DTA (UK)

Hey guys, I'm trying to organise a weekend away for my wife's birthday (major milestone). The plan is to rent her favourite car - a red Mazda MX-5 - and drive down to France for a weekend of great driving, fine food and whatever else ... ;) I've found only one place so far who have an MX-5 for rent at a reasonable price (£175 for the weekend) but it is a '91 black 1.6 model. The one I'm after is a red, late model 1.8 version. I know I'm setting myself up for a big problem as she will no doubt want to go out and buy one the day after we return it but I'll cross that bridge when we get there. I've tried the likes of Enterprise, Hertz, etc but they (a) charge upwards of £400 for the weekend and won't allow me to take the car abroad. If anyone knows of any places that have the above spec vehicle for rent for the period 2nd - 4th Sept I would be much obliged if you could let me know. Alternatively, if anyone has this car and they wouldn't mind me renting it off them for the weekend please let me know! Oh ... and this needs to be kept quiet incase it filters back to her. She doesn't visit the board but keeping secrets always have a way of biting me in the arse ... Many thanks! Dan

Oops, didn't realise that was you on the phone. Sorry for the confusion! Dan

I would have answered the phone if you had rung me Mr Pk1-san ... What are you after, perhaps I can take your money? ;) Dan

Hey mate, can I ask where you got the box from? PM me if you wish. Cheers, Dan

And guess who does these ..... DTA-MOTORSPORT! ;) Give me a call mate. All the best, Dan

That's a big tank Russ! That will take some time to get settled - good luck. Here's a pic of my "minimalist" setup. It's a lot smaller than what I'd like but at the moment it's all I've got space for (it's only 60L). Still, for entertainment and theraputic value you can't fault these little creatures! All the best, Dan

Fitting 6x9's in the back is more of a challenge ... but not impossible! The best way to approach this is to fabricate some custom support structures for the speakers to sit in. You'll probably find (like I did with my Alpine jobbies) that the speakers are slightly wider than the plastic cover that goes over the speaker enclosure (I'm talking about the plastic boot covers here ... not the speaker grill). I had somebody make up a metal frame into which I fixed the speakers. This in turn was secured to the existing fixing points of the standard support structure (for the 6x4's). Another problem I found was that the mounting depths are different (cant remember which side was deeper than the other ...) I ended up hammering the metal down to create some more space for the speaker to fit (it's ok - it is only the wheel arch liner). I'll try and find some pics I took but I'll need to do some digging as it's over 2 years ago now that I did this. ALl the best mate! Dan

Cheers for that Clarkey! :D I'm pleased to announce that I've managed to migrate both my existing inbox and sent items folders succesfully! Had to export them to new pst files as the ones I did a few days ago were not working for some reason. On to the next challenge: moving my wifes inbox & sent items folders from Outlook Express to her new Outlook. Have tried the "export to Outlook" route on the old PC but this just added her messages to mine. Then found where the mbx files were kept, copied them over to the new PC but when trying to import the mail folders in Outlook it comes up with a message stating the mailbox folders can not be accessed. What's up with that? Any advice! Thanks again guys - I'm a lot more optimistic now! Cheers! Danny

Thank you very much for the quick replies guys - I shall log off this old piece of junk and follow your suggestions. Will let you know how I get on in a little while. Yes, I did a search and nothing came up. Cheers! Dan

Hi guys, Here's the brief: I've got an old Win98 PC which is about to learn to fly without wings if it crashes one more time. Enter New AMD 64 3500+ PC :D All hardware is setup and working correctly (with exception of a temperamental modem). WinXP PRO (SP2), MS Office XP, etc loaded and working beautifully. Here's the problem: I want to migrate ALL messages in my Win98 Outlook inbox and sent items to my new Outlook 2002 on the XP machine. I've "exported" the inbox and sent items box to file (currently on CD-ROM) from the old machine (they are separate .pst files). I've tried to import the .pst files from within the new Outlook but (a) it refuses to see the exported files as proper personal folder files and (b) says I haven't got the correct authorization to perform this action. On the new machine I've got two logins - me and my wife. There is also an "administrator" login by default but this isn't visible when you log in to Windows. Can anyone explain to me where I'm going wrong and how I can solve this problem? I have tried to manually copy and paste the exported .pst file to the correct directory. That proved to be impossible as I can not see the directory it is supposed to go into: ie, Documents and Settings/Danny Zaat/Local Settings/Application Data/ .... etc. I can only see as far as Documents and Settings/Danny Zaat. There is not Local Settings directory - even when I'm logged in as an administrator. This is getting to be extremely frustrating as I've been struggling with this for three days now without success. The next step is to import my wifes email folders from her old Outlook Express to the new Outlook. Any suggestions on that? Many thanks for your feedback - much appreciated as usual! Frustratingly yours, Danny

Hi Russ, Like Mark said, introduce stock in small doses (like you have been doing) to allow the nitrifying bacteria to adjust to the increased levels of ammonia and nitrIte. How long has the tank been running? A new tank will not be completely "cycled" and set up for at least 6 months (especially a large tank like yours) so pay very close attention to the levels and fish behaviour. As for your NitrAte level, don't think that is anything to worry about. It is the least "poisonous" form of the Nitrogen cycle and anything close to 10ppm is acceptable. I've had my tank up and running for a long time now and my nitrAte level is stable at 10ppm (all other levels are spot-on zero). Good luck with the introduction of your rays! Any chance of a pic or two of the current setup? All the best, Dan

