Jesters Collection - Mazda 3MPS/RX8 R3/RX7/MINI Cooper S

[Jester86]

As with all things, it is only really an issue if you don't want to reach into your pocket and get it fixed. If I properly gel with the car and fancy getting it back to some glory then I'll strap myself in for the long haul. It seems a waste of a lovely specced car to not save it from the scrapper.

Oh the MG's definitely look so much better than the OEM wheels even if you cannot tell the weight save!

I'll definitely try and price up the R56 Cooper S upgrade as well. Will see what comes out trumps as I definitely want to ditch the standard R53 brakes as soon as possible.

[Jester86]

Mini

Mini collection day has happened!



Initial thoughts on the drive home.

1. Surprisingly refined on the motorway. Drove the whole way home with no radio on to just listen to the car. Didn't hear any crazy clunks, bangs or other noises. Suspension is firm without being too bad. Interior had very little rattles or noises. Not bad for a car that is around 18 years old.

2. Pops off the Milltek are very naughty without being obnoxious.

3. Needs more supercharger noises.

4. Brakes are absolutely horrendous. To the extent I am pretty sure the fronts are grinding and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Front discs are definitely being scored.

The car was also showing symptoms of a slight misfire. Now I was already told this by the seller and had ordered an OEM coilpack and Magnecore HT leads to bang straight on.



Took the car for a little drive to try and force the misfire but so far was not able to replicate. So hopefully the above has sorted that.

As luck would have it on one of the Mini Facebook for sale groups, someone was selling a complete front R56 brake upgrade for the R53. Which should today be winging its way to me. The kit includes; Brand new calipers, discs, pads and brake lines and used pad carriers, for the princely sum of £250.

RX7

So the day after picking up the Mini it was Go Japan! at Brands Hatch. So in addition to picking up the car and fitting goodies I managed to throw a bucket of water over the sexy yellowness and get her ready.

The day was excellent, the show was busy and I was parked with fellow rotaries of the RX8 Owners Club.





Parked next to an early FD. Such a good looking car the FD in early or late guise.

The club actually won best presented club stand which was a nice surprise. Will be back next year!

[Jester86]

Mini Cooper S

Mini heavy update this one as I have been getting down to busiess We have a mixed update ahead.

Second hand Orranje airbox has been purchased along with the R56 front brake setup.





It basically has an extra air inlet feed from the scuttle into the K&N filter. The filter needs a clean and so far I have given it a good rinse and gentle scrub,with a K&N degreaser and oil coming tomorrow.



Brakes and things!

So yesterday I started to take the mini apart a little bit. To get to know her a little and to get started on the airbox install.



Standard airbox lid off with a quick hoover and exposing the plastic scuttle which needs a cheeky trim.



Carried out some of that super high tech paper aided design. B indicating the bottom so I don't get it round the wrong way



One trip to Toolstation for a 76mm holesaw later.......then in we go for some minor trimming.



Managed not to take a brake line out.



In she goes and just to show that I didn't complete balls it up. Please see the next photo.



You can see the air inlet poking through! Huzzah. Now just waiting for a clean and oiled filter before proper reinstallation.

While having a good poke around I noticed a breather from the valve cover to the induction pipe was starting to split.



So I decided to whip the intercooler off to have a good poke and prod.



Amazingly it doesn't seem to be a pipe that is easy to get hold of new and there are no aftermarket items. So I measured the internal diameter of the pipe and ordered some 12mm ID silicon pipe and I'll make my own and install with jubilee clips and not those horrible things they fit as standard. The pipe goes into the valve cover on the right hand side.

Now onto the less fun part of the update.

I wanted to explore the brakes and to check everything out as I really wanted to carry out the caliper change and brake bleed myself. So spaceship mode was activated.





Really easy car to get onto stands. Using a method by Mod a Mini, the wood method

So the bad news is, the front brakes are literally about to become metal on metal. This is what is left of the front pad wear sensor. Having a quick look it seems to be an easy thing to change.



