It's really BAD! Last shop should have NEVER sent this '95 Miata out the door!
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2023
- Running rough and no power. What happened to make this 1995 Miata undriveable? It's a really sad story you've got to hear!
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Very strange day today... I heard the WIZARD on the radio.... well a podcast ... a podcast about the US economy!!!! MARKETPLACE (I think)
Yes. I was interviewed by Marketplace for Auto Repair Industry outlooks. Its on NPR.
@@CarWizardNo offense, Wizard, but you have the perfect NPR radio voice🤣
@@CarWizard Oh wow! I'm going to go hunt it down, not usually on NPR for their market talks but I'll give it a listen.
It was on Monday’s Marketplace episode titled “Why China’s economic rebound has fallen short of expectations”. It’s in the article talking about expensive car repairs.
Kai Rysdol !!
Theses gangsters need to be exposed and never be allowed to keep screwing the consumer. thanks for the video.
While working as an aircraft engine overhaul inspector, I took my 75 Chevy carburetor to have a rebuilt by a local garage, touted by many. I got it back looking all shiny and new, at first glance. As I was about to reinstall it, I looked more closely at the gasket between the body sections: they weren't new as they should have been replaced with the overhaul kit. My job experience was enough to give me a skilled eye to see reality. It had just been submerged in a bucket of cleaner and not even disassembled. Just because someone has a business front, it doesn't mean they can't also be scam artists.
Sprayed it with carp cleaner and gave it back to you. 😮
While working as an space engine overhaul inspector I would like to add that my job experience is telling me that, how an aircraft inspector can not rebuilt a simple carburator? also, you should know that a carburator is an obsolete setup, and you whould install a fuel injection system.
@@mrld3005 1979 pal, while I was living in an apartment. Workshop space wasn't available. Neither was a simple fuel injection conversion.
"Space engine" lmfao
@@gregedmand9939 apartment liv ing never stopped me from.....doing an engine install. Buy a flash light, and start at 11 pm. Be prepared to say, "officer, this is my car that I'm working on". ....... A lot ! !
The experience this guy had is the reason I fix my own car
Same. If I lived by Car Wizard I'd take my car there! Until then, I'm doing it all myself. Been burned WAY too many times, even by the "reputable" shops.
Amen
but there are some of us who should only drive them.
Hope the customer gives you an update on how it all sorted out. Keep us posted
it looks like whoever wrecked that engine failed to properly seat the crankpin clips which allowed the pins to "walk" sideways and gouge the cylinder walls. the carbon on the pistons is from crankcase oil that was sucked into the combustion chamber and burned.
@@jessestreet2549 That last cylinder does look like a wristpin clip has grooved the cylinder wall. Crosshatching is very rough, almost like someone used 40 grit sandpaper.
have to give the owner some credit. He didn't put a stupid "cold air" intake on it!
@@jessestreet2549😊
@@adotintheshark4848 Why even post this when it just makes you look like an idiot?
Really sad, as a fellow Miata driver, I feel for the guy. At this point getting a decent replacement engine is propably the most cost effective way to save this situation. Really hope the other shop takes responsibility and helps the guy out.
Time for a 302 swap 😉
I would love to get one .
@@kimosabbe50aluminum LS is cheaper, lighter, and more powerful
@@stevenmartin4889 Yeah, I realize that. Was just trying to say, in the simplest terms, that it's time for a V8 swap 😊
At this point are there even any good 1.9 Miata engines left in yards?
I was a district manager for a chain of shops, had 10 stores in the midwest. Out of the 10, there were 3-4 that I would trust working on my personal vehicle.
Sadly as a customer it's almost impossible to know who you can trust. Online reviews say nothing. So may people are hoodwinked by the slick talk of the bad mechanics that they think they got the best service possible, and just have a bad car, or they think it's normal to go through whatever they did to get their car working. Many of these guys are very smooth talkers. Therefore they get good reviews, both from those they've hoodwinked, and those who brought super simple issues to them and didn't bring them a challenge.
