I'm approaching my one year anniversary with my '04 GT sunlight silver RX8. I love this car. She still puts a smile on my face every time I open my garage door and I look forward to my 30 mile highway commute to work. To date I have had no significant problems with this 11/03 build. I wanted one from the moment I saw one. This was by far my best car buying experience. I went to every dealership in town and got a card from a salesman. I had outside financing and played telephone until there was one dealership left with the lowest bottom line. I signed and walked out of a dealership for the first time not feeling like I just got a prostate exam.
During my first oil change the service manager said there was a "recall",in his words, and that my computer needed to be updated due to some problems. I then found this site researching the above listed problem and have been glued ever since. I believe what I got was the M flash but there wasnt a label put on so i have no idea what, if anything, was done. The car felt exactly the same to me.
Well the more I read on this site the more I started looking at every little thing on the car. I noticed my A/C doesnt maintain a constant cold blast but rather the cold-warm-cold air that has been discussed so many times. I have a lag at approx. 6400 RPM's and what the hell happened to my engine cover grommets that are now missing. I compiled a laundry list of minor things to be fixed over the past few months.
Well today was fix it day and armed with TSB's I went to the service department to get these things fixed. I asked the service manager if I could get the latest computer flash. He says "Your computer shouldnt be flashing." "No, my computer isn't flashing I was asking if I could get the latest PCM flash which is R I believe." I can give you the part number if you ,who works on RX8's, have never heard of this. "Oh, I know what your talking about." So now I'm realizing that this day is going to get alot worse. I told him that no label was placed on the car during the last so called flash so I have no idea which one I have. I leave my car and hitch a ride home. 30 minutes before closing time, I get a call that the car is ready. I get there, write a check for $0.00 and get my keys. I go out to inspect my car which is now perfect.(minus 50 hp) :p
I first open the drivers door. No reflash sticker. I open the hood, the passenger door, the trunk, the glove box and the center console both front and back. No reflash sticker. Who do you have to sleep with to get a freakin' sticker???? It's fine, I'll just cool off with my new A/C. I start her up, turn on A/C. You guessed it......cold-warm-cold. Surely they got the engine cover grommets right. I take off the cover and no grommets. Well now I'm about to open a can of whoop ace. Service manager had left for the day, so I'm forced to bottle it up for now but we will meet again.
I drove the car home and it felt exactly the same. Which is fine. It's the car I test drove. It's the car I purchased. It's the car I love. I read all of the bashing and hating on this car. Yes it could use more hp and better mpg. But we all knew this before we bought and we chose to buy. If you don't like it then sell it. I'm keeping mine........

 

When they called you to inform you your car was ready. did they tell you what they had done?

Don't fret on the sticker thing...those have been hard to get as they are back ordered.

Clyde

 

They just said car was ready. I see the sticker as the car was reflashed. The auto industry has such a bad reputation I cant help but to wonder if they even did it at all. I have since read the summery of what was done. They said they replaced the a/c amplifier which is what I figured it was from the TSB. But the problem is still there. So did they even replace that??? The grommets are on backorder it says and they did replace a few of the plastic clips that had come off around the inside of the fender. I just wish that I could trust that they were doing what they say they are. If you think about it, a dealership is build on dishonesty. How much BS have you heard while buying a car??? With salesman and managers constantly lying to customers, that has to carry over into service. I understand that they are earning an income just like me but you can make money without being dishonest.

 

<Pardon the temporary hijack>

Stalker, are you coming to the Quad-State BBQ in Arlington, TX in September?

<Temporary hijack over, please resume normal posting>

 

My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. Can u post a link to it?

 

Here you go my dear:

https://www.rx8club.com/gulf-rx-8-forum-32/quad-state-bbq-saturday-september-24-2005-a-63124/

:D

 

The AC amp is hard to tell if it was replaced or not..unless you turn the temp control to max cool and see if it defaults to "recirculate".

I find it hard to believe they couldn't find some grommets laying around..that problem is well documented.

A good service dept will separate itself from the dealership status quo and earn your trust. Money should not be an issue.

Clyde

 

Yup, my ac amp was changed when I told the service advisor during my first oil change. When my a/c is not on, I usually have it set so that fresh air gets in. Now when I turn on the a/c, it defaults to "re-circulate". I didn't have to fight to get this. I just mentioned that I notice it gets cold/warm/cold. When I went to pick up my car, they said they found a fault with the ac amp and replaced it without any hassle.

 

OK, today I drove the car pretty hard and I did notice a difference. I dont seem to have quite the lag at 6400 rpm and the car felt "stonger". Maybe they did flash to R and were just out of stickers. I checked the a/c and it still doesnt blow consistantly cold air. When I turn the ac on it does switch to recirculate so maybe this is as good as it gets with the ac. Good thing its only like 100 today. :p
Well I feel better. I'm sorry i doubted you auto industry but don't think I forgot about my grommets.....

 

Stalker, where are you going for service? If your not going to North Park your making a mistake. The reason I go there is because Jay Finnegan is a service writer there and he is THE MAN. I love my car more than myself and he looks after it like I do when it is there(Which is way too often but thats another story that involves the bodyshop there. BEWARE THE BODYSHOP)

 

Stalker, I understand how you feel man. I would buy the RX-8 over and over again, but the Mazda service is the worst I've ever seen. I have been to many dealerships in the california bay area, and they all all the same, most inepted people I've met. Never can complete an easy task correctly. I've had everything from broken glove box, overfilled oil, wrong oil, missing grommets, no reflash stickets...you name it. I mean how freaking hard is it to put a reflash sticker on the side panel of the drivers store? Even a fucken monkey can do that correctly every single time.

But like you, I would not sell my car ever!!!