I guess you got your sign, Redshift. Juan didn't drop a tree on your 8, so you must be supposed to keep it.

And yeah, I was kind of waiting for a recall on the envelopes....

 

Well, I figured the sign was Juan shutting down the city so that I couldn't mail out my letter yesterday, when I was planning to say they can take it back.

Gave me one more day to think about it.

 

About the 30 letters they received so far... it's for the buy back.

About my letter, they finally received it; I spoke with Mr Panneton (or Panetin); as many of you said, he's a really nice guy.

I explained why I was returning the car (18-19L/100km) and said that he heard about the problem and notify Mazda Japan; he drove an Rx-8 and said that the "higher the speed needle goes... the lower the gas one goes!

Many of us said we were desappointed of MC... last night there was an autoshow on TV here in Quebec and they compared the way Mazda handle the situation versus Hyundai... they praise Mazda's way to do it!

Honestly, with a guy like Mr Panneton and the alternatives that Mazda offered us I must admit that I've been pretty well treated by Mazda Canada.

So, in my mind it's clear... I'll get a new Rx-8 model 2005... unless awful problems are find in the meantime on the car or a new 2005 car comes along an top the 8 excitement, look and fun :D

Ok, got to work a bit because at 5pm I'm gone a sign my contract for my new car.... my winter beater (and maybe next summer beater)... a Saturn SL1 2000... boy am I excited

I'll hang around the forum for sure...

See ya guys!

 

Didn't bother making the list, i knew i'd want to keep the car no matter what! Ultimately, i had to discuss it with my folks and the verdict has been reached! Told me to sell it back because we can really use the money elsewhere! So not really my call, i didn't do jack to earn something this good! Maybe if i get straight A's this term, but I'll probably still have to wait til next year. I'm working for some internet company right now but it's gonna take MANY years before i can afford my own RX-8! *sigh*

Keech Man, we gotta hook up for realz this weekend, i was thinking saturday but we'll see!

 

does MC must have the reply letter on oct 1? so the letter would be process?
i send my letter last week just thru their replying envelope with prepay post mark...
(i live in van)
so i should be alright right?

 

well, i read that MC want their letters by Oct 1st but i think you'll be fine! They let me fax the letter instead of thru air-mail!


call Customer Relations from their mazda.ca site if you got doubts!

 

From the looks of things, this thread will be vacant soon.

I'd like to say to all you have been, or maybe one day again RX-8 owners, thanks for your input in this forum.

I hope all of you stick around and throw in your 2 cents worth from time to time.

For those of you that kept your 8, enjoy the $500/free maintenance and the best sports car/sedan this side of anywhere

catch ya's all later and see ya at the 1st annual 8 meet. (whenever that happens)

 

As mentioned earlier, I sent in the latter asking for the buyback.
Then I started to explore the cars systems and decided i think we can "fix" it. I then decided to tell Mazda Canada I want to keep it after all.

So, I taked with Richard and told him I wanted to change my mind back to keeping the car. He was pleased and asked me to fax a letter to him to state this.

After about half a dozen tries I could not get a fax throught to them. It showed as received, but was not readable on their end. Either blank or black.
He even went and checked their fax right after I sent to them, and found a blank page.

So, he emailed me this morning:
"Good day Mr Hilarius,

I will look for Weber's order later today. I do no understand what's going on with our fax machine. I checked it again and still no fax. The program administrator has informed me that we can accept an email to confirm you desire to change options."

Cool guy.

 

YOUR KEEPING IT? OMG!

I'm I thought SOMETHING was UP when you kept posting information from your shop manual.

But yet the fax machine doesn't work... isn't that odd? :D

 

Hi all:

I was travelling for a few days and didn't have a chance to access the forum. I was surprised and dismayed to read canzoomer's comments about me posting the name of the MC executive in charge of the buyback on this forum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by westie
Hi Guys:

I don't usually say much on the forum, just like to read your witty comments and keep up with the news but our FL friend got me motivated to tell you my experience.
...

I met with the executive that is in charge of the buyback program. He's a nice reasonable guy named Richard Panneton, xxx-xxx-xxxx-xxxx, e-mail: xxx-xxx-xxxx and he sat down with me to hear my reasons for returning the car. On behalf of the forum I gave him an earful.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canzoomer


I talked with Richard today. He DID NOT APPRECIATE his email address being posted!
Apparently he received a flood of messages..
I think " too bad" as frankly the wholepoint is that if we make our feelings clear to Mazda then maybe the message will get through..

Still, it is rude!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just want to clarify why I posted this information.

Like all of you I was getting frustrated dealing with Mazda Canada Head Office (MC) about this issue. I was fed up having to wait on hold for someone on the MC 1-800 number only to realize that I knew more about the car and the buyback program than they did. My dealer obviously was no help because he knew even less. The reason I knew more is because of fellow RX8 owners like you on the forum. In fact I have gotten to know more about this car in a short time than anything else I have ever owned!

