What have you done to your car today?

[unrealrocks]

Is it just me that finds that key so close to paintwork make your eyeballs itch?!

 

[badgeruk]

Gave the Z4M its first clean today, just a quick one to remove the dirt and to have a good look at the paint work. Noticed its swirly as hell which made me sad. I then watched footy which made me happy and then took the car out for its first drive down some B roads with the roof down which made be very happy

 

[mrk]

But the swirls! Just wait until it's sunny most days and you'll be sad again

Is it just me that finds that key so close to paintwork make your eyeballs itch?!

#LifeOnTheEdge

 

[badgeruk]

Yeh I know , I may have to get something done about them in a few months.

 

[Stormster]

Bought a new one. Black. Also not looking forward to it's first proper wash as the weather sort of hindered me checking it properly but I needed to get sorted today.

Tempted to send it in for a full on valet at somewhere like Autobrite Direct as they're near me in Stoke.

 

[ci_newman]

Yeah, another +1 to the black swirl fest

 

[Howard]

Black car with swirl-free paintwork here

Dual action polishers are your friend.

 

[Diagro]

Bit of DIY stuff on the MX5 this morning

Replaced aux belt tensioner, idler pulley and the belt, as mine had started to rattle slightly, wasn't sure which part it was but figured on a 7 year old car might as well replace all items whilst its apart.

Eurocarparts wanted over £220 for all the bits (lol), MX5parts £205, where as there is a Gates kit that contains all of the parts together that can be had for under £90 online. Gates belts and pulleys are good quality parts, they are the OEM for many companies, so it made no sense to spend more. I followed a guide on Miata.net, haven't done this before but only took 45 minutes or so. Battery out and you get access...spot the shiny new bits...



New belt on...gonna buy myself a 3/8 breaker bar, my 1/2 one wouldn't fit on the tensioner due to the depth (it needed socket adaptor which meant it wouldn't fit on), slackening off the tensioner with a short spanner and trying to put the belt on is a bit trickier...



Also bit of preventative maintenance, the wiring to the coil-on-plugs is subject to heat and vibration and can crack, causing misfires and necessitating replacement of part of the engine loom. Some DEI heatshielding wrap may help prevent this happening on my car...once the engine cover is on its totally invisible.



Been for a drive, the slight rattle is gone, checking the old parts and the idler pulley's bearings were on its way out and a bit rough.

I love seeing people do this stuff on there own. I'm sure you feel very happy knowing that you removed that annoying noise and refreshed bits

The feeling of satisfaction of knowing that the car drives so well if because of your own hard work is why I do most of the work on my car, or at least ask if I can help at a friendly garage. ( not to mention the massive savings of paying zero labour)

 

[badgeruk]

Black car with swirl-free paintwork here

Dual action polishers are your friend.

I may have to look into getting a polisher or get someone else to do it if I don't trust my self.

 

[mrk]

Finally got round to fitting the new wing mirror glass. A new free driver's side wing mirror is being delivered today at "some point" so will probably fit that before it gets dark... hopefully.

The old glasses up close were showing classic signs of water ingress around the edges:

Excuse to make sure there was no crap (or spider webs) in the housing too:

 

[Akagi]

You are such a perfectionist. Darn photographers.

 

[mrk]

Every inch must be perfect

 

[Bradmax57]

Need to replace both of my mirror glass especially the drivers side

 

[Akagi]

It feels so strange coming home in my beat up Polo, having accidentally scraped the underside down a length of high curb, chucking my keys on the roof, shutting the door with my leg, pondering when I should do my long overdue oil change and if I should bother fixing the broken oil sensor and radiator fan, then coming upstairs to see that Robbie has replaced his door mirror glass because the edge is slightly imperfect.

 

[mrk]

Well, the pair were only £30 so it's a small price to pay for something you look at all the time

 

[Voxination]

Have you gone for auto-dimming glass or just standard?

 

[mrk]

Standard OEM blue tinted. Everything looks and feels 1:1 to OEM.

From http://www.mirrorjohn.com/BMW_M3_Wing_Mirror_Glass.php + cutters discount.

Auto dimming ones are £150 a pair - Dunno about you but if the car behind is glaring me I'm not going to hang about long enough to warrant £150 on mirror glass

 

[Akagi]

Well, the pair were only £30 so it's a small price to pay for something you look at all the time

I look forward to owning a car I can take pride in. I really do.

I tried at first with the slowlo, I have some pictures of her all shiny and polished with new wheel trims and new tyres and new wipers and so on.

But then as more and more things went wrong, then the incident with the tree, and then the difficulty finding parts, leading to buying a very scruffy front bumper and a wing that is the wrong colour, I sort of gave up... I fell into the mindset of "Well the car is practically worthless now..."

It is insured fully comp, but when you add my voluntary excess and compulsory excess, they exceed the value of the car as it is.

 

[mrk]

Tree incident?

 

[Akagi]

Tree incident?

I thought it was widely known and talked about.

I made a "spec me" thread for my new car, and then had to pull the plug while people were still making suggestions, due to impaling my Polo on a tree.

In my defence, it was dark, it was a twisty narrow B road, the road had muck on it, and the the tree was a ****. It had no business being horizontal and poking out of a bush!