The body work turned out okay. I'll still replace the hood when I get some free time and cash. We have a beach / Disney trip coming up in September and I need to save what I can until then.
STUBBY ANTENNAE - $12
I went with the Honda 39151-T5R-305 antennae from a '15 CRV / S2000 / RDX. Much better looking than my old one and reception didn't suffer much. I think the fit is exceptional as the outer edge skirts out around the base and blends nicely. I am thinking about adding a signal booster of some sort though.
A/C FLICKERING FIX AND FAN CONTROL REPLACEMENT- $26
My AC was only working while on speed 1 and not on speed 2, 3, or 4. Speed 4 would flicker on and off and I could sometimes make it work with the dial between settings. I also had broken the screw section off of the Mazda Fan Control Switch LB83-61-200A when I installed my Mazda 2 knobs so it was kinda loose. I found an "updated" version of the switch (Dorman 901-940) on Amazon for $19. I also ordered Cutequeen 750ct resistors from amazon for $7 and completed the fix located at
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123819018. I also re-greased all the gears in the HVAC unit. End result.now everything works on speeds 2-4 and speed 1 doesn't even turn on the fan. Oh well, good enough for me!
HEADLIGHT BULBS - $25
With my brand new housing installed I researched LED, HID, and just about everything else and decided to go with Philips LL EcoVision H7 bulbs. My first choice was Osram Rallye 65w H7 (64217) bulbs but they are discontinued and I could not find them for sale anywhere online anymore. I'm that guy who angles his rear view mirrors to reflect the light from people's brights directly back in their face. I couldn't bring myself to be that guy that sends glare directly into poor unsuspecting oncomers so that ruled out an HID conversion. I like the up close vision of LED but won't sacrifice my long range abilities. The Philips LL EcoVisions are a great compromise of brightness and longevity with the beam pattern our headlights are designed for. They seem brighter than my old bulbs, but some of that must be the new housings.
VACUUM LEAK FIXED
For months I was getting a check engine light for running too lean every 3 weeks or so. I noticed that one of my vacuum lines leading into the top of the IM had a crack so I cut out the damaged section and re-attached. I would worry about replacing all the lines but I plan on doing that when I install a new IM. No more check engine lights, but now I'm getting a little worse gas mileage now...likely due to the crack adding a little extra air into the mix and leaning it out some. If anyone has any suggestions on how to lean it back out a bit without having holes in my system please let me know. I'm no electrician but I can split wires and use a soldering gun, so any suggestions are appreciated.
My brake swap is coming up soon. My 2000 degree clear coat arrived yesterday and everything needs about 3 coats...even the rotors.