The service book for my 1992 Mk 1 MX5 1.6 shows first service at 600 miles then at 6000, then every 6000 or 6 months, whichever occurs first. Not sure if this helps or adds to the confusion.

Is the service interval different for Roadsters ;-)

I believe most manufacturers are trying to increase service intervals as this is particularly important for high mileage fleet purchasers. (1/00)

This is a spin off from the fleet market, where one of the parameters in selecting cars is 'time of ownership' servicing cost. Most fleets change their cars at 2 or 3 years or 50000-75000 miles. So extended service intervals are fine if you want to reduce your service costs and are only concerned that your car reaches 75000 miles without major expense. I expect my cars to do at least twice that.

I know that not many '5's are bought by fleets, but it would rather stand out if they had much shorter service intervals than others, wouldn't it?

So it's your choice.

One of the most important factors in engine longevity is oil change interval, and every 3000 miles is not too often, although you would probably be OK at 6000. And surely you want things like brake pads inspected more often than 9000 intervals? There have been improvements in engines and oils, so there is a little justification for longer intervals.

But it's primarily fleet economics (and I suppose ignorant private owners perceptions of service costs in a competitive market) which dictate recommended intervals. Remember the watchword when dealing with the motor trade - "They'll tell you 'owt" (1/00)

Mazda changed the service interval to try and reduce "the cost of ownership". I think (but am not 100% sure) this was in part due to them losing sole ownership of the affordable 2 seater roadster market and them having to compete with the MGF and Z3... They would argue that due to them having had several years to perfect the manufacturing process the cars not being made now are of a higher quality and don't require as much attention. Believe what you want!

You can change your service history to what ever you want and claim it has a full service history. Its getting the buyer to believe it that will be the tricky part. (1/00)

Talking about servicing (as we were), I am constantly staggered by the costs people quote here. So here's my 2p worth.

First - an offer to all D-i-Y servicers (or wannabees). I've finally got round to tidying up my own check list for routine maintenance. It's a one page Excel spread sheet which can be printed out and used to record the service items you've checked. Also there's a page of notes. Some of you might regard some of the items, and the frequency, as OTT. I have high standards and err on the service too often side rather than too little.

What does it cost to do your own servicing? Well, by my reckoning, an oil and filter change (I do it every 3000 miles) is about £25. At 24000 mile intervals, you need to change various items, total cost about £100 (plus the engine oil/filter change as above). At 60000 mile intervals, you need to change the cambelt - cost of items needed about £100. I also recommend a regular wheel geometry check, which you'll probably need to get done professionally. And of course this doesn't include other wear and tear items like brake pads and discs, tyres, clutch, etc. The rest is your time.

I wouldn't want to encourage anyone who doesn't feel they've got the skills or knowledge (or desire) to do their own servicing - but some at least, of this is available at night school, for instance. It's not rocket science - it just needs a bit of care. And I do understand the "FSH" bit.

But for those of you with an older car, to whom the Dealer FSH is less important - well you're welcome to a copy of my spreadsheet. It's designed for my car - an original early Roadster. You might want to modify the list to your own ideas, and you will need to modify some items for later cars. (1/00)