Being a Mender (or what you have done for another MX5 owner)

[Ricolas]

A mate of mine loves my MX so for his first car bought a '92 Eunos. Bit shabby but serviceable, and as it turned out as cheap as anything else for him to insure. It's shabbiness would be helped if he did not keep driving it into inanimate objects, but hey. First car.

Thus far I have shown him how to change his brake pads, wheels, and change the clutch fluid. I will also be showing him how to change the clutch slave as his clutch is not right, and it feels like the slave needs renewing.

Most recently was changing and cleaning the electric windows, and fitting new speakers. The previous owner had made a huge mess of the speakers so that took a while, but all done now.

A lot of work on his car to do, so I will practice a few things on his motor before I try them on mine! (He won't mind, and it seems a fair exchange!)

[flea]

Well done that man

[Mazda Mender]

A mate of mine loves my MX so for his first car bought a '92 Eunos. Bit shabby but serviceable, and as it turned out as cheap as anything else for him to insure. It's shabbiness would be helped if he did not keep driving it into inanimate objects, but hey. First car.

Thus far I have shown him how to change his brake pads, wheels, and change the clutch fluid. I will also be showing him how to change the clutch slave as his clutch is not right, and it feels like the slave needs renewing.

Most recently was changing and cleaning the electric windows, and fitting new speakers. The previous owner had made a huge mess of the speakers so that took a while, but all done now.

A lot of work on his car to do, so I will practice a few things on his motor before I try them on mine! (He won't mind, and it seems a fair exchange!)

M-m

[Ricolas]

Yes, photos would have been good! But it was going to rain and I was going hell for leather last time. (Which meant I ended up covered in that black gloop that holds the door card plastic in place - which comes off nicely with a spot of penetrating fluid spray I discovered...)

[goodwoodmx5]

One of my most successful 'Mender' moments happened a hour or so after one of my customers visited my place (for a new roof actually). But thats not my 'Mender' moment. Not far from me is a rather nice garden centre (you know the sort of place, where they charge three times the price for stuff you don't really need anyway - honey from free range bees for £20 a jar etc). They do have a nice cafe though and my chap and his wife popped in for a coffee and a cake.

When they returned to the their MX5 Mk1, the chap managed to snap off his one and only key in the driver's door lock. He was miles away from home (and his spare key) and phoned me in despair. I grabbed a few tools including the 'forbidden' tool ie my wife's very smart tweezers - the ones she's told me off for using for inappropriate stuff like retrieving dropped nuts and bolts etc. I also have a big box of spare Mazda keys, collected over 20 years of buying/selling MX5s.

A short drive to the garden centre and with the use of a strong magnet, I managed to get the remains of the key to pop out enough to grab it with the tweezers. So that was the first part of the problem solved. There then followed a few minutes of carefully trying every key in the lock until I found one that not only opened the door, but started the car too. At least it enabled the chap to get home and left me with a good 'clever clogs' feeling.

[Mazda Mender]

[Mazda Mender]

This section as not been used for a long while ?are they all that perfect that none need anything doing to them?
So because Bry asked ,and assumes we are all asleep, I will start to post all the crap i get up to besides any fettling on my own , not all will be Roadsters i get dragged into helping with but i'll post up any way.
Now i'll be posting all the crap up on one condition, you all join in and show us what you are doing or up too so there is an interaction ....

So this is one that came to me with electrical issues with burnt out wiring plus some aftermarket add ins and c*ck ups and bodges ans some incorrect autospark work a couple of weeks back.
1) Burnt out wiring which meant dash out, chase and remove damaged wires and make all good.
2 ) Remove the two cure house light cable kind of solder in connected to a cig socket bouncing around the passenger side foot well and make good...
3) Remove an old alarm system that was still live and make good...
4 ) Remove an old hands free kit????...and make good
5 ) Find out why the blow and burn out from the front and rear fog lights happened from being installed by an auto spark?...and make safe and good( nightmare)
6 ) Remove two cure house lighting cable running from the HU's ISO patch lead to the drivers side door speaker? and make good...
7) Connect up correct the BMW clock...
8 ) Fit the A/C clip correct to seal and add the missing one
9 ) Sort all bare live wires that are loose...
!0 ) Stare in disbelief and the spot welded HU cage???...
11 ) Fit new switches( the same size as the holes were already drilled but far better quality ) as the same as the ones removed that were all switching live and down to earth( auto spark)
12 ) Chase extra fault on rear fog after being wired correct, corrosion in the rear lamp unit, advised to get new , but fell on deaf ears
13) Check everything works ok once all back together
14 ) Explain all the things i spotted that really need addressing also asap , fell on deaf ears..

