6 months without driving...

My day started with going to a Court House in Fanling. It was an indeed a fine day with sunshine and breeze. It was a day that my driver license was taken away for a period of six months for the observation of a speeding charge. My license will be reinstated in mid May.

I felt bad initially when I was caught. However slowly I accepted it after I got the court summon. I checked around people and all the legalities and it seemed to me there was no way to cut corner. I was faced a penalty of 12-month driver license suspension.

I got lucky because of a fault of preparation by the police prosecutors in a case much earlier that morning. The judge had reprimanded the malpractice of the prosecutor. So when it was my case the prosecutor skipped all the supporting details and only listed the basic fact. I was sentenced to a fine and a six-month license suspension with immediate effect.

Joy! I got lucky. Quickly answering a few questions of the judge on my speeding incidence I walked away gracefully without a hesitation. Did I feel guilty about what I did? Well, should I be? It is just a day in my life. In ten or twenty years there will be little or no significance of it.

The question now is to face a lifestyle without driving. My wife is still driving when we share our journey. It has been more than 20 years without public transportation as the means of commuting to work and places. So I resort to public transportation - bus and MTR. So far so good (as of two months later when this essay was written in early Jan 2008). Do I miss driving? Honestly it is in between not a whole lot and not at all. Do I feel itchy about driving? Not at all. I have been sick of driving for so many years so taking a break like this, in my personal opinion, is really a nice thing. I feel my life, while mingling with the general public, is then more three-dimensional. I have to admit that there are at least 2 hours each day I lost on getting myself from one place to another, which I find I could do something else if I am not driving.

AMG C36 Update - 86'961km

Eric, Eddie and I brought our three rides to Pak Lok on Sat (9/15) for service check and oil change. For me I went back for nostalgic reason (my favorite breakfast street - Tung Tai Street) and seeing old friends working at the garage. My last oil change was on 5/19, roughly 4 months ago. And I did only 3'300 kms only. This time I did not use the Miller Synthetic but took Pak Lok's advice and used the twice more expensive Castrol Edge 10W-60. If it is good for BMW M and I think it will work okay in my AMG grandpa. Eddie's X5 has been using this oil for a few times and reported satisfactory engine response. Pak Lok recommends this oil for German engine over 3.0L in size.

A note after 3 days of motoring: The Edge proves to be very good oil even though it feels highly viscous, it is smooth and friction-free. It does not feel like watery like those Japanese racing oils. Engine is quiet and loaded with plenty of low-end response. I can feel that the fuel economy is improved. As I have been using all kinds of oils in the past 20 years, I become both neutral and critical about what people are telling me about engine oils. But this is one of the good ones.

I also removed the K&N air filter and replaced it with the standard factory item. I think the standard item gives slightly better response and torque below 3000rpm. Acceleration seems more solid, even though it might be slower than it was with the K&N. For K&N the C36 feels lighter when it was asked to accelerate at full throttle. And K&N makes the butterfly valve more dirty because of the more generous filtering of the suction air.

I did not have any faith of curing the clunking noise in the front suspension, which grew louder and more frequent every day since last time it was cured at ML 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless I have never given up the idea to improve the rigidity of the C36. There was a marked difference between the ride and solid feel between my 1995 and Steven's 1997. I do not believe the chassis has changed so much in two model years.

Bingo! We found that the rear bushings for the front lower arms were both torn. This explained very well the tire scrubbing (my inner thread of my both front tires) and potential toe-out, because of the undesirable flexing during braking and/or lateral loading.

Anyway two lower arm bushes and one wheel hub universal joint per side was replaced with genuine factory parts. While the springs were removed I found out the left side spring pad (top side) was punctured, causing the sharp corner end of the spring coming into contact with the front spring metal pocket. Eureka! This explains very well the clunking noise. The corner of the spring end has punctured the thin side wall in the recess area of the rubber spring pad. The spring rotates under load (braking, going over speed bump, or extreme steering angle) and hence scrapes the metal pocket and make the clunking noise.