The real show stopped however was this....



The passenger side rear caliper has either never had a bleed nipple installed (very unlikely) Or it has sheared expertly inside the caliper. This caused me to hit the stop button. I am not keen on having to try and do this on my drive, as what else may lie under the surface. So I might differ to a friends garage to help me out.

In other news I had noticed the drivers side foglight not being in line with the bumper. So I took the arch trim out, which someone has banged extra self tappers in rather than get some new trim clips. So I popped new ones in when I put it back. But it seems the plastic bracket which holds the foglight has broken.



Which when looking at the foglight it may have taken a hit.



Not sure what I'll do here, am tempted to investigate fitting some brake cooling instead. Or try and find the bracket that rescures it. But I might have to pop the front bumper off first to see what I actually need.

So, I have refitted all the wheels and dropped the car back onto all 4's while I deliberate what to do.

[Jester86]

Quick pre-winter Update

RX7

Has been SORN, dehudification bits and pieces popped into the interior and will be going on trickle charge soon. I haven't managed to get her to an MOT in the last few weeks but not putting myself under pressure to get it done. She will go straight for a spring MOT when we get there.

RX8

Has been SORN. Will probably do like the 7 and let the MOT expire in Jan and get it sorted in the spring as well.

MPS

Has been SORN. Annoyingly on the trip back to see family on a sudden compression on the M25 it turns out the rear wheels do rub. So trying to get the rear arches rolled and if the weather plays ball this will be done soon.

MCS

So she went to a friends garage to carry out the work. It turns out that was probably the best decision I could have made rather than start it on my drive. Here is a list of the parts/work done. She was picked up today and will be my winter run around so won't be SORN

1. Both rear brake calipers, discs, pads, lines, both handbrake cables and both brake wear sensors replaced. (Lines sheared instantly inside the calipers, one caliper was binding and part of the handbrake cable was being held together with cable ties. In addition to the sheared bleed nipple I originally spotted)

2. Front R56 brake kit fitted with supplied parts. Both front hard brake lines needed replacing as they too fell to pieces.

3. LHS and RHS track rod ends. 4 ball joints and front wishbone polybushes fitted.

4. Front Wheel Alignment.

5. Air Con regas.

So quite a bit more needed than originally expected but the old girl needed it. I now feel a bit more confident that she'll stop safely!

[Jester86]

thomasrs50 said:

I've been reading up on your cars on the RX8OC, but never replied. Great collection . I like the RX7 and altough I don't like yellow on an RX8, it suits the FD.

My in-laws are selling a MCS (same MY and colour as yours) and am considering it I should take it of their hands. It needs a new clutch and some bodywork. Never been a fan of the mini (sorry), but the noise it makes is just cool and with some subtle mods it could be turned into a great little run about.

Hey, thanks for having a read! The FD probably gets the most love from everyone that is for sure. Honestly if you can get the Mini relatively cheap I would take a punt. Parts are all pretty cheap and if you like small cars, I have a small hot hatch past (Clio Trophy, Abarth 595, GR Yaris) then take a bash.

MPS

Oh MPS, you love to give me some heartache. Getting the arches rolled today, passenger side rolls absolutely spot on. Then moved to the drivers side and I had a small incling there had been some filler there as part of the bodywork. Obviously this proceeded to crack, so she is going to need some bodyshop loving after the winter period . However it could potentially be a a blessing in disguise as underneath the filler there does seem to be the evidence of corrosion appearing.





It is a good thing it has a special place in my heart this car.

MCS

So after doing my research I know that the boot area of these minis can have a tendancy to be a tad leaky. Now if you have read my thread for a while you'll know that I have engaged in leak warfare with the RX7 and MPS last winter. I checked the 7 yesterday after Storm Ciaran and subsequent horrendous rainfall, and would you know it still seems to keep water on the outside.

But......the Mini has a leak

Oh and it needed a rear brake light bulb. But that didn't warrant any photos.

