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Mazda RX-8 Recalls

oldtimer2oldtimer2 Member Posts: 19
I took my wife's new RX 8 in for installation of "speed" accessories by an authorized speed dealer, where in, I also found out that the car needed 2 recalls corrections performed on the car. We had not received any notices in the mail from Mazda to bring in the car and one correction was an important one.

They said one of the recalls was to increase the amount of oil pumped into combustion chamber because the prior setting was determined to not be enough. To me this is not an acceptable error for the amount of money paid for the car. No wonder as reported below up to 10% of new RX 8's are still getting their motors replaced.

Perhaps this is why the car had over heated twice on a trip. I had suspected this because the oil stick had never indicated it needed any oil added, so to be safe I was adding a small amount of 2 cycle oil to the gas with each gas fillup.

In addition the "Mazda Speed" parts cost as much as the labor for installation. If Mazda wants to sell these accessories the labor should be included in the part price because $90 per hour for a total of $800 labor would have killed the parts order, if the dealership had disclosed the expected labor cost before the parts were ordered.

The dealership staff are nice but not $800 worth of undisclosed pre-parts order labor cost, with out even being kissed.

Comments

  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    but not everyone has received their personal letter yet. I haven't gotten mine.

    I've never known of any car dealer that will include the installation price with the parts. I usually ask how long they think it will take (and that's not an exact science) and multiply that by the labor rates (posted in every service dept) and, VOILA, estimate to install parts!!
  • trispectrispec Member Posts: 305
    Is there a simply list of all recalls with a simply summary of what the recalls fixed or covered.

    I've never heard of the oil flow adjustment recall. Mazda executives have now said they are going to give the "white glove" treatment to the RX-8 owners. It seems like a full disclosure of all the known issues in a nice neat document would help.

    My dealer phoned me about the last recall for the vacuum test, rather than waiting on a Mazda letter. I've had no symptoms of power lose. Oil consumption has been very consistent. I did think my dealer over filled by .25-.3" inches on the last two oil changes though.
  • oldtimer2oldtimer2 Member Posts: 19
    "Trispec", what type of vacume test was done ??? Was there a vacume leak in the system and did they tell you where ???

    I noticed after the dealership installed an RX 8 Mazda cool air intake system that a screaming whistle developed under the hood. The Dealership claimed it was a vacume sound but it sounded like a scream from a small electric motor the was cavating instead of pumping. They said the sound was normal...duh ???

    With respect to the labor cost issue, it should not take $800 of labor to just install a dual exhaust system and a cool air intake system. They should have indicated for my information when ordering the parts that they were going to charge $800 to install different mufflers and air intake.

    If the labor was just going to be only around $300 to install $1300 of "Speed" aaccssory parts, then no big deal. But any one that knows about cars would never expect diffrent fresh air intake and mufflers to cost $800 labor.

    For this reason there should have been some hint to the excessive labor cost at the time of ordering the parts from the dealerships. This amounts to 9 hours to install a fresh air intake duct and mufflers which is robbery without a gun. These kinds of inflated hours and cost per hour will only cause the car owners to start taking their car some where else for service.

    Mazda owners will begain to order other than Mazda parts and go some where else for service .....for which Mazda/Ford will loose big time in the log run !!!
  • trispectrispec Member Posts: 305
    My dealer just called me last week. They were going to make an appointment for me, but since I believe my RX-8 AT is low risk for the problem, living here in coolish Boston, I'm going to wait a bit for the test.

