Vandalized '91

What you really need is a rethink of the procedure of locking the car. Don't do it!

Chris

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 23:47:46 GMT, "Chris D'Agnolo" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Sadly many vandal/thief brains are much to small to outsmart them in this way. My top was slashed with open doors. I have also had a door handle punched numerous times in a cager bodystyle even when unlocked.

And in the "also small brain" category, friends report getting tickets for leaving their cars unlocked even with the roof down.

The Mazda workshop Manual says to cut a large enough piece of repair sheet (Mazda part number NAY 1 R1 211) to use as a back repair sheet. Degrease it using ethyl alcohol. Apply generous amount of adhesive (K 180 W0 313 or equivalent) to the section being repaired and the repair sheet. Let stand a few minutes. Install the sheet from the underside of the top. Press the repair sections firmly together. Let stand until the adhesive is fully dry.

Don't put a popular brand of replacement stereo in and tell your daughter to leave no valuables in the passenger area, the car on the brake and in gear, and the doors unlocked. A Miata is not a safe.

A new top can be had for a few hundred dollars, but installing it is a bit of a pain.

Leon

This is too rich. In what town did this happen?

Chas Hurst

I think it might be time to move to another jurisdiction where the traffic cops have a bit more on the ball. How safe would you feel living in a place that has that "quality" of law and order? That's pretty lame!

On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 03:17:00 GMT, "Mike" wrote in news:MCcXc.207193$M95.96058@pd7tw1no:

I do live in another jurisdiction, across the river in a different municipality and province. While it isn't traffic cops handing out tickets, it's the municipal parking patrol. It is purely a revenue generator.

The traffic cops however are just as brutal, handing out $400 fines and towing vehicles with expired (often by days) licence plate renewal stickers from out of province vehicles (that would be us).

The police also stage mass radar blitzes on a fairly regular basis where they hide a half dozen or so cars and ticket just about everybody who passes. I got caught in one quite a few years ago where they found a place where as you crested a hill, a 50 km/h sign came into view from a a 90 km/h zone. You also saw a car with radar gun and a line of vehicles all waiting for 2 or 3 cops to write out your ticket. Pure entrapment. Fortunately the locations are always the same and predictable.

So it is probably a scheme to increase tourism thought up by the big brains. ;)

Leon

When I did this, I used a piece of wood and a staple gun to pull the slit in the top closed (press repair sections firmly together). Do it in such a way that once the goop dries, you can remove the staples. I used black RTV and it seems to have worked OK.

Ken

exact same thing happened a few days ago to our '91parked on the street in a quiet neighborhood of san franciso -- for the second time in 12 months, and probably the same thief. l-shaped slash in top on passenger side so thief could open the door, then somewhat expertly remove the radio -- the second cheapest one you can buy at good guys -- even though the radio's front had been remove to supposedly make it unattractive to a thief. many miatas in the neighborhood, and there are about a half dozen, have been similarly ripped off. aaa will cover, again, but we are now looking for a hard-top. anybody got one? cheers, art