For me the solution is simple - change the spring pad from the current "one-dot" thin spring pad to a "two-dot" thicker spring pad. It is thicker by 4mm and hence lifting the front of the car by as much. The rigidity and the thickness of the new spring pad will make sure it takes much longer for the sharp spring corner to puncture the spring pad. For added assurance, a ball of grease was applied to the spring socket, providing some lubrication if the spring choose to rotate, hence lessening the stress on the spring pad. I think it will work even I am not 100% sure.

For some reason, the 4mm increase seemed like an inch increase in ride height. That's just my wrong perception, and according to my experience, the ride height will drop slightly and settle down with 100 to 200kms of motoring.

After all the work the toe angle was much affected. After some very rough adjustment it was drivable. Anyway the ride height is different (hence less negative camber) and then my front tire shapes were a kind of slanted to the inner side, and not in symmetric way. So the steering effort to left and the right is different. And the car would not go absolutely straight some times but not all the time. However I think after the tires have been 'broken in' they would be as quiet and smooth as before, and track better after 100 to 200kms. Already this morning I didn't notice the difference in steering effort, left vs right. I love the new found firmness and tightness. And the car seemed to cruise more effortlessly, indicating a reduction in drag.

If I replace with the new tires, I would need another wheel alignment to be done. Right now since there is no hurry and the front tires (still has 30% of life left) seem to work well in terms of ride comfort and grip, except in the wet, I am not in a hurry to change tires until next month (October). The rear tires are wearing evenly and healthily and still have more than 50% of life.

AMG C36 Update - Suspension Bug

Yesterday I sent the car again to ML Motors to find out the source of "clunking" noise in the front suspension when the car was braked and was going over speed bumps. Finally they found out a worn spring pad and replaced it for free. After driving last evening and this morning, I would say the noise is now "largely" gone. Still there was a slight and much less frequent "clunk" that was far more acceptable, some time but not all the time I turn the steering at an extreme angle.

I have to give up Pak Lok for the moment because of proximity issue.

The ride has been very acceptable with the Bilstein B8 shock absorbers with original factory springs. Ride height is just right. Low enough for the look and high enough to clear curbs and slopes. My only complaint was that the steering is a bit weird when doing tight maneuver in the parking area. This goes away during normal driving. It seems a camber and caster angle issue.

I rejected for the moment an idea of more sporty springs from Eibach, H&R and Bilestein. I still value ride comfort far more about handling.

My front tires are due for replacement. Natural choice would be Michelin PS2. I am also thinking about more noisy and stiff Dunlop Z1 or the Vimode from Toyo, and perhaps Pirelli P-Zero Rosso. At the rear, the PS2 wears much slower and will remain.

4 months and 3'000 km after the last oil change, the car now feels sluggish. Fuel consumption has risen up in the last two tanks. However I did not pay attention for the low tire pressure lately until 3 days ago.

Let's see.

AMG C36 Update - Suspension Overhaul

Recently after return from a pleasure trip in Hokkaido and numerous comments from Steven about his C36, I have done much in the front suspension and also replaced the shocks  in 4 corners in my C36. The shock replacement, to say the least, is a needed but a pre-matured one. The AMG-Bilstein still have plenty of juice in them.

I have always complained about some looseness and softness in the suspension and the clunking sound in the front suspension when braking or going over a speed bump. However it was a ride and handling issue I have been able to live with for many months.

Finally I bite the bullet to replace the steering damper (kaput) and also the front upper arms. The replacement of the front upper arms turned out to be a mistake because I thought it only brought about 2 to 3% in terms of ride refinement if you would ask me to say. And I was not sure it was brought by the new steering damper. The two jobs were done at Pak Lok, prior to the trip.

