Steve-O

I'm not holding out much hope as i am effectively challenging the industry. This is a matter of principle now though - if nothing comes out of this at least i have made a stink and people will see this on the internet.

They are looking into it now so we will see. It looks to be endemic in the industry and a sly mechanism to limit the discounts they have to apply to good drivers.... All i want is a formal letter stating i have 11 years claim free driving - not 9 years at the start of my time with them in 2013. Ffs...

What a complete p**s boiler. So i have effectively 11 years no claims bonus tied to my MX5. I've been with a certain insurer who upon leaving, would only issue me 9 years because thats as far as their system allows them to. My new insurer only goes to 9 also, but i wanted it noted officially that i have actually got 11 years but they can only apply the maximum 9 years discount to my premium. They wont accept a letter that says 9 years at the start of my time in 2013 (implying i have overall 11 years claim free). I really dont see what the f**king big deal is here. No-one seems able to sort this out. Its a matter of principle for me rather than trying to extract any further discount. Why should i say i have 9 years to future insurers when i actually have 11. They should accept them onto my file and just apply 9 years or whatever the discount is I think it should be noted and taken into account should any claims or disputes arise. It basically reinforces the fact that i am a responsible driver and have a good driving history. I've lodged a formal complaint with the financial ombudsman as i don't believe this is fair. I also just found this old article - looks like its nothing new either!! Its the first time i have encountered such twattery though. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/59618/car-insurance-shock So guys if you are bothered about your NCB i would ask them ahead of taking a policy what their max is and will they acknowledge more than the maxmimum.

They look nice. I can't get those as the missus will want a new bunch of towels haha Got a tap out the back but have to run the hose out the gate and down the alley to my drive each time which is a pain when want to do a quick one.

Bloody hells thats nicer than my bath towels! haha Yeah i'll watch the spray guns. I know part of the routine should be to prep them for storage. I am a bit rubbish with that so will make sure i air the mitt and clean the triggers before i put them away. I think i might get a tap put out the front to make it easier as well

There speaketh a man that has already trodden the detailing path Some good tips there! Dont get me wrong i balked at the cost of some of these items but overall i feel like i am getting enough out of them and i am happy to spend on. I bought one proper megs spray bottle and the rest i got on ebay - 5 for £8 and they are supposedly AutoSmart bottles which i think are decent. They are chemically resistant so i am good on that one. no real difference between those and the £5 megs one. I recall what that tardis did to that bottle you gave me i am still using that sample you gave me Rich so mush be a great product as you dont need much at all! i have a s***load of MF cloths that i got from costco and they have been great. A few of them have seen better days so they now get relgated to door jam and wheel duties

I dont know about you guys but i do enjoy the process of cleaning my cars, i often spend 3/4 hours on one car to a degree that i feel pleased with the level of finish. Recently i have been looking at upping my game and using better products to do a better job in a given timeframe. Traditionally i was a firm Auto Glym fan, but ultimately never been really happy with the low foam shampoo and got me thinking about that and other products in my car washing box. Most of the actual cleaning/finishing products i have are Autoglym but i have made a conscious change and picking other brands to see how i get on with them, including a few of the detailers weapons of choice. So i placed an order on i4 detailing at the weekend and ordered the following : Meguiars Lambswool Mitt (Replaces conventional microfiber sponge) Meguiar's Last Touch 3.78 Litre (New addition to the box) Wheel Woolies 3-Piece Wheel Brush Kit (In addition to a wheel detailing brush) ScratchShield 20L White Wash Bucket (existing grit guard goes in here. I have another 20L for pure water) Meguiar's LAST TOUCH 32oz Bottle + Spray Head Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel (replaces Auto Glym Tyre Dressing Spray) Tyre Dressing Sponge Applicator (curved variety) Bottle Dispenser 1oz Hand Pump to go in my 4 litre last touch and shampoo bottles (Aid the dispensing into buckets/bottles with no waste) ValetPRO Wash Sponge ODOR-AID Auto Spray ValetPRO Bilberry Wheel Cleaner (this doesnt replace the bilt hamber but just testing as its well regarded) I cleaned the Civic yesterday using the bulk of these and i have to say it was a pleasure to use all of the products, the stand out product for me was the last touch detailing spray which i diliuted 1:1 and used to finish off the car and get rid of any blemishes etc. I had to use some tardis to get some white gloss splatters off the roof, then use the last touch spray again to remove the tardis then hit the roof with greased lightning again. The tyre gel was very impressive - i wont ever be getting a spray based one again. So much nicer to use and prefer the better wet look it provides. I am confident it will last a lot longer also. I am a firm fan of having the right gear for the job as it ultimately leads to a more enjoyable experience and a better outcome. I've got a number of proper detailers spray bottles now and begun decanting my various products such as last touch, Auto glym fast glass, bilberry wheel cleaner into these to save digging about. Hard to explain but using these sprays are more satisfying and the spray pattern is more predictable and adjustable. What i am eluding to really is that i have sat on the fence for years and assumed autoglym was the best easily attainable products are a reasonable price and those and a regular sponge would be enough but now i feel its actually its genuinely worth spending a bit more and picking your products for specific jobs more carefully and you'll get a better finish for the same effort. Has anyone else has the same kind of rationalisation or am i perhaps just a geek on a slippery slope into detailing? The mx5 is sat filthy in the garage paost le mans so looking forward to getting that one out and cleaned!