So I have checked the boot, it currently is a bit wet on the drivers side by the rear light and some water came out of the hatch trim that covers the rear wiper motor.

So I have left and right rear light gaskets on order and dropped Mini an email about getting a new boot handle gasket ordered. As al these can indeed cause leaks. Now I also know that the chrome trim strip underneath the rear window can allow water in and the little plastic clips which are underneath can let water through now the little washers are deteriorating.





So I have cleaned as much of the gunk off as possible and applied a bead of silicon sealant along the bottom of the rear window before pushing the trim back on and is currently setting.

At the moment I have held off ordering a killallwipers kit for the rear wiper and a replacement third brake light and gasket to see if step by step I can sort it out.

[Jester86]

C70R said:

From experience of driving one of these through winter, removing (I can't get behind calling it "deleting") the rear wiper sounds like a terrible idea.

After doing some research, the wiper grommit is easily available and as she will be the winter runabout I will probably keep it.

[Jester86]

No huge updates.

The 3 Mazdas remain asleep on their CTEKs and the Mini remains my little outlet of fun during the winter.

MCS

So the first proper cold snap of the year ended up killing the battery and seeing as they are frameless windows the mini had to spend the night like this.



The reason she had to have the tarp is that it seems like the old battery had enough juice to drop the window a fraction everytime you opened the door and we were due Storm Cieran the next day

This is the way.

So I went to my go to battery of choice Bosch. The old battery did not look that old but I suspect that as the alternator was replaced earlier in the year it must have been run flat as a pancake and the cold snap killed it. The other indicator was the fact it was showing 6v, so a cell had gone.



She fired right up and I did some basic checks, showing 12.3v with the car off and at idle measured 12.9v so I am assuming the alternator is fine. Plus it has been nearly a month and not had any issues!

The leak is still present in the boot, but sealing around the trim has definitely helped. It is almost certainly the drivers side rear light. I have accumulated the following bits and bobs.



L & right light gasket.
Boot handle gasket.
Rear wiper grommet

I bought the light gaskets before checking with BMW so they were about £20 each. But I checked with BMW for the boot handle and wiper grommet and it came to £10 for both, dirt cheap. I've seen the rear wiper grommet being sold second hand for £15 alone. So it seems we should always check with BMW first!

I am toying with the idea of buying some second hand rear lights in good condition and getting them sorted and just swapping them over nice and easy. Seeing as winter is cold and wet and leaving holes in the car is not ideal.

As soon as we get a string of semi ok weather I'll try and get at least the rear wiper grommet on the car

[Jester86]

drgoatboy said:

It's funny with mini parts, everyone assumes that dealer prices will be silly so avoid them, but most of the time they are quite reasonable for smaller items like door locks or light gaskets.
Quite often find eBay has 2nd hand prices more than new!

Oh definintely, I will be checking with main dealer for many bits going forward I think!

rickygolf83 said:

Sounds like you are having much the same issues I am with my winter MCS lol

Bookmarked

£450 work of suspension parts, front brake pipes and inner cv boots are on standby, leaky boot and a battery drain somewhere too lol

edit; a bit of red rubber grease on the rubber stops the window sticking to it. The window dropping down with the dud battery is a pita... glad of my wee jump pack when that 1st happened

I put the car back together a bit today, as the leak seems to be contained to the rear light now. I'll do the wiper grommet spring/summer time unless it gets catastrophically worse! I've used Gummi Pfledge for years so I lubed up the door seals and boot seal as well, should definitely help.

[Jester86]

Small update today,

I know some have read this thread since the beginning and/or since I just had my dads Mazda 3 MPS and know the background to that, his illness and all. This post is a little outlet for me as over Christmas, Boxing Day to be exact my mum told me her cancer medication was no longer effective and on 2nd Jan we found out she was not eligable for a medical trial due to lack of a specific gene. So she is now in life extention Chemo. What a start to '24.