And then a test ride in Steven's 1997 C36 in one Saturday afternoon proved that the huge benefit can be realized if I changed the twice more expensive AMG-Bilstein factory shock absorber with the Bilstein B8 short stroke "Sprint". Initially it felt quite firm and harsh but after 200+kms it felt mellow and fuzzily damped. I love the ride a lot. Also I had replaced the steering linkage (a bit loose) and also the front wheel bearings (also loose and had seen better days). The steering is now much more linear in modulation and direct. The softness and looseness are largely gone for good. However they still give me the old love-boat type of floating feeling going over large undulation that I love most out of the old school Mercedes suspension design. I could hardly believe it would all come from a "sport-tuned" shock design. The whole package is like an immersion in the luxury oil with all the directness and steering feel you could possible get. Wonderful combination I would say. Unfortunately the clunking sound still persisted but the frequency reduced quite dramatically. The last things to change is probably the front wheel hubs assembly and perhaps the front lower suspension arms. But I doubt it. The rear suspension was checked good after the inspection. Nothing to replace there.

I can see now my front tires have already seen 70% of their useful life. I wonder I will keep the choice at Michelin PS2 or change to another brand/model.

Here is a link to Bilstein website about the B8 Sprint:

http://www.bilstein.de/cms_website/english/Products/Product-Details/?cms_produkt_id=7

Honda DC2 Update

After selling off MX5 my focus is back to my DC2.

I had KYB re-fitted the air conditioning. It was simply too damned hot. They have got the DC2 a used compressor, a radiator and the coolant bottle. The air conditioning works perfectly, and seems to work much better than the one in C36 which is not a weak one.

I also removed the Sony Bluetooh head unit from MX5 and fitted to the DC2. A front speaker was missing so a pair of MTX were fitted as well.

So the DC2 is immenesely driveable with the air conditioning. Of course it is still rough, noisy and harsh. It was a born racer.

I will try to at least drive it once a week to see how it goes.

Bye MX-5

It was a slightly heart-breaking to see it goes.

We moved to a new place last month, much closer to work for me and within 10-min walk for Tiki.

Tiki felt there was no need as she doesn't drive much now.

So the MX5 is a kind of sitting in the garage. DC2 was home with us again, waiting for the a/c to be installed and some fun.

Thanks Peter for such a clean and quick sale to a happy owner who will take good care of the car.

We owned the MX5 for around 10 months and have driven it for 6000kms. Not bad. I don't feel it was under-utilized.

So right now we are down to two cars - Honda DC2 and Mercedes C36.

AMG C36 - A 14-Month Long-term Update (83'312 km)

The C36 was due for its 4'300km service on 5/19 immaturely since I had to go with Eddie with his X5 (also due for the service). I live no longer in the Chai Wan area so going to Pak Lok Auto is going to be a chore. So I will just go when I have a chance. Plus I suspect the engine oil was not going great since I had a couple weeks of engine overheating a month or so earlier.

Also I have the factory MB spark plugs replacing the TM plugs. It turned out to be a bad idea. Not only I lose power but also torque and responsiveness. I will put the TM plugs back in during the next service or earlier if I can find a chance. The mighty C36 engine now turns into a silky, creamily smooth C320.

Also I learn that the wiring to the transmission has hardened and therefore due for a replacement. The front pair of upper A-arms are also getting more and more frequent clunking noise whenever they are subject to some serious suspension travel or lateral loads. Those two expensive repairs will be on the list for the next service.

Otherwise the only complaint I have is the tendency of minor understeering. This can be solved either by changing to a stiffer and stickier front tires, or lifting the rear ride height by 10mm. The ride is perfectly acceptable to me now, provided that the front tire pressure is not above 32psi when cold. I especially enjoy the firm and controlled way that they flow over the speed bumps of all sizes and shapes.

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 3

I understand the last update (2) was not an update but some useful information. However this one is. After spending a week with the H&R I springs I felt there was room for improvement.