    I think my dealer's labor charges are highish as well, but they are very good at telling me and they print their labor charges on the sales pamphlets. They seem friendly and they get the job done when they say they will. Here in Boston, that's worth gold baby. :)
  • msrx8msrx8 Member Posts: 4
    Some current recalls are the PCM reprogram and testing to see if the engine has enough compression. I have seen this problem in mainly AT, not MT. Also there is a recall that replaces two spark plugs and is suppose to give you a free tank of gas with this recall. Also if your front brakes squeak you can have them replaced for free...TSB on them. Some common warranty issues are sun visors coming apart, AC and fan knobs breaking, push button on front console lid being broken and rear lamps having water/fogging look to them. Ill try to keep yal updated on recalls and if yall have a question feel free to post. I have a family operated Mazda dealership and also own a RX8.
  • oldtimer2oldtimer2 Member Posts: 19
    MSRx8, can you find out from your chief tech how one cleans the filter on the Speed Cool Air Intake accessory.

    Mazda Speed includes 2 bottles of filter cleaner with the accessory but does one have to take off the front bumper assembly to clean the filter. To put on the cool fresh air duct the mechanic had to take off the front bumper assembly.

    Cleaning the filter could get very expensive if this is the case. Just something else the dealership should have informed me of before they sold me the part. The mechanic at our dealership admitted he had no idea how to clean the filter because this is the first one he has ever installed.

    What ever happened to sales or service at the dealership telling the whole truth instead of just enough to collect the money ???

    I was disappointed in the fact that their smiles were not ingenious although my money was real and I was polite to not challenge their double-talk.
  • nannerhutnannerhut Member Posts: 7
    I just finished the recall and the dealer said it was preformed on task...nothing out of the ordinary. I also had my car in for an a/c problem. My a/c kept blowing from cold to extremely hot. And when I looked down at the buttons...it would switch from pulling outside air to the recirculating air) all by itself back and forth back and forth.

    Since I'm at 70,000 miles my extended warrenty is already of no use. Not only did I have to replace my two sun visors (they shredded up on the ends and would no longer stay in the up postion...even due to the fact that I rarely use my driver side one and I next to never carry a passanger or use the passenger side visor. they were quite expensive. The dealer came back and told me the "computer" unit for my ac was broken. with the replacement and labor...I was out a little over $500 to fix the a/c button.

    Here's the kicker....I've always had horrible a/c output. I've taken it in to Mazda over a dozen times while under warranty...and they always said they hooked it up to the computer and it was under Mazda's set peramaters. Well this time when I left the dealership...the technician had left a thermomater in the a/c vent. It looks EXACTLY like a meat thermomater. It had a metal pole going into the vent about 6 inches. I had no idea that when the check my a/c output...they are testing the air 6 inches WITHIN the vent. Not actually testing what the temperature is that's coming OUT of the vent. I'm returning the thermomoter this week...but I must admit I'm pretty disapointed with my experience with my problems. Trispec....is this a typical way to test AC output?
  • pathstar1pathstar1 Member Posts: 1,015
    Standard procedure to test A/C units cooling output is to place a thermometer in the "cooled space" - in the car, and place one on the vent outlet. They also usually want to have one at the air intake. The one at the vent outlet usually hangs on the vanes, but I've seen them just stick it in the vanes as well.

    They should also test the coolant level and pressure, using standard A/C tools (dual gauge device with hoses).

    There have been lots of complaints of the A/C system on the RX-8 being weak. Mazda did come up with a replacement computer that was supposed to address this.
  • msrx8msrx8 Member Posts: 4
    Well I have one that I will have to clean as well. Now the dealership is suppose to give you your cold air installation directions back to you. ( which shows you the steps in removing your bumper). Its says to clean filter every 20,000 miles. At the dealership it will prob be an hour labor...( which in all reality maybe be 20min ;), depending on the tech. Now there is a way to just release the top of the bumper which you can reach down in take the filter off. Which in a test run took me 15 min to do and put back together with only a flat and phillips head srewdriver. I can fax or email you instructions if you need.
  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    I still don't have the letter from Mazda about the recall, but I needed an oil change and asked the dealer if they could do the recall too.

    No problems to report, but I was not having any either. They did replace the two leading spark plugs per Mazda's suggestion and they were pretty clean. They advised me that the engine will likely use a little more oil than before and to check it more often till I get used to it.