This changes my plans slightly this year, I may have to put the Ring in the Mini on the back burner as I am not sure I can afford to be out of country any longer than I have to be. But the project will forge on.

Mazdas

All still asleep, doesn't seem to be any issues. Went round opened doors and checked tyre pressures a week or so ago. No evidence of mould growing

I have however got something indulgent and sexy on order from HKS for the RX7 though.

MCS

So the mini is doing ok at the moment, just before Christmas, on the 23rd, the tyre pressure warning came on for a second time and I knew for sure I had a slooooow puncture. Being as this was the car I was heading back in I spent the afternoon waiting for it to be checked and it did turn out to be tyre sealing against the rim.

I was also not happy with how the passenger side of the bonnet was latching, or not really latching as it were. So I started with the basics, cleaned up the mechanisms where I could along with the bonnet release cable as they were all covered in grime. Then just silicon lubed the absolute bejeezus out of them. Which seems to have sorted all that out, might have to make that a pre winter routine.

Rear parking sensors stopped working, got one long beep when going into reverse. Checked each sensor and could hear all of them clicking so they were working. Saw a post on Facebook which mentioned spraying them with WD40, which I thought was going to be complete poop. Turns out 100% accurate and now all working again

I have also pre-ordered an Ultraguage on a Boxing Day sale so hopefully that will come in the coming months.

But I have also acquired the following:

Cravenspeed Strut Top Defenders



So I no longer have to worry about the strut tops deforming under load. Haven't fitted yet as the weathers been god awful.

Yesterday I popped to London and picked a set of 16" MG "Hairpin" wheels.



Been wanting to go to 16's for a while but finding a set close has been difficult. For £180 pretty much a bargain. The tyres are all ditchfinders so I will have to budget for some half decent rubber in the coming months.

[Jester86]

Bright Halo said:

Sorry to hear about your mom. Hopefully the chemo keeps here well for a good while.
I have had success with WD40 on parking sensors before, I think it washes the modge out of them so they work again.

Thanks man. Yea I have never had to do the WD40 trick before, colour me surprised.

drgoatboy said:

Sorry to hear about your Mum. Awful news for you.

Love the hairpins, should be a good chunk lighter than OEM (which are ridiculous) and the 16s with non run flat definitely ride better.
Always think they look quite mini OEM styled so don't look too aftermarket

Thanks man. Yea I definitely do like the style of the Hairpins and think they suit the R53 really well whilst being a bargain. Just need to wait for some decent discounts on 205's now as prices of tyres seem to have gone up since I last had to buy a set. I swear you used to be able to get good tyres in 16's for about £60, no more it seems.

[Jester86]

trails said:

That's rubbish news, very best wishes to you and your family.

Thanks trails, much appreciated.

[Jester86]

MCS

Right so I took the Mini back to see my mum, and after saying in the shed of the week thread mines been relatively behaved the following obviously happened.



I'd driven from Kent to Basingstoke 1.5 hours of cruising with not so much as a tickle of a problem. I was pulling away from some lights up a dual carriageway and gave it full throttle in second (to hear the charger whine) and she went "You sir can do one". Up flashes Engine warning light and EML and goes into limp mode doing 60 on a dual carriageway. Fast forward nearly 2 hours of police help and AA semi rescue which leads to the above photo.

With no Ultraguage yet I was unable to read the fault myself but when I was semi safe I checked everything under the bonnet and nothing seemed obviously amiss. But she limped to safety so we could do some diagnosis.



P1688, so onto Google I went, with the AA tech doing some checks, a little low on oil but nothing crazy and we bunged nearly 1L in to be safe. Now the interwebs being what it is said, don't even both looking at the throttle body 99.9% of the issues are caused by the crank pulley starting to go AWOL with wear, the rubber damping material starts to break up. Something to do with over/under speed telling the ECU to go straight into limp mode and happens when you go WOT.

So with nothing else apparent wrong, I decided that the risk was tolerable and I'd drive like a nun the 10 minutes to my mums. Then cruise home today, and she's been good as gold.