Because I live within an hour's drive of MC I decided to deliver my letter by hand. They were happy to take it but for some reason could not give me a receipt or acknowledgment since no one had hand delivered the letter before. Since this was a $42,000 letter I said I would wait until they could send someone out to acknowledge receipt. That is how I met Richard Panneton (correct spelling from his business card). Like I said previously, he seemed like a nice and reasonable guy but didn't seem to know very many of our concerns about the car. I told him about the forum and of our discussions. I told him I was returning the car solely due to the bad MPG. He thanked me for my input, told me how the buyback program would work and gave me his business card saying that if I had any questions feel free to contact him. Well, I knew that a lot of people on the forum had questions! The lesson to learn here is that if you don't demand good customer service from the people in charge you will never get it, and the executives will never realize why they have lost a customer (and their friends and family) perhaps for life.

Now Canzoomer, I don't know how you do business in Alberta but when a guy gives you his business card and says that, my feeling is that the info is now in the public domain and I can share it with acquaintances, ie. forum members. I probably should have phoned and asked his permission but I honestly didn't think of it when I posted the info late that night. My allegiance is to forum members like you, not MC. It's not like we are a large group. MC sent out 500 letters and not all of those people read the forum. His idea of being flooded with e-mails and mine are probably quite different.

And while I'm on the e-mail subject, Richard is not some techie R&D guy working in a back office not able to deal with the public, his card says he is a Specialist, Customer Relations. If HE doesn't want to be contacted by RX8 CUSTOMERS then who at MC does? It's his job to handle the buyback program and that means being available to RX8 owners. If he's having a problem with e-mail volume it will be short-term ie. Oct 1-15, and aren't these just the RX8 customers he is going to talk to anyway?

I have enjoyed reading your e-mails on the tech thread Canzoomer and realize you know more about cars and electronics than I could ever want to know. I bought this car for it's smart innovative look, space utilization and handling. The rotary was a bonus. Now it has become a liability, so it's going back. Not to mention that in these times, for me personally, it is environmentally irresponsible to put up with incredibly severe gas consumption for so little practicality in return. I realize that you are keeping the RX8 because it has become a project, you want to fix the HP & mileage etc, and that's great. Like you we ordered the car without test driving one. MC has and still is publishing reasonable Transport Canada fuel consumption numbers for the car. That was factored into my buying decison. We are getting exactly half those numbers. All we originally wanted was to buy and drive (not fix) a great, affordable, 4 seater sports car that at least used less gas than the Suburban. It has failed that one major test.

I believe that all of us here, including you I noticed, have benefitted from me sharing his e-mail and the info I discovered when I met Richard. If you other forum members agree then post it and let me know. If you agree Canzoomer, I would appreciate a retraction of your previous post that it was somehow rude to post the e-mail of the man at MC that has the power to help resolve all forum member's concerns.

Thanks, Westie

 

I for one appreciated the info Westie, and don' think it was rude to post it.

The point is, if we had called Mazda and asked to speak to someone regarding the return program, Mr. Panneton is probably who we would have been directed to anyway.

Don't worry.

 

I tried a different fax and it worked.
Seems my normal office fax and theirs have "issues"

Anyway, >yes< i changed my request to keep it.

As mentioned elsewhere I have been working on a project to "fix" the power and gas mileage issues.

You can be the first to hear the early results:
At this point we have remapped the fuel injection system.

The preliminary results:
Producing Canada and 48 US States legal emmission levels:
A gain of 24.5WHP at 8,000rpm
A gain of 11.3ft/lbs of torque at 5,750rpm

This is preliminary and we expect to make further improvements.
As it stands we are not at all close to a knocking situation on Canadian 91 Octane Shell premium gasoline.
Once we do some ignition timing mapping i hope to see another 10 to 15HP gain.

We will be doing a fuel economy highway run this evening.

We anticipate to publish final results in about a week.
At that time we will be making a product announcement.

Thanks!

 

Westie:

You misunderstood me.
I passed on Richards comment that he was not happy about receiving a flood of email

I agree with you. It is his job, so "tough luck!"

I do want to assay that posting anyones email address in a public forum is nomally bad etiquette.

In this case, however, I feel it was justified..

So, no hard feelings, OK?

BTW, Richard has done a lot of hard work for us, so he is, at least in my books, "one of the good guys"..

