Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

£208.33 for oil and filter

That's the line item with everything else, no idea if there'd be more labour if that's all you were doing. Happy to share the invoice over email or WhatsApp so you can see what that was alongside.

Although I can't remember the exact cost, when I had a major service inc dsg oil I was shocked at the price of the oil - in the region of £100 as opposed to £35 for 4l engine oil.

I know not everyone is based in London any more, so if you're near Cheltenham/Gloucester and need a VAG specialist, a mate of mine runs The Motorworks in Gloucester. It's a one man band and he specialises in modification and race car prep but he does all manner of servicing and fault fixing. He took care of my Superb for all the stuff like lowering, servicing, DSG and Haldex fluids and filters.

Changed the Cam Angle Sensor (CAS) on my MX5 and it runs again which is nice.

A mate has shared some of his ECU maps so I can use his as references to edit mine.

As my car was initially set up without an Intake Air Temperature sensor, the guy who mapped it has used a combination of the VE and Ign tables with big numbers in the WB trim table. Since then I've fitted an IAT sensor so now the WB trim table is throwing out the map based on the intake air temp it's seeing, which isn't ideal, so that needs updating. It's a bit of trial and error since I'm not hugely experienced in engine tuning, but I've got a few more experienced mates helping me out

1 Attachment

On the subject of VAG servicing, if anyone knows a good North London/Herts indy please shout.

At around 80k, and next year will go for a full service. Tempted to just go to a dealer as I want someone who can check the timing belt/chain and suspension.

Given the cost of cars nowadays my original assumption of just running this into the ground and replacing now means I'd actually like to get another 5yrs/50k out of it.

Incidentally, is there an easy way to check for worn suspension bushes. And on a scale of drive way diy to requiring a shop lift how hard/expensive is replacement?

You really can’t go wrong with an mx5. I especially like the shape of the mk2

In case anyone wanted a VXR8 update it's still hilarious. Fuel economy is definitely worse than I thought it would be but it's making me drive it less frequently which is a good thing I guess?

The tyres turned out to be quite old and were cracking so I replaced all four. When I viewed it originally I checked the tread and the brands but didn't notice the cracking so that was an unexpected large expense.

The stability control issue has expanded to a bigger problem which I can't read with my cheap OBD2 reader so I'm going to see a specialist on Monday. It's either a wheel speed sensor or the wiring harness for the wheel speed sensors, but I don't want to just waste time swapping bits unnecessarily so I thought I'll go see someone who can read all the GM specific codes and replace the specific part.

The issue has gone from intermittent to every drive, and it causes the abs, traction control and speedo to stop working. I don't think anything is actually broken because my code reader sometimes manages to actually clear the codes and when it does, everything works, so I think it's some sort of electrical gremlin.

Car is fine to drive as I use a GPS speedo and I'm very used to driving without ABS and traction control.

However a knock on effect is cruise control not working and at the beginning of August we're going on a 2 week holiday to France and I'd rather not drive 2000km without cruise control.

2 Attachments

It really needs lowering and spacers, and the tail pipes are crooked and ugly but I've got too many projects on the go between cars and bikes

I'm assuming you mean "can't go wrong" because it reads like you hate what I've done with mine 😂

MK1 pop up lights are betterer.

It really needs lowering and spacers

It really doesn't.
It's fine.

https://youtu.be/Tuh2kBy897c?feature=shared

This is a good reminder that i need to resist my urge to buy metal pressed numberplates for a Skoda

.

1 Attachment

ABS Sensor fault?

Thank you for making me laugh.

Hope it is cheap repair and love to the famamalam.

Either the sensor itself or the wiring harness to the two rear sensors. According to other owners, expected lifespan of the sensor wiring harness is only a couple of years...

Hopefully the cheaper option.

Edit. I've a similar issue with random faults like yours. They were intermittent and able to be cleared. My mechanic advised ABS sensor needs replaced. Out of a lot of faults, there was only one ABS related, the rest were stability, tyre pressure, anti skid type faults.

.

5 Attachments

Top 5 wheels on that MR2... Although they look better with lower offset and more width to get the concave spokes

I’m not a fan of the mk1. Much prefer the shape of the mk2

I think that's a 76 Honda CVCC - the second pic. We had a 77 or 78 for many years. Great car

Yeah that Civic is special. Great find