But clearly some money needs to be spent, a few months earlier than I expected. But fortuitously it is in roughly the same location as the supercharger....

So parts ordered:

1. Supercharger service kit & water pump. (No evidence of this work being done, so lets get it done)

2. Fan resistor (preventative maintenance, as these are known to fail and not correctly operate the fan. Seeing as the car needs the front coming apart for the super charger service this can get swapped out for very little labour)

3. PRS damped crankshaft pulley & new damper bolt (Alot of debate in mini circles about dropping a damped pulley here. I've gone with BMW obviously saw the need to have one, so I'll get a slightly better and more resilient item)

4. 15% pulley, belt and 1 step colder spark plugs. 15% for the more everyday car and to keep temps a little more in check in comparison to 17%.

5. Thermostat (No evidence of it ever being changed, so lets nip that in the bud early)

When they have all arrived I will drop the car off at my friends garage, with the life situation at the moment I don't have the spare time to try and get some of this done myself. Plus I am missing tensioner locking tools, pulley removal tools. Honestly it is effort I don't have the mental strength to do.

But when I got home today, I did however fit my Cravenspeed Strut Top Defenders. My torque wrench and imperial deep sockets arrived so I could do the 15 minute job







Now I don't have to worry about mushrooming the strut towers. Should probably keep an eye out for a decent second hand Airtec or GRS intercooler now!

[Jester86]

MCS

So the Mini is back! Spent a couple of weeks away while my friend could fit her in.

So the highlights are:

All of the work highlighted above was done. With the addition of a crankshaft position sensor seal as it was weeping (they all do that sir), new radiator (it was not looking too healthy by all accounts) and a new air conditioning condenser (apparently they had no idea how it was maintaining pressure as it looked completely FUBAR)

The supercharger actually had most of the oil still in it. Although stank something rotten.

Water pump looked a little dicey, thermostat & housing also decidedly dodgy and the low speed fan resistor was a fraction away from being completely toast. So money well worth spent getting all these done at the same time.

Managed to source a second hand Airtec intercooler so that made its way onto the car as well.



Shiny rad and condenser.



Little peak through the scoop.



I have managed to give her a bit of stick, although down South the weather has been atrocious and the car feels much better. Engine feels smoother, which could entirely be a placebo but the butt dyno confirms that is how it feels, with also having that extra performance from the smaller pulley. I do also think the charger whine has turned up a notch. Not wanting to jinx it, but I do hope that's it for the moment, bar buying some tyres for the 16s.

Oh and I do have an ultraguage to mount and set up so I can monitor temps on the go.

Fleet Musings

So the other 3 will soon come out of winter hibernation. April feels like a good time to get them all back on the road, MOT's needed for the 7 & 8. The mini will also need one in April

About that time I will get the MPS to the bodyshop to get the rear arch sorted. I have been having thoughts about letting her go, which considering the history I have with the car is sad to say. The only problem I have is with how it fits into my life currently vs the use I am getting vs the cost of running her (tax/insurance etc). No rash decisions will be made but it is eating at me.

[Jester86]

March Update

Has felt like a bit of a battle this month it really has, which just feels like my life at the moment

MCS

So I'll start with the good update. I got my Ultraguage delivered so in it went.

Easy to pop the clock off.


Get the little bracket into the back of it.


Curse yourself insessantly after dropping one of the small bolts and of course doesn't just roll onto the drivers mat it falls into the steering column plastics. So in we go.


Hey presto, in and setup.


Easy to check coolant and intake temps, cheeky bit of boost and to make sure the alternator is doing something with the battery voltge.

Here comes the bad updates....

So driving home one night and indicating I notice that there isn't that customary flash from the passenger side indicator. After messing around swapping bulbs to no avail, I whipped out the trusty multimeter and indeed no flashing voltage being applied across the terminals, oh excellent thought I.

Off came the trim. Nothing clear as I peered around.


Oh give me strength.