For example I took my 17 124 Spider to an alignment shop a couple of years ago after lowering it. The shop had MANY reviews talking them up about how great they were. They had photos of all kinds of custom cars on the rack, etc. When I got there, they couldn't even figure out how to get the machine (a relatively new machine they were quite proud of) to read the alignment on my car properly. They claimed it was because I had a rare car. I pointed out that the 124 Spider suspension is identical to a Mazda MX5 which any shop into custom cars should be able to align. They couldn't even figure out how to get the machine to give an initial reading and finally gave up. They backed my car off the machine and said they couldn't align it. Come to find out all they knew how to work on was lifted trucks. Honestly I wouldn't even trust a lifted truck that'd been through their shop if they didn't even know how to operate the alignment machine. The fact that there were NO other customers or customer cars at the shop at the time should have been a clue.
@@AlvinBrinson I worked in garages here in the UK for many,many years....your clue that the shop was real quiet,no one there is a big flag,another big RED FLAG is the workers are having too much of a good time at the back....or even at the front! They aint stressed out due to the work,they don't take work seriously & no one really keeps an eye on them,even for their work. The basically run amok!
@@AlvinBrinson One of our shops, same owner, had an exotic tech from miami. The shop the most out of the way in the smallest town in our area had him so he could work on a few special cars from big wigs at the military base nearby. He treated every car, foreign or domestic, with the same level of utmost care and respect. It was really impressive.
In retrospect, one of our shops in an area roughly 8x the population was an absolute sh*thole.
@@AlvinBrinsonI agree. I've built a great relationship with my independent corner mechanic and he's always honest. You just need your guy to tell you once or twice that you don't need to do something. That tells you he won't take your money unnecessarily. He's done little jobs for free for me. I would not trust dealers because they are just taking the mechanics money. Some things yes, but they're over priced and untrustworthy.
As a former Mechanic I can say the biggest problem with the auto repair industry is summed up in one statement "get it in get it out" which is driven by money!!!!
If ALL auto mechanics would take the time to do a job and do it right instead of "Get it in get it out" followed by the other phrase (which was part of the reason I left the industry) "If it don't work or it's not fixed they will be back" that statement was driven by the fact the customer would keep returning to get more work done so again money.
Those are good numbers! My Eagle Talon Turbo had 60-60-90-120 compression (185 spec), and it still drove normally! The only hint I had something was wrong was when an Acura Integra walked away from me one day. The performance mechanic I had double check my numbers was flabbergasted. “This thing should barely be able to RUN…” 😆
It worked much better after I rebuilt it…
They just dropped in a junkyard engine.
never seen a junkyard engine with badly done fresh hone marks ("honed with a brick" looking), carbon buildup, and almost equal gouge marks in all 4 cylinders. Likely non-gapped rings. I believe the customer... It was "just rebuilt". rebuilt by someone that likely can't even tie their shoes.
Either way, the customer got shafted.
Always put hidden witness marks on the block and head of the motor that's getting rebuilt or the new motor that's to be installed before it gets to the shop if possible. I found out the hard way, had a shop pretty up a junkyard motor, and steal the new rebuild one I purchased.
Now that's some shady shit right there. I hope they got sued for that.
@@valengreymoon5623 Often the problem is you have to go find an attorney who will take the case and often fork out the $$$ up front fee. Then who's to say you would even get reimbursed for the lawyers fees. States have different laws pertaining to that. I don't disagree they should possibly sue if the original repair shop can't repair it.
In my town, all mechanics are great.....to start. Then they start screwing you over or not doing the job they've told you they've done. Most recent was Kia had a recall on their brakelines, rather than travel to the dealership we had our local guy check it out. He came back and said it looked great. A month later our driveway was covered in brake fluid and the brake went to the floor. Towed it to him, he replaced the line at our expense. Called the guy and asked him how this happened, he said he didn't check it, would have to take the plastic panel off to look. So he lied. Talked to me in a very rude tone. This guy is the most highly recommended guy in Kingsville Ontario. Just awful. Kia did reimburse us so points to Kia.
I work for one of those flags in the background. I can agree with the 3-4 out of 10 mechanics. You know half the time, just being honest makes you a good mechanic. If you don't make mistakes your not working on cars but what sets you apart is making a mistake and telling the customer and then making it right.
Yep. I've had guys come back to my shop after I ROYALLY screwed up their bike just because I was honest about it.... and fixed it.
