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What Have You Done To YOUR Mazda Today?
All models/all years welcome, but please keep it to MAZDA vehicles and not another project car. Those may be posted elsewhere in the What is Your Favorite Non-Mazda Vehicle thread Yeah, I kinda' stole the idea from another site, but it's pretty popular there. The main difference is that there is one thread for every model. I don't really feel it necessary to do that here. I will start (naturally) :D 1) About 1 1/2 weeks ago: I replaced the long standing white reflective taped side-rear reflectors with clear smoked LED reflectors. Red when on, clear (w/a little hint of smoke) when off. I've been wanting to do that for a long time now. I tapped into the license plate lights and it was one of the easiest mods I have done in a while. 2) Last night (09/01/09): With just under 50k on the clock (49,929 to be exact) I FINALLY converted to the 2.0L spin on oil filter. Another long standing wish of mine. I bought the K&N oil filter which was WAYYY too expensive and 5 Qts of Castrol Syntec 5w-20, what I have been running for some time now (or 5w-30 in the summer.) I'm sure the K&Ns is made by WIX, as is the Mobil1 filter which was just 0.50 cheaper but w/o the bolt-off option. They are both heavy and well built filters but pricey!!! I wanted to try it anyway. But the WIX brand would be about half the cost if purchased 6 @ a time. 3) I also replaced the broken Progress rear sway bar clamp. I found a 7/8" universal set @ Auto Zone (which is what Progress seems to use anyway. They actually said '7/8"' on the bushing) including greaseable polyurethane bushings, so I went for the set. The difference is very subtle but I think I feel an improvement in reaction time from the bar. I got them REAL cheap too as the dummy forgot to charge me for them, even though I asked him if he had before he closed the order. What I spent on expensive oil & filters, I saved in sway bar brackets! :D 4) Today: Finally, I got my Apexcone DDE HID kits installed. Low beams are now 55w, 6000K, while the fogs are 35w, 5000K. I've been looking forward to this for a while but something has always come up, from bad weather to just feeling too tired to tackle the job. The headlights were a PITA, but the fogs posed no problem and were much easier to do. I have yet to see them in the dark or drive with them, but they already look like an improvement. New pictures ASAP. |
Where are the Pics Richard.
BTW, I drove mine to and from Work. BTW Where did you end up mounting the Headlight Ballast at, mine are double sided taped to the inner fender support on the fender side. |
Filled her up.
Originally Posted by virgin1
(Post 97755)
All models/all years welcome, but please keep it to MAZDA vehicles and not another project car. Those may be posted elsewhere in the What is Your Favorite Non-Mazda Vehicle thread Yeah, I kinda' stole the idea from another site, but it's pretty popular there. The main difference is that there is one thread for every model. I don't really feel it necessary to do that here. I will start (naturally) :D 1) About 1 1/2 weeks ago: I replaced the long standing white reflective taped side-rear reflectors with clear smoked LED reflectors. Red when on, clear (w/a little hint of smoke) when off. I've been wanting to do that for a long time now. I tapped into the license plate lights and it was one of the easiest mods I have done in a while. 2) Last night (09/01/09): With just under 50k on the clock (49,929 to be exact) I FINALLY converted to the 2.0L spin on oil filter. Another long standing wish of mine. I bought the K&N oil filter which was WAYYY too expensive and 5 Qts of Castrol Syntec 5w-20, what I have been running for some time now (or 5w-30 in the summer.) I'm sure the K&Ns is made by WIX, as is the Mobil1 filter which was just 0.50 cheaper but w/o the bolt-off option. They are both heavy and well built filters but pricey!!! I wanted to try it anyway. But the WIX brand would be about half the cost if purchased 6 @ a time. 3) I also replaced the broken Progress rear sway bar clamp. I found a 7/8" universal set @ Auto Zone (which is what Progress seems to use anyway. They actually said '7/8"' on the bushing) including greaseable polyurethane bushings, so I went for the set. The difference is very subtle but I think I feel an improvement in reaction time from the bar. I got them REAL cheap too as the dummy forgot to charge me for them, even though I asked him if he had before he closed the order. What I spent on expensive oil & filters, I saved in sway bar brackets! :D 4) Today: Finally, I got my Apexcone DDE HID kits installed. Low beams are now 55w, 6000K, while the fogs are 35w, 5000K. I've been looking forward to this for a while but something has always come up, from bad weather to just feeling too tired to tackle the job. The headlights were a PITA, but the fogs posed no problem and were much easier to do. I have yet to see them in the dark or drive with them, but they already look like an improvement. New pictures ASAP. |
Originally Posted by Siber Express
(Post 97828)
Where are the Pics Richard.
BTW Where did you end up mounting the Headlight Ballast at, mine are double sided taped to the inner fender support on the fender side. Mostly I installed them on the frame rails using the double sided tape (strong stuff!!) and some really big, HD wire ties I have (36") to be on the safe side. I installed the igniters on the underside of the washer bottle (wasn't too crazy about that, but it should be all right) and a bracket behind the under-hood fuse box.
Originally Posted by vlstellato
(Post 97833)
Filled her up.
You finally installed your HID's, I agree they are a PITA. I don't know what Mazda was thinking when they designed that wire clip that holds the bulbs in. It wasn't the clip that was a PITA. That was easy with the headlights out of the car, and now I know what the deal is with them. It was the fact that I had to cut the car practically in half to remove the damned headlights and try to locate good places for the ballasts and igniters. That and doing something with all the excess wire I had. That's what mainly took the time. In the end, I ended up separating the power wires from the bulb grommets and running them to the power source by themselves. The H11's lost the grommet all together. It was redundant to the bulb seal. I see no reason to have to run the (OE) power wires in, only to have to run them back out of a grommet(?). |
I did some more research on more performance parts
I just got back in from washing the car (loooooong overdue wash) Did a quick little inspection, front tires are due for rotation (still 78mm tread depth), same amount of dents and scratches, steering knuckle is still broken, exhaust leak still varies on how much the engine has moved, still hating the led taillights i got (want the full blacked out L.E.D brake lights and stock black housed rev), and still needs paint matched bumpers coat of paint and clear (all manufacturers dont paint match the bumpers unless black and do an EXTREMELY light coat of clear), rims need to be refinished, headlights are still out of alignment, fender needs to be pushed back out, needs new wiper blades, lower grille still broken, need an oil change.....o wait this thread is for what you done not what you need do...oops |
If it was a thread about what you need to do, you would've listed "trade my automatic for a manual." ;)
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Wooooo. You are sooooo nasty. 'Must be the NY in ya', huh? :D :D :D Are you a Yankees fan?? |
It must be the NY in me. lol.
Actually, I hate the Yankees. My family came from Brooklyn/Queens, so I'm a Mets fan. |
ALL RIGHT!!! I KNEW there was at least one reason I liked you! :D I saw the Mets in person when they were a young team... Our church used to sponsor trips to Met Stadium from '66 through '69 about twice a season. Yup, I saw the Mets when they were at their best... 1969. |
Ah, to be my age in 1969...World Chamption Mets and a 1969 Camaro SS. I could be VERY happy in that situation. :)
Instead, my reality is that the Mets are terrible and I drive a 2004 Malibu. A man can dream. |
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