I have just recently acquired a new 2005 Miata GS. I am wondering about 1/ Aftermarket cruise control. 2/ Oil changes.. I am 100 miles from nearest Mazda dealer. I am sure that I read somewhere that there is some type of gasket or the like that should be replaced with each change and that it is wise to change oil early (within the first 1,000 miles?) My dealer cautionned me to let the hood drop and not manually slam it as it is aluminum and will dent. Any other such insider tips? I am from Northern Ontario, Canada so regretably many U.S. deals will elude me. Look forward to your responses.

 

Glad to hear from another Canadian camthecanuk!! There seem to be quite a few here which is nice to see. My wife is Canadian so am a bit biased there. Love her accent even though she tries to cover it up as much as she can. First oil change ata around a 1000 is a good idea. Only gasket you should need outside of the oil filter would be the aluminum one for the drain plug washer.
Allowing the hood to drop is very good advise. Here is a little one to help keep down the mess if you change your own oil. Get an old bath towel and place under the filter area when removing at oil change. The towel will keep all of that oil off engine, right motor mount , and splash shields. Otherwise takes a week or two for all of the oil drips to stop getting all over the garage floor.

Welcome again.[sm=massbounce.gif]