There was loads of other bits i put right as i went , but cannot remember them all because of the other cars that i get to attack.

Just because i am not posting does not mean i am not busy , even building walk through guides in the back ground on here, I can post every one i work on to solve issues and problems , but its not about me and everything i do,its about everyone else....

[Mazda Mender]

Ashleighs horse van...
MOT work? or was it?
Now i personally think this was a typical case of two ladies taking a car/van for MOT situation ,and doing them over, to say i was p*ssed off with the fails he had locked would be an understatement after getting underneath etc and testing/checking and finding things that it should of failed on that he clearly did not check the van correct..
It goes for re test today on the fails, i really ,really wish i could go and meet this chap as i have a hell of a lot of question for him.
So it failed on his sheet on rear brakes/handbrakes not working correct? and a missing reflector, advissory , on head lights fogging...

So off we pop to check it over and polished up the head lights to see them slightly going milky on the inside caused by blown bulbs over the years, so better S/hand headlights ordered, new reflector popped in place and rear wheels off , first thing i notice is the back tyre cracking and on looking must of been the spare when built from 2006/07, then i notice the gaps in the rear drop links that have play , so items ordered, they should of been spoted on MOT test and failed on the tyre ,advised on the drop links?
So we stripped down the rear calipers and gave a major service , pads were not far off new or the disks so they were fine to stay , could not find anything wrong with them, now i asked Ashleigh and Angela what he had said, ....the rear brakes are not working correct or hand brake, i asked which side did he mention? none,he just said rear brakes and said it would be £300 to do the rear brakes with fresh calipers, to which i said there is nothing wrong with the calipers they are 100% working , now in all my years from doing all this problem searching and solving when ever a car as been for MOT and a rear brake are handbrake is weak or not adjusted correct the MOT chap can or does tell you which side it is after being on a rolling road test every time so you can sort it, but it seems not at this place everything is wrong??
So while i was underneath i got Daryl to apply and un apply the handbrake and tested by hand the rotation ,both were holding fast and releasing as they should ? but i notice that the drivers rear caliper handbrake arm was not releasing fully off by 1/4 of an inch compered to the passenger side and a light tap with a hammer took it all the way , but was no effecting the handbrake releasing from of the disk for free rotation ,so "IF" this was is major fail which i do not think he would of con this deep to investigate ,he should of advised which side and should of been and advisory only, but it was not effect the brakes applying on and off or the hand brake any way.
To doubly make sure I disconnected the hand brake cable to check the handbrake arm on the caliper which was fine and tested the cable which there was that slight stop point.
So anyway new handbrake cables ordered, but as we went around to check everything else because of the faith we had in this chap we found a rear light cluster on the passenger side loose holding on for grime death by one bolt as the bottom one was no longer with us , so another item missed by him and a newer S/hand one ordered.

So all the parts arrived and fitted par the rear cluster,we also found another fault which as clearly been there for a while that he missed again, on polishing up the new headlight and fitting them with very good bulbs ,i noticed that the drivers high beam is not working, checked the fuses and replaced a blown 10 amp ,still nothing , swapped the bulb, still nothing, swapped back to the old unit still nothing??? power is going to the loom socket , so that another point he missed? so i'll need to get back to that issue as its going to be a deep one as its Vauxhall movano which is really a french crap Renault master and french electrics are the worst....

[Mazda Mender]

Well Angela's CRV is "on the road again" after swapping out the clutch line damper for the 4th time , what a crap part it is , so I managed to get my hands on a S/hand unit from off a Civic after first repairing the original then it failed again with the same problem and the disc in side cracked, repaired again with a fresh S/steel disc i made up and fresh bolt again, that failed after a amount of time ,so replaced with a brand new unit which failed last week again,which brings us up to date with the civic item,so I will be making up a bypass pipe in anticipation of it failing again after researching the civic forums, so it will never happen again....job done....I would not mind but is not a cheap item...
Any way some pics of the one removed that you can see the bolt head as popped off under pressure again to dump all the fluid everywhere, and some of the newer one in and working...I will do a guide on how to make and install a bypass for others to use if needed..

[blackyb]

MOT testers are a law until themselves. I have one garage who I trust 100% to do the most on our cars.and to be consistent and honest.

[Mazda Mender]

Only me doing stuff then???......