 

Yes indeed, none helped me out with the buyback! Not the dealer, not the customers relations lady and guy! But Richard called and took care of everything for me! I feel like sending him a Thanksgiving card for his efforts! :D

 

_________

'All we originally wanted was to buy and drive (not fix) a great, affordable, 4 seater sports car that at least used less gas than the Suburban.'
____________

You too?!! I have a 98 3/4 ton Suburban with a 454 cubic inch engine. I sure was hoping the RX-8 would get better gas milage than this 3200 Kg behemoth. I mean it weighs 2.5 times more than the 8 and has less than 30% more hp. The two guzzle gas at about the same rate. At least they both sit in the garage utill I want some fun - I commute with my 15 year old Mx6. (The Suburban has 2-3x the range before fill up though. I can't imagine the RX-8 lugging around a 160 litre gas tank.)

Anyway, In speaking with Richard of MCI, I could not convince them to buy the RX-8 at the price I drove it off the lot for. So I ended up faxing in a revised response and switched to accepting the maintenance and $500. At least that will pay for some of the extra gas.

Down side - I keep the RX-8. Gas, rattles, oil light, and all including a spare tire that fills the trunk, blocks the trunk light and passenger compartment access to the trunk.

Upside - I keep the RX-8!!!


p.s.
Rumour from my dealer - RX7 to be out in 2 years, same chassis as RX-8 but shorter wheel base. Available in coupe and convertable. No comment on power differences. He is attending a regional dealer's meeting in Quebec this week or next and is expecting some anouncements. Again all rumour.

 

Mine doesn't rattle, and the oil light never comes on. I check the level after every two fill ups.

you should get the rattle noise checked

 

Hi Guys:

I'm leaving for another short trip so I have to be brief. Thanks for the retraction and clarification canzoomer. No hard feelings, good luck with your projects, I 'll keep watching to see how good you can get the MPG.

Westie

 

I just finished a long discussion with a Mazda customer rep.
They finally agreed....at least I believe they did that they will provide me with a buyback opportunity. At least they told me they would contact me tomorrow.
I purchased my car on August 23rd. I did not sign a waiver and was not aware of any HP issues at that time.

I have more than HP concerns with this vehicle. I filled up for the second time in 245 miles. The case mileage seems to be sighly better than a 6000lb hummer.

I am so sorry I sold my RX7. It got 21 MPG and ran like he...
I was asked by the Mazda rep what I would have considered reasonable MPG. I told him something close to EPA estimates would be satisfactory. 14-15 MPG with 80%highway miles is simply not acceptable.

Thanks for listening. This board has been a godsend of information.

 

Enough suspense! What happened?

 

I am returning the RX8. While I love the car, I cannot tolerate the gas mileage it is averaging 16 and I am driving the car like an old lady.

 

I know this sounds a bit odd coming from *ME* , but:
I suggest you hang on a bit.

Based on what we have done so far it is fairly easy to get the power back to at least original levels. As we are doing tis mainly with leaning out fuel air mixture it will definitely produce some improvements in the mileage.

Also, the one thing that came to my mind when I changed my own request from a buyback to keeping it is the fact that any other car I liked was more money. If I can get 250+HP, better mileage, and for a reasonably small amount of money, then it is a bargain.
I figure that the $500 and the service savings will more than cover the costs of the ECU mods.

 

for the ECU mods you refer to..............I have clients well versed in this field.....I am not............would this be the same as repplacing a chip for a VW?.............I know you are doing a re-mapping test on the ECU.........but wha are the implications and costs to the car?..........sorry.......I know a broad question......but wondering if this ECU mod will come out in the near future from the aftermarket?.......I think the car is great as is, but no doubt it would be better with another 20+hp

 

for the ECU mods you refer to..............I have clients well versed in this field.....I am not............would this be the same as replacing a chip for a VW?.............I know you are doing a re-mapping test on the ECU.........but what are the implications and costs to the car?..........sorry.......I know a broad question......but wondering if this ECU mod will come out in the near future from the aftermarket?.......I think the car is great as is, but no doubt it would be better with another 20+hp

 

No. What we are doing is leaving the original ECU in place. Frankly it is too damned hard to reprogram it or replace the chip.

What we are doing is putting a connector block between the ECU and the harness. From that we are bypassing the fuel management and ignition management signals.
We are using our own fuel controller and ignition controller.

All the rest of the ECU functions are untouched.
We can get 25HP+ very easily with ONLY the fuel map.
With the ignition there is another 10HP to be had.

All of this with quite mild tuning settings.
You will still be able to run midgrade gas, just not lower, like 87 octane.

As far as costs:
NOT emissions legal in 3 US states.
Possibly shorter catalytic converter life.
$750 US for the fuel controler, our fuel map and harness.
$1000 US with the ignition controller
$1500 US for the same plus an Apexi computer with 3 maps: stock, tuned, and one for use with a blower.

Yes, the next step will be a small supercharger kit.
That will cost around $2500

 

SWEEEEET

Looks like everything will be ready for when I take delivery of my 8 in the spring of 2004.

got a love a rotary