What doesn't work....and a question

Cut-to-fit hoses. Total crap. I bought them from Autozone(I know, you
may commence insulting me now...) when I was doing the water pump/
timing belt job on my 97 NA. I needed new hoses, the originals were a
little crusty looking and I wanted to drive the car. I noted when I
was installing them that the fit was rather shoddy....

They worked okay over the summer but I always had a bit of a weep at
the various connection points. I tightened/repositioned clamps several
times and saw no improvement. Then as soon as the weather turned cool,
I found a sizeable puddle under the car one morning. Every last one of
the connections starting leaking overnight as everything changed size.
The 'cut to fit' replacement hoses are just crap, the ID was larger
than the original ones and despite the fact that they were molded,
they were not the same shape as the originals.

So 50 bucks later and a couple weeks wait for the parts(don't
ask.....) I just got done installing 3 new Mazda factory hoses
tonight. Everything lined up perfectly, as I expected it would. The
autozone hoses are going in the dumpster. They got me, but maybe they
won't get you....?

Also....I've noted on both my 97 NA and my 2004 MSM that Mazda
apparently didn't think it was necessary to color-sand the entire car.
The lower part of the rockers is 'rough' paint, and I don't understand
why? I've never had another vehicle that didn't have the entire paint
job color sanded and glossy.....and the 2004 is original velocity red
paint. What gives? Is there a reason for this or is it just cost-
savings?

Thanks,

Chris

Thanks for the heads up on the A-Z hoses, I buy allot of stuff from them.

As for the paint, I think you're mis-interpreting what you're looking at. I
believe what you're talking about is the chip resistant 'coating' that they
add to that lower area that tends to get blasted with rocks and debris more
than any other part of the car (unless you drive in Houston where dump
trucks like to sandblast your nose piece and hood even more often). The way
I understand it, it cushions the impact of the rocks / debris so that the
paint isn't constantly chipped off in this area.

Chris
99BBB

"Hal" > wrote in message
...
> Cut-to-fit hoses. Total crap. I bought them from Autozone(I know, you
> may commence insulting me now...) when I was doing the water pump/
> timing belt job on my 97 NA. I needed new hoses, the originals were a
> little crusty looking and I wanted to drive the car. I noted when I
> was installing them that the fit was rather shoddy....
>
> They worked okay over the summer but I always had a bit of a weep at
> the various connection points. I tightened/repositioned clamps several
> times and saw no improvement. Then as soon as the weather turned cool,
> I found a sizeable puddle under the car one morning. Every last one of
> the connections starting leaking overnight as everything changed size.
> The 'cut to fit' replacement hoses are just crap, the ID was larger
> than the original ones and despite the fact that they were molded,
> they were not the same shape as the originals.
>
> So 50 bucks later and a couple weeks wait for the parts(don't
> ask.....) I just got done installing 3 new Mazda factory hoses
> tonight. Everything lined up perfectly, as I expected it would. The
> autozone hoses are going in the dumpster. They got me, but maybe they
> won't get you....?
>
> Also....I've noted on both my 97 NA and my 2004 MSM that Mazda
> apparently didn't think it was necessary to color-sand the entire car.
> The lower part of the rockers is 'rough' paint, and I don't understand
> why? I've never had another vehicle that didn't have the entire paint
> job color sanded and glossy.....and the 2004 is original velocity red
> paint. What gives? Is there a reason for this or is it just cost-
> savings?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris

Hal wrote:
snip...
> Also....I've noted on both my 97 NA and my 2004 MSM that Mazda
> apparently didn't think it was necessary to color-sand the entire car.
> The lower part of the rockers is 'rough' paint, and I don't understand
> why? I've never had another vehicle that didn't have the entire paint
> job color sanded and glossy.....and the 2004 is original velocity red
> paint. What gives? Is there a reason for this or is it just cost-
> savings?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris

My '91 was like that and it confused me a bit. My research told me that the
lower portion was treated with an asphaltic coating between the metal
and the paint as a protection against rock nicks which would bare the metal
and allow rusting. Unfortunately that coating wasn't conducive to a shiny
flat finish and was, in fact, a bit lumpy. Apparently it was decided that
protection was preferable and given the location, anyone looking at the car
was not likely to notice unless they were on hands and knees.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

John McGaw wrote:

> My '91 was like that and it confused me a bit. My research told me that
> the lower portion was treated with an asphaltic coating between the
> metal and the paint as a protection against rock nicks which would bare
> the metal and allow rusting. Unfortunately that coating wasn't conducive
> to a shiny flat finish and was, in fact, a bit lumpy. Apparently it was
> decided that protection was preferable and given the location, anyone
> looking at the car was not likely to notice unless they were on hands
> and knees.

One of my favorite aspects of the "M" editions from 1994 to 1997 was the
paint being kept the same color all the way to the bottom.
It really makes a difference to me, and at 9 years old and 78,000 miles,
this area that was protected only by paint still looked very nice on my
previous '96M.

I have also seen a few Miatas that have been re-painted with the coating
stripped and then painted on the lower portions along with the rest of
the car, and it always stands out to me as really nice-looking.

The black coating on the lower portion of my current Miata doesn't
really bother me, but then, the car is red, so I have never really liked
how it looks.
The color was almost enough to keep me from buying the car, but the deal
was too good to pass up.

If I ever re-paint it, the color will change to blue or black and the
coating on the lower portion will definitely be replaced with paint of
the same color.

Pat

Hal wrote:
> Cut-to-fit hoses. Total crap. I bought them from Autozone(I know, you
> may commence insulting me now...)

I'll stand with you and help bear the brunt of the insults....... :-)

After promising never to do so again, I bought a starter for a OTM at
Autozone.
After 7 whole days, it is giving out. It has a lifetime warranty, which
means I can replace it 50 times a year if I want to.

They KNOW that I will get tired of it and eventually buy a superior and
more costly unit elsewhere. It is about the most crappy business
practice that exists. Rebuilt in Malaysia, the sorry penny-pinching
*******s.
I hate Autozone with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. No, I
hate them much more than that.

I buy my batteries there, and I should probably just get them from Sears
instead to keep them from making any money off of me.
Unfortunately, an Autozone is located very close by, and I sometimes
find myself in there just to avoid traffic. I would prefer that no
Autozone exist in Texas, or anywhere. Did I mention that I hate them?

Truly never again on anything that is rebuilt for them. I thought I
learned my lesson many years ago on an Autozone alternator that failed 3
times in a month before I trashed it, I guess I did not learn it well
enough.

Hopefully this time will do it. Lesson learned: spending half the money
on a complete piece of **** instead of paying full price for a quality
unit, is NOT saving money.......

Pat

that's funny becuase i like it painted black. if it wasn't black the car
would look too thick. particularly when you have 14" wheels the proportions
look right to me becuase of the black skirt. with larger wheels it looks
fine either way...
http://tinyurl.com/ybcpe58
http://tinyurl.com/ybcpe58


"pws" > wrote in message
...
> John McGaw wrote:
>
>> My '91 was like that and it confused me a bit. My research told me that
>> the lower portion was treated with an asphaltic coating between the
>> metal and the paint as a protection against rock nicks which would bare
>> the metal and allow rusting. Unfortunately that coating wasn't conducive
>> to a shiny flat finish and was, in fact, a bit lumpy. Apparently it was
>> decided that protection was preferable and given the location, anyone
>> looking at the car was not likely to notice unless they were on hands and
>> knees.
>
> One of my favorite aspects of the "M" editions from 1994 to 1997 was the
> paint being kept the same color all the way to the bottom.
> It really makes a difference to me, and at 9 years old and 78,000 miles,
> this area that was protected only by paint still looked very nice on my
> previous '96M.
>
> I have also seen a few Miatas that have been re-painted with the coating
> stripped and then painted on the lower portions along with the rest of the
> car, and it always stands out to me as really nice-looking.
>
> The black coating on the lower portion of my current Miata doesn't really
> bother me, but then, the car is red, so I have never really liked how it
> looks.
> The color was almost enough to keep me from buying the car, but the deal
> was too good to pass up.
>
> If I ever re-paint it, the color will change to blue or black and the
> coating on the lower portion will definitely be replaced with paint of the
> same color.
>
> Pat

pws > wrote:

> I hate Autozone with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns.

I gave up shopping there, I have a problem with them in that I'm
linguistically challenged, I can't speak, read or understand English
and Autozone here has gone to mostly Spanish signs and Spanish speaking
personnel. <sigh>

Unfortunately for me, that's becoming more and more common in this
neighborhood, I suppose I'll have to learn Spanish if I want to
continue living here.


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

Christopher Muto wrote:
> that's funny becuase i like it painted black. if it wasn't black the car
> would look too thick. particularly when you have 14" wheels the proportions
> look right to me becuase of the black skirt. with larger wheels it looks
> fine either way...
> http://tinyurl.com/ybcpe58
> http://tinyurl.com/ybcpe58

Against silver it looks nice, I agree. Same with red if you like that
color, black and red go nicely together, imo, just not my favorite
choice. I like dark blue and black on cars, or white, just my personal
preference.

Against the darker colors it is harder to notice the difference between
black or the same color on the lower portion, but overall I prefer it
like on this 1995 M Edition.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/1...20Shots/t3.jpg

Of course, this 1995 Miata does have 15 inch wheels, as do the 1996 &
1997 "M" editions. I think that the wheels on this 1994 "M" edition are
14 inchers, and I still prefer the Montego color all the way down to the
bottom.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0003_large.jpg

Pat

XS11E wrote:

> I gave up shopping there, I have a problem with them in that I'm
> linguistically challenged, I can't speak, read or understand English
> and Autozone here has gone to mostly Spanish signs and Spanish speaking
> personnel. <sigh>
>
> Unfortunately for me, that's becoming more and more common in this
> neighborhood, I suppose I'll have to learn Spanish if I want to
> continue living here.

That is not the case here at all, at least not with Autozone. That would
be very frustrating. I agree that you should be able to speak English to
anybody working the counter at an auto store in the United States.

At the location I frequent, the Autozone employees are number matchers,
but they actually get the correct part most of the time, and they are
easy to understand, all of them, with a pretty diverse racial makeup.

The one employee that I have heard speaking Spanish also speaks English
fluently, and we are only 220 miles from the border.

The problem that I have with Autozone is quality-related, the customer
service is actually great.
On something like an engine mount, they seem pretty capable. If it
attaches to the engine and spins, then get ready for bad news.

I have even had good luck with radiator hoses from them, but I have
never tried a universal fit type.
Still, I didn't want the OP to feel too badly. He is not alone with his
Autozone choices. :-)

Pat

pws > wrote:

> XS11E wrote:
>
>> I gave up shopping there, I have a problem with them in that I'm
>> linguistically challenged, I can't speak, read or understand
>> English and Autozone here has gone to mostly Spanish signs and
>> Spanish speaking personnel. <sigh>

> That is not the case here at all, at least not with Autozone. That
> would be very frustrating. I agree that you should be able to
> speak English to anybody working the counter at an auto store in
> the United States.

I once called a state office and the receptionist couldn't speak
English.

> The problem that I have with Autozone is quality-related

I bought a mototcycle battery from them once, it wouldn't charge. I
took it back and got one at Checker Auto, I've not got a battery from
Autozone since. I've had decent luck with Checker and Pep Boys but
Autozone is closer so I still get small stuff from them but the
language problem is becoming a barrier and, frankly, it irks the HELL
out of me...


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