    A lady waiting with me had an 05 AT in for the recall and she got a "healthy" report as well. Mine is an 04 MT with a build date of July 03.
  • oldtimer2oldtimer2 Member Posts: 19
    Yes please send me a copy of how to clean the cool air filter. When I checked back with the dealership they do not know what happened to the instruction. Also what is the short cut method to clean the filter.....Thank you Ablecharli@aol.com
  • mreesemreese Member Posts: 1
    I still have not received a recall notice. And my dealer says they won't check my RX8 for recall issues without a letter, even though they know they are being sent out. Are they kidding me?
  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    Come to think of it, I haven't gotten my letter yet either. However, my dealer performed the recall during my last oil change. He did a quick check of VIN's that were affected and mine didn't show up in their list, but considering it was an ealry build 04, he felt it should be done. Everything checked out OK, so I guess I'm good!!
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    The majority of the cars involved reside in warm climates...
  • trispectrispec Member Posts: 305
    I'm in Boston and I got the recall letter week 3 of the recall on a 2005 RX-8 AT Group 2 build.
  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    There were cars sold from the same dealership and still in the area that were on the dealer's recall list - my VIN wasn't. In fact, the lady waiting with me was just a few miles away from where I live and she had her letter with her. I felt better knowing they checked mine out anyway. AND, the extended warranty is great!!
  • rx8wannabrx8wannab Member Posts: 17
    I took my 2005 AT in last month for the voluntary recall, and among other things they "upgraded" my PCM. Since then I've noticed about a 1 MPG decline in fuel efficiency. My MPG average for the month before the upgrade was 18.6. Since then it has been 17.6, with no change in driving patterns. Some upgrade!

    Also, regarding the squeaky brake TSB--I have this problem, intermittently, and told the mechanic (Thousand Oaks Mazda, LA area) about it. Not only could he not replicate the problem, which meant he wouldn't do anything about it (grr--do they think we make these things up?), but he said he couldn't find any TSB on the issue. I found it with google in about 30 seconds. You would think that dealers charge higher prices because they know what they're doing...
  • mdw1000mdw1000 Member Posts: 171
    Have the same car but don't get the gas mileage you do, at least not around town. Is that your in town mileage? I get around 15 in town, but i rev the crap out of it to keep carbon buildup down and to have fun :)
  • rx8wannabrx8wannab Member Posts: 17
    Well, I don't necessarily want to start a discussion about MPG on this board, but I am fortunate in that my daily commute is not stop & go. I'm running at about 50 mph or higher for about 20 minutes one way, and rarely use the car for short jaunts. (Further bonus: my commute is thru a nice & twisty canyon road!) Back when I did mostly short trips around town, I only got 14MPG.
  • thuynwinthuynwin Member Posts: 3
    I own a used 2004 mazda rx-8. It has 63000 miles on it. Fairly new. Anyway, I purchased this car in 2005 and for a couple of months it was driving good and then problems started happening.The worst was in 2006.
    My car caught on FIRE! I was driving and all of a sudden my car died and when I turned on my car, the check engine light was on.When I saw that, I just headed straight to the dealership.I was parked at a red light and then this lady yelled " GET out of your car, your cars on fire!" I was terrified. I got out of my car, and ran and when I looked back my two exhaust had ACTUAL flames on it, melting away my bumper! When I saw that I was shaking and crying. The fire department and EMS came and aided to it.
    A car should NEVER catch on fire like that. Even if you take poor care of the car, which by the way, I took pretty good care of it ( It was my dream car). Also the exhaust is RIGHT next to the FUEL tank. It would have blown up. I took my car in to the dealership and got them to look at it. They were saying something about the fuel injector went bad and it's about $1500 to fix. Plus the bumper and all this other stuff. I told the service man that something like this should never ever happen with a car, and ASKED him if their were defects or recalls on the car. He said NO. I kept arguing with him and saying this isn't right and im not going to pay for it. I also had TWO other people call and see if their was a recall and all got the answer NO.
    So I went to a different mechanic place and got everything done and payed out of my pocket. I didn't even want to drive the car anymore and wanted to get a new car, but I had just bought the car and still owed alot on it and at that time I didn't have any money to put down on another car. So I just kept it and every month I have a problem with it.
    Well just recently about 1 year and half later I'm looking for a new car and GUESS what? I stumble across a RECALL page for cars. I found that there was a recall for 2004 engine and engine cooling. And in the description it says that cars at high RPMs some parts around the exhaust can melt and produce problems. So due to this heat problem, it could RESULT in a fire. I couldn't believe my EYES! I never got a letter to bring in my car to check to see if I had that defect and when I had myself and two other people ask about a recall they LIED!