I saw lately one called "honest one" , you should be aware the most of these kind of fancy names 😂
My previous bosses both liked and hated how honest I was. Mostly because I couldn't suggest people get other work done, when the cars didn't always need them. Sure we'd come across the hoopties and what not and could write out a laundry list of things that needed repaired as well, but those people never would. Sometimes I'd talk right to the customer on something that wasn't a big deal and be like "looks, it's just a heat shield that's come a little loose over time. The bolts are tight and it's not going anywhere, I'd just turn the radio up a notch. Besides you can only hear it occasionally at start up and when the radio is off." I just never was the type of person to fix things that didn't need fixed.
Never heard of any mechanic ever owning up to a mistake. They will shift the blame to anyone or anything but themselves.
I have a 1995 Miata in Laguna Blue that I rebuilt the engine on as well. My rebuild was also a complete nightmare, but for very different reasons: We had to replace the crankshaft for keyway damage, but the crankshaft the machine shop sold is had a journal out of round. We tore down and rebuilt that engine three times trying to chase down the most intermittent rod knock possible.
This guy got super screwed. I had a coworker have his 2001 Honda Prelude engine rebuilt and when they gave it back to him there were broken parts in the engine bay and when he asked them about it they acted like they were being personally insulted and told him to leave. Apparently they ruined the inside of the engine too and he had to get rid of the car, bad blue smoke. They knew they were burning him from minute one. These kinds of issues are so expensive and needless. I sincerely hope this guy with the miata gets his money back or something because this is just cruel. Thanks CW!
Oh that is so sad. We had an 85 Prelude and it was such a great car. It still ran great when we gave it to B-I-L. Sadly the rear wheel wells rusted out badly. A problem with that era or Preludes and Accords. But we had it almost 300,000 and it was so fun to drive. I have such a soft spot for those. I guess it's not very rational but I'd love to have one again.
@@lizkrinsky5209 I had an 83 Prelude for about 3 years, drove it til the wheels came off basically. It was a manual and ALWAYS started, even when i had to get rid of it, but the engine was bad and it got hit too. I miss that car so much, I can totally relate. You got a great amount of mileage out of yours. Near my work a guy has a mid-80s Prelude that he appears to use as his daily and I have wanted to offer him some money and see if he'd take it. They are great little cars, thanks for sharing!
@@MiamiSunrise someone who works at Barnes Hospital on Kingshighway here in St. Louis has an '86 in navy that looks practically mint. No rust. It looks like a 5 speed manual. You just don't see many of them anymore.
Retired mechanical teck of 50 years. Your always honest with the customer and take pride in your work. It always pays.
If I lived near you, I would go no where else besides you. The shop that I go to religiously is just as good and honest as you are and I feel lucky and honored to have them as my mechanics. There is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself and the great reputation you have, I also like how well you treat your mechanics and staff etc, I can tell you appreciate them
There are very few really good mechanics left. Most of the "techs" now at dealerships are just parts fitters.
@@MarkoVukovic0 You're not wrong.. They load the parts cannon and let it go boom at the customers expense!
looks like someone took a dingleberry hone or one of them tri-stones and lazilee ran it up and down, then likely didn't even gap new rings nor finish the ends (hence the singular vertical gouges found in all four). Classic "I know a guy that can do it cheaper" energy.
My thoughts exactly
Yeah, you know the owner took it to the "I know a guy, friend of a friend" who "rebuilt" it outside in his back yard because he was cheap. I doubt he'll have any warranty or recourse. This car will either be scrapped or we'll see it back at the Wizard.
@@MarkoVukovic0 If it's rust free and a manual, the "scrap" value of the car is $5K min with the hard top.
@@bindingcurve sure. I never said it wasn't worth anything. The owner will have to consider whether it's worth forking out for another, proper rebuild or not. But think about those mods too. That lowered suspension might turn away potential buyers, won't work well on the road. Like Wizard said, this was a track toy.
@@MarkoVukovic0 Wizard was pulling stuff out of his ass, the way he was talking about it being 'tracked'. From someone who has raced MX5s since the 90s and has one sitting in the garage right now. That suspension is NOT set up for the track for starters. You are hard pressed to find decent rubber for 14s in this day and age. The owner may as aspirations for 'tracking'(hard top but no roll bar) but it is no track toy. And you are the one who said scrapped, but I guess I misunderstood.
Must break your heart to see this level of workmanship 😢
This reminds me when in 2013 I had to fix the transmission on my 04 Mazda 6. Took it to a local shop and after weeks of phone calls and visits one of the mechanics pull me outside (out of cameras reach) and told me the shop owner was trying to rip me off. It was a simple fix that the owner was trying to drag for storage fees and to say a needed a new trans.