I could not find the other side of the break and suspect it is being hidden by the wing and washer bottle.

In addition there is a grinding/binding coming from the offside rear brakes and my horn doesn't seem to work which may be something to do with having the front end off for the supercharger service. But it is also a known weak point on minis (what isn't it seems). So I am dropping it back off with my friend as if it is the offside rear caliper , which cast your minds back a few months know, was brand new along with discs and pads. Could be under some form of warranty. While it is there they can check the horn, and hopefully sort the repeater. As again I just don't have the time right now to pull her apart.

But to make me feel better a bought a suitably cheesy JCW marked (obviously 100% legit) boot organiser to keep oil, quick detailer, microfibre in as having it all loose back there was grating on me.



MPS

As I routinely check the cars while in Winter slumber I noticed the little dehumidifier pots I had placed in the car were doing there jobs very effectively and causing a decent amount of water to be collected. Drivers side rear light was also showing water ingress. Don't you worry I can strip this boot interior in 5 minutes flat

So back in I go and low and behold we have water coming in from the drivers side rear. But it doesn't seem to be coming from the lights but to the left of them there is a certain body clip that looks strangely alot like the ones that the RX7 has that have a rubbish rubber/foam gasket that fail and let water in.



Out came the old one, with a bit of a wiggle and a jiggle as it secures part of the rear bumper on. Quick clean of the area and some extra silicon sealant help on the new clip and in she has popped. We did have some rain yesterday and when checking today to refit the rear light which I left on the radiator overnight no new water seems to have made its way in.

In slightly better news the MPS was £5 less to insure this year . But the RX8 went up about £40 boohiss.

[Jester86]

Richyvrlimited said:

Brand new supercharger oil stinks as well FWIW, I think but may be wrong on this is it's due to a high sulfur content.

I am just glad it had some still in it

RX7

So there are some RX7 updates! She got a bath and put back into road condition, tyre pressures checked, dehumdifier removed and general bits and bobs.



Fresh MOT



No advisories and plenty of compliments about her condition underneath and overall. I only did about 280 miles last year which was criminal and I have a ticket to PH annual event in August so she will be rolling out for that at the very least. The plan was to do more car bits this year but with my mums health I am trying to not get too far ahead of myself.

I managed to snag off an FD forum member a centre console armrest storage pocket to replace my ash tray coin pouch. Quite sought after swap and quite expensive from Japan retailing at the moment over £100.



MCS

The Mini continues to be trouble

Went back in for investigation and found the horns hadn't been plugged back in after the front came off, and the rear pads hadn't been clipped in correctly. The wing had to come off and the washer bottle and the side repeater wires crimped and all ok again. Huzzah!

Picked up a set of Kumho Ecsta HS52's for a good price from ATS and had them fitted to my 16's only to find out 2 of the wheels aren't straight. Excellent, nothing ever goes smoothly. But again picking up eBay wheels you never quite know what is going to happen. So I factored in a refurb and repair into the equation. Dropped them off and 1 was saveable and 1 was not. So now I am sourcing 1 16" MG Hairpin to complete the set.

Please let it be over soon

MPS

So it seems my little clip has made the difference as there has been no water build up since. It is still on the cards to get her to a bodyshop in the next few months but I am in no tremendous hurry. With plenty going on to keep me preoccupied.

RX8

Figured I would wait until May to get the 8 MOT'd so that I can split them just a little bit. I didn't want 3 cars to do every April after all.

Am keen to get her fired up again, I do miss driving it.

[Jester86]

A positive Mini update today!

So I sourced a replacement 16" Hairpin and popped it over to the powder coaters and happy to report it wasn't bent beyond all recognition and was pretty darn straight.

So they got refurbed in a shade which amusingly is pretty close to a more modern Mazda 3 anthracite and they came out really well, and in my opinion suit the car really well. The 17's are to one side and even though the tyres have plenty of tread on them they looked cracked and had some side wall damage. They weren't holding pressure all too well either.

