Miata Service

This Come Off Of The Emperor?

Dropped Something

About 50 miles from home, half way between No & Where, there came a bang and a loud clattering from under the Emperor.

Donna: What was that!?!
Me: Ran over something.
Donna: Something fall off?
Me: Dunno.
Donna: Think we should check?
Me: Guess so.

So I pull a u-turn and about a 100 feet back is a big bolt smack in between the yellow lines. I continue past a bit and pull another u-turn. Stopping in mid lane I get out and pick up the bolt. Yikes! It’s hot. And it has a very thin coating of something that looks like anti-seize compound. Now is it hot because it just came off our car or a car not too far ahead of us or because it is 95° out and laying on a dark surface? Time-wise I can narrow it down only to it has been on the road since after the last thunderstorm here because otherwise the fluid on it would have washed off.

I pull the car off the road onto the shoulder and crawl around a bit underneath looking around at the suspension because that is the last thing that was worked on. I also take a peak at the brake calipers as it almost looks like a slider pin, but see nothing amiss. Might be off the PPF as that was probably loosened or removed for the recent clutch change, but I can’t get that far under there to see.

We get back in the car and slowly start back down the road. I get it up to about 15 MPH and hit the brakes hard and the car responds as it should, with a sudden stop. I then wig/wag down the road like a race car driver warming his tires on the pace lap and the Miata dances back and forth with no drama. But we are both a little spooked, so I drive home at the speed limit with both hands on the wheel.

When we got home I jacked up the car about 12″ off the ground and put all 4 jack stands under it. Looked at everything I could possibly see and there was nothing missing on the PPF or nothing absent at any of the suspension connections. Must be someone else’s bolt.

I swear I did not see anything on the road in front of me before the sudden noises1, so I’m guessing it was there already and I scooped it up with a tire and bounced it back and forth between the car and road a bit before ejecting it out the back.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 10

Motoring Challenge Points 2, Approx Miles Driven 260
Totals So Far: 75 points & 2945 miles

1. Of course if you ask my wife or the guys at Panic they’d tell you I don’t see anything in the road.

Great Service

A week ago the Miata got a new top installed at Redmond’s Auto Upholstery Inc in Augusta. Been using these guys for every top change on every Miata I’ve had, approximately 6 times. They’ve always done a bang up job, but this time was extra special. So much so that I was moved to actually right a 5 star review on Google Plus:

I had my top replaced here about a week ago and the folks there went above and beyond.

While they had the car I asked if they could replace the two (out of six) snaps that hold down the boot cover. When I picked up the car Randall said he changed out all of them, so they’d match. When I asked how much I owed for the extra work, he said nothing.

Today when I put the top down and then back up for the first time I was surprised that the passenger latched clicked closed. It hasn’t done that in 5 or 6 years. A geegaw in the mechanism gets worn and causes it not to lock. There is a simple fix for it on Miata.net that involves drilling and tapping a hole then screwing in a short screw, but I’m too mechanically inept to get it done right, so I’ve just lived with it. I’ve not worried about it because the latch closes fine and has never popped free.

They did the fix for me too, no charge. When was the last time a business did anything like that for you?

In a fit of unbridled enthusiasm I even liked them on Facebook…

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 6/25/15: 4

Notice Anything Different?


Right now it still smells a little like new plastic inside. As we left the top shop the fellow came outside and said to be sure and leave it up for week to let the top stretch & settle. I’ll try and make it a couple days, but by Monday at the latest it will be coming down for the morning drive to work.

The vinyl top makes a different sound when driving than the cloth did, but overall it seems slightly quieter. The previous cloth top, number two for the car, was always noisier than the original OEM top. I may have mentioned it here before, but top #2 was quieter at highway speeds when it was down and the windows up than it was when the top and windows were up.

The Emperor also got his second royal bath in 4 days once he got home. HRH had to spend last night outside under the stars with flying feathered creatures.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 0

Crown Me

The Emperor just got back from summer camp last Thursday, but he’s off again already on an overnighter. This time it is to get fitted up with some new head wear.

The next time you see a top count at the bottom of a post it will be a very, very small number. In the past 6 years, 7 months and 30 days the top has gone through 760 cycles or about once every 3-1/4 days. The rate really dropped off, from over 300 a year to around 125, after the 2011 purchase of the Sonata. Now when the weather is iffy, the Miata just stays home.

