Well, just went in to the dealer -- PCM flash, oil, tire rotation and state inspection.

N flash feels different to me. More torque in the 4-6 range, and it felt like if anything it was revving faster. Also sounded noticeably different when I started it up -- a little lumpier on idle for the first 5-6 seconds, then it settles down. Pushed it pretty hard on the way back...if anything, the car feels faster now than ever (shipped with L, got M, now N). FWIW, I've never flooded or had any other engine issues. I'll see whether it does anything to milage.

Also checked out their Shinka....and, well, it's just not my thing. The leather looks very high quality (better than the standard GT's, IMHO, but then again that's not my thing either, hence the Touring). It was right off the truck, so it had road grime on it and looked much like it had been driven there. On the shade side, it looked black. On the sun side, it looked more brown to me than purple, with lots of flecks of metallic in the paint. The wheels are the nicest part, imho. Also -- while I'm not crazy about the black and tan for the overall interior, for some reason it looked good to me on the door panels.

 

Hey Adrien... did you ask to have your car flashed, or did the dealer flash you because you fell within the earlier VIN range? And when did you get your M? It seems as though that not all M-flashes were created equal.

Plus I am also waiting for someone to comment on whether this truly is a N-flash, or just an update of the M-flash. They are still classifying this TSB under the MSP04 campaign, which I thought was strictly what everyone calls the M-flash.

 

Adrien, could you be feeling more torque because of the ECU starting from scratch? As you know, the ECU learns your driving habits (ie granny driving vs speed racer). I've done the brake stop memory reset a couple of times and noticed that the car feels different.

I think that this is officially known as N flash now (see the Tech garage section). As far as I'm aware, there was no change to the fuel maps, etc. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

 

yup, could definitely be the reset...maybe I'll just drive it harder now. But that wouldn't account for the startup differences, which feel very real to me. What's the trick for resetting this?

FWIW, the dealer was calling it the "N". I got a note in the mail from them in late December to have it done. Got the M flash in late October.

 

...oh, and I didn't ask. I brought it up because they sent me a "recall" notice for hard start. Car was runnning just great without it.

Also, I understand how the reset would account for the throttle response, but would it affect the feeling of more torque?

 

I believe the easiest trick to reset the ECU is to do the brake stomp test.

Stomp on the brake pedal 20 times (or more) as quickly as you can (I think it's supposed to be within 10 seconds). When you see the oil gauge needle sweep, it's done!

I think the other technique is to disconnect the battery (???). But I read somewhere it also wipes out the current flash you have, and you will have to get it reflashed. Again, correct me if I'm wrong!!!

I just stick to the brake stomp.

 

Wrong on losing the flash. You will lose your radio presets.

 

i haven't gotten anything from mazda or the dealership telling me i needed any kind of reflash... is this a problem?

 

dazy do the pedal stomp thing.......I already had mine done.......I just used the hard start excuse, and dealer flash it!

 

How's fuel consumption with N? Notice a difference? I'm planning on getting a tire rotation and oil change in the coming week. Will probably get the N done as well.

 

If trade in value on my current rx8 wasnt' so low, and the SHinka came with Navi,. I'd be at dealer right now picking up one of those. I like the rarity of it, and the color, but I can't live with the fact that it doesn't come with navigation. Nonetheless, it's a sweet machine, and I might have to BS by way to dealer to check it out, pretending I actually wanna trade my 04 in.

 

^^^Has everyone noticed how shitty the trade in value on this car is? It's absolutely horrible. I thought this car was supposed to hold its value well.

 

Yeah. It's quite depressing, and so much for the report on RX8 holding it's value. At this rate, it's going to be bottom of barrel. This is what happens when the supply well exceeds the demand. Mazda has to be disappointed. I just hope the RX8 can bounce back and survive.

 

i will be getting this new flash as soon as my car is ready...i too though have never received anything in the mail. maybe i should give them my new address...

 

Ha ha .. thanks for the correction. No big deal on the radio presets seeing as that I don't even use the radio!

 

Has supply exceeded demand or has the initial HP problem + uniformly poor gas mileage given it a bad rap? I've noticed that eBay has a number that are going around $20K. Great for the second buyer, but awful for the original owner.
Perhaps this is why the Shinka was introduced -- put something more unique in the showroom.

 

I like the chrome headrest rotary symbol (rather than our brushed aluminum) on the Shinka. I tried to order it for my regular RX8, but it is ridiculously expensive.

 

But, as some consolation, "trade in value" is usually way less than private resale value. Trading in a car is just asking to get reamed.

 

kelley blue book just gave me a 25,000 dollar private party value on mine. Not so bad if you ask me.

 

Trade in is too low for a private sale. Kelley blue book for a private sale is too high. Real market value is somewhere in between. I usually shop classified ads, like on the Autotrader, to try to determine a fair price.

 

or what happens when the owners give the car a rap for not having the claimed hp, getting horrible fuel milage, and generally being prone to various failures... oh well

 

check in with Thew at Mazdaparts.com I bet he can get it for cheaper