I've done 200 miles on them to visit my mum, checking the bolt torques after the first 100 miles as they bite into the powder coat. The car feels quite different, for some reason it feels like it reads the road differently and you can tell the quality of surface you are driving on. The added grip from fresh tyres is lovely and shes coming alive when pushing on, plus you never tire of the supercharger whine.

[Jester86]

RX8

Passed its MOT! A few little things to get looked at, bushes starting to look worn, rear sills are showing some signs of rust apparently and a suspected oil leak, but as my drive isn't covered in oil from winter I wonder if its just oil thats come down past the filler neck when doing top ups. Interestingly last year it apparently struggled to pass the emissions, this year it flew through, more than likely linked to getting that sports cat really warm.

Considering the RX8 has been pretty good over the last few years its probably going to be time to start to show it some proper love. I know it is due some refurbished engine mounts as these have started to fail and I do want to use it as a base for a 3 rotor project in the future.

RX7

With the weather turning we went for a drive today to see my physio, its a lovely blat and reminded how good the car is. The Ohlins working well and that engine really is something.

MCS

More tinkering with the Mini. On one of the for sale pages a set of black honeycomb grills popped up barely 15 minutes away and for £25 they were mine. Turns out the chap runs Total53 and I'll more than likely be taking the Mini back there for a timing chain in the near future. Along with more work I have no doubt!



Gives you an idea of the stock chrome grills, albeit not the best front on photo



Both grills on, easy to do. Top grill isn't the most secure but it hasn't fallen off yet. I much prefer the look as we move away from the all chrome.

Other small additions, with aftermarket intercoolers on minis the coilpack and HT leads get a bit too close and I don't particularily like that. So I bought a coil pack relocation bracket and fit it in barely 10 minutes.



This picture shows what I mean, HT 2 is in contact with the Airtec and we all know engines like to vibrate!



We can see the mark on the lead, seeing as the intercooler hasn't been fitted for long it wouldn't really take too long to start doing some proper damage.



Bracket in place, with the length of the Magnecore's I can only really use the first hole.



But as we can see it is more than enough clearance to bring the leads away with a gap to spare. Well worth the pretty cheap cost to get it sorted.

[Jester86]

So in sad tradition in this threads journey, it was the Mini that took me back on Sunday to the hospice my mum got admitted to. She passed away Wednesday morning.

Took the 7 to see my physio today as it is a lovely drive when the sun is out. Cheeky photo of her in the car park, as this post needs a splash of colour.

[Jester86]

Superhoop said:

Sorry to hear of about the passing of your Mum, I seem to remember that this thread started after the passing of your Dad and your plans to keep his memory alive by taking care of the 3 MPS.

Lovely fleet, especially the RX-7, you really don't see many in the UK in yellow.

Thanks hoop!

samoht said:

I'm sorry about your Mum, really hard.


I hope you can enjoy the cars this summer, the FD is looking very good against the greenery behind, I always thought they make other cars look very ordinary by comparison.

The photo makes me think how small the FD is against more modern cars! She still gets lots of love out and about.

Trars said:

Sorry to hear about your loss, my mum passed last June and it's a difficult thing to navigate. My inbox is always open if you need to chat.


Hope you can take any of your fleet for a good hear clearing blast soon. As good as the RX7 is, I'm a sucker for your 3MPS!

Appreciate the offer Trars. I have been noticeably slack with the MPS so far this year, really need to shift my backside and get her to a bodyshop to get the arch sorted. Just been one of those years so far, but at least I should be able to concentrate on work and the cars again properly soon.

[Jester86]

trails said:

Condolences for your loss, that's got to be a rough day. I hope you are doing as well as can be, not travled that path yet but very happy to speak if its of any use.

The Mazda looks very special in the sunlight

I appreciate it Trails. I hope you don't have to travel this path for a very long time. The 7 does look special thats for sure!

drgoatboy said:

Real sorry to hear about your Mum....

Thanks pal.