May 2002 Delta Navigator

Behind the Wheel

by Betty Retzer

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, we haven't really had any stormy nights or days for quite a while. So are you wondering where this is leading? I am wondering what is keeping everyone from attending our events and figured it must be because of the dark and stormy nights.

Are we planning the wrong type of things? Is everyone just really busy on the weekends and cannot get away?

Please help us. Remember this club is for fun and for you, the members. So let us know what you want to be doing.

You should have been there. Where you ask? The Manteca Union East High School JROTC car show. This was Kris Kell's event and Mr. Membership/Editor won First Place in the Imported '60 to Present category. Yep, California Gold now has a trophy to show off. Congrats to Mr. Bob Retzer and his new car.

June has a couple of things going on - the Annual Show 'n Shine from Serious Auto is June 9 and then there is the Cool Weekend on the Coast sponsored by the Redwood Coast Miata Club. If you want details on either of these two events, please talk to me or Bob.

Watch this space in the coming months. We have started a new Membership Drive Program. Whoever refers the most new members in 2002 will be awarded a free membership for 2003. Starting in January, make sure your name is on the "referred by" line on the membership form. We will be posting the tally each month here in this spot.

MEMBERSHIP REFERRAL

TOTALS FOR

NEW MEMBERS

IN 2002

WEBSITE-- 4 Memberships

MOC Website-- 1 Membership

MEMBERS-- 1--Leni Metro--referred by Bob Retzer

Board Room Briefs

by Betty Retzer

Our May board meeting was held on the 7th. Ken and Michele Freeze and Gaylon and Connie Kellner were special guest attendees at the meeting - hope they will join us permanently.

Graeme will be ordering the banner shortly - he brought in artwork for our approval. The door plaque guy has never returned my phone calls or emails so we are beginning that process over again. A couple of people have contacts for those and will get us that information.

Three new events have been scheduled: please refer to the calendar of events for details.

A discussion of events took place - are we headed in the direction that club members want? Watch for a questionnaire.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Our next meeting is scheduled for June 4 at 7 p.m. at Roundtable Pizza in Brentwood. Everyone is invited to attend.

The Mythology of Brake Jobs

Bonni Weatherwax - Technical Adviser, Delta Miata Club

At a recent DMC meeting, a club member was talking to me about a brake job he'd recently had performed on his baby (his Miata, that is). He'd mentioned that the shop had installed new pads all around and had resurfaced his rotors. I asked him if he'd inspected the rotors and brake pads prior to having the work done. Turns out he had checked, but apparently unarmed with some vital information that could have saved him a few bucks.

So here's my advice - you don't have to follow these suggestions, as they are merely based on my own experiences, but it's worth a listening-to. First off, unless your rotors have imperfections - chips, warping, etc. - on the surface, you have no need to resurface them. If you have deep grooves cut into the surface of the rotor, then yes, resurface them if they are still thick enough to be serviceable. I use the fingernail test - if the tip of your fingernail can find the groove in the rotor with your eyes closed, then you need to get that rotor resurfaced.

Any shop will measure the amount of material left on the surface of the rotor - if they tell you it needs to be resurfaced, ask to have a look at the rotor and have the shop technician explain to you why he feels the rotor needs to be serviced. Often times a shop will automatically resurface rotors and claim it is "the safe thing to do." NOT SO! In fact, by resurfacing a rotor before it really needs it, you will end up spending more money in the long run, as you will be replacing rotors about twice as often as you need to, not to mention the added shop fees you will incur over the years.

Another brake shop technique is to replace all four pads. This is not always necessary! Miatas tend to wear out the front pads about twice as often as the rear pads. This is because about 70% (or more when threshold braking - as on a racetrack or if you go too fast on the freeway) of a Miata's braking applies its friction to the front pads. The rear pads are thus smaller and have less material than will the fronts when new. If you try and use the fronts to compare rear pad wear, you will be fooling yourself. The rear pads have about 1/3 less material on them, and are considerably smaller in size. Do yourself a favor - purchase your own pads the next time you need (or think you need) a brake job. This will give you a visual idea of what the standard pad thickness should be. Chances are you will find that the front pads are about 75% worn and the rears only about 20% worn by the time you notice any noise or braking deficiency.

So don't let the shops fool you and take your hard-earned money. Get to know your car better and the parts that go on it. Make sure you ask to see the old parts removed from your car. Make sure the tech explains to you fully why you need work done, and then discuss (don't argue - discuss - if you feel you have to argue, it's time to go to a different shop) with the tech what you feel is right. They are there to take your money for the most part - and why not? We all gotta eat. But why pay them more than they are due?

Please feel free to ask me questions via email at: DMCtech@weatherwax.net or at the next meeting. I am always open to your suggestions for a club newsletter, and am always here to answer any questions regarding this or other write-ups I have done for the club in the past. Meanwhile, keep on Zoomin'!