    Anyway, I would like some advice on how to get my money back. Well really I just want them to give me ALL the money that I've put into that car or the money in the car itself and getting a RELIABLE car. My life was almost taken away from me that day and I just want some justice. please help!!
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    Have you filed a report with the NHTSA? The recall page you saw also advises you to call Mazda and provides the phone number -- you might want to start with that.

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  • duke15duke15 Member Posts: 161
    You can try to go through Mazda North America. If that doesn't work, you may need an attorny.
  • mdw1000mdw1000 Member Posts: 171
    Wouldn't your car insurance cover a car fire? Not sure about that, but I'd check.
  • asennaf1kingasennaf1king Member Posts: 4
    IMO, this is a black eye for Mazda. This is precisely the same problem that occurred in the 3rd gen RX-7. The failure sequence is this: the seals around the fuel injectors begin to go bad and fuel begins to leak. The fuel injectors are near the exhaust manifold and since the engine produces a huge amount of heat the seals eventually go bad. The fuel leaks onto the exhaust manifold and poof! I dropped off my 3rd gen in 2002 at the dealership without delay when I smelled fuel coming from the engine bay. The dealership called me several days later (an indication that they spent some time with their legal staff) and notified me that my engine had caught fire while the technician was working on the engine. He had failed to allow the exhaust to cool before disconnecting the fuel injectors. My insurance company covered the repairs. When the car was returned to me, it wasn't running correctly. The second turbo was not kicking in smoothly or at all. I dropped it off and told them to not call me until it was running correctly (the problem was the maze of vacuum hoses that only a handful of mechanics knew well). A week later, they called me to say that the engine was blown, i.e., they blew my engine. My insurance company then covered the installation, by Peter Farrell Supercars, of a new engine. There was a recall related to engine fires on the 3rd gen RX-7. Mazda claimed that the fault was related to the cooling system and coolant leaks onto the exhaust manifold rather than the fuel rail or injectors. They added a switch to the radiator fan to have it kick on if the coolant temperature was above a particular value when the engine was turned off (the engine fires primarily occurred after turning off the engine). I was reading this forum to see how the RX-8 is faring. I'm sorry to hear that this is occurring because I was giving the RX-8 consideration and the 3rd gen RX-7 is one of my all time favorite cars. Mazda should have simply confessed and added a maintenance window for the fuel injector seals. It's really that simple. They are risking lives via actuarial calculations.
  • rxterrxter Member Posts: 2
    More like the rubber glove treatment.
  • rx8divarx8diva Member Posts: 2
    Where can i find this list of recalls so i can check if my vin# is on it?
  • woodkat80woodkat80 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 2005 rx8. I bought it used from dealership with 28,000 miles. i now have roughly 64,000 on it. I recently checked oil and it appears it may be antifreeze. almost looks like mustard! Has anyone else experienced this? With all the things i have heard lately, i am not sure if there is a recall or what. my engine light flashes at higher speeds. not sure if the head gasket is bad or what. i dont know a whole lot about these motors. looks like i will get stuck paying for it..... Any suggestions or idea what it could be?
  • russ5150russ5150 Member Posts: 1
    Bought my daughter a 2006 RX8 two years ago. Ran great for about a year and a half but then started missing, stalling etc.. Took to dealer to get repaired and they changed the plugs, $400+. Paid it. Brought it home. Next day,wouldn't start. At all. Ever. Towed to dealership.
    "Must replace engine. No charge." That was very nice. However, as they were moving parts to the new block, the intake manifold either broke or was broken. "Due to carbon build up." That is a $700+ part. Does this seem to be common or am I just unlucky? The staff at the dealership has been very nice to us and we have bought two new vehicles from them, but this just doesn't smell right.
  • dgjertsondgjertson Member Posts: 1
    DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!! The engine on the 2004 through 2006 RX8 WILL burn up!! It's only a matter of time. Unfortunately, mine imploded at 115,000 miles (after the 100,000 warranty limit) and serviced at the dealership had ALL my records and drove the car with care. Mazda would NOT honor 4206-F titled "Engine Lack of Power" warranty issued October 24, 2008. I complained several times that the car "lost power" after warming up BEFORE the warranty was up. They claimed to have "addressed the issue" in December 2008. At that time the car was well under warranty.

