A few weeks into MX-5 ownership and am absolutely loving the car, but its not exactly been a smooth first few weeks…!
When I got the car the geometry was off but I accepted this as I was always going to get this done anyway. But the car came with a fresh MOT so I was content that the car was generally sound, especially as I was buying it from an MX-5 specialist dealer.
Long story short, despite its fresh MOT and the inspection of a specialist dealer I’ve had to change both rear tyres within a week of buying due to sidewall bulges (I know, nothing to say it didn’t occur post MOT etc…) and a failed ARB Droplink (again, nothing to say it didn’t happen post MOT but I was surprised about the amount of body roll on the way home from the dealer and there was a lot of muck in the failed ball joint…!)!.
Corrected all of that and love driving the car even more. Then yesterdays rain happened… and so did a swimming pool in the cabin!! A quick look by the drain holes showed another pool of water sitting up there… so blocked drain holes then! This I think is incredibly poor that a “specialist” dealer didn’t spend a few mins to clean out the drains as part of their sale prep! But that’s for another thread for another time.
Having now lost all trust in their pre-sale prep, I want to have a “fine tooth comb” run through the car at the weekend to check for any other potential issues before they happen! I have a day, a reasonable tool kit (now including a trombone cleaner! :-p), an obd scanner with dashcommand and a determination to prevent any more mishaps!
The question for you good folk is, aside from the rear drains, what else should I be checking for?! I’m not afraid of removing trim etc to find faults but if there’s likely to be anything that will require replacement clips etc, please let me know so I can get them now!
Check / seal the grommets under the windscreen scuttle covers. They leak into the area behind the dash and can cause electrical problems. For some reason the passenger side is worse. Do a search on this forum, the information is there.
Good luck
Regarding the rain getting in you should also check the front scuttle grommets, these are under that plastic cover below the windscreen. Plenty of info on the internet about this, search Google “mazda mx5 nc scuttle grommets” in images and it should throw up the info. You can buy the new grommets or seal yours with some silicone. Also see mx5parts website for the parts and info.
Well that’s stopped the rain getting in, alignment, yes sounds like you should get that sorted but I’d be also checking the state of the tyres first, all matching? what brand?
Plenty of tyre stuff on here to last a good few hours, what’s best, what’s c-- why should I fit these or not fit these etc etc. When you’re done you can turn your attention getting other stuff done, oils changed you can make quite a list.
Combematrial & MickAP thanks for that pointer - I will look that one up.
Alignment, tyres & droplink I’ve already sorted, it does leave me with different makes front to rear but they are the same across each axle and for budgetary reasons it will need to stay that way for the moment :-p Drives ok like that though so its ok.
Not just looking for leaks but any potential issues to stop before they start - potential trim rattles, mechanicals, electricals etc.
As it is an early Mk3, I would now change the antifreeze it needs done at 11 years old and unless you have proof also the gearbox and back axle oil.
A local garage when I was too busy to service one my cars did not change the gearbox and back axle oil at that services that I told them to do and said they had done that to save me money.
That is a common local garage trait as the majority of people are only interested how cheap they can get a service.
Hi there - what a tale of woe, I think you should name and shame this “specialist dealer” to forewarn other potential buyers.
As others have said the front scuttle plastiic inserts are usually the culprit for water in the front wells - there is an excellent write up with great photos on this forum. There is also lots more interesting and enlightening stuff on everything from trombone cleaners to the service schedule for the mk3, and geometry settings , tyre choice etc etc.
When I got my Mk3.5 it was a private sale so I got the AA to check it out for me. Sorry if this sounds a bit patronising ( and it’s obviously too late for you, but just thought other potential purchasers may read this and have a think) - but I’m sure the AA would have spotted the majority of the problems you’ve listed, and for people like me who aren’t mechanical experts I’d say it’s money well spent - a couple of hundred quid, but piece of mind for a worrier like me has a price.
Ironically the only problem I’ve had was with water ingress, my car was kept in a garage and never went out in the rain, so impossible to check. It was the scuttle plastic inserts at fault, and I just sealed round them with Fernox LS-X and the job was done. I did this following advice another member who pointed out that replacing the flawed inserts with new ones is a pointless exercise, and I tend to agree.
As above, scuttle grommets! I did as Colindash did above and seal around them with some quick-dry silicone. I can always refresh it down the line if required for little effort and cost.
I’ll also agree with those who have said about mismatched tyres - mine had caused issue, but as you say mismatched between front and rear axles aren’t tooooo much of an issue and if cost is prohibitive then just bear it in mind for the time being!
I’m going (albeit slowly) through a full service, bit-by-bit. I’ve so far changed rear tyres, diff oil, spark plugs and non-servicable items such as springs and anti-roll bars, ARB bushes and ARB drop links. Next on the agenda is to change out the gearbox oil and gear turret oil (the latter is only necessary on the 5sp gearbox).
Keep checking for water ingress in the boot after you’ve cleared the drain holes. I’ve had some through a poor seal by the aerial. It can also occur through the gap for the 3rd brake light.
You may want to reproof and/or restore the hood depending on how it looks. Really not a difficult job. Get yourself some Renovo hood renovator to bring the colour back to black and either Fabsil Gold or Renovo Hood Reproofer. I’ve found Fabsil to be better than Renovo for water repellency, personally. Prior to this job give it a good clean with some car shampoo (without ‘wax’) or baby shampoo and a soft-bristled brush. I used a shoe brush from Tesco with grand results. There’s nothing worse than getting in your car for the hood to drip on you!