The new top is going to be black vinyl instead of the original (and 1st replacement) top’s tan cloth. The material change is because it is a hundred bucks cheaper for vinyl and the slight decrease in durability is more than offset by the decreased top usage. The color change is just for that reason, a change.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1521

The Triumphant Return of the King

Actually came back on Thursday evening, but on Friday he rested because we rode the tandem to work and later went grocery shopping in the “big” car.

Took a drive today to a friends house. After the first couple of hard turns under acceleration and getting a loud clunk as the new springs settled onto their perches, it was smooth sailing. Car handles like new again. What we thought was the main rear seal doing all the leaking turned out to be mostly valve cover gasket with the rear seal being a minor contributor. Just recently the Emperor had started leaving a small spot towards the rear of the car to go with the big one up front. Turns out it wasn’t a muffler-fluid leak like I suspected, but the rear transmission seal was the culprit, which the fine folks at Panic Motorsports replaced for me.

Got a new clutch and associated components and I swear it feels better than new. It took me only a moment to get adjusted to its new release/engagement point, after the replacement it is an inch or so closer to the floor than than it was. Steve @ Panic sez it is a simple fix to move that point up or down in the travel patch of the pedal. I looked up on the Miata.net Forum and it looks dead simple. so I might just give it go to see if I can get it back to about the middle of the travel where it has reside for the last dozen years.

While they had the car on the lift they marveled at the bumps and bruises the car has accumulated in its 150,000 mile life so far. Steve actually wondered if I had hit any bowling balls. There was a bent rear sub frame brace that they replaced and they also had to re-weld the resonator (Mazda calls it a presilencer) back onto the exhaust pipe. I also somehow managed to get a large dent in the muffler in a nearly un-accessible spot. In my defense I’m usually very good at distances and spacial relationships, but for some reason I have a terrible blind-spot in judging the height of road debris compared to chassis clearance.

Started down. went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1515

The Emperor Goes To Camp

Camp Mazdamiata
We dropped the Miata off at summer camp this morning. It is not for a long stay, so he probably won’t get homesick. We think it will be good for him to spend some time with his peers under the watchful eyes of experienced counselors while working on a couple of issues. We also hope he has some fun.

We would like for him to pick up some neatness habits and stop leaving his stuff all over the place in his bedroom1. Plus we would hope he can be more efficient and sharper in his responses to requests2. But our main concern is that he come back more poised and agile3.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1513

1. Fix a leaking main rear seal.
2. Replace the clutch.
3. Install new shocks and springs.

Too Much Blue?

I’m not sure I like the way the all this blue looks, so don’t get to comfortable. OK?

On Tuesday evening I changed the oil on the Miata and rotated the tires. I pulled the right front tire off first so I could get to the oil filter and drain plug. While the dark amber color fluid drained into a plastic pan, I pulled off the right rear and mounted the previous front tire in its place. I rolled each at least a full rotation looking for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing sticking out of either one, but the inside corners of both of them were worn a bit more than the outside. It was getting close to tire shopping time.

When I pulled the right rear I realized it was time to shop now. The inside edge of this tire was almost square from uneven wear. No belt material was showing, but what should have been a smooth circumference was somewhat wavy.

Normally I would spend several hours checking reviews, reading the tires & wheels section of the Miata Forum and searching for deals before getting a new set of tires, but we were taking a weekend trip that started in 48 hours. I needed tires in a hurry and the few times I’ve had to do that it hasn’t always ended well.

I checked the website of the best independent tire dealer in town and they listed a couple of Ultra High Performance Summer tires in my size, including the Yokohama S.Drive which the Emperor already was riding on. It was about 3 minutes until closing time, but the fellow who answered said he could hook me up the next day with a set of the Yoko’s and an alignment.

I hated to do the alignment because there are a new set of shocks and springs in the garage awaiting installation in the next couple weeks and I will have to do another one after that stuff is put on. But it would be kind of stupid to buy new tires and then take a 850 trip with an improper alignment. I’d like to get closer to 25,000 miles on this set instead of just under 21,000 for the current tires.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1493

Motoring Challenge Points 0, Approx Miles Driven 140
Totals So Far: 40 points & 1080 miles