Newbie. MX5 NC Sport Roadster

General Discussion Forums Readers Rides
#1

Hello! This is my first MX5, loving it already and cannot wait for the summer. It’s a 07’ 2.0 Sport Roadster in Stormy Blue.

My previous car was a Volvo S40 T5 and while having a fantastic engine i wanted something more fun overall, MX5 was a pretty obvious choice as i don’t really need 4 seats anymore. Always enjoyed simple japanese fun cars having previously owned a Suzuki Ignis Sport which was a riot down a B road.

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Planned upgrades:
-Full wheel alignment.
-Alloy refurb or replacement (They are curbed very badly)
-Possibly an android auto upgrade.
-Speaker upgrade.

Shortly after having bought it i got some petrol and when i started it up it was significantly louder with pops and bangs at low revs, which sounded brilliant, and i thought maybe something underneath was aftermarket and was louder now it had warmed up, and i couldn’t see any damage underneath initially, however i looked further and discovered the mid pipe was totally rusted off before the backbox connection!

The car sounded normal when i bought it and came with a fresh MOT with no advisories on purchase, i have no idea how it passed with that!

Am i right to assume this is the part i need to fix this?
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/exhaust-centre-pipe-repair-section-mk3-35-p-4320.html

Cheers for looking!

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#2

This is the damage

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#3

Hello and welcome… If you intend keeping the car for the longterm, you could fit a cat-back stainless steel system which is what I’d do. Other’s here may be able to help regarding this… Rob.

#4

Lovely car. same colour and year as mine. Enjoy it.

#5

Hello and Welcome!

Love the colour of your 5 and hope you have years of enjoyable ownership ahead of you. This is a fantastic forum and I’ve learned so much from the knowledgeable folks on here (of which there are many!)

I had exactly this happen to mine about 2 years ago. It sounded like a proper race car! I ended up getting the centre section switched for an aftermarket alternative. Deep down I was just looking for an excuse to “invest” more money in the car!

All the best, Adam

#6

I have just bought that repair section for mine. Spray some waxoil while you are it, protect those subframes etc.

#7

You can buy thereaoir section from euro car parts. If you want power upgrades the best thing to do is remove the restrictive manifold to a 4-1 manifold. Best to invest in the car being properly under sealed to.

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#8

Your car is just like mine, same year and colour - great choice !

I have the 5 spoke mazda 16" alloys and prefer multi spoke wheels like yours.

Before you invest in any performance upgrades I would get a few basics checked out, especially as you have found this exhaust problem so soon after purchase and a fresh MOT inspection.

Tyres - The MX-5 can loose the back end accelerating out of corners if your tyres are old and worn - mine was totally transformed after putting 4 new tyres on shortly after purchase , it had 4 old tyres of mixed manufacture and age when i bought it, plenty of tread left but they were awful and handled terribly (one had a slow puncture too) - I fitted Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance and am very happy with them.

Brakes- check your pads and disks - I have had corrosion on both front calipers which caused the piston to stick out and not retract fully which was an interesting, noisy and very, very slow limp back home one horrible day.

Although my car had plenty of time left on the MOT I had it serviced & inspected by a local independent specialist ( Fast Eddie of Coltishall - Norfolk), then got a new MOT inspection and 4 wheel Alignment at Bosch Autotest - Norwich.

The car has driven fine after that.

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#9

Cheers for all the welcomes and advice. I figured a MX5 forum would be an very active one :grin:

I do need to make protecting under the car a priority, the subrame like @Wardy257 said looks very brown, going to order some waxoyl and get that done when it’s a bit warmer outside. I checked the sills before i bought it and they look solid with no real browness on them at all. Also it has the usual surface rust under the boot which i plan on sorting out, i have noticed the inside of the bootlid is always condensated, anyone had this on theirs?

I think I’m going to go for a cat back as I’m not sure i’d be happy with the standard exhaust note, I’m already to used to the awesome pops and bangs this broken one is providing :sweat_smile:, i have emailed a local Powerflow exhaust place to get a quote on a custom one, if it’s too much i might go for a scorpion.

