Hello all! I’m new to the club and forum, and now the proud owner of a 2016 ND 2L. I’ve had it just over a week and couldn’t be happier with it - it’s superb fun and looks beautiful. First time owning anything other than a bland reasonably-priced-car so this is my first venture into the world of 1 tonne rear wheel drive fun-mobiles.
Things I’ve learned so far:
Taking the SD card out does indeed stop the infotainment system from rebooting every 30 seconds or so
Puncturing a rear tyre and replacing it with something slightly different totally wrecks the handling - I couldn’t believe how sensitive it is to mismatching tyres, so lesson learned there (it now has two new Bridgestone Potenza S001s on the back, soon to be moved to the front)
Bridgestone Potenza S001s are really expensive
The tyre pressure warning system is really fussy and the toy air compressor provided is terrible but just about hacks and wheezes a tyre into life
The lane assist system gets confused in the fog
I can’t stop smiling when I’m driving it and it’s even more fun with the lid down - I need to get a hat and gloves so I can start to enjoy the bright but bitter winter days coming up.
I’ve already found useful advice on this forum RE the infotainment screen SD card issue, and the tyre/handling thing, so it seemed like a no-brainer to join up properly. Looking forward to many hours of happy driving and engaging in conversation on here.
If you wish to update your infotainment system which will eradicate the rebooting, unless you have a corrupt card, pm me. The update will allow you to install the module to get Carplay/Android Auto meaning you can use free maps for navigation amongst other things.
Hi BlueAgave - Thanks for the info, that sounds interesting. I’m not sure if the SD card is corrupt or just has corroded contacts, either way I’ve removed it and am happily bluetoothing to the unit for music and using maps on my phone. I wouldn’t mind upgrading to Android Auto though, it seems a shame not to use the screen.
I’ve seen a couple of videos of people upgrading the firmware on their units, my only concern is finding the right, non-corrupt firmware that won’t cause me to brick the unit.
Nice! Does this mean there might be a casual splash of underseal down there?
I had little luck with dealership cars, although I was able to test drive both the 1.5L and 2L during a viewing. This was a private sale which I was lucky to spot just a couple of minutes after the autotrader listing went up.
Out of interest, how can you tell from the reg number?
I bought a used Mazda 6 recently (also in West Sussex) and the sales guy said the same about mine, but I have forgotten what he said was the identifying feature.
Looks like it says Mazda.co.uk on the number plate and a lot of their fleet in that era were V (something) plates. I could be completely wrong about that with regards this vehicle though.
“Does this mean there might be a casual splash of underseal down there?”
Unlikely!
Although I have heard that ‘official’ underseal was an after-factory option offered at some Mazda dealerships for new MX-5s, in the same way as carpet mats and tow bars etc. are offered. Whether it’s as good as a professional aftermarket undersealing job with Dinitrol or Waxoyl I will leave for others to opine on…it’s a controversial aspect of MX-5 ownership as you probably already know.
Yep, I’ve seen a lot of talk on here around the outlay vs benefit - I think I’ll consider having it done after at least a year of ownership, by which point I’ll be pretty certain whether I’m keeping it or not (and I’d be seriously upset if I did have to get rid of it for any reason)! Plus, with any luck any corrosion already in place will be mild and easy enough to treat.
I’m really enjoying the car, it’s great fun!
Mine is of similar vintage and still near perfect. The tyre pressures are very sensitive , with even small temperature changes triggering the TPS . Unlike most cars , the wrong pressures are immediately discernible even without TPS - the car will pull to one side if you lift off smartly after accelerating briskly. I carry a foot pump and race spec gauge to remedy any pressure problems if I am a long way from home .
Next time you change your tyres have a think about Michelin PS4s. I replaced my OE Bridgestones with them and back to back the Michelins are much better, and especially in the wet.
Gratifyingly , the stupid lane assist ■■■■ can be turned off once and for all, rather than having to turn it off every trip . It is useless and distracting rubbish .
Nice, I’ll check them out, thanks. I was thinking of rotating my wheels to put the much newer tyres on the front, thereby giving me a chance to replace what would then be the older rears.
My fun car is a 2016 2 litre MX 5 whilst my normal car is a VW iD3. The VW arrived with Bridgestone tyres and I had continual problems with the VW rear end sliding in wet conditions - please note I have been driving for around 50 years, many of them on rear wheel drive cars. Got rid of the Bridgestones during first winter and changed to Michelins, no problems since then in 12 months.
