MidLife Miata

a bar and a bag...

2009-11-16T02:15:00.000-08:00

For K's birthday I gave him the Frenzy Bar with the bag and windblock. I think it was one of the first accessories he picked out, so it's been on the wish list for a while. I added enough to our red envelope fund (also known as the Miata fund, but it's literally a red envelope that we put the fun money in!) and ordered it. He was so excited and now he will drive with the top down no matter how cold it is. As long as it's not raining, the top is down!

The beauty of this bar is that it replaces the existing bar. There are no other modifications you need to make. It was a quick install and we actually feel a little more stability in the car when driving it. The bag is attached with Velcro straps and is perfect for holding a car blanket, or those extra items that you just need close at hand.

The most impressive part is the windblock. I knew we would benefit from it, but the difference is amazing! Usually my hair is ALL over the place. Now I can feel the breeze on the top of my head but my hair pretty much stays where it belongs. And the sound from our stereo has improved as well. You will notice in the picture (below) that we have the screen strapped towards the back of the bar. We have since moved it to the front/inside of the bar, so it looks better from the back. This was a great investment in our toy. If you have a Miata you need this bar, and the accessories too. Trust me!

Warren at FrenzyBars.com has these for Miata and a few other options so please visit him and check it out. Tell him Midlife Miata sent you! We don't get anything for it but we truly love his products. So what is your favorite Miata accessory?

our first miata ride....

2009-11-12T02:15:00.001-08:00

Our first Miata ride! We joined the Mt. Hood Miata Club in September, and a few weeks ago participated in our first ride that was hosted by the MG club. I love MG's, I was brought home from the hospital in a little light blue MG and they have always been near and dear to my heart. So that made this as my first ride a little more special!

We met at the rest stop on I5, just south of Wilsonville. Then we traveled south and west, taking the Wheatland Ferry ~ I love ferry rides! ~ and then traveled to the Orchard Heights Winery, where we celebrated with a brunch. There were about twenty five cars, from Miatas to MG, and a few other fun cars. It was great to meet other car enthusiasts, and although it was rather chilly, with a few drizzles, it was a fun drive!

After the brunch we browsed the tasting room and gift shop. We sampled two different Pinot Noirs, and a wonderfully delicious mulled wine. We walked around outside and enjoyed the view; the arbor above is a large structure, covered by 2 grape vines that have grown to cover the entire thing. It's really neat to look at.

We took another route home and enjoyed the scenery all the way. The wonderful thing about Oregon is that it doesn't take long to get away from it all, even if it's just for a few wonderful hours.

We can't wait until the next ride! And we can't wait for a sunny ride too! Our next event with the club is the November dinner meeting, where I am nominated for club treasurer, so it will be fun to see the election process. I will keep you posted!

catching up...

2009-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, hard to believe it's been almost two months. Shortly after my last post I came down with a nasty cold that landed me in bed for the better part of a week, and then refused to go away. Between K and I we were sick for about a month and a half. Fortunately we were feeling better by the time a Miata ride came around so I will tell you about that in a few days.

We got a new antenna. As you can see we had the "casing" but no actual antenna, so once the new music was installed we had to have an antenna to go with it. I will tell you all about it and more in the coming weeks. Can't wait!

baby steps... but it's progress!

2009-09-15T02:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I promised sound, and it will come! Soon, I swear! Between the parts, and the labor, it's been quite an adventure, and in between living we are working as much as we can! So until this general overhaul is done I am holding back on posting, so that I can do the whole thing properly, and not have to stop and start.

In the meantime, we did get our boot from Vegas (Thanks Mike), and it's great, fits perfectly and K is a happy camper. He promptly put it on the car. Although the interior was all over our garage, and the rain had done a job (you know, that lovely "dirt shadow" look that it gets) on our little toy, it was fun to see it actually on. His next dream is the style bar, because in his words you can't have a boot without a style bar!

waiting for parts...

2009-09-03T02:15:00.001-07:00

We are replacing some worn and missing parts on the gear shift, as well as replacing a torn shift boot. Unfortunately several of the parts for the shift as well as for the door panels had to be ordered. Since we have to wait for those we are waiting until this weekend to continue our current renovations. The only problem? They have forecasted rain, and our little toy is so much more fun and easier to work on with the top down. In the sun!

Ah well, it will be an adventure!

major renovations...

2009-09-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

For our keyless entry we are installing the alarm system with remote entry, a lock actuator for the passenger door, a proximity alarm that will chirp if someone gets close, and the alarm will sound if the "inner barrier" is broken (with the top down).

The driver side door was already wired for keyless entry, but the passenger door had the components (actuator, etc.) removed at some point. We are wiring the trunk for remote entry as well, but that actuator will be installed later. We got a terrific deal on the alarm system, which fortunately made up the difference for what we ended up spending on an amp.

See you tomorrow with more on the installation!

working on the music...