    Check the Internet for RX8's ... you will see this is a COMMON problem!! Especially in warm climates! So here I am stuck with a $6900 engine replacement bill (rotaries cannot be repaired) for a car that is basically a 3000 lb paper weight... interesting fact, the engine they will replace mine with is a 2007 or newer!! What does that tell you?

    DO NOT BUY AN RX8!!! You will regret it just as I have.

    David Gjertson
  • sammy1969sammy1969 Member Posts: 1
    I own a used 2008 mazda rx-8. It has 30,000 miles on it. Fairly new. Anyway, I purchased this car 2 month ago and i notice tha the dashboard has a crack on the passenger side where the airbag is located and is the same shape of the airbag. Anyone know if this problem has a recall or it is normal on this model and year.
  • thuynwinthuynwin Member Posts: 3
    Go to NHTSA website and you should be able to see all the recalls that were on your year model. I'm pretty sure you have read all the posts about these cars....mine is the same. Good thing I got rid of that junk and got an acura. I hope your car isn't the same as everyone on here, good luck
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    edited June 2011
    You can find recalls and TSBs for your RX-8 without even leaving Edmunds.com -- check our Maintenance Section.

    ClaireS, Host
    Automotive News & Views | Coupes & Convertibles

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    Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.

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  • str8manstr8man Member Posts: 1
    did you ever get a list of cars that were open for recall ... my wife has an rx8 with isssues that sound exactly like the expected problems to be covered by the recall at only 65000 kilometers we live in australia
  • thuynwinthuynwin Member Posts: 3
    Hi, no I never got a list of recalls or anything. I winged it for a while and kept the car until I saved enough money to get another car. I finally did sell the car, but for VERY VERY low since there was a lot of defects. I sold it for only half of the market value price. The guys I sold it to knew about these cars and they just wanted my car for the body style. They said they didn't care about the motor because it's a piece of crap, they were going to take it out and put a different motor in. My advice is to sell as fast as you can so you don't have to put so much money into it...going through lawyers and attorneys isn't worth it, because those car companies will do everything to save a penny, and might even put you more in a hole. Save some time and just take a lost before it gets too bad...

    Sorry I couldn't be more help and best of luck. The best thing I ever did was got rid of that damn car and got myself an acura =)
  • rottenrotaryrottenrotary Member Posts: 4
    Mazda USA recommended the wrong oil (5w20) to better the EPA ratings and improve MPGs for the RX8 but ultimately, you are doing damage to your motor and shortening the life of your exhaust system.

    10w40 regular motor oil has been tested and proven to produce optimum results for the RX8’s rotary. Because this oil is thicker, it does not heat up as quickly as 5w20 and keeps your engine cool. This is imperative!!! Rotaries can run very hot because they redline a 9000 rpm. Many issues with the RX8 are caused by overheating and the RIGHT oil will decrease the chances of overheating.