Mechanic just told me: “Tell the boss you want all the original parts that will be removed/replaced.” Got my car back 2 days later.
One of the easiest ways to see if someone is playing games with you 👌🏽
I see the problem... there's not a LS under the hood! 😏😏
Was waiting for this comment 😊
That poor little Miata, and that unfortunate customer. We need a follow-up on the outcome of this disasterpiece of a situation.
The only vehicle that I have ever been truly airborne in was a Mazda Miata back in 1999. I was riding in my buddies car on the way back to school, and he went over a set of train tracks and it made us catch air so high that I felt I was in Ferris Bueller driving the red sportscar in that movie. It was crazy!
I went 4 wheels loose with range rover and landrover discovery.
92 Mitsubishi eclipse back in 99 or 98, and yes it was on the way to school! Went flying after hitting a dip on a hilly road at wot, the engine kissed redline and then landed.
@@violinmiata Nice! That era of the Eclipse was awesome. The Mitsubishi 3000GT Twin Turbo was an incredible car too. WTF happened to Mitsubishi? By the mid-2000s they all but fell off the earth.
@@SuperSnakePlissken the Eclipse had a good life until I totaled it (my fault, no injuries) and replaced it with a 91 Talon tsi awd. The talon was a 300hp+ daily driver until about 06 when I got into Miata things. Sold the talon about 8 years ago, it might be out there somewhere!! Still have one Miata, a 2002 SE, love love love that car!
@@violinmiataHopefully you have it for a very long time. Speaking of old cars I've been eyeing a 2001 Honda Prelude manual transmission car for a while. Got a guy in my church who is the original owner with one that has 151,000 miles on it selling it for $11,000. Thinking heavily about buying it right now.
I test drove it already and man it literally transports me back to the 1990s when I was in high school. LOL
It's really sad to see one of these screwed up. They're pretty simple engines and rebuilding to OEM spec isn't tough at all. The engine "Builder" clearly didn't pay much attention to what he or she was doing.
I know a mechanic (where I take my newest car, by the way) who is honest! But he has a problem that is "common" in 90% of mechanics in Brazil: they just want to change parts! In a newer car (my Etios is 2016) and with a good maintenance history (today the car has 136,000 km, but I bought it with only 20,000 km), it is easy to diagnose and replace parts. But on my old Civic (23 years of pure love), which has to "hunt" for the problem, the mechanic just won't do it. And that makes me frustrated, because I don't have a space where I can be my own mechanic and I don't know of another place that can take the car... And in that the car is more stopped than "walking". I hope the Miata gets fixed by you, David!
I can't remember the last time I have seen a mechanic but if I needed one I would want one like Wizard . No beating around the bush , straight to the point , honest with integrity . He also likes metal .
subtle flex
I absolutely refuse to take my car to ANY mechanic because of this exact reason. I do all the work myself because I can't trust a mechanic to do it correctly or to not damage my car and lie about it.
It seems UA-cam is the best place to find the best. Not just auto mechanics, but doctors, hvac, etc. Also seems the good ones are never even close to where i live. Bummer. At least you can find good advise on almost any subject you want on UA-cam.
I know how you feel CarWizard. I see shit like that all of the time and it pisses me off too. Even worse, there are shops that tell their mechanics to do shady work or they can pack their bags. That happens a lot too. Shop managers decide to throw parts at cars, just to make a sale, instead of helping the customer. All guys like you and I can do is: the right thing. How the hell was that engine just rebuilt? Seriously WTF!
The mentality of most shops is "fix as many cars as you can in as short of time possible. We don't have time to diagnose". And often the only one that gets "fixed" is the customer.
@@adotintheshark4848 it's more like: we'll hire the most unqualified people, pay them very little, and deal with the comebacks. That's the attitude of most shops and dealerships. Present company excluded.
PLEASE Keep us Posted on what happened for this Customer!
Honestly, EVERY Industry these days has people screwing the good people in said industries that NEED to be Held RESPONSIBLE, but aren't.
Just a Damning example of how Screwed-Up our Society is Today.
Appreciate the Video, Keep Up the Great Work!
"looks like they honed it with a cinder block"
I laughed so hard 😂
I still don't get that people actually dig the collapsed suspension look
That and fart pipe exhaust seem to go hand in hand.
