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What I did today. (MX5 and Motoring)

350671 Views 13056 Replies 160 Participants Last post by  Monkeypin, 
safetymatch
9
Went on the NWOC run to Kettlewell with 31 other 5s, and we bumped into about 25 Peaks and Pennines OCers.
Tire Automotive parking light Wheel Car Vehicle
Wheel Car Tire Automotive parking light Vehicle
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Garffey
Kev5 said:
That's not a bad result for an 14 year-old Vitara, Chris. When I was a nominated tester (in a far away past life) I have seen Suzuki Jimnys at less than 10 years old with the complete rear floor section rusted out!
Couple of new brake pipes, a bit of swearing and a quick bleed (brake fluid, not blood!!!) and your on your way again! (y) 😄
Click to expand...
Yeah, you're right Kev not a bad result all told for a 14 year old motor and to be fair still looks as if it's plenty life to live yet!
It's a solid old bus...😉
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Garffey
Took the Vitara back for the brake pipes and m.o.t doing...
A pleasure to just stroll back two miles to home and no rush be at work!... (y) 🤭
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Garffey
Well.... all was not plain sailing yesterday apparently the wheel cylinders didn't want to relinquish their grip on the brake pipe connectors and the body of the wheel cylinders started to crumble, unfortunately the garage couldn't source any yesterday so the Vitara stayed overnight.
It now has an advisory free m.o.t and I just await a phone call to collect.....Oh and see what the 'damage' is! 🤑
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Kev5
Oo-er mate...I hope you've got a decent hammer for that piggy bank!! ;)

(Now let's see -- £1,000 each for very rare wheel cylinders, another £1,000 for labour, £250 for overnight parking charge -- oh and £10 for brake pipe and fluid! :eek:)

:ROFLMAO:
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Garffey
Kev5 said:
Oo-er mate...I hope you've got a decent hammer for that piggy bank!! ;)

(Now let's see -- £1,000 each for very rare wheel cylinders, another £1,000 for labour, £250 for overnight parking charge -- oh and £10 for brake pipe and fluid! :eek:)

:ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Turned out to be quite a story re:- the wheel cylinders... One boss crumbled and the other snapped off!....The replacement cylinders were ordered, only one arrived!
Eventually after a long phone conversation the other arrived, minus bleed screw!... And also it was a different size to the other!
The supplier hadn't got said bleed screw in stock so couldn't help and suggested the local Suzuki dealer!!
So, more out of interest my mate rang Suzuki... Wheel cylinders were £90+, plus VAT!! (Could get them tomorrow!....Bleed screw was within next 7 days!!)...o_O

I had similar issues when I fitted the front caliper's recently, suppliers couldn't tell me if the bleed screws were included!!......How hard is it???....Or just a photo in the item description would have helped!😖
Anyway another phone call elsewhere finally secured the parts required...
On the upside, everything else to ensure good brakes I was told are perfectly usable, and shoes have plenty life remaining.
Car was finally collected at 4.45pm after an issue with empty cash machines! :mad:
Total bill for m.o.t, and an oils service, plus the brake work...

Drum Roll......


£390!! Not far out Kev!...🤣
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Kev5
Garffey said:
Turned out to be quite a story re:- the wheel cylinders... One boss crumbled and the other snapped off!....The replacement cylinders were ordered, only one arrived!
Eventually after a long phone conversation the other arrived, minus bleed screw!... And also it was a different size to the other!
The supplier hadn't got said bleed screw in stock so couldn't help and suggested the local Suzuki dealer!!
So, more out of interest my mate rang Suzuki... Wheel cylinders were £90+, plus VAT!! (Could get them tomorrow!....Bleed screw was within next 7 days!!)...o_O

I had similar issues when I fitted the front caliper's recently, suppliers couldn't tell me if the bleed screws were included!!......How hard is it???....Or just a photo in the item description would have helped!😖
Anyway another phone call elsewhere finally secured the parts required...
On the upside, everything else to ensure good brakes I was told are perfectly usable, and shoes have plenty life remaining.
Car was finally collected at 4.45pm after an issue with empty cash machines! :mad:
Total bill for m.o.t, and an oils service, plus the brake work...

Drum Roll......


£390!! Not far out Kev!...🤣
Click to expand...
Blimey Chris!!
I thought I was only joking!! 😲

In all my years of motoring I have never really understood why there needs to be so many subtle differences between certain generic components, like brake parts. Why don't we have simplicity, say like, 'large, medium and small' which would suffice to cover wheel cylinders for almost every car on the planet! They (and other common parts) don't really need to come in hundreds of slightly different sizes and shapes do they? 🤔
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Qu1ckn1ck
Kev5 said:
Blimey Chris!!
I thought I was only joking!! 😲

In all my years of motoring I have never really understood why there needs to be so many subtle differences between certain generic components, like brake parts. Why don't we have simplicity, say like, 'large, medium and small' which would suffice to cover wheel cylinders for almost every car on the planet! They (and other common parts) don't really need to come in hundreds of slightly different sizes and shapes do they? 🤔
Click to expand...
.. they do if the manufacturer is maximising profits by making his spares unique to his models and ensuring a captive market ! :mad:

Not sure how true it was but when working for Fords the cynical story was that Fords sold as many cars as possible at barely break-even and then made a killing on selling spares for them.
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Garffey
Qu1ckn1ck said:
.. they do if the manufacturer is maximising profits by making his spares unique to his models and ensuring a captive market ! :mad:

Not sure how true it was but when working for Fords the cynical story was that Fords sold as many cars as possible at barely break-even and then made a killing on selling spares for them.
Click to expand...
Your 'spot-on' there Nick....When I worked in a Motorcycle shop someone worked out the cost of individual parts over a complete £750 motorcycle and it was something ridiculous like £5000 pounds or more!
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MJL
After forty years of sports car ownership (and a dozen years as an MX-5 owner) I was feeling I missed small, sporty cars.
Anyway, on Tuesday, I was actually an MX-5 owner for a day... and it felt really good!
I had finally realised that the moves made for the use of electric cars in Australia were inadequate. I thought perhaps an automatic MX-5 might be ideal and after some time I found a dark blue, 2023 model at a dealership near us and... I had already committed to buying it!
The next morning I texted the salesman and explained what I really wanted was a tiny electric car and he was very understanding. He explained that the only Mazda electric car was a midsized SUV!
I have no idea why.
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Garffey
MJL said:
He explained that the only Mazda electric car was a midsized SUV!
I have no idea why.
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Glad you were an Mx-5 owner again Martin (Albiet briefly).....Same here in the UK where Mazda are slow to the 'electric party'....And are heavily borrowing Toyota technology for their push to be 'green'....Sadly poor range of the EV's is the most likely reason that they haven't attracted sales like some other manufacturers....I'd think the mid size Ev in Australia akin to being as much good as a chocolate T-pot.... 🤣 🤣
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Garffey
Finally managed to wash the ND!....Its only been about 3 months! o_O
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G
MJL said:
After forty years of sports car ownership (and a dozen years as an MX-5 owner) I was feeling I missed small, sporty cars.
Anyway, on Tuesday, I was actually an MX-5 owner for a day... and it felt really good!
I had finally realised that the moves made for the use of electric cars in Australia were inadequate. I thought perhaps an automatic MX-5 might be ideal and after some time I found a dark blue, 2023 model at a dealership near us and... I had already committed to buying it!
The next morning I texted the salesman and explained what I really wanted was a tiny electric car and he was very understanding. He explained that the only Mazda electric car was a midsized SUV!
I have no idea why.
Click to expand...

I think the problem is that even a small car would need a reasonably large battery capacity to give a decent range and performance, probably around 500KG, that would just kill a car the size of a 5. In an SUV this may not seem like so much of a penalty. So now we have more people pushing larger and heavier cars around which obviously use more energy (simple school kid physics) but we're told that's better for the environment and people believe it because it (currently) works out cheaper than petrol. Of course it isn't if you take the tax away (in the UK at least).
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Garffey
Just booked the ND for service on the 21st....Cost this time £219.
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Kev5
Garffey said:
Just booked the ND for service on the 21st....Cost this time £219.
Click to expand...
That sounds very reasonable, Chris. I presume that's for a basic oil/filter/safety check?

Prices are far cheaper up your way than they are down here.

The cheapest basic service I had on my last ND at a main dealer (Vospers Exeter) was £290 in August 2021. I bet it's even more now!
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Garffey
Kev5 said:
That sounds very reasonable, Chris. I presume that's for a basic oil/filter/safety check?

Prices are far cheaper up your way than they are down here.

The cheapest basic service I had on my last ND at a main dealer (Vospers Exeter) was £290 in August 2021. I bet it's even more now!
Click to expand...
Have to say Kev yes, the servicing has never really been expensive...I had the brake fluid done last time and it was around £230 from memory....🤑...so it's a small service this time.
The Cx-3 seems to be £199 and £270 for the bigger service.
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Mark
23 years ago yesterday I bought my very first MX5, a red Mark 1 :)
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Mark
And 12 years ago last Thursday, I became a member of this forum :)
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Steveti
GDCobra said:
I think the problem is that even a small car would need a reasonably large battery capacity to give a decent range and performance, probably around 500KG, that would just kill a car the size of a 5. In an SUV this may not seem like so much of a penalty. So now we have more people pushing larger and heavier cars around which obviously use more energy (simple school kid physics) but we're told that's better for the environment and people believe it because it (currently) works out cheaper than petrol. Of course it isn't if you take the tax away (in the UK at least).
Click to expand...
And of course, the heavier they get, the more they rip up our already knackered, potholed roads. The infrastructure for EVs is decades behind the real day to day requirements.
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Garffey
3
I was just having my dinner after collecting the wife from work and before taking the lad to work, (or the car would have been on the drive!) when there was a 'bump'....
I looked out to see a Nissan Note had decided to make an 'unprovoked reverse attack' from the car park opposite on the ND!!...:mad:
All caught on CCTV that I have and the lady over the road has too...Thankfully.
I took the ladies details after she had received my views! 🤬
After 20 minutes on the phone to my insurers (Flow...Very good I have to say).
Car is booked for inspection on Wednesday....But repairs are into May now she informs me!
Hopefully this won't delay the collection of the new car....but we'll see.
Sadly it's uncovered the previous repair that I always suspected the car had while in Arnold Sharks ownership....but it is what it is, and suspect why the car was a bit cheaper to buy.

See below the damage 😥
Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Hood
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Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive tire
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G
You see! This is what happens when you try to desert an MX-5! You can check out but you can’t leave.
You realise your car called out to it Japanese friend (no coincidence it was a Nissan) to just bruise it a bit. I think you need to promise it can stay now before it goes complete Hari-kiri or Seppuku.


All joking aside though, sorry to hear of your misfortune. On the bright side the car may end up with a better repair than before.
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