    Unfortunately, you will lose a few MPG using 10w40. However, if you are so concerned with gaining just a few MPG instead of keeping your car running healthy long term then you should have bought a Prius. If you cannot afford the few extra bucks for gas then you cannot afford to properly care for the RX8.

    Typically, the catalytic converter is the first to be effected by use of wrong oil. Almost all RX8 owners notice that their oil has to be topped off constantly. This is because the oil is too thin. It will clog the catalytic converter. This is where your carbon buildup probably first started.

    Catalytic converters are covered under the Emissions Warranty for U.S. cars 8years/80k miles. There is no sure way to know if your catalytic converter is going bad unless your CEL (check engine light) is on or you gut it (which is illegal so shops won’t do it).

    The first sign of it starting to clog is a huge amount of smoke coming from your exhaust and a little loss of power (but these are symptoms for many other problems too). With the RX8, these signs are usually caused by the catalytic converter going bad from the use of the wrong recommended oil. If your CEL is illuminated, check your o2 sensor FIRST (not nearly as expensive and they can go bad).

    If the issue is your catalytic converter, and the warranty has expired, you are looking at a $1,500+ part, and that doesn’t include labor. Some places like auto zone have a cat for around $2-300 but they are complete junk, do not bolt on so you better have a welder if you’re going to DIY and 6 months later you will be back to square one.

    You have 2 options at this point: 1) Pay $1,5k for a part that’s only purpose is to appease the tree huggers (yes, the catalytic converter’s ONLY purpose is to filter out excess carbon and only hinders the cars performance) or 2) Pay $270- $370 for a catalytic converter replacement pipe and NEVER have that issue.

    Racing Beat offers 2 (one is resonated, meaning it has a quieter exhaust tone) and there are a few others out there but I suggest researching each one first to find what best suits you. Personally, I have Racing Beat’s non-resonated cat replacement pipe and have never had a problem since.

    Technically, it’s not “legal” for street cars so unless you have a friend who owns a shop, you probably won’t have any luck finding someone to do it (some shops will “check it out” to make sure there are no leaks but they will not install it). However, there are many that bolt on. I know Racing Beat’s does because I did it myself and it came with instructions. All I needed was a jack and torque wrench.

    The only down side is that your CEL will more than likely come on because the o2 sensor will recognize that the catalytic converter is missing but there are several ways to take care of that, one being the Cobb Access Port. This is an AMAZING little device. With it, you can even improve your MPGs. Do some research, there is too much for me to explain but if you own a RX8, definitely check it out! This kind of technology is only available for model years 2004-08 (I believe).

    Not only is a deleted cat an upgrade by giving you a few extra horses, your motor will last longer and stay healthier. If you have strong opinions on how deleting your catalytic converter is going to make a huge impact on the environment then you’re probably the type of person who would use the wrong oil to gain a whooping ~3 MPG. When your cat clogs and suffocates your motor making you lose power, blame yourself and your ridiculous views for environment... not the car.
  • rottenrotaryrottenrotary Member Posts: 4
    Typically recalls are not mailed to the owners by any company. Mazda did extend their warranty on the engines core components to 10 years/100k miles for all 2004-2008 year models but they do not advertise it now.

    The best way to check for recalls is to call the make of your cars dealership and provide them with your VIN number. They are able to pull up EVERY recall on your vehicle and if it has already been taken care of (just in case you bought a used car).

    It sucks that you did not have a good experience with your RX8. Since Mazda discontinued the RX8, I have noticed an increase in value personally. I predict they are going to slowly grow in value, just like the RX7 did.
  • stephroses228stephroses228 Member Posts: 1
    I have the 2007 Rx8 and my passenger dash did the samething and the dealer swears there is no recalls on it, but im not so sure.
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