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iv46vi posted:Better yet, rewire it so it only beeps when the lights are left on. Yes, I'm the idiot who occasionally forgets to turn off the pop up lights. I've left the parking lights on before, but never the popups.
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May 8, 2014 04:32
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Here's a couple questions I have a few days into Miata ownership: 1: I noticed a small hole in the convertible top. It's on the driver's side, about an inch long. What is the best way to patch it without it looking like poo poo? I have a black top, if it makes any difference. 2: What kind of stereo and speakers are recommended? I like Pioneer head units, and probably can get by without having a CD player. However, I would prefer something that is less likely to be stolen. 3: Does the interior have any sort of drains built in anywhere that I need to keep an eye on? 4: Any other tips for a new owner to watch out for? Bonus: Is it normal to fall in love with a car at first drive? I grin like an idiot just about the entire time I'm behind the wheel. My turbo Supra was a lot of fun for the 3 or 4 seconds it took to get to the speed limit, but the Miata is a much more pure automotive experience. Nocheez fucked around with this message at 14:32 on May 8, 2014 |
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May 8, 2014 14:30
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Nocheez posted:3: Does the interior have any sort of drains built in anywhere that I need to keep an eye on? There is a drain by each seat belt tower. Basically you look for the plastic tub behind the tower, and feel around in it and there will be a hole. That whole drains pretty much straight down to the ground. You can take a piece of coaxial cable with the ends cut off, or some old UTP cable and run it through the hole and pull it out the other side. Keeping this debris free makes sure the water drains away effectively, and it also can help prevent debris from building up in the lower rocker panel which is where many Miatas develop rust problems.
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May 8, 2014 14:35
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Korwen posted:There is a drain by each seat belt tower. Basically you look for the plastic tub behind the tower, and feel around in it and there will be a hole. That whole drains pretty much straight down to the ground. You can take a piece of coaxial cable with the ends cut off, or some old UTP cable and run it through the hole and pull it out the other side. Keeping this debris free makes sure the water drains away effectively, and it also can help prevent debris from building up in the lower rocker panel which is where many Miatas develop rust problems. Good to know! So that hole in the top behind the driver's window should drain straight down in the case of rain?
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May 8, 2014 14:46
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Nocheez posted:2: What kind of stereo and speakers are recommended? I like Pioneer head units, and probably can get by without having a CD player. However, I would prefer something that is less likely to be stolen. Whatever you like for a head unit, but I would recommend a set of quality door speakers with a high RMS wattage and a good amp because there is pretty much no room for a sub so the door speakers need to do all the work. Sealing the doors up with sound deadening material like an enclosure helps a lot, I plan on doing it here within a month or two to my car. Also don't forget the headrest speakers, they help really bring out the sound when the top is down and the wind is swirling. I have the Clearwater speakers in the headrests and they're awesome.
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May 8, 2014 15:54
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leica posted:Whatever you like for a head unit, but I would recommend a set of quality door speakers with a high RMS wattage and a good amp because there is pretty much no room for a sub so the door speakers need to do all the work. Sealing the doors up with sound deadening material like an enclosure helps a lot, I plan on doing it here within a month or two to my car. Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I have an NB so there does not appear to be headrest speakers installed from the factory. I'm not worried about having a super-nice stereo. This is just my fun car, and some decent speakers in the doors and a good head unit is all I'll be looking for.
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May 8, 2014 16:07
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I wonder why they didn't put headrest speakers in the NB, it makes such a huge difference with the top down. But yeah, head unit doesn't really matter as long it has a pre out. A good quality amp and speakers is what counts.
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May 8, 2014 16:21
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leica posted:Whatever you like for a head unit, but I would recommend a set of quality door speakers with a high RMS wattage and a good amp because there is pretty much no room for a sub so the door speakers need to do all the work. Sealing the doors up with sound deadening material like an enclosure helps a lot, I plan on doing it here within a month or two to my car. I have a JL 10W7 in my miata but that's almost all the trunk and the amp makes my headlights nearly turn out at night if it's turned up.
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May 8, 2014 19:34
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Tanz-Kommandant posted:That disappearing plate idea seems awesome in theory but I feel as if you'd still be getting pulled over now and then for it. Nocheez posted:Good to know! So that hole in the top behind the driver's window should drain straight down in the case of rain?