The H&R springs made the C36 handle a lot better. And the ride was very good for the first one or two inches of spring travel. However after that due to its progressive or variable-rate nature they became awfully hard when compressed. It gave a hard time to the shock absorber especially during the rebound. Simply the shock absorber could not cope with the higher spring rate (or rebound). The H&R springs was shorter by more than an inch and two coils less, compared to the original springs. It would be nice if the H&R springs were of the same height of the original springs. This way it would add perhaps one more inch of usable spring travel and suspension compliance. Also it would help to increase the ground clearance much needed to clear the ramps, dives, dips and rises of the HK roads and parking. Most of the time I had to slowing down to a crawling to clear.

So on a Saturday morning Shing Gor of Pak Lok Garage and myself set out to the Mercedes part store to look for alternate solution. I brought my original springs to compare. We searched the database and found out that the original springs in my C36 were from the first of the listed springs of the two generations recorded in the part database. Quickly the store provided the second generation springs for some comparison. Eureka! The two new springs were of the same spring height but with one coil less turn compared to the original, both front and rear. This would mean the new springs would have around 10-15% more spring rate. We examined further a few other points and concluded that it might just work for me.

The fitting took more than two hours. I chose the thinnest spring pads front and rear. My initial impression was the loss of sparkling handling but a return of the Mercedes classic ride I had been longing for since the days of C200. The front springs now sat a tad lower a few days later. The ride was surprisingly more compliant and compliant over rough roads. There seemed to be boundless amount of spring travel. There was a new found stability and firmness in the ride. It seemed to me that the original springs were indeed a bit soft and would not work with the new shock absorbers (AMG-Bilstein) that was installed 14 months ago. The new factory springs did work better with the shocks now and hence provided the much needed improvement. It was now a joy to ride the car in both smooth and rough pavement. There was reduced nose dives in each of the corner when the front wheel found its way into pot holes. There was the tuneful and muted bump thumbs alike the W126 that I remembered. The body movement was gentle and slow when the car floated through low frequency dives and crests at high speed.

It made me remember the ride in the C200.

Mercedes Part Number Reference:

Old Factory Spring came with the C36: Front (202.321.1204), Rear (202.324.1104)

New Factory Spring for C36: Front (202.321.1804), Rear (210.324.3104).

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 2

Following is quoted from a forum discussion on benzworld.org:

Springs differ in two main areas... spring rate and spring length. Changing the length does affect the rate, but let's talk about springs in their static state.

Mercedes makes a whole series of different springs. They have different rates and lengths. These different springs are spec'd for different cars. Higher spring rates are generally for use in a heavier car. Spring rates can also be increased to vary the "sporty" driving nature of the car. Different spring lengths are used to vary the ride height of a specific car. The different thickness spring shims (often referred to as "pads" on the forums) are used to vary the space between spring perches, effectively changing the length of the spring.

For a given car, using the weight based on the number of options installed, the desired ride height based on the car market, and the intended ride quality, the intended spring and shim can be calculated.

Because Mercedes wanted a more "sporty" driving quality with the AMG models, a higher spring rate was in order. Depending on whether the AMG car is intended for US or Euro markets, a different spring length is chosen to provide different ride heights. Since Mercedes has a huge catalog of different springs from which to choose, the logical course would be for AMG to specify what the desired characteristics are, then choose the off-the-shelf spring that matches these characteristics. The W210 E-class springs are higher spring rates to handle the slightly increased weight of the car, so these were used. That's why the AMG cars come from the factory with springs that look like regular Mercedes springs and have regular Mercedes part numbers.

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 1

This is a quote from a website http://www.spdusa.com/change.htm:

the Mercedes C280 sedan is changed into the Mercedes C280 Sport with very small changes. It has stiffer sway bars, the shocks are calibrated stiffer and like the Honda, they change the upper link in the front suspension. The spring rates are not changed!. The car is much more controllable at high speeds and high rates of yaw (turning quickly). The Mercedes C36 (now C43) has slightly stiffer springs for Europe, but not America.