I'm no expert but if you're going to track a car generally speaking the lower the center of gravity the better.
function over form. where a beefed up lifted truck suspension handles bumps and offroading like a champ; the slammed stiff suspensioned sports car corners like a dream and has next to no body roll. the people that go to both ends of the extremes are usually doing it to piss people off and generally have fun getting people red in the face
@@dedalliance1most slammed cars like that don’t go to the track. I know because I see those at car meets and only car meets. The track Miata’s aren’t even that slammed
@@dedalliance1I have raced miatas for almost 30 years, I have never seen a serious 'stock class' miata that low. 😂😂😂
Great video Mr Wizard, terrible situation for the customer. My girlfriend has a 93' Miata, I upgraded the differential with parts from a 2001. I am awed by this fun little car and by how I saved it from the junk yard, being a plumber for 40+ years I bought a shop manual and watched many UA-cam videos, and $1600 dollars for the differential, 2 axles, and the shorter drive shaft from Redline. I'm driving the car to work, saving gas, and just dream about adding a roll bar, getting the Carbon fiber top like the one in your shop, replacement of struts, wheel bearings, etc. One of my goals in life is to rebuild a engine, and do it right, like it came off an assembly line, or it's actually better than original. Once again thank you for your videos.
God bless
Carbon top is probably more than half what you paid for the car. I remember 10 years ago hardtops cost around $500. Now they are triple that.
The hardest part is figuring out which mechanics are the good reputable ones in any given area. The one I used for my Miata recently retired, and I don't know who to replace him with yet.
Same with mechanics for humans!
@@Cheepchipsable Absolutely, the doctor I really like retired, then his replacement, whom I like, moved out of state, the new replacement is terrible.
Yeah, there was a great Miata shop in Indianapolis that did really fine work. When they closed shop I started working on my own car. Can’t find anyone I trust that’s local.
I hope the customer can keep you updated on what happened. Hopefully the customer will get some solution out of it all.
you might not be the best mechanic but you're probably the most honest one around your area.
He's a problem solver, that's worth a fortune.
It's worse than you think. 15 years ago it took two different shops to repair a Chevy lumina center brake-light. The first shop left the brakes semi depressed where the car would not roll in neutral when pushed
I have also learnt not to take the customer's word for granted ...
As many customers want a cheap job by cutting down on parts & labour.. the result is catastrophic of course 😊
Going to the next mechanical shop with the well-known sentence.
I just had it fixed..
I dont cheap out on labour, i dont even negotiate price. But when I spend $2500 on having the entire Power Steering system refurbished, I expect it not to whine like there's a dying animal under the hood. And when I show up with it, I dont want to hear "that's normal".
Face it, there are more scam artists than honest mechanics. Shitty customers too I guess, but I can't attest to that.
@The_Noticer.
Nowadays it is not advisable to refurbish old parts due to 2 reasons
1..modern cars are built to replace parts not to refurbish them
2 . Despite having a new or old vehicle.. it's hard to find a good technician that can do the work properly.. 😊
@@ammaralsaigh168 its a powetsteering rack. Its just seals normally. New one from honda would be 2k+...
@The_Noticer.
Well, you have seen the results, sir
... as most technicians nowadays are taught to replace instead of refurbish...😏
As from the manufacturer's point of view
Better to sell new parts with a warranty
For a great amount of money..Then to sell repair kits for one or two hundreds
@@ammaralsaigh168 I bet you used to work at a dealer. Why else try to shame someone into spending $2000 on a new steering rack over 2 worn outer seals. You are nuts if you think that the possibility of a return warrants you recommending such high bills on people. Secondly, the pump I installed was a NEW OEM pump, and it immediately started whining because it's a 19 year old car, and likely so was the pump despite being new in the packaging. All its internal seals were already hard and leaking. The issue is that mechanics dont like returns, or having to disassemble the work they themselves did over DOA parts. But that's ultimately your responsibility. Just like I have mine in my line of work.
So you are 100% objectively wrong, and I hope you dont work on cars anymore and give people this terrible advice.
The two shops I use are over 30 miles away, but it's worth the drive. They usually have a two week waiting list. They even recommend each other. Both specialize in Japanese cars and they are friendly, knowledgeable and have impeccable reputations. They take good care of my '02 Suzuki Vitara Cabriolet and my '06 Honda Element.
