Davy

For the power steering rack, the better option would be to get the current rack repaired if the only issue is an oil leak. Get a good mechanic to do the job and you'll be fine. Replacing the rack is just an unnecessary overhead IMO. On paint, I agree with The Don and think you should keep the original colour. Even if its a different shade of the same colour (I.e. light blue as you've said) or a completely different colour (i.e. White), the correct process of re-painting will still be the same if you're not re-painting to match the existing colour. Your car will need to be dismantled totally to do a perfect job. Remember that even the engine bay and hard to reach areas such as under the dashboard and inside the door panels are painted in the stock colour. As for changing the tire size, I think you will be disappointed after switching from 175 to 155 because your car will start to look like a starlet with tires from a Bajaj Pulsar. :S Wide tires look better and I think you should continue to use them if the previous owner has not changed the profile of the tire (height of the sidewall). My two cents...

To add to Komi's list of questions, does the engine idle normally when the car starts to lose power?

I say again like I said on post #2921, only local stuff on this thread!

Congratulations on the purchase! I'm with Crosswind on this one to keep the car as original as possible, although I don't think a decent set of alloys will ruin it. Or even an OEM spoiler!

Wishing you a very happy birthday machang! Have an awesome one!

WoW! Good initiative Komi. Gotta be the first time I'm seeing one of these.

http://rav4gtt.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/sunroof-bracket/

What the!??

Woaah! Looks bad-ass already!

Same here. I was walking from shop to shop at Delkanda and this guy throws a Galant spoiler at me saying that it's for the Lancer. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop now. But it was a shop on the right hand side of the road (when travelling from Nugegoda towards Maharagama) and between Delkanda Junc and Wijerama junc. This is the one I was shown:

My advice would be for you to change the timing belt without relying on the seller's claims, especially if there are no records of the repair. Even if there were records, I'd have the timing belt and the mechanism visually checked at least, just to make sure.

Totally agreed! I didn't for a second assume that madmax had everything coming for him easy. There obviously must have been some uphill battles along the way. There's an awful lot of luck involved too. Just knowing that this is a possibility is enough for me to keep on marching forward!

We've still got hope The Don! Oh and nice set of cars madmax.

First of all, welcome to the forum (officially) and congratulations on your purchase. This particular model is my favourite Galant. Glad you're loving it too. For your engine and suspension parts, the best place that I can think of for recon parts is Mahinda. Info about him has been shared on the forum many times, but here's his number: 071 476 2223. Give him a call, and tell him the model of your car and the parts that you need. He might even have a good control arm for you (if you're lucky, a bodykit too ). If Mahinda doesn't have the mud guards, try Delkanda, Eur0nippon or US @uto P@rts. Don't forget to ask them about the bodykit. As for your AC, I guess the only option is for you to go to a good AC workshop and get the system tested for proper operation. If the compressor does not disengage when it has to, there should be something wrong with the AC thermostat. Sometimes a simple AC service might sort out your problem. The gap between the wheel arch and the tire does seem to be wrong. The tire look a bit small to me, is that the original tire size? (Check the info sticker on the B pillar on the driver's side).

It's much easier to stick to the speed limit than worry about all this you know. Beats the accuracy of a radar detector... always.

Crazy is a must! Well I think OP has found a good source of info here who has hands on experience in doing this. All you need to do now is put on your crazy hat and get to work!

Yeah, that looks like there is a tiny hole in the highlighted welch plug. Simple fix - true, but replacing the plug needs a bit of room unless the workshop has the correct set of tools.

Does the temp needle come back to it's normal reading when you start the engine? For your question about adjusting mileage, I don't think anyone on the forum is allowed to answer that question. Since this is a genuine question, your best bet would be an auto electrician.

Read this thread from the beginning, but I couldn't find what was the problem with your gauge cluster to begin with. Was it a problem with the tachometer (RPM)? Since you have two gauge clusters, I suggest you use the working parts of both and combine them to create one fully working cluster. A good electrician would be able to switch the ODOmeter and the speed 'o meter mechanisms (and even the temp gauge if it has a problem) so that everything is working in the cluster you install.

Got to admire the fact that you did all the research and found out the problem on your own. Well done! Very informative for Mazda owners.

According to a guy at a local car accessories shop, you will need a heat gun to stick it on to your headlights properly - if you are planning on DIY.

Hahaha! Didn't know you had a Cerato. Sedan? Drove the hatchback once and I loved it!

This thread also has service manuals for Lancer CK and the Mirage as well. I like your idea The Don. it's good to have all information in one thread, but the downside of this will be that it will be harder to search and locate a manual specific for a particular model. May I suggest making this thread the root of all service manual threads, and linking other threads here by means of individual posts (as done by trinity above). Members posting on this thread would have to specifically mention the make and model of the vehicle to which the manual/sub thread belongs, so that this thread would also appear when searched for. If we're going with this method, please add some helpful search tags to this thread because OP has not done so.

This place is starting to look like the AutoLanka body shop. Glad work is going ahead Komi. And I believe this is the first time I'm seeing The Don's Mirage. Expecting a few surprises there too.