2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
Accelebrate said:
Thanks! 
I’ve had the midpipe off twice now. There are just two nuts that connect it to two long studs coming out of the exhaust manifold. They’ve got springs underneath and require a decent amount of force to undo. Both times the studs have flexed a little more than I’d like but they’ve come apart without any damage. I just applied a little Plusgas in advance.
My original back box studs had to be cut off, the manifold studs are thankfully in much better condition.
Thank you. I will have to bite the bullet at some point and give it a go, there's only one way to find out!I’ve had the midpipe off twice now. There are just two nuts that connect it to two long studs coming out of the exhaust manifold. They’ve got springs underneath and require a decent amount of force to undo. Both times the studs have flexed a little more than I’d like but they’ve come apart without any damage. I just applied a little Plusgas in advance.
My original back box studs had to be cut off, the manifold studs are thankfully in much better condition.
After a winter of not really going anywhere quite a lot happened in a short period of time for the Mazda. My wife was away the weekend that I'd swapped the clutch and I assumed it might take me the entire weekend. Sunday rolled around and I had a working car and nothing planned. I decided to head to Caffeine and Machine to see what it was all about and start the process of bedding the clutch in.
It seems I was lucky just to turn up and make it into the car park. It's a great venue with an interesting mix of visitors. I wasn't entirely surprised to see the pleas on social media from C&M for visitors to calm things down a bit. I witnessed a number of full-Mustang exits and you could feel the tension from the local residents carrying out a community speed watch in the neighbouring village.
Hopefully, C&M can find a way to coexist with the local community, a lot of work and expense has clearly gone into everything they've built to date, it would be a real shame to lose that.
The following weekend we went to Bruges. We had originally planned to not drive and take the Eurostar, but it ultimately ended up being quicker and cheaper to drive and use the Eurotunnel.
The journey down was smooth enough and uneventful, once you're in Calais Bruges is only about 1:30 away. Surprisingly for a small ancient city you appear to be able to drive around just about any bit of it and parking isn't particularly expensive. I'd picked an underground car park in the centre close to our hotel, unfortunately, it was full when we arrived late on Friday evening, but luckily I found a space in the road right outside our hotel that appeared to be free of charge until the next morning.
Not a bad view from our room...
Happily the Mazda was still there in the morning, and free of parking tickets. I know MX5 forums love to talk about how massive the NC is, but it always amuses me how tiny it looks compared to normal cars...
Plenty of space in the car park that morning too, and the spaces were MASSIVE!
We set about doing Bruges things, climbing the big tower, drinking beer. 11%! The rest of the day isn't so clear in my mind...
I regained a little health, maybe, with an excellent breakfast at That's Toast https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1... the following morning...
We did a bit more exploring, and went to a chocolate making/eating demonstration.
I managed to fit in a beer/wine/cheese/chocolate Carrefour trip before we headed back to Calais.
I'm always surprised by how much you can cram into the boot of the NC, as evidenced by the height of the rear suspension!
So, a nice little trip. Between that and some commuting, I've already put over 700 miles on the new clutch so it's hopefully all bedded in nicely ready for another trip to the Eifel region in April.
The only issue that I've noticed recently is that the PAS pump is a little noisy whilst parking. I've never changed the fluid so I'll start there, but I suspect the fluid level might be low and that probably means a slight leak somewhere.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
It seems I was lucky just to turn up and make it into the car park. It's a great venue with an interesting mix of visitors. I wasn't entirely surprised to see the pleas on social media from C&M for visitors to calm things down a bit. I witnessed a number of full-Mustang exits and you could feel the tension from the local residents carrying out a community speed watch in the neighbouring village.
Hopefully, C&M can find a way to coexist with the local community, a lot of work and expense has clearly gone into everything they've built to date, it would be a real shame to lose that.
The following weekend we went to Bruges. We had originally planned to not drive and take the Eurostar, but it ultimately ended up being quicker and cheaper to drive and use the Eurotunnel.
The journey down was smooth enough and uneventful, once you're in Calais Bruges is only about 1:30 away. Surprisingly for a small ancient city you appear to be able to drive around just about any bit of it and parking isn't particularly expensive. I'd picked an underground car park in the centre close to our hotel, unfortunately, it was full when we arrived late on Friday evening, but luckily I found a space in the road right outside our hotel that appeared to be free of charge until the next morning.
Not a bad view from our room...
Happily the Mazda was still there in the morning, and free of parking tickets. I know MX5 forums love to talk about how massive the NC is, but it always amuses me how tiny it looks compared to normal cars...
Plenty of space in the car park that morning too, and the spaces were MASSIVE!
We set about doing Bruges things, climbing the big tower, drinking beer. 11%! The rest of the day isn't so clear in my mind...
I regained a little health, maybe, with an excellent breakfast at That's Toast https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1... the following morning...