I do all the maintenance and most of the mechanical work on my 2006 Matrix 4WD (215k miles). However, I do have three awesome honest and competent mechanics: A general one, a transmission/4WD one, and an alignment one. They are worth their weight in gold.
"No, not that kinda schlong." Laughed my ass off. Comedy gold.
I love just how the thing smiles 😃 at you all the time, no matter how bad your day/situation is!!
Things like this is why i do oil changes myself. Knowledge is power, even if you aren't doing the wrenching (or destroying as it were).
Absolutely! And we have all the technology and info at our fingertips now; modern tools and equipment, University of UA-cam and forums.
When I was in high school I had thought about becoming a mechanic. If I had, I’d strive to be like the Wizard and be as upfront and honest as he is. It’s so sad what’s happened to the industry. ☹️ Also wish he was local in my area. 😉
We love our teslong camera! We had the one that the end could turn 180° back on itself but it kept burning out the main boards. Eventually they stopped sending us cameras. I miss that thing, we could print high def pictures of valves and cylinders for customers so they could actually see what we were talking about.
I appreciate your honesty and integrity. Thanks for the video.
Thank you, Wizard and Grimes. Before the borescope, we'd have to tear into the engine to see the piston/cylinder damage. Notice a design like the Suzuki Cappuccino or Honda S660 KEI cars
My theory is that the radiator blew and the engine overheated. Cracks appeared in the cylinder liners. A leak down test was not done afterward. The radiator was probably replaced at the time. If a shop worked on it, either they are incompetent or they scammed the customer. Either way they screwed the customer. OR Maybe the customer fancies himself a roadracer and decided to change out the hoses and radiator for better cooling, and something went wrong with the fans. Lots of possibilities I suppose. In any case, new engine time.
Not sure the early mx5 has a temperature gauge, hence the main hint someone might get about a failed water pump is the charge light being on (shared belt on water pump and alternator). My brother killed his with this happening.
Got some Paul Harvey. " And now you know, the rest of the story". Such an amazing story teller.
My mom's Subaru Forester blew a motor with only 50K miles. We were taking care of my mom so I took it to a Dealer near me and said please help her out, here's all the receipts from her hometown dealer where she serviced vehicle regularly. Subaru said they'd replace motor just give them $500. I did and got vehicle back from dealer working again. Brought mom and her Subaru down to my sisters and the vehicle lost power again. Little sister brought it into my mom's dealer and they told my sister they needed $2grand to tear down and find out what was going on with motor. I had to get Subaru Customer Advocacy involved. Skipping a lot of the story but the short of it is Subaru sent an inspector to look at the work the Dealership did and found the work was not done correctly. Finally got the vehicle back although my mom had already passed away...little sister has it now and hoping the smaller town dealership did a better job then the big city one did.
So sad, that poor MX5/Miata. 😢
Wow, very sad. Best way to maintain these cars is to do everything yourself and send parts out individually to be rebuilt like the head. Its not very hard or expensive, takes a little bit of time.
Haha people trolling Wizard ,saying he's pompous?I got to say,I think the Wizard has every right to be confident. He's incredibly intelligent, not just about cars. I Love the way he looks at things.Hes a realist.I'm a bus mechanic for 25 years:I ain't that good!
Wow! I have used the same mechanic for the last 25 years for most things. Not once burned. He is savvy enough to tell me when he doesn't have the specialty tools to do a proper job. Some repairs I have done by a specialist many miles away from my home. This mechanic needs to go to the wood shed.
Called the MX5 in the UK. Had a 1.6 in Grace Green, not the fastest car in the world, but a lot of fun as it's so light!
Greetings from a fellow brit! Nice to see someone else give an educated opinion on the MX5! I've honestly been debating over the last couple years between that and an S2000, both really expectational cars to look out for, Market prices are all over the place and i'm not entirely sure which i'd be better with long term. Feel i'd have less issues with an MX5 but perhaps lack some of the luxuries an S2000 has, Weather isn't too great most the year either so i'm not too keen on a soft top.
Grace green is a fabulous colour for it though, did it treat you well over the time owning it? :)
@@Cogglesz Get a NC hard top if you are actually going to drive it all year and not have it as a fun car. If you have money a NDv2 is a better faster car than a S2000, a NB is probably the best value as it is a better car than the NA and the pop-up make the NA cost more (now).