2009-09-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend K spent the majority of two days working on clean-up and install. Off came the door panels, which revealed lots of black sticky gunk. Fun! Out came the center console, and the stereo. Behind it was a huge mess of wires. Out came the seats, to reveal lots of junk, something we usually just don't see!

It took quite a while to clean up the excess of wires behind the stereo. but it's now looking much cleaner. We are installing the new speakers, since the existing set do not work well, and we are also putting in a keyless entry alarm system. See you tomorrow for the next phase of the installation!

give me sound...

2009-08-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

Aren't these pretty? I know sometimes people try to make the best with what they have. These unfortunately are pretty sad. The extra large grate with funky "legs" have left some nice holes in the vinyl.

We have the factory stereo in the car, which works well. Of the 4 speakers in the car, only 1 works in the passenger seat head rest, and it's quite tinny. The right door speaker (pictured above) pops on every once in a while, usually when you hit a bump! It's quite the experience when you are listening to music!

Last weekend we went to several audio stores, and by yesterday we had everything we need to install our new stereo system. Hopefully this will be our only project this weekend. I can't wait!

temporary disabling of the trunk release...

2009-08-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

K found this great tip for temporarily disabling the trunk release, which is fabulous if you need to park the car with the top down! We have added it to our list of To-Do's.

And we found a great deal on a boot cover on craigslist. Mike was kind enough to ship it to us from Las Vegas, so we should have it soon. K is excited, now he just needs his style bar!

before you go...

2009-08-23T17:27:00.001-07:00

Tripcheck.com

2009-08-23T14:35:00.001-07:00

We are on the road in the Columbia gorge. The weather is perfect, slight breeze, and we are loving life!

traffic...

2009-08-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

On our way to look at car stereo equipment we got to sit in some lovely weekend construction traffic. Thank goodness for the beautiful skyline view!

cushion foot...

2009-08-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we installed the new non-skid pedals on the clutch and brake. We have decided to leave the gas pedal as is for now. It works well for us.

I also fixed the black leather steering wheel cover and it is AWESOME! We did some driving this weekend, mostly around town, up and down a few hills, and we are heading to the Gorge next weekend, and probably the coast for the weekend after Labor day. Should be fun!

under cover...

2009-08-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the steering wheel has been peeling. When we bought the car it was very sticky and we got home and had to wash our hands. I washed the steering wheel three times before I was able to drive it without the sticky feeling. Not good!

Fortunately the cover arrived on Thursday so I spent some time yesterday afternoon putting it on. I have to go back and redo the first section, but that is an easy enough fix and then we will be good to go!

If you have never "sewn" on a steering wheel cover before, here are a few tips:

The directions will tell you to NOT start by a spoke or a seam. In other words start on one of the biggest open sections you can.
Pull tight as you go. The directions should tell you these, and you should follow!
If you make a mistake and have to pull the string out, just be advised that the edges may be a bit more difficult to work with the second time around, and may not lay as flat when pulled tight. If you know this in advance you can somewhat flatten as you go.
When you are completely done, tie your knot but get a second set of hands and tie it TIGHT.
BEFORE you cut the string, try to run it through behind some stitches if possible. I cut mine and then had to try to tuck it in, which was not an easy feat.

Enjoy!

pedals to the metal...

2009-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our pedal pads are really worn down. The new pads arrived yesterday afternoon so this weekend we will have new pads, a covered steering wheel, and soon we will also be replacing the torn shift boot!

Test picture

2009-08-14T12:30:00.001-07:00

Testing

on the road...

2009-08-13T18:52:00.001-07:00

Test.

We are now set up to do mobile posts. Why is this exciting? Part of our adventure is fixing up our car, and part of it is the travels we are taking. Now we can post from the road, so that our adventures don't have to wait for us to come home to be told. That sounds like fun to me!

more fluids please...

2009-08-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

In addition to tracking down the keyless entry system the other day, we also changed the clutch fluid and installed some black license plate frames. It's looking pretty spiffy. I haven't driven it since but I am about to go for a ride today.

I'm really excited because some of our accessories are scheduled to arrive today too! We will finally have a steering wheel cover. I find it hard to believe that every car shop in town did NOT have a black steering wheel cover, so we had to go online. Not that I am opposed to that, but it seems funny to me! We also ordered some replacement parts for a few interior needs. More to come on that! Have a wonderful day!

if i only had a brain...

2009-08-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

We know someone, somewhere, at some time installed a remote or keyless entry system. The locks on the two doors are different in how they function for one thing. There is an alarm indicator light by the gear shift, and the "horn unit" as I call it is in the engine compartment. So we just had to find the brains and hopefully be able to order a new keyfob. Ah if only it were so simple!

We finally found the brains, amidst a plethora of useful and (certainly) un-useful wiring (see below), but other than what you see in the picture above there is absolutely nothing to even indicate a brand name. Any suggestions?

the sad truth of buying used...