Saturdays attack,For Mr Steven Pounder ,We could not completely finish, Roadster as been off the road for 12 years and partly stripped down for five years ???
Some parts had gone missing??
But rear sub swapped, PPF attached including the prop once we had it off after cutting the old nuts and bolts off from the diff after someone else having a go and stripping threads and rounding off, and aligning back up, sway bar,drop links,lower bones ,upper bones, uprights and drive shafts, bearings torqued up, exhaust fitted, rear under brace fitted,tie downs fitted, meister R zetas fitted, new brake disks and pads, braided hoses fitted,brakes fitted and brakes serviced.
FRONT......, brakes serviced, new disks and pads, braided hoses and suspension swap..., brake line unions gave up a fight , but slowly ,slowly catch a monkey and they worked loose.

Problems to still be sorted before she is back on the floor...
Nuts and washers x8 missing /lost to connect the drive shafts to the diff, brake line securing clip ,missing/lost, bottom passenger lower bolt/washer/nut needs replacing after cutting the damper all out with a grinder from a completely rusted solid bolt which was great fun in the close tight area to work in, on bleeding up found that the rear driver caliper is dead and seizing up, front drivers calipers bleed nipple was rusted solid and snapped...
It was all very tight, dark and cold, and only did this because of his circumstances he had found himself in, it completely brought home why i am so against home call out , every tool we brought was used, we were up at six for Mr Pounder to collect us and was home for just gone 9 pm, we were well feed and watered, but by 9 pm we could all feel it and hungry , tools thrown in the bat cave, showered, food and bed, Sunday became a major day of rest for the old bones.
Pics ,may not be in order...

[blackyb]

Sounds like someones having fun.
Me, well taxed the MX and saw D*ck Turpin riding off into the sunset with my wallet.
Not on par with a proper mender but servicing my mates mk3, oil, filters, plugs, coolant and brakes at the weekend prior to its mot.
As for no one else mending,
Got all new original mk1 suspension unit's (via autilink) to fit to ours, but it's too bloody wet and cold. ( didnt go down the Miester route as we are trying to keep her as original as possible )

[Mazda Mender]

Just so bry does not get upset....one of many.....

Chris Holdens MK 2.5 1.8VVT that put up a Honorable fight to keep hold of stuff to come off....
Engine clean
Water pump,timming belt, idler,tensioner and spring, rocker/ cams/crank ,etc seals
All fresh hoses
New rad
Cooling system flush and back flush.
Fresh 5 year coolant
New temp sensor
Compact dual air horn and loom made up
Day time running lights and front fogs installed and wired all in.
Electric aerial fitted
New Front sway bar bushes
New rear sway bar bushes
S/hand gearbox 6 spd speed drive
Repaired the A/C fan
Front head lights swapped

All cleaned and greased on re fitting for next time....

[blackyb]

Upset me by reminding me that we sold our VVT when we should have kept her.

Mending wise nothing recently

Busy topping up my drivers CPC ready for harvest and refurbishing a mates artic low loader.

Got to get our little girl done before our Scottish borders trip later this month.

If only Mm lived closer.

[Mazda Mender]

Received a call of desperation on Tuesday around 11''ish from Mr Carl Stirling-Stewart that he had broken down from hearing clonk and thud from the back, he said he had removed the wheel to try and see what's wrong and had also called the AA , I asked him to take me a vid to see if I could see what's happened as he told me that the wheel was in a horrible angle, I could see that the bottom arm on the drivers rear right to sub had broken , 7 seconds in on the vid, AA finally arrived at 1.30 and clearly could do nothing so a pick up was logged by him to be dropped here to assess and sort where needed...fast forward to 4.30 now and good old "can't be arsed " paul and everything seemed to much trouble finally arrived and after what seemed like a drag out ,details were given and told me this was his last job as he finished at 7, ok , so he left from Barton air port at 20 to 6? Which then is a 35/40 min journey to me, so we cleared everything for the arrival, food on hold etc....by 8.30 we called it a day after Carl phoned the AA to find out what was going on....he was told " it's on its last leg to being dropped off" so even the AA bullshit like taxi Co's etc...he had clearly just f**k off home with the mx we were sat waiting for...so onto Wednesday and it had been dropped at the gate with the keys cable tied to the passenger front wheel, but not by can't be arsed paul ,it was passed over to this chap I believe, so very bad service from the AA, glad I don't use them as we use wayne break down with contacts....
So got her up in the air, the bottom bone is toast, as is the top one as its now bent, the bottom bolt through the front of the bottom bone is not for moving even though the nut cracked to give me a glimpse of hope until I tried the 21mm bolt head, and the drive shaft is stuck fast in the up right hub, so , bottom bone ,top bone ,up right, drive shaft and long bolt should sort her again to be back on the road, quick call to Danny Moran as I know he as not long broken a mk2 and 2.5 , and he came farting down the street in his clean mk1 and some parts (thanks Dan), found a long bolt and good to go, so AA no points , Danny 10...


Pics to follow....