Thank goodness! Someone just came along and asked a question that broke writer’s block! You know, when you’re supposed to write something pithy for the newsletter, but NOTHING comes to mind? Of course, those of you who know me, would never conceive that I might not be able to come up with something to talk about, huh? :O)

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Fall… my favorite time of year! I hope everyone survived “hurricane ‘08” and the power outages that were the result. A lot of us got a taste of 19th century living didn’t we? Fortunately, we have a few more horsepower at our disposal!

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Someone asked me recently if I knew how to fix door windows that are hard to roll up and down. My answer was “yes” and “no”. “Yes”, I thought I knew how to fix them; “no” because I tried it once before and made them worse! The timing of the question was perfect because I was having trouble with my own power windows running very s-l-o-w-l-y as a result of the last time I tried to fix them.

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These days, the price of gas goes up and down faster than the temperature outside! I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand the correlation between the price of a barrel of oil and a gallon of gas. And why does diesel cost so much more, when it’s refined less than gasoline? Remember that not too long ago, we used to joke that a gallon of gas was cheaper than bottled water? They’re getting closer together as time goes by, and the water’s not getting cheaper.

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It’s been said that you can pretty much disassemble a Miata with basic hand tools. I wouldn’t doubt it really, though you might need a hoist (or a really BIG friend) for the engine and gearbox! Those basic hand tools will cover most any project or maintenance you might need to do. So what kinds of tools do you need in your toolbox to do this stuff we keep talking about here each month? Where do you start in order to build up the tools you might need to play with your Miata?

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I hate it when that happens… you know, you’re working on the car and some nut or bolt is frozen in place? Whether some gorilla (me) over-tightened it, or rust has been working its metallurgical magic, it can bring the simplest tasks to a screeching halt! If you’re lucky, it’s just stuck and you haven’t broken it off yet. If you break it off… well, that’s a whole ‘nother article!

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Gunk. Yup, gunk. That’s what I call the stuff I get off my steering wheel once or twice a year. I don’t know how it gets there, or how it multiplies… but it gets on there. I bet you get some weird stuff on your steering wheel too. Or, at least I hope I’m not the only one! Does your wheel ever get kind of sticky or feel greasy when it damp out? That’s what I’m talking about. In extreme cases, the wheel begins to turn brown or gray in spots. Let’s talk about how to get that wheel clean and how to restore a worn steering wheel.

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Events are the heart of what we do as a club/group. Without events, we have 11 meetings and a Christmas party! We’ve been VERY fortunate in 2007 to have a wide variety of club events to participate in. Looking forward to 2008, it’s not too early to be planning events and getting a schedule together. Many events require little time and effort, they just need a smidge of organization. So this month, let’s talk about how to put some different events together. Perhaps you have one you’d like to share with the club!

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Polish. As an adjective, it’s a really good type of sausage. As a verb, it’s the process of making something smooth and shiny. In our context, it means the process of making our cars shine! While waxing is important to protect the paint, it typically does little to clean the paint, add gloss, correct defects, remove oxidation or increase the depth of color. Those things are best accomplished by polishing.

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The last few months we’ve been discussing how to keep the outside clean, but what about the inside? Or maybe I should say underneath the hood? Having a clean engine compartment sure makes it a more pleasant environment to work in, not to mention it looks nice! It also makes it easier to spot leaks and other problems that might not be as noticeable through the grunge.

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