I'll get shot down in flames for this probably but i have a set of these : I since i struggle to jet a jack under the car anywhere i use these to get the front up. I have in the past also changed the oil using these in place. Not saying anyone else should do this but i have done so with no issue.

No jacking it up on the diff wont damage anything. I've done it loads of times with no issue. You just need to put a grppy bit of wood between the jack cup and casing so you it doesn't move and doesn't mark it up. As you jack up just watch the position of the cup on the casing - all the standard safety disclaimers apply! Bricks in front of the front wheels, hard level surface etc. You should only do this as a temporary means to get some stands under the sills or ramps under the wheels. I've always used stands on the sills at the designated hard points - they are perfectly fine for supporting the cars weight as long as they are not rotten!! i put my wheels under the sills as well so if the worst happens you a least have those in between you and the ground. So in summary i use axel stands, wheels under the car and i also leave the jack in place taking the weight ever so slightly. If you use proper ramps then most of this isn't required,

Previously I've jacked mine up on the diff casing (block of wood between jack and diff) and axel stands on sills or wishbone mounting points. Another option is make some wood ramps to make the angle up on the ramps more shallow. You can even get pre made metal ones. You can remove the filter by putting your arm down next to the intake manifold and unscrew it by hand. It's a bit tight but doable. I always get mine out that way. Just put some paper town down under it to catch excess oil.

All good as long as it's only cars being swapped None of that business going on here ! I enjoyed my passenger ride on Wednesday, certainly a wolf in sheeps clothing!! I've never had a petrol turbo, really need to get one at some point. Its very much is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Its old enough where a lot of people just think its a slow old thing. Thing is its got a classic purposeful styling that looks great. The number of people in new motors that have been caught out is impressive. Maccas going to enjoy the S3. Petrol turbos are superb. Get your MX5 sorted Rich then strap a turbo on it. Can be done cheaply if you do the spannering 200-220bhp and a new set of pants?

Yep worked out nicely for all involved. I'm a stictly Jap house now. Mazda/Honda/Lexus

My S3 I've replaced that with a Honda Civic 1.8 Si

Oh yeah i have been a victim of bumper dressing gunk. I'm sure those back to black sprays ruined the plastics meaning you had to use the more and more. Back in the day when the Corsa first come out they had ABS plastic arches - they all went white! My old man had one from new and the arches were fine until he started using that stuff. I think it accelerated the whitening process and you are then caught in a vicisou circle where you had to keep slapping it on. Bastards!

Thats a valid point about the s***e sticking - i am sure the mechanics that will work on her will thank me for that Ok maybe i'll get something specific. i wont lie though engine bay cleaning is something i dont normally get involved with so it might be a bit of a waste. I'm a firm believer that the outside of the car should look its best but its ok for the engine bay to be a bit grimy/honest - its where all the action happens! (plus it can sometimes help show up any leaks!). This is just a nice to have i suppose.

Are you planning on taking it to a track day or anything? Although brilliant on the road you'll only really see how good the chassis is is on the track! I am going to book in shortly - still putting mine back together after a 1/4 inch ali supercharger tensioner bracket snapped on me in france!

cheers chaps i have a big box full of auto glym gear but don't have that particular one lol i have a full can of silicone spray sat doing nothing so will give that a wizz this time around and go easy around the electrics. Its nothing serious just want to bring the engine bay up a level to feel in line with the exterior which is very clean

Hi All I was going to give my engine bay a quick once over with some silicone spray to clear the crap off and make it look shiny / protect the rubber etc. Any reason why i shouldnt use silicone spray? This is a daily hack so not going to be overly anal about this Cheers Steve

Welcome to the club finally!! you got a good base to start and a few mini projects to get busy with so all is good

I've hot had any issues with the speed of draining. mine has the secondary plug which you absolutely need. I forgot to remove once and it does cause issues if its not removed. I think the mx5 capacity its a tad under 4 litres and theres always some caught in the engine. Might be recalling the amount of changes a bit too positively as i do annual changes but i am sure i have had 4 in one tank!

Cant help you on that particular one but i use one like this : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fluid-Draining-Tank-10L-Garage-Oil-Petrol-Diesel-Change-Pan-2484-/130963181000?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1e7e038dc8 I think my one cost me about £16 a few years ago. I can do about 4/5 oil changes on the mx5 with this one. Its initially fun trying to get the first surge of oil in when you pull the plug (you get better with time) but once its in there you wipe the tray up, screw in the plugs and put away. No issues in taking the oil at speed. Taking to the tip for draining is a breeze which for me is a big plus as i hate messing about there. I usually keep mine in a black bag to stop crap sticking to it. works for me!

ok so thats academic - i cant get it for monday so will have to slum it with my AG kit for now Will deffo get some though and report back.

I'll let you know on monday after i have cleaned her - nipping up to see joe in the morning hes going to try and adjust my rear calipers.

gonna take the plunge - i like the idea of a gel and sponge to dress the tyres as the spray i use goes everywhere. Might pick up a couple of other bits also. Off on monday so hoping to give it a pristining ahead of le mans on friday

The old favourite Euro Car Parts is peddling a range of sonax cleaning gear today and i am tempted to get some - particularly the tyre dressing gel to try that out. Anyone know if their gear is any good compared to Autoglym? I must have the entire range in my detailing box but always interested to try other stuff! http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/car-cleaning-accessories/exterior-cleaning/tyre-shine/?549992100&0&cc5_110 Cheers Steve