How much life left?

intrigueturbo

intrigueturbo

Greenie N00B Member
My 2012 has about 91k on it at this point and the clutch is definitely slipping and needs to be replaced. I have an offer to sell the car for $7k or I can invest in a clutch replacement and see how much longer the car will go. I don't beat on the engine very often, mostly just a DD with some blast-off fun sometimes.

It has been running a Stratified tune for like 4 years after a Cobb OTS map before that. Have an SRI, TMIC, HPFP internals and RMM on it but otherwise it's stock. I've used Pennzoil Platinum and Mazda filters every 5k since new, use Ford transmission fluid, flushed coolant not too long ago, and had CP-E walnut blast my intake valves back in 2017.

I have enjoyed the car and the only thing I've had to really take it in for was the park/neutral control switch that went bad. I've also got an intermittent airbag light but I think it's maybe just a loose connection. It also hesitates to start sometimes and nobody has been able to tell me why... I'm thinking EGR but it has never thrown a code so I don't know. Should I keep the car and get the clutch replaced? How long can I expect her to keep running?
 
Hey guys, this is a fellow Gayata owner I referred over here, the speed isn’t is only vehicle so he wanted to determine if it’s worth sinking more money in this toy.

Like I started telling you on the Miata forum, it’s going to be hard to spit ball a “remaining life” of sorts based on mileage and mods. What you really need to do is an engine compression and leak down test, that will give you an idea of how tired the motor is. As lightly modified as you are, and with clean service history I suspect it has many miles ahead of it.

I am in your same predicament but with a car I know is tired. Mine is at 115k, been on the BNR S3 since 48k, been thrashed like a whore at the tail of the dragon many many times and countless twisty roads near me. In addition to its first 50k being on glorious Oklahoma highway....which is barely better than a gravel road.

So is it “worth” putting money into? Worth is relative in car hobbyist life, from a financial stand point we are all fucking insane. My speed needs a solid 7-8k to be right again, and it’s worth about 15 minutes of time with the cheapest whore in Vegas. From this stand point I’d be insane to sink 5 dollars into it, yet I’m considering it. Is it worth putting a clutch in your car? Will it being you that money back in joy? Because I will tell you now it’s not going to bring it back to your bottom line.
 
These cars have pretty solid transmissions and electrical systems. Keep that in mind.

Before I got my gen2, I drove a lot of clunkers and basic cars. I can tell you that our platform is pretty solid, that itself is worth keeping the car and fixing it up like you need to. Financially, if the engine is healthy then have at it. The maintenance you need done will be cheaper long term than another car payment.

High mileage doesnt always mean much if the car is well maintained.

However, if you are tired and bored of your MS3, there is nothing we can say to change your mind. If that is the case, sell it to a good home and move on. Otherwise you will never want to put in the work and money needed to have it run well again.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm leaning towards keeping the car and doing the clutch replacement. It has been mostly rock solid and I think I've been pretty good about maintenance so even if I can get a couple more years out of it it's worth it. I'm planning on ordering a Mazda OEM clutch kit from Edge and a LUK flywheel from Rock Auto unless there is a cheaper option that will still be quality stuff?

Do you think I should also order a slave and/or master cylinder to take to the shop for install at the same time? Other than that I'm just going to give them a few quarts of the Ford unicorn fluid but I think that's all I should need right?
[doublepost=1552964516][/doublepost]Parts ordered, went with a slave cylinder anyway. Cost me about $1150 for Mazda clutch kit, LUK flywheel and Mazda slave cylinder. Now I just need to find a good shop to install it since I don't have the time/space right now.
 
Yeah slave always is a good thing to do with the clutch. 1st clutch swap I didn't replace, and it spewed its guys out 24 hours later. 2nd time, it spewed its guts out at disassembly.
 
Got it back from the dealer today. I took them the parts and they installed everything for a little under $1500. I was expecting the clutch to feel a little heavier since it is brand new but it feels just as light as before, I guess since it's all OEM. Hoping this $2600 gets me at least a couple more years!
 
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