Driving on the highway in South Floirda and a small rock jumps across three lanes of traffic and strikes my month old Shinka 8 with 2000 miles on it in that tiny little area next to the fog light. Several miles later, my oil pressure light is on.

I pull over to find oil shooting forth like a fountain out of the oil cooler. Dealer repair estimates are close to a $1000. What the hell is up with that?????

 

Poor design by part of Mazda, may I suggest getting some Oil Screens?

 

The first mod I did was put some screening over those coolers.

This is actually the first incident I've heard of, of an actual cooler puncture. Most people just get awful fin damage.

(the a/c condensor is WAY more likely to be holed, and made of aluminum.)


S

 

9 words: racing beat oil cooler screens and a/c condenser screen

 

i don't think it's a 'little rock' that hit your oil cooler...... probably a significant size + high speed to actually damage the cooler line...

 

I saw the stone jumping across the lane next to me before i heard the impact. I remember thinking it sound like it hit my rim....looked smaller than a glolf ball. The impact spot looked even smaller. Traffic was heavy and there was little avoiding it without being a hazzard of my own. I had not even made the connection that the stone was the source of the oil light until i saw the oil shooting out of the grill.

I've already started searching on those screens some of you have indicated. I had no idea that such protection was needed beyond the cosmetics of it. Rather irritating that such a clear design flaw requires that I purchase after market 'shields' to keep my oil cooler or AC from getting punctured on the road.

 

Got a pic?

 

of the hole in the oil cooler? No. I didn't think to do that as I frustratingly waited for Mazda Roadside assistnace to arrive.

 

sorry that happened to you.. you should complain loudly to have mazda take care of it for you in terms of costs.. there was a thread earlier with one member threatening to sue and mazda replaced the cooler for free.

 

You can make your with some hardware store mesh screens. I riveted mine to the oil cooler intake and painted them black. There's a gap between the screen and the actual cooler. Everyone that looks at mine thinks the car came with them, though the paint is starting to chip so I'm looking at possible matte black touch up paint (any suggestions?). I also worry my mesh is a little thin, but you can easily avoid that situation and I believe my mesh will at least slow down a good sized rock.

 

Welcome to my "past" nightmare. I somehow busted my a/c condensor too. Didn't notice til i turned on the a/c and was like, eh....this is HOT! Cost me also around $800, moral of the story: should've spent that $5 (grill from Home Depot) and $2 (paint) and mod it like everybody did, instead of spending $800 to repair it.

Al

 

^ man that sux... but you shouldve had mazda cough up the dough for it... i still dont understand why it is not a recall as this is a design defect... nissan recalled their muranos as they fuel tank is clear so that rocks flung up from the front wheels can dent or puncture the tank... they had a recall for the earlier models to install a grill shield and it is standard on the current models...

mazda should man up and do this for all the older 8s

 

could you post a pic of it after you get the car back??? if you are paying for it they should give the damaged part back..

beers

 

The oil cooler / condenser issue is a large pain in the *** (expensive and inconvenient) for the RX-8 driver if damage is to occur, but it is not a safety issue. A rock puncturing a fuel tank is definitely a safety issue and that is why it was a recall. No one is going to die for a punctured A/C condenser, but a fuel tank rupture... There should be a TSB to fix this issue to at least install the 2006 RX-8 condenser screen. I don't think Mazda has modified the RX-8 yet for the Oil Coolers, am I correct?

 

yeah oil coolers are still completely exposed to road hazards for '06....

that said, i think i'm still gonna try my luck and running w/o any screens, i'm just gonna stay further behind other cars to avoid picking up debris lol

 

where can I get those screen if i want to purchase it?

 

They run ~$70-80, depending on if there's a sale or group buy available.

Direct link: http://www.racingbeat.com/resultset....r=SCREEN%20SET
Here's the DIY: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-installing-racing-beat-oil-cooler-ac-condenser-screens-86185/

I didn't think it was worth getting about a year ago, but I'm seeing a lot more posts about things being destroyed. $90 investment now will save you 800+ down the road.