We did a bit more exploring, and went to a chocolate making/eating demonstration.
I managed to fit in a beer/wine/cheese/chocolate Carrefour trip before we headed back to Calais.
I'm always surprised by how much you can cram into the boot of the NC, as evidenced by the height of the rear suspension!
So, a nice little trip. Between that and some commuting, I've already put over 700 miles on the new clutch so it's hopefully all bedded in nicely ready for another trip to the Eifel region in April.
The only issue that I've noticed recently is that the PAS pump is a little noisy whilst parking. I've never changed the fluid so I'll start there, but I suspect the fluid level might be low and that probably means a slight leak somewhere.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 13:10
Started investigating the PAS issue. The good news is the fluid level was bang on max, so I don't think it's leaking anywhere.
I've taken the lazy route, which is possibly ultimately going to take longer, of sucking all the fluid out of the reservoir and refilling, rather than draining the system at a lower point and rebleeding.
The reservoir holds about half a litre, the entire system supposedly holds a little over a litre. So it'll take a few refills to end up with something resembling fresh fluid.
New fluid is essentially just ATF, dark red in colour. The original fluid was dark black and thicker/harder to suck out.
I've removed and refilled a litre so far, I've bought a second bottle and will repeat the process with that over the weekend. Already I've noticed some improvement, the steering feedback is now consistent rather than lumpy. The pump seems a little quieter too.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I've taken the lazy route, which is possibly ultimately going to take longer, of sucking all the fluid out of the reservoir and refilling, rather than draining the system at a lower point and rebleeding.
The reservoir holds about half a litre, the entire system supposedly holds a little over a litre. So it'll take a few refills to end up with something resembling fresh fluid.
New fluid is essentially just ATF, dark red in colour. The original fluid was dark black and thicker/harder to suck out.
I've removed and refilled a litre so far, I've bought a second bottle and will repeat the process with that over the weekend. Already I've noticed some improvement, the steering feedback is now consistent rather than lumpy. The pump seems a little quieter too.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 13:10
Nice thread, a friend who comes to trackdays with me wants to get an NC with the folding hardtop when he gets his licence. He has a bike licence, but the trackdays pushed him over into wanting a car haha.
I'm suprised you've not gone for a roll bar and a more supportive seat as the std ones didn't seem that supportive especially on track.
I'm suprised you've not gone for a roll bar and a more supportive seat as the std ones didn't seem that supportive especially on track.
I've looked at a rollbar many times, there's not really a good excuse for not having one given what I've been doing with the car.
I like this one:
https://www.gcfabrications.co.uk/product/mk3-gc2-r...
I wanted to take a look at a fitting guide to get an idea of how much trim trimming is required. I contacted GCF at some point last year and they/he said a guide was in the works and they'd let me know when it was ready, so I stalled on ordering it. I should just order it.
Seats and harnesses would be nice, but I've deliberately held back on them. My wife also uses the car on nice days and to abandon at the station if she's going into London. This has probably allowed me to hang onto it for longer than might have otherwise been possible. Taking away the heated seats and adding harnesses would probably be a shortcut to hints that we don't really need three cars anymore.
I don't find the standard seats to be terrible, since lowering the drivers seat I'm quite nicely squeezed/wedged down in there.
I like this one:
https://www.gcfabrications.co.uk/product/mk3-gc2-r...
I wanted to take a look at a fitting guide to get an idea of how much trim trimming is required. I contacted GCF at some point last year and they/he said a guide was in the works and they'd let me know when it was ready, so I stalled on ordering it. I should just order it.
Seats and harnesses would be nice, but I've deliberately held back on them. My wife also uses the car on nice days and to abandon at the station if she's going into London. This has probably allowed me to hang onto it for longer than might have otherwise been possible. Taking away the heated seats and adding harnesses would probably be a shortcut to hints that we don't really need three cars anymore.
I don't find the standard seats to be terrible, since lowering the drivers seat I'm quite nicely squeezed/wedged down in there.If you weren’t daft with the seat choice then you’ll find some with low sides that allow you to still use the normal 3 point inertia belts AND harnesses.
I know a few people that have used the GCF rollbar and have been happy with it.
For me, I felt I was too tall for the OEM hoop and ended up with the Safety Devices half cage... but you’d lose the soft top and also the belts. There’s a lot of work in that route.... as I found out!
I know a few people that have used the GCF rollbar and have been happy with it.
For me, I felt I was too tall for the OEM hoop and ended up with the Safety Devices half cage... but you’d lose the soft top and also the belts. There’s a lot of work in that route.... as I found out!
