Your fleet running reports

[mik]

Nice. I fitted Thule bars as they were much wider than the official LR ones - much easier to access whatever you put up there.

[Sundayjumper]

I can tell already I'll want both The genuine ones are quite sleek and for just a roof box would be perfect, but aren't wide enough to support an 8' x 4' sheet fully. Thule website recommends 127cm bars which would *just* take boards but without much space to tie down, these are 135cm and fit perfectly well. Moar space. Not that I'll use it, but I feel reassurance having it there.

[Jobbo]

Was awake early, weather was due to be dry so I took the MX5 to Wales. Lovely autumn colours, though my main aim was to take it for a trip before the roads are salted.

[Rich B]

you can’t park there.

[Jobbo]

Didn’t feel guilty. All the magazines park a load of cars there

[Matty]

So do you park up, sprint up to take a picture then sprint back before anyone else comes along?

Why are you concerned about salted roads? Sounds like a disingenuous question, but it's a modern car I doubt you're going to keep long enough before rust starts to become an issue.

[Jobbo]

I’ve had MX5s before - I know they like to rust and I’m not one for climbing underneath and licking my cars clean I am planning to keep this one forever, too - I regret selling both of my previous ones and I bought it outright and spent money on mods straight away; it’s not a car I’m considering resale value on. There may never be a manual, naturally aspirated, non-hybrid rwd soft top made ever again…

Just stopped there, walked over the road and climbed up a little track to a decent vantage point. It was 9am, the road over the dam is a dead end and nobody was around.

[integrale_evo]

It’s so high you could pretty much walk around under it with a pressure washer

Or give it a squirt with one of these once in a while

https://amzn.eu/d/2foUjiG

If it really is a forever car, have you considered having it lanoguarded or similar? I suppose you have to be careful with things like that while it’s still got a warranty.

[Ascender]

Brilliant picture

So is the plan to garage it for the winter when the roads start to get salted?

[Jobbo]

I think avoiding salt is my plan for the moment. If I end up wanting to use it in winter then I’ll look at Lanogard or similar. There’s a guy who is well known in MX5 circles for doing full underneath protection but he scrapes off the factory stuff first which seems mental to me.

[Mito Man]

I put Bilt Hamber dynax clear underseal on the F-150 when it was new, still looks new underneath all these years later and it's sets clear and non stick so looks all factory at a glance.
Defender was professionally done with Dynax as it was so dirty it needed a proper lift so it could be steam cleaned. I feel like it needs topping up underneath more frequently though.
I think Lanoguard is all social media hype. It's looks like it never cures so just attracts all sorts of grime and being a natural product it returns to nature all too quickly.

[Jobbo]

That’s useful - I just used Lanogard as a generic name because I’ve not looked at what alternatives there are. Should probably have said Waxoyl

[nuttinnew]

Where's the estart vid to go with the marks on the road?
Even if you didn't know where that was the tone says Wales.

[Jobbo]

Sorry, I forgot to video my reverse E-start

[John]

I used Lanoguard on my mx5 and it seemed to do ok although I’d say it could do with reapplying occasionally. In fact I’m going to rub down and spray some on the rear suspension components on the Mondeo as they are looking a bit crusty. The main downside to it is that it absolutely honks of the smelliest farm yard you can imagine, it does fade though

[V8Granite]

I put Bilt Hamber dynax clear underseal on the F-150 when it was new, still looks new underneath all these years later and it's sets clear and non stick so looks all factory at a glance.
Defender was professionally done with Dynax as it was so dirty it needed a proper lift so it could be steam cleaned. I feel like it needs topping up underneath more frequently though.
I think Lanoguard is all social media hype. It's looks like it never cures so just attracts all sorts of grime and being a natural product it returns to nature all too quickly.

Lanoguard is what all the Aussies use when they take their toys on the beach, the Merc is completely done in Lanoguard.

Dave!

[Mito Man]

I put Bilt Hamber dynax clear underseal on the F-150 when it was new, still looks new underneath all these years later and it's sets clear and non stick so looks all factory at a glance.
Defender was professionally done with Dynax as it was so dirty it needed a proper lift so it could be steam cleaned. I feel like it needs topping up underneath more frequently though.
I think Lanoguard is all social media hype. It's looks like it never cures so just attracts all sorts of grime and being a natural product it returns to nature all too quickly.

Lanoguard is what all the Aussies use when they take their toys on the beach, the Merc is completely done in Lanoguard.

Dave!

It just needs a rather substantial reapplication each year, which makes me think it's a lot of faff when other products only need a touch up around the wheel well area.

[Beany]

Sorry, I forgot to video my reverse E-start

Absolutely shameful

Anyway, E46 has an MOT now. So no mad rush in getting it to my brother, and also no mad rush for my brother to get off-the-road storage for it, as a result. It needed a lot of suspension work at the rear - I suspect sitting with the tail down on a hill for six months and then being driven over speed humps etc (and a bit of WOT to get oil moving once it warmed up ) pushed the already ageing bushes to the limits. Also the shockers, both of which were fucked by MOT time, which in fairness, was apparent when I drove it down there a couple of weeks ago for their appraisal; finding decent parts has been the bigger issue.

Lemforder have moved a lot of their supply to China, for example, and the rubber they use for bushes is legit terrible. Anyone who's watched M539 knows the score here.

Speaking of shameful, the mech who worked on it is a former valet-er, and he rather shamefully - for me - decided he couldn't possibly let the car look like, er, how it did (which was something of a mobile nature reserve thanks to pollen/algae in the roof) and did a genuinely amazing job of cleaning it up I owe him a big box of biscuits (not beer - that would be haram, sir)

Thick end of £800 to get it legal. Nice to have an income these days where that isn't legit crippling

So in the next couple of weeks I'll arrange for the car to get to my bro, and he can sort out the long, long list of issues it has beyond the MOT at his leisure.

Be nice to see the back of it, and I think me bro will genuinely enjoy having a project car to tinker with.

[V8Granite]

I put Bilt Hamber dynax clear underseal on the F-150 when it was new, still looks new underneath all these years later and it's sets clear and non stick so looks all factory at a glance.
Defender was professionally done with Dynax as it was so dirty it needed a proper lift so it could be steam cleaned. I feel like it needs topping up underneath more frequently though.
I think Lanoguard is all social media hype. It's looks like it never cures so just attracts all sorts of grime and being a natural product it returns to nature all too quickly.

Lanoguard is what all the Aussies use when they take their toys on the beach, the Merc is completely done in Lanoguard.

Dave!

It just needs a rather substantial reapplication each year, which makes me think it's a lot of faff when other products only need a touch up around the wheel well area.

It’s really not substantial on a road car, on an off-roader it’s only if you’re scraping hard against stuff.

I’ve only ever been impressed by Lanoguard, before that I only treated the inside of chassis rails and painted the outside as ither products either hid rust or just looked nice and shiny.

Dave!

[Rich B]

crap, it’s all a bit real now - just sold my M2…

i advertised it for £32,995 and got loads of trade type offers between £26-29.5k straight away. i just had a guy come over and (bearing in mind it’s on MOT advisory front tyres) offered £32k.

i’m going to have to get a van/elise now!