MR2 Roadster - A Tale Of Woe, Maybe...
Discussion
Martin350 said:
You're now watching a knackered old car coming to the end of its life, ha! 
I forgot to mention also, the tyres (which are cheap rubbish ones that were on the car when I bought it) are also getting near the legal limit, and this morning I also had a slightly nerve wracking aquaplaning moment mid bend at about 55mph (in a 60 limit) which sent me slightly sideways with oncoming traffic which certainly got my attention!
Its MOT expires mid-April.
I'm in two minds whether to just call it a day on that date or source new tyres and put it through another MOT and run it through the summer.
I can't really see myself going through another winter with it.
If I do end up scrapping it there are some parts which I've replaced relatively recently (rear calipers, alternator, battery) that might be quite handy to keep hold of if I bought another MR2 to replace this one...
A set of rainsports wouldn't cost much and potentially save your life! Some Roadstones are also A rated in the wet and cost buttons.I forgot to mention also, the tyres (which are cheap rubbish ones that were on the car when I bought it) are also getting near the legal limit, and this morning I also had a slightly nerve wracking aquaplaning moment mid bend at about 55mph (in a 60 limit) which sent me slightly sideways with oncoming traffic which certainly got my attention!
Its MOT expires mid-April.
I'm in two minds whether to just call it a day on that date or source new tyres and put it through another MOT and run it through the summer.
I can't really see myself going through another winter with it.
If I do end up scrapping it there are some parts which I've replaced relatively recently (rear calipers, alternator, battery) that might be quite handy to keep hold of if I bought another MR2 to replace this one...
My friend died when his brothers mr2 did a similar thing to what you describe above, but the car coming the other way ended up impacting straight on the passenger door. Luckily my friend was fast asleep at the time and didn't know what was happening and died of catastrophic head injuries. 2007 feels like yesterday as I type!
Anyway, back off morbid chat, stick some rubber on it and send it in for another mot, or sell as is, no point scrapping it for a few quid needing spent in my opinion!
Edited by rickygolf83 on Sunday 19th January 04:00
tty tyres can and do feel fine in everyday driving. Performance in extremis, when you're properly relying on the tyres...
I gave the old thing a bit of love today.
The interior, being very damp recently, had started to get a bit of mould forming ?? so gave that quite a thorough clean, replaced a number plate light bulb, polished the headlamp lenses again, polished the exhaust tip, washed it and took it for a drive with the roof down, for the first time in many months, until it started raining 10 minutes in, haha!
In photos, it still doesn't scrub up too bad, if you don't look too closely, ha!
Although putting the hood down and back up again did aggravate the rear screen/hood issue!
And just recently, when I've braked from a low speed, a few times when I've pressed the brake pedal there has been a loud whirring noise and the ABS has kicked in unexpectedly!
Maybe it's that the tyres are, although still legal, very rubbish!?
On my drive today, on a damp road with no traffic around I tested the brakes and the ABS worked fine.
The interior, being very damp recently, had started to get a bit of mould forming ?? so gave that quite a thorough clean, replaced a number plate light bulb, polished the headlamp lenses again, polished the exhaust tip, washed it and took it for a drive with the roof down, for the first time in many months, until it started raining 10 minutes in, haha!
In photos, it still doesn't scrub up too bad, if you don't look too closely, ha!
Although putting the hood down and back up again did aggravate the rear screen/hood issue!
And just recently, when I've braked from a low speed, a few times when I've pressed the brake pedal there has been a loud whirring noise and the ABS has kicked in unexpectedly!
Maybe it's that the tyres are, although still legal, very rubbish!?
On my drive today, on a damp road with no traffic around I tested the brakes and the ABS worked fine.
Edited by Martin350 on Sunday 26th January 23:48
Martin350 said:
The exhaust tip isn't perfect, and I started with some 1,000 grit wet & dry then Autosol.
It burns a lot of oil so it'll be black again soon, ha!
It burns a lot of oil so it'll be black again soon, ha!
How much oil does it burn out of interest? Any difference in driving patterns or anything? Mine seems somewhat steady at 1L/1500miles, it's manageable so I'm just living with it and do top ups. Do you see any smoke?
I must be bloody lucky, my 2000 on 145k miles isn't burning oil at all, and i check it every other day just in case! Mk3 ownership is basically religious oil checks and headlight polishing.
As to the damp inside, i've recently put a pingi bag in my mk3 and mk2. Seems to have basically stopped any moisture on the interior or windscreen. Should be available on amazon.
As to the damp inside, i've recently put a pingi bag in my mk3 and mk2. Seems to have basically stopped any moisture on the interior or windscreen. Should be available on amazon.
B_Tank88 said:
How much oil does it burn out of interest? Any difference in driving patterns or anything? Mine seems somewhat steady at 1L/1500miles, it's manageable so I'm just living with it and do top ups. Do you see any smoke?
Mine is more like 1L/500 miles! But as it's not my main car I've averaged about 3,000 miles a year in it, so it's no biggie for me.
I don't often drive it hard but when I do I sometimes notice a bit of smoke at full throttle and higher revs - 5,000 rpm or so and above.
danllama said:
I must be bloody lucky, my 2000 on 145k miles isn't burning oil at all, and i check it every other day just in case! Mk3 ownership is basically religious oil checks and headlight polishing.
As to the damp inside, i've recently put a pingi bag in my mk3 and mk2. Seems to have basically stopped any moisture on the interior or windscreen. Should be available on amazon.
Yours must have been looked after better than mine, or maybe had an easier life, or hasn't had a piston taken out and the rings disturbed..?As to the damp inside, i've recently put a pingi bag in my mk3 and mk2. Seems to have basically stopped any moisture on the interior or windscreen. Should be available on amazon.
Haha, yeah, once you polish the headlamp lenses it requires regular re-polishing to keep them smart, but I just use a bit of rubbing compound on a drill mounted sponge pad, so only takes a few minutes (not including washing the car afterwards!
I'd forgotten about those moisture absorbing bag things, I've got one somewhere, I'll have to dig it out!
Lockdown and being furloughed has given me quite a lot of tinkering time on the fleet.
The MR2 has had a little bit of attention.
The rear caliper which I replaced in July finally got painted to match the other three (sorry for another rubbish photo!):
The steering has had a little bit of play in it for a while, and upon investigation last week was found to be the lower steering column U.J., that arrived and was replaced today:
Despite the old part and its clamp bolt being so rusty it all came apart without too much effort, whether my previous soakings in penetrating oil helped with that, I don't know.
The steering is now a bit sharper and makes the car nicer to drive, even though I'm averaging about 10 miles per week at the moment!
The MR2 has had a little bit of attention.
The rear caliper which I replaced in July finally got painted to match the other three (sorry for another rubbish photo!):
The steering has had a little bit of play in it for a while, and upon investigation last week was found to be the lower steering column U.J., that arrived and was replaced today:
Despite the old part and its clamp bolt being so rusty it all came apart without too much effort, whether my previous soakings in penetrating oil helped with that, I don't know.
The steering is now a bit sharper and makes the car nicer to drive, even though I'm averaging about 10 miles per week at the moment!
? 
HughG said:
I recently sold mine to a friend, and the engine immediately let go 
He is prepping it for track use and I pretty sure he will remove the soft top and just run with the hardtop. Do you want me to ask if he'd part with the soft top? He's in Bromley.
That's a very kind and thoughtful offer. He is prepping it for track use and I pretty sure he will remove the soft top and just run with the hardtop. Do you want me to ask if he'd part with the soft top? He's in Bromley.And yes, if you would ask, and how much he'd want for it, it is something I'd consider.
Thank you!
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