It's for the gas tank heat shield. It stated that parking the 8 during extended high acceleration can lead to increased risk of fire.

When I take it in, I'm going to ask them to upgrade the battery due to the cold Michigan winters.

Does anyone think they'll upgrade the starter, too, as part of the 'minimizing chance of flooding' issue?

Edit *Disclaimer - Haven't had flooding issues yet - taking all precautions.

 

did you purchase your 8 after july 2005? if so, the recall should've been performed before the car was sold to you. it's illegal to sell cars w/ recalls open on them, methinks.

 

You may have a difficult time convincing them to replace the battery and starter unless you have had trouble starting the car. Your best bet is to let them know that in cold temps the car turns over very slowly and that you are concerned it is not going to start. Suggest that they can probably avoid a service call for flooding by replacing these items with the upgraded units. May work, may not. Dealers appear to have different approaches to dealing with this "issue".

 

the starter upgrade is actually a 9 volt starter that replaces the stock 12 volt one so that when you crank the engine to start it, the starter will turn about 33% faster due to the higher than desinged voltage. from my conversations with my service writer, that is usually reserved for individuals who have flooded their cars multiple times.

as a side note, on the recall, i was speaking to a customer that had another mazda, i believe the 5, and he had to take his car in for an under car heat recall, but the official statement on that was that it wasnt due to higher rpm's at a standstill, it was for customers using the auto stick feature at highway speeds and forgeting to shift to a higher gear, so instead of being in, lets say 4 at 60 or 70 mph, they were in 2, running at much higher rpm for extended periods of time.

 

Thanks guys.

Astral - Yes, I bought the car in September, so the dealership screwed up.

I'm looking into the law right now as to what my recourse is.

I'm an attorney, so hopefully it won't take me too long to do this, even though I practice commercial/real estate law.

Edit - I bought the car in September - not July. Sorry.

 

Astral - I did some legal research on the open recall issue.

You're correct inasmuch it is illegal to sell a used vehicle subject to an unresolved, open recall, in certain states (California among them).

However, it does not appear, for whatever bizarre reason, that the same law applies to new vehicles, as far I can tell.

 

you would think it would be even more iron clad for brand new vehicles. I mean I am sure they would do them right when the car is sold but I do not see a dealership slacking like that! you could own a Mazda dealer...can we all get a good deals on a 07??

 

Thanks for looking into this! Now I know.

 

Well since I've gotten my 8 two years ago I've gotten around 8 different recalls. the last two were the gas tank and suspension. But I've yet to have any problems other then fixing the transmission because my wife was such a noob at using stick shifts. Since then shes forbidden to drive it, until I can get my 7 working then I might let her drive it around the block to keep the engine warm.

 

they will replace your starter, battery, and spark plugs when your engine floods.....and you have to have it towed in....

 

I can't imagine what your damages would be, anyhow. Emotional distress? Litigious dyspepsia?

 

Thanks for the information, I just took my Shinka in for the recall and got red carpet service. Bought it Labor Day weekend in Oregon, serviced in Washington where I live.