Or is there no hope? Hi guys. Well, I have a 1992 Mazda Miata my dad gave to me last year. Sadly, my father for many years either didnt care too much about taking care of the engine ever since he had it in '98, and what I mean by that is he either changed the oil very late, or changed the oil but not the filter, etc. I know it didnt have proper maintence, however he didnt over do it either, he's always known the importance of taking care of the engine, it's just he always does theses things late. We also live in Costa Rica and he sometimes uses the car like if it was a Range Rover to go up and down the mountains (ffs)
Opposite of him, I am totally different. I am very picky with things such as taking care of my vehicle, having it clean, etc. And I'm trying to move forward with trying to "mend" things and get everything on it in good condition. Sadly, I don't make a lot of money (I also study full time so that's basically the reason). But still, I know that with time anythings possible.
In the 1.5 years I've had the car, I've given it a tune up, I've changed the water pump, I've replaced all the filters twice, done a few oil changes, etc. But it seems everytime I fix it, a few months later something new pops up. It seems now that it needs a timing belt change, and my gosh who knows when was the last time my dad did that. The car has 160K miles on it, and probably does 3 - 4K miles per year, sometimes on harsh terrain. I do however drive it about 5 times per week, but everywhere I go is close (20 miles max) unless I plan a trip. I'm also brining it to the mechanic to fix a few oil leaks tomorrow.
Apart from that, its' worked just fine. I know Miata's are practically unbreakable, tbh after all its been through it it's doing excellently! And I know other miata owners (quite a lot actually) who DO take care of their car and tell me that there like at 240K miles and their engine is still doing fine!! It's a great car, to be honest, it's not one to break down easily and it will always start up.
But as I said, I'm trying to move forward and fix everything I can. I love this car. However, I don't know if there are certain "irreversible" things that cannot be mended due to past un proper maintence, unless of court I do like an over haul.
Do you guys the car has any chance of lasting many years more, if of course I start to due proper maintenance regularly, and take extreme care of the engine?
What recommendations can I get in terms of what to do to the vehicle to improve it's performance?
Also, on a side note just by curiosity: can someone explain to me exactly what a timing belt does, and how one knows it needs to be changed? Because the mechanic told me that but I want to know exactly how it is that he knows, so by the time it needs ANOTHER belt I would know myself.
THANK YOU.
Opposite of him, I am totally different. I am very picky with things such as taking care of my vehicle, having it clean, etc. And I'm trying to move forward with trying to "mend" things and get everything on it in good condition. Sadly, I don't make a lot of money (I also study full time so that's basically the reason). But still, I know that with time anythings possible.
In the 1.5 years I've had the car, I've given it a tune up, I've changed the water pump, I've replaced all the filters twice, done a few oil changes, etc. But it seems everytime I fix it, a few months later something new pops up. It seems now that it needs a timing belt change, and my gosh who knows when was the last time my dad did that. The car has 160K miles on it, and probably does 3 - 4K miles per year, sometimes on harsh terrain. I do however drive it about 5 times per week, but everywhere I go is close (20 miles max) unless I plan a trip. I'm also brining it to the mechanic to fix a few oil leaks tomorrow.
Apart from that, its' worked just fine. I know Miata's are practically unbreakable, tbh after all its been through it it's doing excellently! And I know other miata owners (quite a lot actually) who DO take care of their car and tell me that there like at 240K miles and their engine is still doing fine!! It's a great car, to be honest, it's not one to break down easily and it will always start up.
But as I said, I'm trying to move forward and fix everything I can. I love this car. However, I don't know if there are certain "irreversible" things that cannot be mended due to past un proper maintence, unless of court I do like an over haul.
Do you guys the car has any chance of lasting many years more, if of course I start to due proper maintenance regularly, and take extreme care of the engine?
What recommendations can I get in terms of what to do to the vehicle to improve it's performance?
Also, on a side note just by curiosity: can someone explain to me exactly what a timing belt does, and how one knows it needs to be changed? Because the mechanic told me that but I want to know exactly how it is that he knows, so by the time it needs ANOTHER belt I would know myself.
THANK YOU.