Out of curiosity I have ordered a new spring kit for the C36. It was the H&R Sports Spring Kit Part Number 29377, designed for C36, C43, CLK430 and CLK55. They will lover the vehicle by 25mm, as claimed by their website and specification. Again I have ordered the spring kit with a reasonable discount via Pak Lok, my favorite garage for Mercedes. I chose H&R because of its reputation in ride quality and its German origin.

There is another H&R Sport Spring Kit Part Number 29277 for are designed for the rest of the W202 model range (for the lesser models like C280, C180 and anything in between). It says it will lower the height by as much as 40mm, which is scary to me. 

We needed to find the W210 spring pads to fit the top section of the H&R springs as they were not flat at the top as the factory springs. Judging from the difference in heights I selected the thickest spring pads front and rear. However when we dropped the car to the ground I was hugely disappointed. The car simply sat too low and it just looked plainly stupid. I was sure that was not the 25mm I had been expecting. I don't mind firmer spring rate but I seriously challenge the usefulness of lowered suspension.

Besides the ground clearance concern I had also issues with the reduced spring travel. It is bad for handling in my knowledge as we are dealing with street condition.

My drives in the next few days turn out fine. The springs were obviously carefully engineered not to be offensive. The ride was actually acceptable 85% of the time. Handling and traction have improved a lot, 40% plus in my subjective valuation. Steering responsive and diving while braking are also vastly improved. Still I could feel 15% of the time the whole car was under-damped, as I kept the very expensive factory Bilstein-AMG shock absorbers which was merely one year old. My wife actually prefers the new found handling finesse and gained traction. She does not mind the added hardness.

For me personally I prefer the softer and more floaty ride over sharpened handling and added traction. Anyway I don't really needed them to help me to drive fast and to meet occasional challenges on the streets. And I don't need to take the C36 to a morning drive. And I have planned to revert to the factory springs whenever I can find time to do so. I would like a new set of factory springs which I hope will be softer than my original springs that came with the C36, as well as the H&R spring kit.

Here are two web links to the H&R site (one from US and one from Germany):

http://www.hrsprings.com/site/index.html

http://www.h-r.com/

C36 vs C36

It is unfortunately I don't have any images to share here. Indeed it was an excited test drive for me. 1997 C36 vs. my own 1995 C36. The test drive was done two weeks ago via the arrangment from Pak Lok who found the 1997 car. My wife was there, too. Believe it or not, she gave the nod but I didn't take the car for an exchange. I was trying to find it because a lot of my friends are interested. However eventually none of them were brave enough to show up for a test drive and it was quite frustrating.

As all you know I have test driven a few C36s in the past, however they might all be alike in spec and performance. Needless to say my own was the best. This was no longer true after testing driving the 1997 version. There are enough changes to justify any reason to give up my own C36. First and foremost is the 5-speed gearbox, which gave much better response and completely change the way the big 3.6L engine deliver its power and speed. It accelerated much harder and faster. I have no doubted thru the quick change of gears it may out-accelerate my own C36 with 4-speed by as much as 1 seconds from 0-100kph. The 1997 was busy changing gears to answer the call of the gas pedal with the lively engine. You can feel the energy and the torque of the lively engine and the gearbox . My C36 quickly changed up to third gear and then hanged in there for a long time. While doing so, it relies on the 3.6L engine's torque and power to do the acceleration. I certainly find this lazy torquey American style way acceleration slightly more addictive. What's slightly disappointing is that the crazy shift mode (sports) in my C36 has changed to a 'winter' mode.

Engine-wise it wasn't as smooth as my C36 at idle. It did give a raspy and energetic engine note and has the responsiveness and free-revving spirit of a small engine. I couldn't not believe it is a big inline 6. The 5-speed gearbox does give the same (I believe) engine a different character. Only when you drive long enough you notice they are actually sharing the same engine. I have no doubt the ECU program has changed accordingly.

