Found one at last; 2010 SportTech tedious first impressions
Discussion
Well I still haven't got round to adjusting the clutch, but I did get it up in the air for an inspection.
There was some very mild/light rust here and there, mainly on the rear suspension arms, crossmember and just breaking out on two rear chassis rails, nothing serious at all and easily dealt with using a wire brush, rust killing stuff and some underseal.
Some areas had no anti-stone-chip on at all, so I did those too.
What I was surprised to see was zero cavity wax, Mazda just haven't bothered using any at all, so it was out with the Dintrol and lance, I did inner & outer cills, base of rear quarter and any other cavities I could find, even the bootlid as I think they can corrode a bit. The only part I did want to do, but couldn't see access to initially was the front chassis rails. I ran out of time, but can go back and have a look at those later, I think it needs some of the various plastic splash guards taking off to get access to any removable bungs.
That's the problem with these kind of things, the people who should be doing it (the first owners or Mazda) don't bother, often it's done years later when its too late, but I know i've just added quite a few more years to this one.
The car now stinks of Dinitrol inside, but i'm driving through the rain with a warm feeling inside
There was some very mild/light rust here and there, mainly on the rear suspension arms, crossmember and just breaking out on two rear chassis rails, nothing serious at all and easily dealt with using a wire brush, rust killing stuff and some underseal.
Some areas had no anti-stone-chip on at all, so I did those too.
What I was surprised to see was zero cavity wax, Mazda just haven't bothered using any at all, so it was out with the Dintrol and lance, I did inner & outer cills, base of rear quarter and any other cavities I could find, even the bootlid as I think they can corrode a bit. The only part I did want to do, but couldn't see access to initially was the front chassis rails. I ran out of time, but can go back and have a look at those later, I think it needs some of the various plastic splash guards taking off to get access to any removable bungs.
That's the problem with these kind of things, the people who should be doing it (the first owners or Mazda) don't bother, often it's done years later when its too late, but I know i've just added quite a few more years to this one.
The car now stinks of Dinitrol inside, but i'm driving through the rain with a warm feeling inside
Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 17th May 16:43
Clutch adjustment done, very simple, just awkward due to it being up behind the dash on the pedal arm. Undo locknut with 10mm spanner, wind out shaft with 12mm spanner, lock up nut and that's it.
Biting point is massively improved, it really does make a big difference.
I was so happy I waxed it, I haven't polished a car in years
Biting point is massively improved, it really does make a big difference.
I was so happy I waxed it, I haven't polished a car in years
Edited by Evoluzione on Sunday 21st May 16:36
I wasn't intending this to be a running report, but.....
The gearchange was a little notchy, especially when cold so some more research was done and the recommended 2ltrs of Ford WSD-M2C200-C purchased for £20, also a litre of FS rear diff oil for a few pounds, whilst it was up in the air I thought I might as well do the engine oil & filter too.
The engine oil wasn't due, but I don't trust some garages and it was a bit dark in colour, transmission oils were overdue on time, but not mileage and I strongly believe manufacturers intervals are a bit long - the diff oil was black when draining off. I like the way you can buy just the amounts needed; 5, 2 and 1 ltrs is just right and there are even flaps in the undertrays to get access.
Although i've only put a few miles on it so far the gearchange is getting noticeably better, hopefully with a few more miles it will improve even more.
I've found a replacement seatbelt too, but it hasn't got pretensioners so not sure if it's any good as the manual says mine has them, we'll see when i've uncovered it....
The gearchange was a little notchy, especially when cold so some more research was done and the recommended 2ltrs of Ford WSD-M2C200-C purchased for £20, also a litre of FS rear diff oil for a few pounds, whilst it was up in the air I thought I might as well do the engine oil & filter too.
The engine oil wasn't due, but I don't trust some garages and it was a bit dark in colour, transmission oils were overdue on time, but not mileage and I strongly believe manufacturers intervals are a bit long - the diff oil was black when draining off. I like the way you can buy just the amounts needed; 5, 2 and 1 ltrs is just right and there are even flaps in the undertrays to get access.
Although i've only put a few miles on it so far the gearchange is getting noticeably better, hopefully with a few more miles it will improve even more.
I've found a replacement seatbelt too, but it hasn't got pretensioners so not sure if it's any good as the manual says mine has them, we'll see when i've uncovered it....
I bought a 2010 SportTech back at the end of January, after owning a 1.8i NB for 18 months. Like most NB owners I had spent a fair bit of money bringing it back to it's full glory until one day I decided enough was enough. I sold it for a lot less than I had spent on it but enjoyed the ownership all the same.
The SportTech at 41k miles felt brand new compared to the NB and was in pretty good condition when I bought it from a lady owner down near Swindon. Although the car was 'clean', it wasn't as clean as I like my cars to be, one look under the fuel flap almost put me off the purchase, as it was black compared to the silver bodywork ! I've since brought that area back to the way it should be, also under the bonnet/boot too, I've had the wheels refurbed and painted the brake calipers at the same time, so I only have myself to blame if they get marked.
The gearbox is a little notchy and the clutch biting point is as you described yours when you bought it, I find that I skip gears when driving as I did with the 1.8i NB, unless I'm in sport mode, the engine's torque handles it very well. I have the folding roof which brings a smile to my face every time it operates, even though I am a little paranoid that it may go wrong and I will have to use the strange manual kit to pull it back into position ! I've had the aircon regassed as the recent hot weather proved to me that it hadn't been working properly.
I found that there is a fair bit of roll on corner entry when pushing hard, but I think that I notice this as I have always raced karts and not cars, once into the apex though the car handles very predictably, lots of fun. I haven't added any mods yet although I am tempted after reading through various threads on here.
I walk to work during the week, so the ST is purely a weekend car, I think I've only put around 1200miles on it so far. We are looking to have a week away in France this summer, so will be adding a few miles there. I'll try and add one or two photos soon so you can see how she sits compared to yours.
The SportTech at 41k miles felt brand new compared to the NB and was in pretty good condition when I bought it from a lady owner down near Swindon. Although the car was 'clean', it wasn't as clean as I like my cars to be, one look under the fuel flap almost put me off the purchase, as it was black compared to the silver bodywork ! I've since brought that area back to the way it should be, also under the bonnet/boot too, I've had the wheels refurbed and painted the brake calipers at the same time, so I only have myself to blame if they get marked.
The gearbox is a little notchy and the clutch biting point is as you described yours when you bought it, I find that I skip gears when driving as I did with the 1.8i NB, unless I'm in sport mode, the engine's torque handles it very well. I have the folding roof which brings a smile to my face every time it operates, even though I am a little paranoid that it may go wrong and I will have to use the strange manual kit to pull it back into position ! I've had the aircon regassed as the recent hot weather proved to me that it hadn't been working properly.
I found that there is a fair bit of roll on corner entry when pushing hard, but I think that I notice this as I have always raced karts and not cars, once into the apex though the car handles very predictably, lots of fun. I haven't added any mods yet although I am tempted after reading through various threads on here.
I walk to work during the week, so the ST is purely a weekend car, I think I've only put around 1200miles on it so far. We are looking to have a week away in France this summer, so will be adding a few miles there. I'll try and add one or two photos soon so you can see how she sits compared to yours.
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