Hi new to mx5oc and looking to buy a 5 any day now.ive seen one i like but i wanted to double check something. it has no badge on the front is this a sign of damage repair? its a 1990 1.6 uk modal. the gaps either side of the bonnet are different sizes too.is it a lemon??
No badge might just be a personal thing, but it could be indicative of a repair also.
Bonnet - are the gaps parallel? - or are they not consistent front-to-back along the length of the bonnet?
(if they’re parallel then it could be just worn/tired hinges, otherwise I’d suspect a repair).
Look for wing fixing nuts - are the un-painted? (possible repair)
Look for overspray under car.
Look for masking lines.
It’s difficult to form an opinion from the description given…
Good luck!
Early UK models had no ‘badge’ to speak of on the nose. What they had was a ‘Mazda’ sticker on the front bumper to the right of the number plate (if viewed from the front) See pic below (it’s an American Miata, but the sticker was the same as UK cars)
many MX5s of that age by now will have had some paint repair on the nose; lack of badges, stickers is not necessarily indicative of more serious damage.
The side edges of the headlight lids aren’t exactly square to the wing, but they should be the same on each side. The backs of the ehadlight lid should line up with the bonnet, but frequently the lid is slightly bent down at the back, caused by an errant mechanic leaning on it. Easily fixed with a tug. The front edge of the headlight lid should be level with the bumper. If it appears raised, its possibly been in a hit, and the bent headlight frame reused, rather than being replaced. Similarly, if the bonnet is significantly lower than the bumper, its is possible that the slam panel (panel in front of the radiator) has been bent. With the headlights up, you can just about see the front edge of the inner wings, with a torch. Check nothing looks bent. Check that the mouth of the bumpewr has all the clips present; frequently thats are broken if the bumper has been off. Also, you might see evidence of overspray down here. Underneath, there should be two metal barsholding out the edges of the bumper, on each side. Frequently, on older cars, attempts to remove these will end with a sheared bolt. Less careful repair places will leave these off, or leave them not attached to anything. Often, if the car has had front damage, at least one of the wings will have been replaced. Have a feel of the stone chip finish on the lower half of the doors, wings. Its should be a hammerite-like finish (smooth bumps). Very often, garages have problems reproducing this finish (to do it properly, you need to refinish the entire side of the car). Its also not unknown for repaired cars to be missing the front plastic wing liners. The underside of the bonnet should have various warning and identification stickers. If these are missing, its a near certainty that the bonnet has been replaced. A bonnet that is raised at the back, near the windscreen, isn’t really an issue, but just a sign of age. The hinges gradually seize up, and deform slightly.
Thanks for the reply,
Yeah the gaps are parallel, looking front on the left hand gap down the side of the bonnet is say 15mm and the right is 5mm, but even front to back almost as if the bonnet has been put on a feww mm to one side if that makes sense.
worth a worry or just a case of adjust, I have taken your advise and tips on board and will use then to double check when i go for the test drive.(snow on monday put pay to a drive)
Bonnet can be adjuste, but Mazda usually get it spot on, so indicates someone has had the bonnet off at some time.