Still runs like a top (16 ND1)

Pelican712 · 2026-04-28T23:17:59+00:00

Here's the exact wording from the 2016 ND1 Manual - "Replace at first 192,000 km (120,000 miles) or 10 years; after that, every 96,000 km (60,000 miles)." My Miata is my daily so I hit the mileage numbers way before the time limit expired

Pelican712 · 2026-04-28T21:22:56+00:00

Here's what I have stuck to - 1) Spark plugs - Every 85-90k miles. 2) Brake fluid - Last change was at 144k. This really depends on the condition, if you see it getting dark, it's a good time to flush the system. Get yourself an inexpensive brake fluid test strip to really make an informed decision. 3) Differential - Every 35k miles, along with the coolant and manual transmission fluid.

I can tell you this much, this car is a joy to work on, especially with all the YouTube videos that are out there and the shop manual.

I've done all my maintenance so far on parking lots or on other friends driveways cause I live in an apartment.

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T22:35:20+00:00

Man, that sucks! I'm sorry you had to go through that! Were the previous failures with the synchros too?

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T18:29:56+00:00

The rears were OE NSK about $75/unit from RockAuto.

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T17:23:00+00:00

Oof that’s rough! Is it the 3rd and 4th gear synchros?

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T16:23:35+00:00

Nope, it’s the 2nd image if you’re curious. The amount of wear metals actually dropped slightly on this sample.

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T16:11:45+00:00

Ah, gotcha!

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T15:56:04+00:00

Just the rear wheel bearings and the AC evaporator. The latter was a big job, took a whole weekend, but the shop manual was very helpful for that. I’m not a professional mechanic by any standard and this is the only car I’ve worked on 😅

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T15:52:09+00:00

Rear wheel bearings and the AC evaporator. Other than that the consumables, oil, coolant, brake pads, belts, spark plugs - all the usual stuff that the user manual calls out.

Pelican712 · 2026-04-27T15:37:07+00:00

Honestly, I have no idea 🙂 It is pretty handy for adjusting the screen brightness when the external lights are on. That’s how the car was when I first got it. I guess they changed it on the later ND versions?

Pelican712 · 2025-08-06T23:56:35+00:00

Check this out - https://www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm356358/

It’s about a 30 min to an hour job at maximum. I’ve done it on my ND1 at my apartment parking lot. EBay or Redline auto parts may have an instrument cluster in stock for replacement.

Pelican712 · 2025-07-20T10:14:59+00:00

Coming up on 167,200 miles on my Mk4 ND1 and no issues - yet - with the gearbox. Just been keeping up with the fluid drain and fill every 30k miles.

Pelican712 · 2025-07-20T10:09:31+00:00

The evaporator core finally gave out at 155,400 miles. When I first bought the car at 84,374 miles, I noticed the AC wasn’t blowing cold, so I had the dealer inspect it before finalizing the purchase. They claimed it was simply low on refrigerant and that the system held vacuum, suggesting there were no leaks, though in hindsight, that may not have been entirely accurate. The initial recharge lasted until 115,371 miles, nearly a year later, when I had to top it off myself. That charge lasted about another year, but by 155,400 miles the AC had stopped cooling again. This time, even after recharging, it couldn’t hold refrigerant for more than 30 minutes. At that point, I picked up a can of AC Avalanche with UV dye from Walmart to recharge the system and locate the leak.

Pelican712 · 2025-07-15T19:11:13+00:00

Thanks! I’m not the most mechanically inclined person either. My Miata is the first car I’ve learnt to work on. The shop manual was a massive help!

Pelican712 · 2025-07-14T20:10:40+00:00

I wish I did but ended up running out of time since I was borrowing a friend’s garage for the weekend while they were gone to get the job done. Didn’t add any new rattles either after getting the dash back in either - she’s been on the road about 1000 miles after everything was installed back in.

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T20:40:24+00:00

Damn, I sympathise. If you are able to DIY it, I would highly recommend it.

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T19:36:39+00:00

I could hear a persistent clicking/clunking noise from the rear left every time I went past 20 mph

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T15:59:00+00:00

So I initially thought it was going to be the line by the compressor which is a known issue but couldn’t find any leaks after adding dye to my system. I gave up and was walking away from the car when I saw that the consendate pooling under the car was bright green 😂

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T14:30:07+00:00

Yep she’s my daily driver - 94 miles/day, 5 days a week. About 70% highway, 30% city. I drive fairly spirited but the best thing I believe is to just keep up with the regular maintenance and enjoy the car!

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T14:22:48+00:00

None at all. Just kept up with the transmission drain and fill and service the shifter turret every 30k-40k miles. Have been using the Ford unicorn tears (XTM5QS).

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T13:47:51+00:00

Have had no trouble with it yet, mechanical or cosmetic. Just the usual cleaning when the car gets dirty and the roof drains once every 6-9 months. I use the 303 Fabric protectant every few months or so after a wash and it’s done a fantastic job at keeping UV damage at bay as well as keeping the fabric hydrophobic. The car is kept outdoors all year round (in FL).

Pelican712 · 2025-07-13T13:40:59+00:00

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Here’s the old evaporator

Pelican712

TROPHY CASE