Before we start, I should explain the image above. The TVR is returning for a spell in the lock-up where the Mazda has been residing for a few weeks. The bonnet is raised to cool the engine before fitting the dust cover that is resting on the Mazda. It is not broken!
The Mazda hasn’t been used as much as normal of late thanks to the odd borrow of a press car here and there and the unusually good weather prompting me to use the Chimaera as a daily for a couple of weeks. Getting back into it wasn’t a hardship, though, and it fired up immediately after three weeks of inactivity. That doesn’t mean to say that I’ve done nothing with the Mazda though; far from it, in fact.
Spoiler just about visible
A new (used) bootlid has been fitted, featuring an original Mazda spoiler discreet enough to get away with in my opinion. But it wasn’t bought for the spoiler; rather, it was bought as a result of my OCD. KMO has been treated to a few layers of polish since I took charge of it, but the previous owner had left a load of bird poo on the boot which had eaten into the paint lacquer and looked awful. When a used bootlid became available in the same green as my car I had to have it. The car looks so much better for it. £50 well spent I say, and the paint is now more than acceptable across the car.
While that was being fitted Haymarket’s resident MX5 fanatic James tweaked the brakes a little (they didn’t feel quite right after the new calipers were fitted) and got the car in the air to try and cure a rattle that was driving me mad. Turns out the exhaust manifold heatshield has corroded to the point where the hangers are not doing their job, resulting in a rattly exhaust. He clamped it up as best he could but the part where the most annoying ‘clank’ was coming from was just out of reach. He also noticed some corrosion on the back box, too, and as a result it seems that I need a complete new exhaust as it’s pretty shot throughout.
If any MX-5 owners can help me with an exhaust I would be most grateful. I have no idea what to buy and OE full systems seem costly. I don’t mind a slightly fruity tone but I don’t want loud, I don’t even want medium-loud, and I want a standard appearance when fitted to the car. Any suggestions? Next up is to fit a new (used, again) nosecone finished in the same green and bought for less than £50; this will replace the dented and misshaped one currently fitted, and then I will consider suspension options. First up, though, is a looming MOT, and I already have my fingers crossed.
Now, do I lower it or not?
As previously mentioned, the Chimaera has been used regularly of late and has only been put back in the garage as I need to keep an eye on my mileage. With an annual limit of 6,000, I don’t want to waste potential fun miles on commuting and business. That said, I did spend an interesting day using the TVR for meetings up in the Midlands, and while it seems a waste to sit on the M40 for a couple of hundred miles it’s also fun to watch people in ‘normal’ cars checking out your car as they pass you or you pass them. Besides, when you work for PH it’s nice to arrive in something appropriate.
Now I’ve decided to keep the car for ever I have started to see things in a different light. Up until now I used to spot things that needed sorting and fix them immediately; now I am a little more relaxed. Allow me to expand on that. Mechanical issues are always sorted quickly but a few cosmetic issues are less urgent than before, and there are a few things that I must get around to sorting in time. The list at the moment comprises: Replace wheel centre caps as the TVR motif is wearing off, replace the walnut dash as a few cracks have appeared, treat the paint to a proper detail to add some lustre and depth to the colour, and finally look into replacing the rear screen as a tiny crack has appeared on the fold point. None of these are apparent were you to look at the car at a Sunday Service, even if you looked up close, but I know they are there and I want to get them seen to when I can.
Finally, life with the once again de-catted exhaust is good and the car seems to enjoy the newly launched Shell V-Power Nitro (I’m not sponsored but if Shell are reading this then I’m not averse to the idea!). Since running on this fuel I have a very nice crackle and pop noise on overrun and
while some don’t like that
it works very well for me.
So life is good then, all except for one thing. I need a car with some space, as the bootspace on the Mazda is lacking. Is it time to return to a saloon I wonder?
Fact Sheet:
Car: 1999 TVR Chimaera 4.0
Run by: Garlick
Bought: December 2009
Purchase price: £12,995
Last month at a glance: Regular use, noise, future fettling
Fact Sheet:
Car: 1997 Mazda MX-5 1.8iS
Run by: Garlick
Bought: November 2012
Purchase price: £600
Last month at a glance: Tidying, sourcing used parts, lack of space