Besides being two years younger, the 1997 did have a much better body work with deep, luxious and smooth silver paint. The leather rear seats are in great condition. Honestly I don't like the newer busy-looking, heavily padded and thick AMG steering wheel. I don't like the new electronic a/c controls. I prefer the old rotary temp dials and buttons. They are responsive and rugged and require very little adjustment in getting the cockpit confortable throught the journey.

The ride is firmer and less floaty. The car feels slightly more solid. The....

C36 Engine Temperature - A 81'000km report

Sometimes before the last service I have noticed the engine water temperature shot over 100C occasionally. Sometimes it was 110C when I came home and parked the car.

Nevertheless I had Pak Lok to flush the radiator but it didn't help much in the following Saturday. It helped a bit but not much. On the positive side the engine still ran smoothly and willingly without a hitch.

I sent the car back to Pak Lok for a check and replaced the thermostat and the water temperature sensor. The water temperature soon dropped below 80C all the time, and reached no more than 85C in in the most stressful condition. But then engine was not responsive, sluggish, and unwilling to rev. And we could smell the unburnt from the exhaust in dead or slow traffic if the window was open. Obviously the engine was not in its optimal running temperature resulting in an incomplete combustion. It was a relief that the radiator and the engine cooling was excellent. The water passages and jackets were not blocked, otherwise the water temperature would remain high even after the part replacement.

It turned out that the Pak Lok used an OEM thermostat of 71C for general replacement. While it worked for all old MBs except for my own cool C36. The lack of on-road performance due to over-cooled water temperature has troubled me. So I reverted to my old "overheating" thermostat while waiting for the factory thermostat 86.5C ordered from Mercedes. Immediately the performance was back and the engine didn't mind it was 90C or 110C. Just like before, it simply pulled like a train smoothly and not complained a bit.

Finally today I have the thermostat replaced. After some hill climbing and slow crawling the water temperature shown was very stable at around 85C to 89C. Not bad in a ambient temperature of 25C to 28C. The engine seemed to enjoy itself in the narrow band of warm water temperature - quiet, smooth and torquey responsive and instant power on demand are how I would choose to describle it.

This hot summer will come the ultimate test. I will report then how it turns out.

This proved that the thermostat was faulty at the outset. And now the problem should be considered solved.

April 5th - After several days of running in different conditions, the engine temperature remains steadily in between 80 and the 100 lines of the water temp gauge. So far so good and the engine itself is longer stressed or labored. It just revs smoothly and effortless across the wide rev range. I am glad that it has gone back to what it supposes to be.

Now the windshield wiper was not working hard enough like it used to be. Time for replacement is not far away, I guess.

C36 Long-term Update (12 months and 79'000KM)

Slowly and for some unknown reason, the C36 has become Tiki's favorite car. C36 has grown on her after one year of ownership. I think it is the build quality, robustness and the responsiveness of the engine that win her heart. It was not as nimble and nice handling as the MX5, but I think in her view the difference is not important for daily driving.

The C36 has just got a wax job and a 8000km service. The C36 was last serviced more than 4 months ago. The car was so good and ran so flawlessly we decided to give it a wax job every time it was serviced, as a reward for it and ourselves. Between the lately much improved MX-5 and C36 Tiki still picked the C36 as her default ride. In turns I picked the MX5 more because it was in a much better shape mechanically since we owned them last summer.

There was some rattling from the Altec Lansing 6"x9" speaker on the left. It had nothing to do with the car itself. I need to yet find a way to kill the rattling at idle, as the noise would go away when the car starts to move. The engine idles smmothly and I guess it was the natural frequency of the overhanging treble-midrange assembly of the Altec Lansing. I thinking attaching some weight would change that frequency. Will let uou know later on that.

The broken engine temp light behind the console has been replaced. Engine oil, filter, air filter and the coolant were changed. Throttle vavle was cleaned. Engine response is improved and more refinement was felt. The car now feels 100kg lighter and moves off the line with relative ease.