Quick question about audio, i thought all Sport models came with Bose? is this not the case? I couldn’t find an answer online.

Some more photos of the car.

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Thanks again to all for the help and advice

#10

My 2.0 Sport doesn’t have Bose.
I never ever use my stereo in the car at all. All the audio I need is provided by IL Motorsport
4-1 manifold and the Cobra rear back box.
Sweet music to my ears, every ride !! :laughing:

2 Likes
#11

Your car looks great, I have not see any NC in that color in person.
Power Folding Hard Top (PFHT) models, I have only seen them in copper red, silver and black.

I bought the same car Sept 2020 but in copper red and your color is much nicer.
FSH, 51k, Kenwood touchscreen stereo, full wheel refurb was done including wheel truing, then aligned with new v7 tyres so I can live with the boring color.
A company called MOSS “should” be releasing an exhaust soon (many of us have been waiting months) via a brand called Cobalt, (Not Cobra) might be worth waiting.
I also emailed a powerflow place, that was a month ago, they never replied.

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#12

Quite like the Copper Red NC’s Looks like that is your Pride & Joy, and the wheels look good… After just getting rid of a 2016 Fiesta ST2 in white, my mind changed too - No more white cars…!
Although in some places my “Ceramic” ND2 is called white !

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#13

Thanks, the color may grow on me and yes it’s the best car (most fun in London/built up city) I have owned.

Shame the ND wheels went back to 4 bolt as those alloys look great and have really nice finish on them, might have suited the NC otherwise. The ceramic looks very smooth.

#14

Cheers, i like your colour better to be honest, looks great with darker wheels.

I might look out for that Cobalt exhaust then, I haven’t had a reply from powerflow either.
I’ve ordered the mid section repair pipe from MX5 parts for now along with some FL22 coolant and JVC Front speakers.
The stereos not as bad as i thought but coming from the 12 speaker Dolby setup i had in my Volvo it is a bit of a downgrade!

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#15

I’m, hoping to find some roof panels in black so the whole of the folding roof will be gloss black panels.
Will be interesting to see how good those JVC speakers, I was looking at them and some Kenwoods.
I am not someone who really listens to music much and even for me the standard audio is pretty poor, it’s very flat but I also think the double din modernises the interior so that’s a win win.

The only reason I talk about the Cobalt exhaust is because most people said the quality was good, it wasn’t too boomy and they were pretty cheap, under £300 but they got discontinued and a few of us are waiting for the revised version.
If you like the snapped exhaust noise then the Cobra will probably be good for you as its meant to be pretty loud. :+1:

#16

Have you considered getting the panels vinyl wrapped, professionally ?

#17

I just assumed as it’s a folding roof it wouldn’t either last very long because of the moving parts or that many places wouldn’t touch it.

#18

I had a quote on getting mine done and they seemed to think it’s no problem. Besides, none of the parts actually touch one another. Only reason I never went forward (as yet) is I couldn’t decide what colour to go with my Stormy Blue. I considered matt carbon but it might look a bit “Max Power” mag and I’m a little older than 18 hahaha.
I’ll deffo revisit it tho

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#20

Recieved the JVC speakers, the mid pipe and some coolant from Mx5 parts. Impressed with their service so far.

I overfilled the coolant today (oops) need to syphon some out tomorrow. Driving my girlfriends micra until I sort that out to avoid it blowing up.

Also noticed I have a headlight bulb out so went to halfords to get some 4000k bulbs, drivers side was a pain but i managed it without taking the wheel off, but the passenger side is proving much more difficult, made even more difficult by the alloy being stuck to the hub! Any tips on getting it off??

Also went for a wheel alignment today, it wasn’t out much at all and they didn’t want to touch it as the track rod nuts are so rusted, so i think new track rods and suspension arms are due as they do look crusty :grimacing:

#21

Hi and Welcome to the world of 5’s! Late to this forum but did notice you mention you get condensation/wetness in the boot, if I’m correct. It is usually down to the third brake light. You need to remove it and re-seal with silicon when you replace it. Also check the rubber boot seal and the light cluster seals. All easy work.