Eunos Chump

The Beemer is back with the dealer and not due back until Monday. It stopped on me and wouldn't start again for a few minutes, apparently the diagnostics show an intermittent fuel pressure problem so it's having a new pressure switch. So I'm back in the Benz tomorrow! Still no enthusiasm for fixing the Mazda.

It's here (eventually)! 530D SE with fat bloke spec (auto, cruise). We've had a trip to the New Forest this evening for dinner and everbody enjoyed Abba through 10 speakers. Mazda remains broken and forgotten.

I couldn't get a gasket for the Mazda, but it doesn't matter because I've got a new girlfriend now and I've lost interest in it. This new bird is quite hefty at 2200KG but she caresses my bottom in a most pleasing manner. She also likes autobahns and the fuel of the refuse truck. Hopefully she'll be moving in tomorrow which means the end for the Benz, which has a long list of faults I can no longer be bothered with.

Head gasket has gone on the Mazda. It's supposed to be in the New Forest tomorrow, Swansea on Tuesday, Weymouth on Wednesday, and Norfolk on Friday. Yet I am calm... if Partco have a gasket in stock tomorrow, I'm going for a record single-day replacement. Been considering another car today, something to replace the Benz (you might think the MX5 would be in the firing line, but no... I've not even started punishing that thing). I've considered much, and it keeps coming down to a BMW 5 series or Smart ForTwo, which gives you an idea of how warped my reasoning is. But I really like the Jag S-type interior (horrible outside, granted), and they're proper value. Hmmmm.

The car wasn't ready until 8pm the night beforehand, but I made it and it was another excellent day. It's certainly the most scenic track I've driven, with lots of elevation changes and sharp turns. This meant my horsepower advantage was less useful, and I had to let those on semi-slicks through! The indignity! I had a good go though, scuffing up the tyres very nicely and getting held up by RX7/8s. The day before I'd had to replace ALL of the brake calipers. When I went to fit the new pads, one of the rears was leaking, and the other had a torn dust seal with a heavily rusted piston nestling inside... and the auto-adjuster was nothing more than metal swarf. I got them from a nearby factor and quite a bit cheaper than MX5Parts, but one of them was lost en-route from another branch and I had to go to Portsmouth to get the replacement. That poxy Halfords caliper paint is RUBBISH too, check out the photo above; that was after 4 laps. Every track day has a victim. There w...

Some professional photos from the Bovington event. Look how big and clever I am! Currently the car is still outside on axle stands, so it's not looking good for Cadwell on Friday. I've rebuilt the front calipers using new seals and pistons, but one of them still has a slight weep!!! I've wasted 3 bloody days on them, so I'm doing what I should have done at the start - buy new ones. This means a trip to MX5 Parts in Portsmouth tomorrow; there is no leeway for further problems!

I noticed evidence of a fluid leak on the offside front caliper when fitting new pads, so I ordered a couple of seal kits from MX5Parts.co.uk. On taking them apart (I blew them out using the air line at the petrol station), the NSF piston is pitted badly, though it hadn't leaked. I've ordered a pair of replacements so it should be back in action by Wednesday - Friday is Cadwell Park. While the calipers have been off, I've painted them chav yellow! They've taken 4 coats so far and they still look a bit rubbish, wish I hadn't started to be honest. Fitted the other 2 silicon coolant hoses, and applied some more heat shield tape around the turbo.