And I've got them in stock as well. £55 to your door. Dan

Of course I'm serious ... aero- and fluid dynamics are important factors to consider when designing internal (or even external) parts which come under extreme pressure. The shape of a nozzle has a direct effect on airflow and pressure patterns both of which can cause serious damage to other parts if the right conditions are met. The development and initial product run are expensive and time consuming - which is reflected in the price. Demand being what it is the price should eventually come down. Remember, this is not about providing the cheapest products but the best engineered and most effective/efficient product balanced with a fair market price. I'm not getting rich from this side-line business - I'm doing it because I am an enthusiast and enjoy sourcing the best parts for the Z community. The Emperor's new clothes it may be but at least the customer has the knowledge that he/she has bought something which has been properly developed, extensively tested and fairly priced. Have a nice day. Dan

Sure am! £70 each for a Smithy Twins job (ie two A'PEXi filters) or £85 for individual orders. Postage is £8 for the twin order and £5 for the single order. All the best, Danny

That's ace Rich! And if you ignore the cross and follow the green dot as it goes around it too disappears! Freeky! :D Dan

Stephane, I sell professionally designed boost jets. These have been designed by an expert to maximise their effectiveness and minimise any aerodynamic flaws. As you know, boost jets run the risk of "spiking" the pressure due to the wrong shape of the nozzle (most welding tips are not ideally shaped to provide a sustained airflow at increased boost levels). The jets I sell are shaped in such a way to best control the airflow ahead and behind the jets. They are a bit pricey compared to your average MIG welding tip but the benifits of a properly engineered part far outweighs the potential for disaster. £35 for two boost jets of any bore (available from 0.8 ~ 1.4 mm in 0.1mm increments), 4 stainless steel fixing bands and the actual drill bit used to drill the bore (this is provided to (a) ensure we've drilled the correct aperture and (b) to periodically clear the jet from debris). All the best, Dan

Hmmm ... a little research (after the fact ...) shows that I stand corrected. Actual weight distribution of a standard 1990 TT is 55% front, 45% rear. Should refrain from making unjustified claims in the future. Apologies to one and all. All the best! Dan

Paul, Try this before you make any further efforts. Unscrew the big blue connector on the ECU, take it off, make sure all the pins are in good condition and look to be making proper contact and then reconnect it. Be sure you do NOT overtighten the connector and that it is seated correctly. This big connector has a habit of not sitting correctly or when overtightend causes all sorts of strange problems. This may not solve your misfire but it's an easy and cheap thing to do. Let us know how you get on. Regards, Dan

Here's a thought ... What if the unspeakable/unthinkable happens and you're involved in a bad crash and need to be cut out of the wreckage. Rescue services will always want to disconnect the battery to avoid any sparks, etc. If you move the battery to the boot they could be wasting valuable time trying to get to it under the bonnet. How about a big sticker saying "battery relocated to boot" along the side of the front wing ... Only joking (about the sticker that is ...) ;) Anyway, why are you moving the battery to the boot? If it is weight distribution you're concerned with consider that the distribution is already rear biased as it is. Plus if you are a purist you'd need to add an identical weight on the opposite side of the battery in the boot to make sure both sides of the car are equally weighted down. ;) Dan

I've got crystal front indicators in stock as well as the clear side repeaters - brand new. Drop me a line if this is any good to you. All the best, Dan

Thanks for that Steve - I'll have a look at the solenoid fault. My ConZult hasn't picked anything up so I'm assuming that's not the problem. No, car has not been jacked up recently. The search continues ... Cheers! Dan PS - I'm about 20 minutes away from Droitwich - perhaps we can meet up some time ...

Hi all, Been having this and related problems for some time now. My autobox seems to be "slipping" but not consistently. What usually happens is I'm stopped at a junction or stuck in traffic for a while. Try to accellerate away (normally, not flooring it) and the box loses most power and shifts up really far up the rev range. Once the car is driving along and I back off the accellerator momentarily all is well and I've got full power back again. I've also noticed that the box sometimes is reluctant to shift from 2nd to 3rd until quite high up the rev range and also refuses to engage O/D for quite some time. Eventually O/D is engaged but usually only when I've backed off the accellerator again. Then today I started noticing a loss of power when I'm going round a roundabout. This is most noticeable when you're exiting the roundabout and want to continue in a straight line. The box then looses power in the same way as described in the first paragraph above. I can replicate this fault at every roundabout. My initial thought is that the fluid level is insufficient. However, a complicating factor is that I no longer have an A/T dipstick (long story but I dropped a bolt down the tube and it is now stuck at the bendy bit so dipstick won't fit - not to worry, there is a mesh before the tube reaches the sump so no chance of the bolt ending up in the gearbox). Before i go adding A/T fluid without an accurate means of measuring the volume, does anyone have ideas as to what may be causing the above symptoms? It is not the speed sensor as that is a proven good one and my TPS, etc is correctly set and new. All feedback gratefully received. All the best, Dan

Both Courtesy and Z1 are good and reputable companies. I deal with both of them on a regular basis and have not had a problem (yet)... If you're after Stillen equipment let me know as I'm an official Stillen reseller in the UK and can get good prices on most of their gear. For personal imports, count on adding approximately 24% of the TOTAl shipped value of the goods for import duty and VAT. I'm talking about the value of the goods plus shipping here. Some US suppliers may be willing to "mark down" the declared value of the parcel but beware, if something does go wrong you can only claim upto the declared value and hence you could lose out and be out of pocket. HTH Dan

I might be able to make this one - must ask the trousers first though ... ;) We have a lot of weekend guest coming this month so it may be a no yet ... hope not though as it's a nice venue and about 20/30 minutes away from me!

Mike, Would it not be easier if you provide a list of what you know the software/hardware is capable of? Dan