Month: February 2016

We’re Number 5!

We’ve actually known the results for a week or two now, they were published on the new page for this year’ Challenge. I was kind of waiting to see if I’d get some sort of official email like in previous years, but it doesn’t seem forth coming, so here they are.

…Technically Scott and Nancy are third place winners, but since only one grand prize can be awarded to a Challenger, they received the larger of the two prizes. A standing ovation to everyone listed here!!!

1. Charlie Walter – 203 points – Miata 1999-2005 ($1000 Moss gift certificate!)
2. Richard and Susan St Clair – 191 points – Miata 1999-2005 ($500 Moss gift certificate!)
3. Scott and Nancy Gilbert points – 183 – 1952 MG-TD VINTAGE VICTOR – Top score pre-1960! ($500 Moss gift certificate!)
4. Kenneth and Denise Mohlman – 178 points – 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite ($250 Moss gift certificate!)

$50 Moss gift certificates will be received by those listed below…

5. Brian Bogardus – 172 – Miata 1999-2005
6. Michael McDermott – 170 – Miata 1999-2005
7. Greg Foster – 157 – Miata 2006-2015
8. Robin Camblin – 153 – MGA
9. PJ Lenihan – 153 – MGB
10. Paul Rolig – 151 – Miata 1999-2005

After 2014’s contest where we scored 128 points, I set a goal of 150 points hoping that would get us in the top ten. Well, as you can see from above it would have been real close, but not enough. But we out did that goal by a big margin and jumped from 20th to 5th place overall.

Our entry sheet had a total point tally of 169, so we must have been awarded 3 bonus points for intangibles somewhere, but even with that we still fell seven points from finishing in the “big” money at the top. The only real holes in our entry blank were states, we needed more states in spite of visiting 22 of them things.

This year who knows how well we will do, but we will definitely have some fun doing it.

Moss Motoring Challenge Ideas

Last year while driving around hunting for the 2015 Challenges Donna and I tried to come up with ideas for the 2016 contest that we could submit to the organizer(s). Here is the list we compiled that used to be displayed over on the left:

  1. Tattoo Parlor = 1pt
    • Tattoo Parlor w/ Fresh Tat = 2pt
    • Tattoo Parlor w/ Moss Logo Tat = 5pt
  2. Food Bank = 1pt
    • Food Bank,Dropping Off Donation = 2pt
  3. Identifiable Roadkill = 2pt
  4. Military Hardware Display = 1pt
  5. Harley-Davidson Dealer = 1pt
    • Harley-Davidson Dealer & Wearing their T-shirt = 2pt
  6. Photogenic Bridge = 1pt
  7. In a Cemetery/Graveyard = 1pt
  8. College Football Stadium = 1pt
  9. Large Outdoor Mural = 1pt

By the time I sent in the list, it was too late, next year’s flyers/entry forms were all ready being printed/produced. How did we do as prognosticators? Not bad actually.

We had three direct hits, Tattoo Parlor, Military Hardware Display & Cemetery.

And three near misses, Harley-Davidson Dealer came in as Biker “Gang”, Photogenic Bridge became Drawbridge (raised) and College Football Stadium turned into University Campus.

Food Bank and Large Outdoor Mural have real merit and might have made next year’s list, but Roadkill not so much.

$500 Car Wash

The Purple Whale just got back from his 60k service appointment and before they give you car back as a “free” perk they wash and vacuum it.

We dropped off the car yesterday, so this morning I called the Service Adviser to see how how much this was going to set me back I was told it would be $491. When we showed up to get the car back he told me the total was $527 which I figured was the price + tax. We I got home and looked at the back page of the sheet he gave me there were itemized costs for labor, parts, misc and tax with a total of $580.33. Right underneath that he had hand written in -$53.08 bringing the total to the paid $527.29. WTF? The math isn’t even right! The original $491 plus the 7% sales tax should have totaled $525.37.

The recommended service is to inspect a zillion things, the major items are changing several filters and draining, flushing and replacing the big three fluids (oil, coolant & transmission.) Where did the $580 come from, hard to tell, because the inspections aren’t itemized so all the cost is lumped in the blocks for the 3 fluid changes.

While he was in the shop he also had a couple recalls taken care of. One was some sort of brake pedal stopper which might cause the car to not start needed to be replaced. The second was inspection for engine block noise which might indicate possible main bearing failure. Some engines apparently didn’t get all the chips flushed out during manufacturing. The Purple Whale was fine on that count.

A couple of other observations:
1) They noticed a clunk when turning and replaced a steering coupling under warranty. I have been hearing something like that when backing out of the driveway when transiting off the little curb there, but thought nothing of it. In the write up section for this it says, “Replaced steering coupler per TSB 14-ST-002. One time good will for customer satisfaction.” So they changed something per a Technical Service Bulletin and it is goodwill?
2) In another shining example of car dealer math, Hyundai recommends changing the oil every 7,500 miles and in a little note towards the end of my service print out it says “next oil lube service due @ 63,258 miles, or about 3,746 miles more than the car has now.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 141