The ride had worsen because someone at the garage didn't agree with my slightly under-inflated setting. While the rear can live with higher pressure up to 33psi when cold. The front tires should be set no more than 30lbs max.

The gearbox, while changing up and down smmothly without a hitch, suffers from slight hesitation while shifting among Reverse, Neutral and Drive modes. There was a minor vagueness, too, while engaged in D, when I move my right foot from braking to gas pedal. That's fine with me as I was not bothered by any of those, until I was told my the owner of Pak Lok who did the elevaluation of my C36 after it had been serviced. Really even I know now I do not mind and I happily learn that I could live with the vagueness. Normally under similar circumstance I would plan a gearbox overhaul. Not this time.

The car was almost one year now. It passed the annual inspection even before the service. So we decide to keep for another year. At least it is decided for now until we will be tempted by another MB. I really like its (W202) understated, smart and yet slightly outdated look. Despite a few dents and minor scratches on bumpers that we collected in the past 12 months, with the new wax job the C36 still looks its part. 

I would like to do something special on the C36 and wondering what would be a good choice. Beefing up the stereo or a new set of 18" or 19" wheels and tires? Nah. It seems not exciting enough. New paint job? Maybe and perhaps not. Perhaps a change back to the refurbished original AMG wheels that are sitting at the back of the parking space.

MX-5 Long-Term Update (6.5 months and 39'500 KMs)

This is a brief update following the last blog entry not long ago.

During last week when the Honda DC2 (integra Type-R) is ready I left the MX5 to the KYB. KYB has this special gear oil "NEO" (a USA formulation for the real-life racing application). This would be the last hope of getting rid of the notchiness in MX5 manual box, especially when it was cold. I picked up the car last Sunday and the gear change was like a wet dream, not close to knife through softened butter but 85% there. Anyway it was a huge improvement and I felt gladly that an expensive gear oil can save the beautiful MX5 from its biggest drawback.

The gear oil change made my day.

I am glad that I don't need to have someone to open up the gearbox to check the tear and wear, and hence find a fix.

Now both C36 and the MX5 get my equal vote of daily use. Really I have difficulty sometimes which car to take out. Sometimes it is easy because my wife will take one first and I have no choice but to take the remaining one. However in a few rare occasions I had a hard time to decide, hence just took the public transport and left both cars at home.

I know it is a stupid thing to do and why the hell I need to have two cars at home. Well I can tell you that sometimes I do feel very good about taking public transport when I know I have a choice. It is a state of mind. No man needs to have three cars at once as a practical means of transport. It is no economical, nor even environmental friendly. I am sure I am not a number one guy favored by Al Gore, ranking at the top of the list contributing to the global warming. Damned me.

MX-5 Long-Term Update (6 months and 39'000 KMs)

The MX-5 was having its second service in the middle of Janurary. Its registration and annual government inspection was performed. This time I decided on a thicker Miller synthetic oil instead of the thin, more free-flowing (or watery in that sense) Japanese Speed Master. Fuel filter and air filter were changed.

We also gave it a good wax job from NTI.

For some reason the car's cranky clutch and sticky gear shift was improved. The clutch had no longer any issues and the clutch action was smooth, cold or warm-up. It felt very patchy and blocky before when the engine was cold. The flat spot in the mid-rev range was gone. The power delivery is more linear and seemed to have 5% more grunt.

The MX5 drives like a dream with the top down. With the roof up it is tolerable and the handling is not as good as with the top down. Don't ask me why it is just how I feel about it.

Fuel consumption remains reasonable at slightly over 10 KMs per L.

After the service we did use the car more now at 3 times a week. We were thinking about not keeping the MX5 because of low usage and now we have a second thought. My wife Tiki said we should keep it for as long as we can enjoy it.

It was very rare for me to meet another second generation MX5 on the road. It in a way makes the MX5 unique on the roads of Hong Kong. Although I think not high about being unique. From the way I conduct my driving on roads, I am better off left unseen and un-noticed.