mx5cartalk.com

Hi all,

Since last week my soft top has decided it no longer wants to latch. If I do the passenger side first I have a much higher success rate so I think the problem is a worn striker plate on the drivers side (top of windscreen).

Does anyone know if there is any easy fix for this or if not, where I can buy a new item from? I've done heaps of searching but nobody I'm aware of seem to sell the striker plates for the windscreen.. Mazda are willing to sell me the complete latch/striker unit for $260 or so so I'll pass on that offer.

Cheers
Brad

Could be it just needs adjustment, search the big forum (http://forum.miata.net/vb/), there's quite a few posts on there about this.

However, if you are like me and no amount of adjustment would fix it, then I ended up jbweld'ing a blob onto each latch so that the small release lever had a larger area to grab onto, and in fact you couldnt open the latch without pushing the small release lever first.

Worked just fine for six months, but now the blobs have come loose, (didnt clean the area well enough first when putting the JB Weld on..) so my next trick wil be to put some real weld on there and that will solve it forever...

Here to adjust.. http://www.miata.net/garage/latch_adjust.html

Or for a fix to the problem I had, see this link...... http://www.miata.net/garage/softtop_latch/index.html I'm doing this one shortly..

Hi TTF
Give Richard at MX5 plus a call, he has all sorts of things like that at his shop, I needed a battery tray, that as going to take 6 weeks to get here from Japan throught Mazda, he had 10 in stock.
It would be extremely rare if he couldn't help
Cheers
Dale

A well tested, fast and permanent fix ............ I did not use JB Weld so not sure how good that is but instead used a product in a round plastic tube from Bunnings called Metal Fix. (was $11.00)
Take the striker plates off, and use a Dremmel or Metal File to remove all traces of paint (leave the surface roughed up for adhesion), then clean with Thinners or wax and grease remover.
Apply the Metal Fix but don't be concerned with shaping it perfectly, then allow to dry - I think it cures enough for sanding in around 30 minutes. Next hit it with a file until you get the shape as per a new striker plate, allow the product to cure fully then sand and paint .......... all done!

I did my striker plates 4 years ago and they still latch perfectly I expect they will last longer than a new set of striker plates from Mazda - and SO much cheaper.

I used this fix just after I purchased my MX5
Linky
Still working fine 9 months later

That didnt work for mine not sure why it just made it worse, I eneded up buying new ones...

That also didnt work for me, hence why I went the JB Weld option.

Though I'm going to try the screw through the latch trick. Essentially only a race car so asthetics not so important....

Brad, mine gets a bit tempermental at times, and same as you, passenger side first has more success than driver side first.
Although mine will latch 9/10 times, my problem derives from having the softop down most of the time.

flipping the latch fast also has more success.

Try adjusting the mechanism before you take off the striker plates, as there was someone here a while ago who replaced theirs and he had heaps of troubles attaching the replacement.

Come to Harry's Diner tonight and I can take a gander at it ..... good time to save those files onto USB too?