My cheaply leased Golf R goes back later this week, I've got a bit of a gap until the replacement arrives so assuming the Mazda survives a track day at The Ring next month I'll be commuting in it for a little while. This has prompted to sort out a few creature comforts, the first being the new stereo, the second being the air conditioning. It's always worked but it's a bit feeble and wheezy. It's also not the most essential feature in a convertible, but there are times when it's useful - being stuck in a 40c car whilst waiting for a delayed Eurotunnel in a heatwave last year being a good example.
The last time I had a car regassed it was £50ish at my local Halfords Autocentre. They now charge £80, which seemed a bit rich. I remembered seeing some cheap deals from ATS on sites like Groupon last year, but they don't appear to be offering anything at the moment. I did spot a local-ish garage that was doing a £35 recharge deal through Groupon, closer inspection revealed they also specialise in building MX5 NB based Exocet kit cars. They seemed worth a visit
I'm not sure on the visual appearance of the Exocet, particularly once the front nosecone is fitted, but they look like a great use for a terminally rusty NB.
CS had some other interesting projects on the go too...
It's a very friendly place, not many garages are happy for strangers to walk around their workshops poking at stuff and asking questions. They've also just picked up a recovery truck, worth remembering as they're handy for Bedford and Silverstone.
The Mazda was down to 175g of gas and very little oil. The fill capacity was 480g, so it's lost a reasonable amount. It passed a 40min vacuum test so hopefully, there aren't any leaks.
It's nice and cold and quiet now. Great garage, highly recommended if you're local - https://www.csautocare.co.uk
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The last time I had a car regassed it was £50ish at my local Halfords Autocentre. They now charge £80, which seemed a bit rich. I remembered seeing some cheap deals from ATS on sites like Groupon last year, but they don't appear to be offering anything at the moment. I did spot a local-ish garage that was doing a £35 recharge deal through Groupon, closer inspection revealed they also specialise in building MX5 NB based Exocet kit cars. They seemed worth a visit
I'm not sure on the visual appearance of the Exocet, particularly once the front nosecone is fitted, but they look like a great use for a terminally rusty NB.
CS had some other interesting projects on the go too...
It's a very friendly place, not many garages are happy for strangers to walk around their workshops poking at stuff and asking questions. They've also just picked up a recovery truck, worth remembering as they're handy for Bedford and Silverstone.
The Mazda was down to 175g of gas and very little oil. The fill capacity was 480g, so it's lost a reasonable amount. It passed a 40min vacuum test so hopefully, there aren't any leaks.
It's nice and cold and quiet now. Great garage, highly recommended if you're local - https://www.csautocare.co.uk
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 13:11
Hi Accelebrate, I was just hoping to ask a question or two
Are you still using those Stoptech pads? Using them for everything or just track days? I have read the thread but I might have missed that.
How do you find them for normal road use? I'll be doing new pads and discs on mine over the next weekend or two and I'm just choosing bits. I also need to get a new caliper as my offside one is sticking, I think.
It has two Nuerburgring trips booked for this summer I think I'll be going with Yokohama AD08Rs
ETA: if I don't decide tonight, I'll probably just go into my local Mazda dealership in the morning and pick up the pads and discs from them
Are you still using those Stoptech pads? Using them for everything or just track days? I have read the thread but I might have missed that.
How do you find them for normal road use? I'll be doing new pads and discs on mine over the next weekend or two and I'm just choosing bits. I also need to get a new caliper as my offside one is sticking, I think.
It has two Nuerburgring trips booked for this summer
I think I'll be going with Yokohama AD08Rs ETA: if I don't decide tonight, I'll probably just go into my local Mazda dealership in the morning and pick up the pads and discs from them
Edited by Jimmy Recard on Friday 26th April 18:02
Yes, I use the Stoptechs all the time, they’re great. Work fine when cold, cheap, last ages, not noisy, never faded or juddered on track.
I recently fitted a second set along with another set of blank Brembo discs. I’ve just got back from doing another Ring track day on Tuesday, they were good all day.
I recently fitted a second set along with another set of blank Brembo discs. I’ve just got back from doing another Ring track day on Tuesday, they were good all day.
Thanks!
I haven't updated this thread for a while. In the run-up to this year's trip to The Ring I carried out a few jobs, nothing particularly complicated, I think I'm finally running out of things to pointlessly replace in the name of preventative maintenance.
I replaced the front pads and discs. I'd fitted the existing Brembo discs not long after purchasing the car, they had a very slight lip developing but didn't really need swapping. Likewise, the existing StopTech pads also had some life left, but I had the replacement parts (I think I bought them before last years trip expecting to need them sooner) and it seemed prudent to fit them.
I stuck with the same products, blank Brembo road discs from ECP and StopTech Sport pads from TarmacSportz. I've been very happy with everything about this combination so felt no desire to try anything else.
I've lost track of how many track days those pads have done now. Quite a few. Cold bite is good, they don't make much noise, cheap. Love them. I notice that StopTech appear to have been acquired recently, I might stockpile a couple more sets in case their product lines are altered. I greased the slider pins whilst I was doing the pads.
