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

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So, given the amount of MX5 drivers on these forums, I'm surprised we don't already have one of these threads

I've owned my MX5 NC for just over 2 years now. It's been driven every single day and I love it - it can be a bit of a chore to drive as an everyday car - noisy, a bit cramped and not many creature comforts - but drop the roof and take it for a spin and the smile soon returns to your face

I'm probably looked down upon by NA/NB owners - I think the NC has a reputation for being a bit flabbier and less of a hardcore drivers machine than it's predecessors. Truth be told, if I could afford to run a second car and hadn't been concerned about reliability and practicality, I would love to have owned an NA. But, I wanted something a bit newer that I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time in, so the NC was the perfect choice. It had 68000 miles on it when I bought it in March 2011. It's now done about 106000 and still feels fantastic to drive.

It's a 2.0l Sport model (6 speed box/LSD). The only mod is a 30mm lowering by WIM on their custom springs which improved the handling immensely. Only other plans for it at the moment are for a wheel refurb (all 4 are looking a bit tatty). I'm tempted by an aftermarket exhaust, but I would prefer a better noise to more noise, so not something I would jump into at the moment.

Thoroughly enjoying the ownership so far. It's by no means fast, but it is such good fun. It's not hard to see how the MX5 has become such a popular choice.

Anyway, I've shown you mine, any other proud owners want to share?

 

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Escalatedquickly.jpg

 

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How is the folding hardtop for interior noise? I imagine that it's better than the soft top, but the main noise I get is less form the wind and more from road noise emanating upwards.

 

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That colour is gorgeous.

 

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Why did you sell? You didn't have it that long did you?

 

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Off to get 4 Uniroyal RS2s fitted and geo at WIM (3 in passenger seat and 1 in boot lol)

That's excellent.

Best about convertibles as cargo carriers, unlimited head room for loading.

 

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I seem to have a squeak or chirruping coming from, I think, the front offside of my wife's Mk3.5 MX5 which I noticed today with the roof down. Anyone got any ideas what this might be, I am thinking most likely a bush or something but wondered if such a thing is a known/common issue.

I had a slimier squeak develop from the rear drivers side yesterday , no idea what it is. If you find out let me know.
(MK3.5 Sportech)

I would take a look at the ARB drop links. When they begin to fail they usually make more of a knocking noise than a squeak, but they are a notorious weak point on the MK3 and maybe the 3.5. Cheap and fairly easy to replace though so it would be my first point of investigation.

 

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MX5 is an ideal car for this sort of weather, yet I still keep passing loads with their roof up

Been playing around with my clutch pedal adjustment again this weekend. It didn't feel quite right, so I got under the dash and adjusted the bite point ever so slightly higher. I also move the seat one notch forward.

Instant transformation; gear changes are much smoother and so is the clutch action. I think I must have mucked up the adjustment last time, as it's been feeling a bit lurchy and uncomfortable for a while. Makes me want to go out and enjoy the car again rather than considering it a bit of a chore.

Also had it serviced and MOT'd last week, in time for our holiday to the south of France. Cant wait

 

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Thoughts?

I get a lot of feedback through my wheel, but I'd always thought it was just a characteristic of a light car with firm suspension and lower profile tyres. I do know what you mean though - sometimes it can feel a little disconcerting and I'd be more confident with a bit of damping between the road and the steering wheel.

 

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Ahh. Not sure that's what I'm feeling but I don't have the experience to comment fully. This is only the second car I've owned, and certainly the only sporty car.

 

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Met up with Voxination just now and took some photos of our cars - spent most of today cleaning it, so nice to photo it before it gets dirty again by tomorrow night.

Beautiful shot that Vox took (also in the cleaning thread...hope he doesn't mind me hotlinking it)

As you can see his photo skills far outmatch mine :/

 

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Should be my last night of MX5 ownership tonight. After work tomorrow, I'm due to head straight to a Toyota dealer and part exchange it for a GT86.

It's been fun

 

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Bump....

Any other owners with a Galaxy Grey MX5? If so, I have a spare bottle of Mazda Touch-up Paint (+lacquer) if you want it. Replaced my MX5 now, so have no need for it.

It's been used but there's plenty left. Can be quite pricey to buy this stuff new, so if anyone wants it, holler. I'd only ask a couple of quid for postage

 

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I used the AG roof care kit. Its amazing. Water beaded and rolled off my roof easier than it did on the bodywork.

 

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Looks lovely, it will be great fun I'm sure

Even though you're buying it coming into winter, don't let that stop you getting the roof down. The heater is fantastically efficient, so stick the heated seats on, grab a beanie to keep your ears warm and go out for a drive.

I do miss having a convertible sometimes, I must say

 

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They will stop commenting once they've had a go in it.

 

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This looks quite interesting. http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=29075

Ive just written to them to see what costs and options are for getting this fitted to my wives MX5!

Want muchly

 

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I used Pagid pads with Pagid discs on my MK3. Felt great to me, but the car never saw more than road use. I see EBC Greenstuff pads also get mentioned a lot of the MX5, they do them on MX5parts.co.uk.

 

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I used to get 32-34MPG average, it was used every day so a mixture of driving.