Miata Washings

New MX-5 Launch Video

In case the pictures I’ve been posting here aren’t enough to satisfy your hunger for new MX-5 info, you can see a streaming video of the launch at the Geneva Auto Show. Go to the registration page, enter your email address and this code: id5499a2. You will get a login and password back in your email which will allow you to watch the stream on Monday. You will also be able to download later a promotional video, which will include some of the launch stream as well as other stuff the following day.

Decided to go ahead and wash the car this evening instead of waiting for tomorrow. All nice and shiny again, which will last until Sunday, when our next rain is predicted.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, up again, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 44

Really Nice Day

I was middle 60s and sunny today, so I took the opportunity to wash the car. First, being a good son-in-law, I washed the MSV (Mom’s Civic.) Then I did the Miata, it wasn’t real dirty, but there was a layer of road dust that needed removing. After the top had dried I sprayed it real good with some 303 convertible top protectant. The car is sitting in the garage now letting it dry and giving off a nice little chemical smell. The smell will disappear when the protectant is completely dry, which they say should take 24 hours in 70 degree weather. It will take a little longer because we aren’t going to be that warm. I washed the car and did the top because the forecast this morning for Aiken showed no hint of precipitation that they were calling for earlier in the week. Well wouldn’t you know it, the possibility of wet weather for tomorrow is back in tonight…

After much consternation, on Tuesday, I went ahead and ordered the fake Japanese license plate from AutoGeek. Brown Santa will be here on Monday. Now I guess I better start designing a mounting bracket. Rspeed has one they import from Japan for $50, but seeing as I work in a manufacturing plant I can draw something up, find a piece of scrap metal and make that sucker for free.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

OOPs

I really need help on this whole Help! movie thing as I didn’t realize it is OOP. I wondered when I went to Amazon.com the there was no “Add to Cart” button, can’t buy it new because it is Out Of Print. I can but like new ones that have been imported from overseas for around $20. If I would like a brand new MPI official 1965 copy, they sell for around $200. Yikes. I’m thinking I’ll be waiting around for a re-release.

Took advantage of the warm weather to wash and then wax the car this morning. What kind of wax does Mr. Miata use you are asking yourself. Because if someone who has a blog based on life with his Miata and registered the domain name mr-miata.net he must use a special 7 step waxing regimen using the finest ingredients that money can buy. Well, not really. I finally used up some Mequier’s paste wax in a can I have had for about a decade the last time I did some touch up waxing in September. The other week when I knew I was going to be waxing the car I bought a bottle of some Black Magic Wet Shine Liquid Wax, cost, around eight bucks. Wax is pretty much wax to me. This stuff went on super easy, but a bit more difficult to get off. Plus if you didn’t get a couple of good passes with a clean part of the towel the color of the paint underneath looked streaky and kind of subtly two-toned. Once you got all the wax off, the car really looks good, I would swear it looked more red, less dull maroon, under today’s cloudy sky.

Membership Drive


Today was the Master’s Miata Club annual membership drive at Rader Mazda. Because it was a Miata show-off day I got out here early to wash off the car. Water can be down right cold when the outside temperature is at 48 degrees. This year, super salesman, Scott went the extra mile (besides setting up the tent, buying and cooking the food, icing the drinks, etc.) and wrote a nice letter to everyone who had bought a Miata through them in the last 18 months and invited them to come out. It worked pretty well. We got two new memberships, one possible, one not-so-long lost member rejoined and chatted with a couple of Miata owners who just dropped on in. They had invited the regional Miata rep to join us and that he did. Sloane Whitehead (a name right out of a soap opera or romance novel) came in from Columbia and brought along some goodies for giving away as door prizes. Rader also contributed some key chains and service coupons. They had enough stuff so that everyone attending came away with something. I was the lucky winner of a very strange looking clock, a free front end alignment and a hat. The hat is cream colored with a navy blue bill, all and all a nice little bit of millinery until you get to the bright purple Miata logo embroidered on it. Marty of V-8 Miata fame had hoped to get his now Kennie Bell supercharged V-8 Miata out to show us, but minor set back after minor set back kept him from a displaying it’s awesome power (to be used only for good.) He did roll it out, hoodless, for us to marvel at just how much engine can be stuffed into one of these little cars.

Silence so far from the German advertising firm from the other day.

New Shoes

Had the Toyo’s mounted this morning and what a difference. Smoother and grippier. Russ’s old Michelins were pretty hard as well as worn out. We are going to call this a mod for now, mainly because I forced the issue. Next time I replace the tires, in about 18 months, it will fall under service.

My wife will be happy to know that I’m almost finished modifying the car, there are just two things left to do. 1) Tint the windows. That’ll wait until next spring. And 2) the Mazda OEM small side sills. Those will have to wait until she figures I have suffered enough for this recent rash of purchases, probably sometime next summer…

The car got washed this morning. It really wasn’t dirty, as much as it was dusty, from sitting a couple days in a body shop’s garage while the spoiler was mounted and drying.

Wasted Another

Today was a perfect companion to yesterday weather-wise and the only time the Miata left the garage was when I backed it out into the driveway to wash it. The car wash soap I have don’t seem to work really well, it gets off the dirt OK, but anything else it seems to leave behind. After I dried the car off I used some Meguiars Quik-Detailer on the nose to get off a lot of dead insect residue. I also used it to clean some sort of road goo off the side sills. When I dried everything off I added a coat of wax to the nose, the side sills and the hood. Probably should have done whole car, but my light was fading fast.

Truth be told, yesterday the Miata did venture out. We went grocery shopping for the week in it around 9:00 PM. It might go out tonight around the same time as Donna has requested an ice cream run. I will have to try and dodge any bugs that come our way, so the car will stay clean though.

Comet Gestation Counter: 54 days

40th Anniversary Party

Washed the car this AM. Vacuumed the interior and in a fit of Felix Ungerism I washed the engine compartment. I used a procedure I read about in the Car Care Products section of the Miata Forum that involves Simple Green and Amorall Tire Foam. The first time I used this procedure was on the old 95 after 7 years and 100k miles. It only took me 14k to do it to this car.

The reason for the cleaning process was we were off to the Sno-Cap Drive-In’s 40th Anniversary shindig. The Miata Club, along with the Corvette Club filled the lot for the first 2 hours of the whole day and half the night affair. A couple of local news crews were there and both Donna and I, in different shots, made the evening news for mere seconds.

Comet Gestation Counter: 32 days