MX5 Owners in here....bring your curling tongs

Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,340
Location
In acme's chair.
I know a few areas littered with fiesta ST and golf R parts ;)

Recently banned someone from one of my FB pages and reported them to the police for selling Golf R parts and refusing to tell me why the car was being broken, what the registration or VIN was, etc.

Guess his location... :p

-lists interior-
Oh OK maybe its been in a crash
-lists front and rear bumpers-
Oh OK maybe side impact?
-lists all four doors-
OK... maybe the engine has blown?
-lists engine-
...Hang on a second

:eek:

Bit brazen doing that on Facebook presumably with your real name on display...
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Dec 2010
Posts
4,219
Adjusted the idle on my NB last night. My word what a difference that has made. Before, it would do the whole clutch idle drop routine and feel like it's really bogging down at the bite point. Well worth the 2 minutes it took to stick some wires in the connector and turn a screw :D.

On the flipside. I've managed to break the baffle in one of the drain tubes, or at least stick it the wrong way up so the road noise is quite a bit louder. The drain hole was blocked, and it had filled the sill up and waterlogged the boot a couple of times. I think I made the mistake of pulling my unblocker back up the tube instead of just pushing it through.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
21 Feb 2006
Posts
29,298
Need a 2nd set of wheels for my wife's MX5, so I can add Winter Tyres. Anyone recommend a good place for said wheels, preference is for OEM Mk3.5 OEM designs, but open to sensible suggestions..
 
Soldato
Joined
12 Mar 2008
Posts
22,862
Location
West sussex
Need a 2nd set of wheels for my wife's MX5, so I can add Winter Tyres. Anyone recommend a good place for said wheels, preference is for OEM Mk3.5 OEM designs, but open to sensible suggestions..
Have a look at rimstyle.com

They'll fit and balance the tyres on what ever set you select.. basically comes as ready to fit package. Aftermarket wheels of course.
 
Man of Honour
Man of Honour
Joined
23 Dec 2002
Posts
9,979
Location
London
Need a 2nd set of wheels for my wife's MX5, so I can add Winter Tyres. Anyone recommend a good place for said wheels, preference is for OEM Mk3.5 OEM designs, but open to sensible suggestions..

Take a look on the MX5 forums. Think there was a set of winters on sale for a mk3 recently:
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst109810_Winter-wheels-and-tyres-for-mk3--5-stud.aspx

Note that I'm in absolutely no way linked to the above and certainly can't vouch for the seller or wheels. If you spot a set for a mk2, let me know.
 
Associate
Joined
8 Sep 2012
Posts
374
I’m after a second car and my wife quite likes the idea of us getting an MX5!

I’ve got about £5k to spend...possibly pushing it to £6k if something really good comes up. A quick look on Autotrader etc seems like a MK3 between about 56-60 plate with 35-80k mileage is what I could get.

Anything specific that I need to look out for?
 

Cob

Cob

Soldato
Joined
30 Jul 2006
Posts
18,317
Location
Antrim town
I’m after a second car and my wife quite likes the idea of us getting an MX5!

I’ve got about £5k to spend...possibly pushing it to £6k if something really good comes up. A quick look on Autotrader etc seems like a MK3 between about 56-60 plate with 35-80k mileage is what I could get.

Anything specific that I need to look out for?

Check for rust in the arches and sills. Really need to have a good grope around the sills if the car's been driven in winter. They weren't under-sealed from the factory :(
Obviously check the soft-top for tears or leaks, tho they're pretty sturdy. If it's a PRHT then ensure it goes up and down smoothly. Check the boot for signs of water ingress too.
Some can burn a bit too much oil, so regular oil-level checks are a must.

Other than that they're pretty bulletproof if they've been serviced regularly. Loads of helpful forums out there e.g. - https://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=151
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
9 Dec 2009
Posts
5,163
Location
Bristol
I’m after a second car and my wife quite likes the idea of us getting an MX5!

I’ve got about £5k to spend...possibly pushing it to £6k if something really good comes up. A quick look on Autotrader etc seems like a MK3 between about 56-60 plate with 35-80k mileage is what I could get.

Anything specific that I need to look out for?

What Cob said, also when checking for water ingress check the footwells. There's a grommet on either side of the scuttle panel below the windscreen which has a sponge seal which often fails after a few years and if not caught and remedied early (an easy fix with some bathroom silicone) the water can dribble into the interior fusebox and ecu. Also lots of special editions only come with a 5 speed box but the sport tech and a couple of other models come with 6 gears, which I think is essential on this car.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Mar 2012
Posts
6,558
How easy is it to do the heater motor resistor thing on a mk1/2/2.5? Mines on the fritz.

Is it a part you need? If so, and it's something I've still got, I can post it at your cost but nothing for the part, I've got all my heater bits sitting around somewhere I think and I'll never need them again.
 
Associate
Joined
8 Sep 2012
Posts
374
Thanks for the advice guys.

I wasn’t ruling out 1.8’s as anything will feel fast coming from a 1.6 Hyundai Tucson! Maybe I should just restrict it to 2.0 and look a bit harder...
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,340
Location
In acme's chair.
Is it a part you need? If so, and it's something I've still got, I can post it at your cost but nothing for the part, I've got all my heater bits sitting around somewhere I think and I'll never need them again.

Yes, and that's appreciated thanks. :) Just curious what the process is. I might have a dig around under the dash later.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Mar 2012
Posts
6,558
If you can show me a photo of what you're looking for I'll root through all my boxes of parts and see if I can find it. Mine was a 2.5 sport with no aircon.

Unless it went with the dashboard I should have most of the heating system somewhere.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
21 Feb 2006
Posts
29,298
In the last two weeks I have put new discs, pads, wheels and tyres on my wife's MX5, which has freshened up the car but now, as she comes close to 100K miles I need to replace the dampers and springs, which are tired. If it were my choice I would simply replace it with a new car, but she is not a car person to my extent and does not want to waste money on new cars (her words). So dampers and springs it is and what do people suggest for some good damping and adjustability. Ideal would be to take a smidge of ride height out of the car, but nothing too much and to keep the softer road damping with some adjustability for me to keep myself interested.

Don't want cheap rubbish, happy to pay proper money for some proper dampers but welcomes thoughts from those who run at Mk3.5 MX5, ideally a 2L Sport Tech like she has.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Nov 2009
Posts
11,595
Location
Northampton
In the last two weeks I have put new discs, pads, wheels and tyres on my wife's MX5, which has freshened up the car but now, as she comes close to 100K miles I need to replace the dampers and springs, which are tired. If it were my choice I would simply replace it with a new car, but she is not a car person to my extent and does not want to waste money on new cars (her words). So dampers and springs it is and what do people suggest for some good damping and adjustability. Ideal would be to take a smidge of ride height out of the car, but nothing too much and to keep the softer road damping with some adjustability for me to keep myself interested.

Don't want cheap rubbish, happy to pay proper money for some proper dampers but welcomes thoughts from those who run at Mk3.5 MX5, ideally a 2L Sport Tech like she has.

Bilsten dampers and Eibach springs is usually a winning combo on most stuff.
 
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