I picture MG and Triumph owners throwing things at you when you drive by in an MX5, and getting keyed by drunks outside the pub. Mazda totally appropriated your cultural heritage ;-)
@@bartwaggoner2000 The MX5 revived the culture. I remember growing up as a teen in the 80s, and every MG and Triumph was a POS or rust bucket, usually both.
@@bartwaggoner2000 Not really, the English classic car community in the UK is very strong. But the great thing is everyone has different tastes!! It's also called the Eunos in Europe!
"i just had the engine rebuilt"
"i dont care" 😂😂
Lol badass wizard
Tommy Lee Jones mode: on. ;)
Absolutely awful situation... I had a motor rebuilt on my 88 SC mr2 recently and brought it to a trusted shop that a friend recomended me to that does datsun motors for his resto shop. They knocked it out of the park sent me photos along the way, recomended necessary replacments along the way I ended up with a full rebuild new oem crank, pistons everything. New upgraded valves etc. Just the labor alone cost me around $3k but absolutely worth it!!! You cant skimp out on engine rebuilds especially for a car you care about. Its worth it to spend once and cry once.
You are absolutely spot on when talking about the "real" professionals.....in any sector!
I wonder if someone forgot to put the air filter in place? If so a short drive off-road and enough dirt and small stones could be ingested to cause that damage.
Good point. I'll bet someone took it off, to give it a few more HP and sucked in a bunch of dirt/dust.
Low compression is a perfect candidate for turbo boosting
Its only low compression because the pressure is leaking past the rings because of the horrible cyl walls. Boost would make matters way worse, not better.
We build low compression turbo mx5s at my shop and use the head that comes with the auto trans cars because theyre a lower compression ratio of 9.0 instead of 9.4-1.
Wizzard! You are the BEST. and you actually care about doing top notch work. You would do great work, whether you were being watched, on camera, or not. YOU respect yourself first. You and your shop are to be praised. Never give in to any criminal, or phoney, or liar! Never give in!!!!!
Looks like they used the old ball hone on a drill. 😳
The only thing that kills a Miata is rust.
My son's 2004 Honda Civic 2nd engine blew up again (costed 5k used engine and labor from the shop 5 years prior). I happened to know another owner of a shop he asked me what did I want to do with this car. He told me to buy an engine and ship to him and bring him all the necessary parts he will do me a favor and charge me only labor to fix it. I went on the internet to buy an slightly used engine for $800 plus $200 shipping and all the rest of the parts about few hundreds. Now the car is still running. There are shops selling used imported Japanese engine go to buy one for $800 and just have you to swap it out!
So sad to see shoddy work,pulling the industry down, so glad there’s honest guys like you putting things straight 👍👌🇮🇲
My dad had his old Toyota, 90's, and the shop that did the rebuild forgot the piston rings. The truck would smoke. He drove it like that for a month until he took it into a different shop who was able to find the source of the problem.
I don't know how somebody could forget piston rings. That makes no sense whatsoever. I can't think how that would even run for that long without even the oil rings.
With no rings means no compression, a motor needs compression to start.
Class is in session!!!
Love when your techs get involved. Nice to meet the crew
it was awesome to hear car wizard on NPR, it happened right during my break! was so excited to hear his voice, i instantly knew what was up
Obviously
A magic rebuild
WC Fields said
A sucker is born every second
Obviously, this poor guy was taken to the cleaners
😮
I totally get what you are saying, I work in the IT/Computer repair industry and we get the same thing when shiops who dont know what they are doing, or use cheap parts, etc.. Its rampant across many professions and it really sucks!! Great video, good detective work!
Hearing you say “you can get em for 10 grand” crushed me. My first car was a 91 Miata with 90k miles in 2018 and sold it in 2021 for 3300. Wish I kept it just a bit longer
U did?... they call those 007 cars 0 power 0 torque 7 times I've told people it's actually very fun to drive today
Poor man's s2k
Great video as always. I heard the Wizard on NPR's Marketplace show on the radio. Always a class act.
The Fat Car Wizards has the coolest walk on UA-cam! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Aerosmith's WALK THIS WAY as the background music!
How many times are you planning to post this same comment?
@@wads_o_hair Until The Fat Car Wizards makes the video!
Bob has a case of the 'Tism for sure.
I heard you on Marketplace yesterday. I knew immediately it was you because of your calm, measured and intelligent delivery.