Good move with the OBD approach! I think I need to invest in one. As above, check what else is on service schedules for the age of your car. I’m aware mine might need brake fluid and a coolant change and I’m just getting together parts for an engine change and probably a new battery! There’s always a particular peace of mind knowing exactly what has and hasn’t been done to a car!
Might be an idea to call your local Mazda dealer, give them your reg. number and ask them for a copy of the digital service record (if applicable to yours). That way you can see what’s been done. I got mine sent via e-mail and saw it had been regularly serviced at various Mazda dealers at the correct time intervals as the time periods came before the mileage, i.e it had a 55,000 service at 40,000 miles. The last service included a brake fluid and gearbox oil change…no mention of a diff oil change which surprised me so I changed it myself for peace of mind. Despite the good service record I don’t consider dealer servicing thorough enough, or at least not up to my standards.
Although the underbody protection checks are all marked inspected and passed, I was horrified to discover the full length of the inner cills and several areas of the chassis were devoid of sealant and rusted.
brake fluid change ( every 2 years in service schedule)
engine oil ( it's a must to keep it fully topped up and you never know, that and the filter may not have been carried out)
rear parcel shelf vibration, if it doesn't, fine, if it does, search google for fix. Easy to do.
drain holes and check/seal front grommets
spark plugs, again have a good read as some folk have experienced difficulty changing them
tyre pressures 28/29 psi (an ongoing thing)
General underbody inspection, behind wheel arches, around side indicators, around boot number plate light (all areas noted by other owners for potential corrosion)
check brake discs and pads for wear while you're at it
have done all this on mine apart from coolant and brake fluid, both planned in this year. Great cars, get through these things and enjoy it, we still have some nice weather to come ( hopefully )
Glad to see you are getting the car sorted, if it was from a “specialist” on the Wirral you have my sympathy.
I bought a car (non MX5) from them with a NEW mot and discovered a broken rear spring within 4 days of picking it. It was only the last coil at the botton but it should have been spotted.
Also found it had not been serviced when they said it had been, did that myself for peace of mind.
Not to be picky but I would have expected a “specialist” to have at least cleaned the hood drains prior to sale.
Anyway it sounds like you are progressing in getting the car up to standard. On that note look to buy the dipstick from mx5 parts (about £10.00) as the one you have, if original is a nightmare to read properly.
These cars are really sensitive to the oil always being at the full mark, the new dipstick is much easier to read and could save a major engine failure later in life.
Enjoy the delights of the MX5.
Mazda do not put a checkbox on the DSR to allow the garage to tick for the diff oil change, therefore it maters not if it is changed or not you cannot put it in the DSR.
Seems weired as Mazda put the requirement in the service schedule to change the diff oil and on average diff oil has more iron from the diff in it than gearbox oil gets from the gears in the box.
Due to the small amount of oil in the MX5 diffs, I’m starting to change it every two years to reduce the wear metal count.
Service Completed 100.000 km / 62.500 miles / 60 months Body Inspection Completed 5th Year. Items completed during Service Renewal of Manual Trans Oil Renewal of Oil and Oil Filter MOT Passed Checklists Completed.
No mention of a diff oil change on any of the records. I changed the diff oil a few weeks ago at 50,000 miles and what came out looked pretty clean so they might have changed it at some point.
Thanks for all the pointers, getting a very comprehensive list togeather now, thanks all very much!!
I’m not going to name and shame just yet as I’m still dealing with them and for everything other than the drains I’ve no proof that its their fault… I will name and shame if I find anything bad that I can prove! I have contacted them and they assure me the drains were cleared as part of their checks… must just be a very dirty place up there! Also i’m about to use the warranty for another issue (binding calliper) so again will wait to see how that goes.
Drain unblocking update… I cant get the trombone cleaner in the drain hole! Its either that blocked that it wont go in, or I just cant find it - more likely to be the latter at a guess. Been having a read of the guides etc but not got it in yet!
Any tips gratefully recieved - More the merrier!
Irrespective I’m loving the car - a super car to drive!
What really made it easier for me was cutting off one end of the trombone brush. It was far easier to guide with, in essence, a metal rod than with a brush. There’s a couple of methods around - one which is particularly easy is going vertically down the gap between the scuttle and the rear of the seats;
Click here! for a guide from Miata.net (blasphemous, I know!) which highlights one way of doing it. If you’re following this method, aim towards the gearknob rather than vertically downwards. If you look at the 5th picture (with the red circles), you can see the gap between the scuttle and the rear of the seats which I’m talking about - have a look there with a bright light (torch/phone/etc) and you should see the gap underneath the scuttle for the drain hole!
Both ways have worked for me, but the ‘vertically down’ one is far easier in my humble opinion, especially with one end of the trombone brush removed. If you do remove one end, take it easy as a metal rod doesn’t have the same ‘cushion’ as a brush, with regard to flaps.
Thanks for the tips - when you say go in vertically between the scuttle and the back of the rear seats, do you mean as per the blue circle section below:
I’ve been going through the hole aiming towards the gear stick so far but to no avail! Trying again when I get home from work.
That’s quite alright! Yeah exactly there - if you look down there you should be able to see the entrance to the drain hole! Once you’ve found that it’s literally a vertical drop down into it and you should be cooking with gas!