The rear subframe braces can rot on the NC. Mine were crusty but seemed ok, but when I spotted a very cheap set that looked a bit tidier on everyone's favourite auction site it seemed like a nice little project.
I cleaned the 'new' set up with a grinder and over the course of a couple of weeks occasionally treated them to increasing layers of underseal.
I also had a go at wrapping the rear lights with some cheap tinting vinyl. More as a learning exercise rather than a permanent feature. The improvement over the Lexus lights is vast, but my first attempt with vinyl has a few wrinkles. The reversing light is now pink and the indicators are barely orange. I'll remove it, but it's amazing what an improvement red is over the silly chrome. I might explore doing something similar with a cutout for the reversing light, and apparently green bulbs or bulb covers would result in orange indicators.
I travelled down to my in-laws in convoy with my wife the day before the Ring trip as they're a little a bit closer to Folkestone. It was the lovely hot Easter weekend.
I couldn't help but take this photo for a couple of reasons. For a start, doesn't it look idyllic? Secondly, my in-laws abode is somewhat more humble than their neighbours that I've parked outside, but has a mildly sloping and freshly tarmacked drive that the Mazda bottomed out on and positively ploughed the last time I visited. Not wanting to invoke any further disdain from my FiL, and with a boot full of tools and clothes I went for the safer option of parking in the road. This prompted much ire from the aforementioned neighbour who rushed out to work out who I was and ask why it was so noisy (it isn't). I like this car, I feel like a delinquent teenager upsetting the good folk of Surrey.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I haven't updated this thread for a while. In the run-up to this year's trip to The Ring I carried out a few jobs, nothing particularly complicated, I think I'm finally running out of things to pointlessly replace in the name of preventative maintenance.
I replaced the front pads and discs. I'd fitted the existing Brembo discs not long after purchasing the car, they had a very slight lip developing but didn't really need swapping. Likewise, the existing StopTech pads also had some life left, but I had the replacement parts (I think I bought them before last years trip expecting to need them sooner) and it seemed prudent to fit them.
I stuck with the same products, blank Brembo road discs from ECP and StopTech Sport pads from TarmacSportz. I've been very happy with everything about this combination so felt no desire to try anything else.
I've lost track of how many track days those pads have done now. Quite a few. Cold bite is good, they don't make much noise, cheap. Love them. I notice that StopTech appear to have been acquired recently, I might stockpile a couple more sets in case their product lines are altered. I greased the slider pins whilst I was doing the pads.
The rear subframe braces can rot on the NC. Mine were crusty but seemed ok, but when I spotted a very cheap set that looked a bit tidier on everyone's favourite auction site it seemed like a nice little project.
I cleaned the 'new' set up with a grinder and over the course of a couple of weeks occasionally treated them to increasing layers of underseal.
I also had a go at wrapping the rear lights with some cheap tinting vinyl. More as a learning exercise rather than a permanent feature. The improvement over the Lexus lights is vast, but my first attempt with vinyl has a few wrinkles. The reversing light is now pink and the indicators are barely orange. I'll remove it, but it's amazing what an improvement red is over the silly chrome. I might explore doing something similar with a cutout for the reversing light, and apparently green bulbs or bulb covers would result in orange indicators.
I travelled down to my in-laws in convoy with my wife the day before the Ring trip as they're a little a bit closer to Folkestone. It was the lovely hot Easter weekend.
I couldn't help but take this photo for a couple of reasons. For a start, doesn't it look idyllic? Secondly, my in-laws abode is somewhat more humble than their neighbours that I've parked outside, but has a mildly sloping and freshly tarmacked drive that the Mazda bottomed out on and positively ploughed the last time I visited. Not wanting to invoke any further disdain from my FiL, and with a boot full of tools and clothes I went for the safer option of parking in the road. This prompted much ire from the aforementioned neighbour who rushed out to work out who I was and ask why it was so noisy (it isn't). I like this car, I feel like a delinquent teenager upsetting the good folk of Surrey.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 13:12
The rear light chrome debate does depend on the body colour. Ours is red so the bit of chrome breaks it up a bit.
I don't suppose you've ever had the door panels of have you? I'm hoping to change the quarter light frame thingys on Sunday that have rusted on ours and see if I can solve the drivers door central locking problem at the same time.
I don't suppose you've ever had the door panels of have you? I'm hoping to change the quarter light frame thingys on Sunday that have rusted on ours and see if I can solve the drivers door central locking problem at the same time.
Mmm, might be a bit late to get some clips ready for Sunday, I wonder if halfords stock any. I've got to go into work on Sunday just to open up for 4 hours and not so any work so was using the opportunity of an empty workshop to have a go. I'll have to see how I get on. Hopefully I can get it back together so wifey can drive it to work on Monday,lol.
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