I am attempting to make a list of possible purchases that can be made prior to Tech Day events. These purchases are for maintenance items that I feel are necessary for the proper operation of your Miata or accessories that I think will benefit the Miata owner. In this list you will see an estimated price for the item as well as where to purchase the item. The information on this page is from my own personal experience and opinion and I cannot take responsibility if you purchase the wrong products based on this information. Since I have only owned 90-97 Miatas I can't really give you much help with later models. In this list you will see an estimated price as well as where to purchase the item. Items with a "***" can be purchased from our sponsor, Lowcountry Mazda, and will be eligible for a 10% discount for club members.
(Robert McElwee)
Brake Pads:
You should inspect your brakes at least once per year and replace them if your pads are getting thin. Buy a set of Front and Rear brake pads from Rosenthal Mazda as well as two packets of Brake Caliper Grease from Advance Auto Parts.
$45 - Axxis Ultimate Front Brake Pads (Finishline Performance)
$45 - Axxis Ultimate Rear Brake Pads (Finishline Performance)
$2 - Brake Caliper Grease (Advance Auto Parts)
Brake and Clutch Fluid Flush:
I recommend doing a flush at least once every 3 years. You can go the cheap route and just buy a $5 bottle of brake fluid or you can get fancy and use high temp ATE Super Blue and install Speed Bleeders. For most, the cheap option is fine. I use the fancy option on all of my cars. Note that I have listed the need for six speed bleeders when there are only 5 needed (4 brakes and 1 clutch) on a Miata. It is not easy to tell if you need three SP7100's and two SP8100's or two SP7100's and three SP8100's until you get under the car. I usually just spend the extra $7 to make sure I am covered. I do not know if these sizes fit anything except the 90-97 Miatae. If you have a later model you should call Speed Bleeder to make sure you are buying the right part.
$5 - 32 oz Valvoline Synpower ABS Brake Fluid (Advance Auto Parts)
$14 - ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid (Finishline Performance)
$21 - 3 x SP7100 Speed Bleeder (Speed Bleeder)
$21 - 3 x SP8100 Speed Bleeder (Speed Bleeder)
Oil Change:
I recommend using synthetic oil and changing it every 5,000 miles or once every six months, which ever comes first. Everyone has a different opinion on this. You don't normally need a new drain plug washer but you should buy one every year or so just to avoid problems. I install Fumoto Drain Valves on all of my cars. It is a one time purchase and it makes an oil change much easier. If you buy a Fumoto valve you will not need to buy plug washers.
You should use 10W-40 for older cars (90-97) and 5W-30 for the newer cars.
$5 - Purolator Filter - L14610 or PL14610 (Advance Auto)
$20 - 4 quart bottles or 5 quart jug Mobil 1 SuperSyn (Wal-Mart)
*** $1 - Factory Drain Plug Washer (Lowcountry Mazda)
$29 - Fumoto Oil Drain Valve
Shift Boots and Turret Oil:
If you have a 90-97 Miata and have not changed your shift boots in the past 3 years they are probably torn. When they tear they allow dirt to get into your transmission turret (making your car hard to shift) and allow heat to get into your cabin. If you purchase the shift boots from Palmetto Mazda you should give them the following part numbers if you have a 90-93 not sure what the numbers are for other models but the parts counter will be able to help you. Small boot (#17-475) and Large boot (#64-481).
*** $22 - Small Shift Boot (Lowcountry Mazda)
*** $20 - Large Shift Boot (Lowcountry Mazda)
$9 - 1 quart Redline MTL Synthetic Transmission Fluid (Finishline Performance)
Spark Plugs and Plug Wires:
I recommend replacing your spark plugs and wires every three years. Most people can tell the difference on the way their car drives after doing this.
$8 - Factory NGK Replacement Spark Plug Set (Lowcountry Mazda)
$34 - Factory NGK Spark Plug Wire Set (Lowcountry Mazda)
Transmission/Differential Fluid Change:
I recommend you do this every 30,000 miles.
$17 - 2 quarts Redline MTL Synthetic Transmission Fluid (Finishline Performance)
$9 - 1 quart Redline 75w90 Synthetic Differential Fluid (Finishline Performance)
CB Radio:
As the club gets larger it get harder to stay together in groups during drives. A CB radio is a good thing to have. The CB listed below is a nice unit that mounts behind your seat and has all the controls on the handset.
$90 - Cobra C75WXST CB (Valco Electronics)
$22 - Little Wil Antenna (Valco Electronics)