about. For the past 20 years my cars have all had tyres that cost £150+ and for the past 14 years all tyres have been £200+ I know, £88 sounds rediculously cheap! I thought the Golf tyres were cheap, which they are compared to £1000 a set for the BMW. It's £135 a tyre for P4S (when I eventually need to buy some), only £115 each for the 18" winters and it's the first car in a long time where I have free choice of tyres. |
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The MX-5
Apr 15, 2020 11:25:57 GMT
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Post by LandieMark on Apr 15, 2020 11:25:57 GMT
205/45 R17 is why they are reasonable.
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Post by bryan on Apr 16, 2020 11:38:56 GMT
I wish the Yetis were 45s - they are 225/50 R17 and a CrossClimate costs about £130ish whereas 225/45 R17 Crossclimates are around £85-90!
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Post by Tim on Apr 16, 2020 11:43:52 GMT
Tyre pricing makes no sense.
I bought a couple for the campervan - 235/50x18 SUV marked tyres.
I got the latest Contis and they were only £110 each.
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Post by Martin on Apr 16, 2020 12:52:47 GMT
Tyre pricing makes no sense. I bought a couple for the campervan - 235/50x18 SUV marked tyres. I got the latest Contis and they were only £110 each. From what I can tell, it’s based on volume sold, which is why a larger tyre and be cheaper. That applies to the larger wheel option on some cars as well. |
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The MX-5
Apr 16, 2020 20:15:54 GMT
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Post by LandieMark on Apr 16, 2020 20:15:54 GMT
I did my best to remove the release agent from the tyres on the way home.
The ride is a lot better which is a relief. It was a little crashy before - I imagine the Michelin sidewalls are a lot stiffer. It seems to grip and turn in well enough and throttle inputs make a noticeable difference so the rear is gripping well too.
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Post by garry on Apr 17, 2020 8:52:02 GMT
Older MX-5s are just fabulous. Ours was cheap to run and I could even do stuff myself, like changing belts and things, with little time or effort. Yep. I had a green mk1 a few years back. Put a smile on my face every day. It cost nothing to run. I wish I’d kept it. |
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Post by garry on Apr 17, 2020 8:52:18 GMT
Older MX-5s are just fabulous. Ours was cheap to run and I could even do stuff myself, like changing belts and things, with little time or effort. Yep. I had a green mk1 a few years back. Put a smile on my face every day. It cost nothing to run. I wish I’d kept it. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2020 12:18:11 GMT
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Post by Martin on Apr 19, 2020 14:10:59 GMT
Jist put two PS4S's on mine. Bill was about £330. That’s not, they’re 20s aren’t they? Not bothered about having different tyres and tread depth front/rear? Is it less of an issue on part time 4WD systems? |
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 30, 2020 21:39:53 GMT
A little bit of work on the MX-5 this afternoon. The AC hasn't worked for a while. I had it regassed by Shit Fit a couple of years ago and it didn't make a lot of difference. I had a mobile AC guy come out at the weekend and he evacuated the system and pressure tested it with Nitrogen (as opposed to just vacuum testing it) and it held pressure. He then regassed it and it blew cold for a few moments. It turns out the fan wasn't coming on so the AC system was overheating. The fan was getting 12 volts when the compressor cut in so the trinary switch was working which meant the fan was at fault. £150 for a new pattern part. I didn't check with Mazda. Anyway, putting the part number into ebay brought up a genuine Mazda fan from a salvage yard for £25 guaranteed working. It wasn't easy to change. Battery and ECU out, header tank removed, PAS tank out the way, all the undertrays removed, front bumper off, airbox and cold feed removed. I had to drain the cooling system and remove the cooling pack mounts top and bottom to rotate them all sonibcould slide the fan out. What a bollocks job to do! All back together and the relief was very real when the new fan cuts in and out with the AC compressor and cold air from the vents is cold enough to give you frostbite. I know people say just put the roof down, but black leather interior means cold AC is nice to have and it is a necessity in a tiny cabin in hot, wet and humid conditions.   |
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Post by Martin on Jun 30, 2020 21:44:54 GMT
Well worth doing. I used the AC on hot days with the roof down which made it an even more pleasant experience.
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The MX-5
Jun 30, 2020 21:46:49 GMT
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 30, 2020 21:46:49 GMT
It's also the main cooling fan for the engine, so it really needs to work!
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Post by ChrisM on Jun 30, 2020 21:52:09 GMT
It's also the main cooling fan for the engine, so it really needs to work! Indeed ! Maybe you have saved serious expense and engine damage from overheating? However, poor design that you needed to remove half the car to do the job! Radiator and fan change on my old Rover 820 was much simpler (and quicker) ! |
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The MX-5
Jun 30, 2020 21:59:06 GMT
via mobile
Post by LandieMark on Jun 30, 2020 21:59:06 GMT
It has only overheated the once and that was due to a hose popping off when we got it back from the refurb.
It hasn't got a proper water temperature guage in any case so unless it properly overheats, the guage just sits in the middle and goes to full if it gets too hot.
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The MX-5
Jul 1, 2020 6:50:33 GMT
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 1, 2020 6:50:33 GMT
Minor ROFL moment, just mis-read your response above as "due to a horse pooping off".....
Must clean the lenses of my specs
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Post by PG on Jul 1, 2020 6:58:09 GMT
Very impressive spannering.
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 1, 2020 7:51:10 GMT
Very impressive spannering. indeed, and think how much you saved in cost compared to taking it to a garage (let alone a main dealer) |
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Post by johnc on Jul 1, 2020 8:42:36 GMT
That was a hell of a lot of work to replace a fan but you can sit back with the satisfaction of knowing that a garage would have charged you a very large percentage of the value of the car to do all that work.
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Post by LandieMark on Jul 1, 2020 9:23:39 GMT
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 1, 2020 10:33:54 GMT
Are you serious that specialists in your part of the world charge only £40 per hour? I may have to consider relocating if/when I can afford to retire
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Post by LandieMark on Jul 1, 2020 11:54:52 GMT
Most independent garages are £40-50 per hour around here.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jul 1, 2020 22:50:52 GMT
Good work! I'll second the need for AC in a small convertible, even in the winter. Perhaps especially in the winter. Having done 3 weeks in the Pyrenees in a black Mk1 MX-5 with black roof and black interior and no AC, I can vouch for the value of AC!
Would love another MX-5. Mk1, though.
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