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May 8, 2014 19:47
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Nocheez posted:Good to know! So that hole in the top behind the driver's window should drain straight down in the case of rain? Yeah, have some pictures of mine from when I put a new top on:   The first picture is the reason why the carpet was always kind of dampish after it rained. edit: Nocheez posted:1: I noticed a small hole in the convertible top. It's on the driver's side, about an inch long. What is the best way to patch it without it looking like poo poo? I have a black top, if it makes any difference. I patched a hole in my old top with some random vinyl patch I found on amazon. It was clear and stretchy. Make sure you clean the area really well before applying the patch, and round the edges of it so that they're less inclined to peel up. Get a friend to hold the edges of the tear together while you apply the patch. dpidz0r fucked around with this message at 02:20 on May 9, 2014 |
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May 9, 2014 02:15
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Could you guys please keep your eyes out for a good condition red NA front bumper cover for me?
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May 9, 2014 02:47
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leica posted:You're safer without one on the street honestly. The Miata's windshield frame is perfectly capable of preventing you from being squashed should the .000001% chance of you flipping happens. While I agree that he doesn't need a bar for the street, this is dead wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGHzyNJ3-kI
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May 9, 2014 17:56
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I just went and checked my soft top drains, and they weren't nearly as bad as I was expecting. The total amount of dirt and tree detritus was about the size of a pinch of tobacco. It came out very easily and wasn't jammed into the drains at all. Glad I looked at this thread and went out to check though.
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May 9, 2014 18:11
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The miata and ford ranger have almost the same chance of killing you. 05 to 08 anyway.
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May 9, 2014 18:18
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Ziploc posted:While I agree that he doesn't need a bar for the street, this is dead wrong. Looks like it did fine to me  Seriously, do you really think Miatas would have been allowed to go into production if there was a rollover protection issue? 99% of the Miatas on the road don't have roll bars and I've never heard of people getting crushed in a rollover.
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May 9, 2014 19:41
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The minute the weight of the vehicle is on the windshield header, it will fold down. I guarantee it. You can see if in the video as well. I think the dummies back keeps the vehicle from fully flattening.
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May 9, 2014 19:47
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Out of all the hundreds of thousands (almost a million) Miatas sold around the world I have never heard of a rollover and occupants being crushed because of a windshield header failure. Don't know what to tell you man.
Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 20:01 on May 9, 2014 |
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May 9, 2014 19:59
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This guy died because he hit his head on the roadway. They're out there.  You'd expect that for just about any unlikely-but-conceivable wreck when you have a million Miatas on the road, though. The NHTSA says the data shows people die in rollover accidents in standard convertibles about as often as they die in rollovers in cars with roofs. That's good enough for me. (Although I do have a Boss Frog bar in my Miata.)
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May 9, 2014 20:42
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[Rollover chat] I've been paranoid about convertibles every since I saw 'Prefontaine', especially because I like to thrash mine during my commute.
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May 10, 2014 01:17
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Joe Mama posted:[Rollover chat] A friend of mine worked with two guys who are now paraplegics after a Miata rollover; that's on my mind alot. I also live about a mile from where Prefontaine died.
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May 10, 2014 01:36
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blk posted:A friend of mine worked with two guys who are now paraplegics after a Miata rollover; that's on my mind alot. Well look at it this way, if they had a rollbar it might have helped, but it also might have hurt them worse or killed them. You have to weigh the pros and cons. What are the odds you'll actually roll a Miata? Pretty drat low, unless you drive like a complete moron. What are the odds of you getting into a fender bender, or getting rear ended? A lot higher, and a rollbar is going to hurt you, not help you in those more common kind of accidents. You also have to think about where you drive. If it's rural areas with lots of back road twisties that you like to hoon on then maybe a rollbar would be a good idea, but even then without a helmet it's risky. If you drive mostly in the city or urban sprawls it's just a bad idea.
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May 10, 2014 01:52
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What's a good way to tell if the 60k's been done on my NA? The PO says he's pretty sure it was, but I want to confirm. Engine bay is clean as gently caress, accessory belts are new, brake fluid and oil are good, FWIW.
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May 10, 2014 02:25
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By 60k do you mean the timing belt? Take off the valve cover and look at it.
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May 10, 2014 02:31
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FatCow posted:By 60k do you mean the timing belt? Take off the valve cover and look at it. Is it just belt, fluids, plugs and wires? Edit: NM, found it. Edit edit: Wooo, it's all been done! blk fucked around with this message at 05:00 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 10, 2014 02:45
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leica posted:You have to weigh the pros and cons. What are the odds you'll actually roll a Miata? Pretty drat low, unless you drive like a complete moron. What are the odds of you getting into a fender bender, or getting rear ended? A lot higher, and a rollbar is going to hurt you, not help you in those more common kind of accidents. The way I like to look at it is that if I roll the car it's a lot more likely to be my fault for doing something retarded enough to roll it. If I get rear-ended, it'll probably be by some jackass on the freeway too busy texting to notice that traffic was stopped in front of him and there'll be nothing that I can do about it. If I have to choose between having a car configured to kill me in a rollover vs a car configured to kill me if someone slams into my bumper, I'd much rather die by my own retardation than by someone elses. That said, I left the rollbar from the previous owner and just scoot my seat forwards a tiny bit so that my head can't actually hit the bar. One of these days I'll make a pair of cushions to go on the headrests so I can put the seat all the way back but still have my head kept from being able to hit it. I hate how the bar interferes with the top, but on the other hand it's got a lot of utility for things like mounting my dashcam and tieing lumber to.
