I have had a bad misfire in my RX8 and now the dealer has said it is the PCM and they are going to replace it, how do they replace it if it is fitted with tamper proof bolts, won`t it look a mess if they have to cut the welds on the bolts out and then weld the new bolts back in.

 

It comes right out. Check this thread for details: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-engine-tuning-forum-63/stage-1-install-instructions-pictures-18394/

 

Unlike any other country, UK cars have a mechanical anti theft device on the PCM....

 

Not in the UK, check it out....

 

Thanks brothervoodoo I see what is involved now, inside the collars you can see in your picture there are shear head bolts, the heads of these bolts have to be drilled out in order to remove the PCM apparently the PCM is fitted with these security bolts in order to get a lower insurance rating in the UK.

 

Wow - I had no idea - bummer

 

delanor, incase you don't know, here is a UK based board that should help you even further.

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

Thanks again brothervoodoo, I am already a member of the UK RX8 owners club but I think I am the first member of the club that has had a PCM failure so I thought I would post here to check out PCM removal, I did not realise that you guys don`t have the problem of the security bolts only someone suggested that they were also fitted to prevent after market tuners modifying the PCM that is obviously not the case for the US market.

 

Nope Its A New Law In The Uk I Am Told. And They Are There Mainly For Tamper Resistance.

 

Those bolts got in there somehow, right? I think it's highly likely that the Mazda dealer will be able to re-install identical bolts with the appropriate tools after they replace your PCM. In North America, Audi started using tamper-proof bolts on the ECU housings for 2002+ cars fitted with turbocharged engines, in an effort to make it more difficult (or noticeable) for owners to "chip" their cars. The dealers had supplies of the appropriate bolts to reinstall if needed.

Regards,
Gordon

 

These bolts are the reason that my car has been sat in the dealers workshop for 7 days while the techs have progressively pulled the engine to pieces, let me explain.

My car developed a bad misfire (car is 3 months old) the techs could not find the fault using WDS so they started to replace parts on my car with parts from another car, but they still could not find the fault.

After I complained to Mazda UK they sent a tech to the dealer who quickly found that the fault was the PCM, this guy had some equipment to check the PCM in situ which the dealer did not have.

Because the PCM has these security bolts fitted it is difficult for the dealer to substitute the PCM with another because the original bolts have to be drilled out in order to replace the PCM.

OK in the UK Mazda have made the PCM tamper proof but this has now made it difficult for the dealer which means bad service for the customer if you get a fault like my car has.