2009-08-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

We know we take a risk any time we buy a used car. And we felt pretty confidant about the cars we were looking at. We also knew that for the money we were willing to spend, we were looking for a body in better shape, and most mechanical needs we could deal with, we just didn't want to have to rebuild the whole thing. But we were not looking for something that didn't run. Don't get me wrong, our car runs, and pretty well. The problem is that there is a pretty major problem with the engine, one that if we were to take it somewhere to be fixed would cost a minimum of $1200. And we will have to do the work in the near future.

The saddest part of this, to me, is that the only way we would have discovered this PRIOR to purchasing is if we had taken it into the shop (quite a ways away from the dealer), and gotten underneath the engine. Sadder still is that this used car dealer had to have known what he was selling us. K spotted it pretty quickly once he was underneath it. And the repairs they told us they did make make it impossible for them to have missed this issue. So we got a good up-front price and a cute car, but we end up with the disappointment that we had to buy it from someone dishonest, someone whose marketing stance is based on "family and honesty", and that makes me sad. I knew better, but it still makes me sad. And the money we will need to spend on the repairs now has to come out of the money we were going to use to make it ours. So the "ours" will just have to come a little slower and a little later.

We know there is not much we can do. We bought used, as is, from a used car dealer. But it was worth a try to negotiate something. As you can imagine, we got the run-around. "I am just authorized to sell cars, but I'll have the owner call you first thing Monday morning." Well Monday morning came and went. I'm not holding my breath.

So let's move on to more fun thoughts...

shine it up...

2009-08-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went for a long drive. Actually we drove across town to try and find a steering wheel cover, and then spent a while browsing a HUGE Costco, one that is cool but far enough away from our house that we just don't go there. One benefit was a Costco gas station there, and they typically have gas for 5 to 10 cents less per gallon. And THAT is always a good thing! Sadly we came home without a steering wheel cover, but we did get some cleaning supplies, and Costco has a great 36 pack of microfiber towels. You know what's coming next, don't you?

We got home around 6 PM, and since we had eaten a late late lunch, we got to work spit shining the car. K got to work polishing the outside, and touching up the trim and wheels. I got to work on the leather seats. They needed a lot of work. The dirt came off, and while we still have some scratches and dings to deal with, the seats look SO much better. And you can just ignore the cup in the console!

She's looking better, inside and out!

nuts & bolts...

2009-08-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

In cleaning the car today, mostly the inside, we found that the passenger seat was missing a bolt. Talk about an insecure ride. Fortunately it was an easy fix and we were on our way for the day!

There are several accessories we are needing to change, fix or add:

We either need to replace the steering wheel or get a cover. We are leaning towards a cover for now, and then replacing the wheel in the future. But the leather is so worn on the left half of the wheel that it's very sticky and it's not something that will clean off.
The drivers side mirror needs to be tightened. It wobbles just a bit.
The stereo is an old AM/FM Cassette deck. The radio works very well, and we have not tried to play a tape yet. I have a Kenwood CD/AM/FM with removable face from my last car that we are going to put in for now. Down the road we will switch to an iPod compatible deck.
Speakers need to be replaced because they don't work but also because they were not installed well. More to come on that one.
The gear shift is missing a plate underneath so the heat rises up and you get a rather warm shift!

That's the start of our list! There is plenty more to come and I can't wait to share our progress with you!

battery notes...

2009-08-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here is an article about the Miata battery that I thought had some interesting points, especially for those of us new to the car.

new tires...

2009-08-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

The rear tires are in pretty good shape and are fairly new, so we decided to buy exact matches for the front. Thanks to Les Schwab we would able to do just that. K is a master tire guy so I got to watch as he mounted, balanced, and installed the tires. Funnily enough, we discovered we were driving on a flat on the front right (old) tire. I had noticed that it looked low, but to discover that it was actually flat was interesting! We will get them aligned next week, but the difference in driving now is incredible!

The wheels look good on this car as far as style goes. And K has spent some time polishing them up. There are some pretty good scratches on a few of them, and the center caps are scratched, one is so loose we had to jimmy it to stay in place. Eventually they will need to be replace but for now they are holding on.

the progress...

2009-08-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

This post will be a summary of our progress on the car, both large and small, minor and major work, so that we can see how far we have come!

8/16/09 Put on new non-skid pedal pads.
8/15/09 Put on the black leather steering wheel cover. Twice.
8/11/09 Changed clutch fluid, added license plate frames, tried to locate brains to keyless entry
8/9/08 Cleaned and conditioned the leather seats, replaced missing bolt on passenger seat
8/5/09 Oil change, new filter, the usual.
8/5/09 Purchased, balanced, and installed 2 front tires. Exact matched to the rear tires that are in great shape and fairly new, they just needed to be balanced.