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May 10, 2014 07:26
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If you do a roll bar, either do race seats or be < 5'7". That's the only way I'd do it because the stock seats are too short.
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May 10, 2014 13:52
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Seriously, If you're not a lardass goon the Sparco sprint V is extremely comfortable, and its high back means you're not hitting that bar in a million years. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sro-00823nr
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May 10, 2014 14:23
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So you're saying to buy unnecessary seats to protect yourself from and unnecessary rollbar. I thought we were talking about daily driven street Miatas, not track cars.
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May 10, 2014 17:04
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Let's put it this way; if you'll be bouncing your head off of it in a non-rollover then you shouldn't have it in a DD. If you get a good bar that's made to fit under a hard top it'll sit a bit lower and further back, like mine. The only problem for taller people is whether or not you'll pass a broomstick test without getting a lower seat or cutting a crapload of foam out. If you can manage to do both (not have it hit your head, broomstick) then you're set. Edit, add: If any Miata people here want to join a Miata only HPDE run group for June 6 at Thunderhill you should go to http://www.bayareamiatadrivers.com/ soon. If they get enough people we'll have the main covered paddock area and several sessions to ourselves. And, as always with this group, we run the Cyclone. Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 20:50 on May 10, 2014 |
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May 10, 2014 20:40
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Some of the NE Indiana Miata owners showed up to Cars & Coffee today and I would pick today to drive the MS6. One dude was really cool and let me jump behind the wheel of his 2003 and I hate to say it but I think I bought the wrong generation Miata.
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May 11, 2014 05:05
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Ha. Yeah I'd say the later NB's drive the best overall. Not enough over a 1.8 NA though to make up for looks  [edit] Sell your NC for a profit and by a NB with money left over for a turbo 
Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 05:54 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 05:46
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Rhyno posted:Some of the NE Indiana Miata owners showed up to Cars & Coffee today and I would pick today to drive the MS6. One dude was really cool and let me jump behind the wheel of his 2003 and I hate to say it but I think I bought the wrong generation Miata. I drove another NC the day I bought my NA, the difference was pretty striking. They both have significant strengths. I like the NC styling just as much as the NA (although I am madly in love with my popup headlights). I like both drivetrains equally. I much prefer the top on the NC, and the extra storage and whatnot. My NA doesn't rattle as much as others so I lucked out there. I guess I find the NA more charming and the NC easier to use.
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May 11, 2014 05:56
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leica posted:Ha. Yeah I'd say the later NB's drive the best overall. Not enough over a 1.8 NA though to make up for looks You told me to get the NC! This is all your fault! And nah, I still love it. I do wish I'd driven more than NBs prior to making my decision though. Right now the NC needs a top but I doubt I'd make too much off it. There's a few for sale locally right now for $9-11K and I did finance mine.
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May 11, 2014 06:10
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Well you said you're liking the NB better so why not, I went through a couple before I figured out what I really wanted.......Anyways, I suggested the NC because IIRC you wanted the more refined Miata which the NC is. Doesn't mean it's more fun though
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May 11, 2014 06:31
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I'm thinking of wasting some money http://www.carbonmiata.com/ Has anyone seen any comments on how well their pieces match the factory panels? I want to get 2 new fenders anyways and getting something that doesn't rust is pretty appealing.
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May 12, 2014 00:27
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craig588 posted:I'm thinking of wasting some money http://www.carbonmiata.com/ Pretty sure the stock fenders are aluminum but use whatever excuse you want to justify buying CF ones.
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May 12, 2014 00:56
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asmasm (3d intake guy) might be picking up some doors from there, but it's far off. E: stock fenders are steel. The only thing that's aluminum is the hood.
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May 12, 2014 00:57
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Phone posted:asmasm (3d intake guy) might be picking up some doors from there, but it's far off. And the truck lid (at least it is for NCs).
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May 12, 2014 01:34
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The NC's have all sorts of aluminum bits on them. The front A arms and the rear knuckles are made of aluminum and the multi-links are all tubular.
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May 12, 2014 01:39
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Phone posted:asmasm (3d intake guy) might be picking up some doors from there, but it's far off. Ah cool. I can probably wait for those results. The drivetrain isn't even in the body on my car yet.
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May 12, 2014 01:59
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