Miata Mailing List: January 1995, Message #218
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   From: Jim Hayter 
Subject: Re:  CD changers and tie down hooks
   Date: Fri, 6 Jan 1995 08:59:03 -0500

Cindy Paloma  writes:

> As for the tie down hooks - they were particularly difficult to remove 
> on *my* car!  I just did this last month - did not need to lift the car. 
> I used an assortment of 14mm wrenches, but the bolts were torqued down
> extra tight which made it hard to start loosening them.   There are 3
> per side, only one per side is readily accessible.  The other ones are
> pretty hard to get at, and it takes a lot of very small movements to
> loosen them because of parts in the way .  The one on the passenger
> side came out easier and just fell right out.  The one on the driver's
> side was much more difficult.  One bolt is cake to get at.  One bolt,
> next to a plastic fluid container was pretty tricky to get at.  The
> last bolt was totally blind *and* it was really torqued down tight.
> Eventually was able to access it from the front of the tie down hook.

> So the last bolt comes finally comes free and then the hook would not 
> slide out no matter how it was wiggled - the car has A/C and pushing
> it backwards pressed against copper tubing!  Finally end up taking out
> the plastic pieces around the "mouth" until the hook would come out.

> This all took the better part of a week...  I had plenty of time to check
> the archives to see if the driver's side tie down hook problem had been 
> addressed before.  It had, once, and I asked the poster how he'd solved 
> the problem.  He got his dealer to do it - for free!

> Was it worth it?  I thought it would be, back when I started the project
> (10 minutes per side, Miata Magazine said...)  But tons of other people 
> have had no problem removing their tie down hooks.  Maybe I drive a lemon! 
> Well you know what they say - if life hands you a lemon, make lemondade!


> Cindy Paloma
> San Diego, CA
> white 92B

> PS For those of you in San Diego, sorry about the storm - it's because
>    I waxed my car the day before...


Cindy:

I had the same problem.  If you have ABS, the windshield washer fluid bottle
is what interferes with the removal of the driver's side hook.  It took me 
forever to remove mine (so I could install a grill).  Once I had it loose, I
found that the plastic would deform sufficiently to pull the hook out (I was
going to finish the removal and was too tired to consider the damage I might 
do).  It pulled out w/out damage.

Jim Hayter '93 Red B
Columbus, OH