anyone install one of these on their own? level of difficulty? thought of requesting this kit for xmas and install it during storage. I would get the handles themselves filled, primed, painted, and sealed professionally still. but the kit itself, I would install on my own.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda...spagenameZWD1V

 

Never heard of that company myself. I know Autoloc also does kits for this application also.

 

they look good, but shave door handles are a hassle after a while. i think devoid may be the only one who shaved his door handle on this forum

 

if you're going to do it go with the Autoloc, they were the first to offer any kind of decent solenoid (back in the day we used cadillac and lincoln trunk poppers) and they back their stuff up.
To do the doors on the Rx8 right is going to take an extra door, sure you might be able to fill the holes and build up the body line using steel/acres of filler, but if you really want it done right and to look flawless I would suggest the best way to do it would be to cut up an extra door and use that. I'd love to do it to mine, but I've done it before and it is a bear to live with every day, repair shops would lock the keys in my other car, accidentally leave the car running and letting the car run was another great one, I crawled in through my hatch a dozen or so times and it got old. I think it'd look badass on the 8, just as the FD looks slick with the handles in the B pillar, but it'd be a pain in the *** to do right and to live with.

 

yea im the same way. i would love to do it, but i think having to live with it everyday would be a pain

 

No secret *door popper* anywhere?

 

looks = 100

usability = 0


on another note, it'd be cool if you had the open door button installed under the side mirrors like a TvR

 

yes it was called my hatch , this was the one car I had it done on back in the early 90's, I shaved EVERYthing off this car, hood squirters, body moldings, emblems, everything. I had 4 12's in it, it was slammed, and I did a bunch of trick stuff to the interior including having a TV in my center console (B&W though, hadn't gotten creative enough to rig a color one yet), swapping in CRX seats, covering everything in grey sculpted tweed, it was nuts, and yes, it was a festiva LOL (it's all I had at the time, and all my friend's had mini-trucks )





hope the link works

 

lol, sweet hatch!

but yeah, seriously, shaved door handles can get old after a while, especially if your battery dies, you're screwed

 

So far as I know...yes, I am the only one to have done this. I honestly don't have what I would term as "usability" issues, but I'm also not your average owner. You can ask a few dragon participants...I tore my door apart while we were at the dragon event to fix one....but seriously, you have to know what you are doing and have work arounds. If one system fails, you need a backup. Personally, I am not comfortable with an external electronic or manual button, so I designed failsafes. If you are seriously interested, expect a couple grand for it to be done right.