8:01 “The REST…of the story!” Paul Harvey shout-out for the win! 😎
A competent, honest mechanic is worth their weight in gold. Thank goodness for my mechanic, and the mechanics who work for him. If the men he hires aren't cutting the mustard, they don't last long.
I've been using the same garage for the last 22 years! Great guy!
CAR WIZARD! I just heard you on my marketplace podcast and I knew it was you before they brought up your UA-cam channel hahaha awesome work!
Great video Car Wizard! I wish you had a shop in Stockholm / Sweden :D
Car Wizard. I am not mechanically inclined but I enjoy your expert opinion. I am a maintenance freak and read the schedules on all my vehicles to make sure their up to date especially oil changes, fluid and filters. But what I really value is when you explain what fails and why. I've never had a vehicle gernade and I'm 66. Thanks again for explaining like you do complicated things.
Pro tip when they say change the oil filter every other oil change. That's BS. new filter ever oil change .
If you find a good mechanic keep them ,I just moved to a new area 3 years ago found a good shop then out of nowhere they closed up ,I was very disappointed , Hopefully I can ask neighbors for some references ,I have a nice heated large building that I sometimes do some work myself ,But I have some trouble getting around at 71 yrs old now ,Worked construction all my life and it took a toll on me.Thanks Wizard for the information,learn something always.
Definitely sad and also way too common in many industries today. Unfortunately mine is the same as we have good field techs and then we have garbage as well which makes us all look terrible and definitely angers myself as I and others I know truly do care about the customer and do our best to resolve all issues.
He should have given you the heads-up when he brought that car in there that he had the engine rebuilt right before he brought it in there so that you would have that information already available I'm getting so tired of people who are unable to connect the dots for the problems in their lives and simply throw their problems in somebody else's hands without even having the ability to mention the crucial details prior to this catastrophe
Best channel--regardless of subject--on the Tube!
I take my Mazda Miata to Mazda. They guarantee the servicing and any repairs. They always give an estimate for the cost. However, it was so well made that it hardly ever needs a repair, just the odd sensor replacement. Best wishes from Japan.
wizard has to represent for the mechanics! thats all hes doing! respect car wizard!
For every car that's hasn't had stuff fixed that needed fixing there's 10 that shops give you a long list of repairs that do not need to be fixed. This is why so many customers say don't fix, because so often it items that will sill last for years.
My first car was a Datsun 710 with the L-18 engine. After 125k miles of driving with proper oil changes and valve adjustments compression was 175 across all four cylinders.
The wizard prides himself and puts himself on a pedestal for a reason. He's honest. He shows it in his videos. He hasn't built his reputation on lies and ripping people off. He's built a reputation on honesty.
I owned a 96 Miata between me and my mom for 17 years. It had 186,000 miles on it when i got rid of it, a shop botched the timing belt job and the engine crankshaft wallowed out.
Car Wizard, I got nothing but respect for you. One possibility you may have overlooked is that the other shop just dumped in a cheap used engine and kicked it out the door, keeping the customer's engine for themselves. This would explain the horrendous carbon buildup. As for the destroyed cylinders, my guess is oil starvation but I'll leave that for your expertise to determine.
Car Wizard, you are beyond reproach. You remind me of the techs I grew up around who do their best to take care ofvtgeir customers.
I work in the service industry too. I was in the appliance industry, now small machinery industry. I would say your estimate of 3 out of 10 is optimistic. I would say 2 out of 10. God bless you, your wife, and your team.
As someone who fixes a lot of "other shops" blown up engines, some of the work i see is shocking. Had a car come in not long ago with a very recent new short block, while taking it apart i found all of the cam caps were mismatched, like not even belonging to the heads. block also had a hole in it, couldnt have had more than 5k. miles on it
If they don’t make it right he should really consider taking them to small claims court for lost time and use the wizards diagnosis as second opinion. At the very least I hope he calls out the shop. Really disgusting to see. Sadly I think many of us who are deep into motoring have experienced this. I’m in the auto industry and even I can’t find a reputable mechanic to help with some of my quirky cars. I’ve also been sold a “new engine” before and my heart dropped when I saw the cylinder walls. 😢 awful feeling.
The transmission business is even worse! You're lucky if you get one good one out of 10 in my opinion.
Great video and a lesson to all of us.
Love Car Wizard he does not minch words when he sees crap work done