We get one inside the rear console compartment.
The brochure specifically states:
"Interior features -Instrument Panel:
12 volt power outlet
Cigarette lighter and illuminated ashtray"

Interior Features - Storage:
Centre Console with lockable storage and power outlet."

In other words we are supposed to get a 12V outlet in the dash. Useful for plugging in GPS, radar detector, etc.

What we got was a cigarette lighter inside the ashtray cover.
When I asked them where the 12 volt outlet was, they told me that "they threw in the cigarette lighter for free, that IS your 12 volt outlet"


Deceptive bullshit.
If the way it is was truthfully stated, it would read:
"Cigarette lighter and illuminated ashtray, cigarette lighter may be used as a 12 volt outlet"

I expected to get a 12 volt outlet somewhere on the dash, AND a cigarette lighter. I DO smoke, BTW.
Now to use the socket I give up the lighter, and have to leave the ashtry cover open all the time. Not so nice if you open the window and it is breezy in the car..

Or if you use the ashtray, you risk burning the cords..

All of this is covered by the disclaimer in the brochure tht says they can change whatever they want without notice.

It also tells me I have 250HP, and a leather wrapped parking brake cover.
And it lists an accessory of a block heater, and so on..
The sales invoice lists a bcock heater.
The dealer can not install it as Mazda Canada have no block heaters available, and no way to install one.

I have found 11 changes from the brochure so far..

I asked them what it would cost to get the base wheels as offered in the RX-8 in Japan. It has 16" wheels, which we know will fit, are genuine Mazda parts, so would be under warranty and so on.
These would be perfect for use in winter with snow tires.

It was news to them that the wheels even existed.

 

I guess that's a matter of interpretation. Personally, I regard the socket as a 12V power outlet, and the piece you insert into it, which glows when it gets hot, and can light your cigarette, as a cigarette lighter.
OK, I'm curious...where exactly did you expect them to put such a socket? Having seen all the photographs of the RX-8's instrument panel, did you think it must be hidden behind the stereo controls or something?
We know they'll fit? Unless this is another difference between the US and Canadian spec cars, they won't fit over the larger brakes that come with the automatic Sport Package, or standard on the Manual.

 

re: 12 volt plug location.

The round plug on the dash, next to the glove box, perhaps.

Hell, how should I know?
I did not get to sit in the car before I made my deposit and bought it.
I just read the specs in the brochure.

I saw the RX-8 in Japan with the 16" wheels, and the same brakes as I have in my GT.

I simply pointed these wheels as a possibility as they are light, seem well made, will fit properly, and are genuine Mazda.

Price? Probably high..

 

RX8-Smooth, true, but Japan also got RHD cars, perhaps the part number are for Japanese/Ozzie 8´s?

 

Perhaps, although i nver heard of RHD wheels before.

 

Canzoomer...

RHD cars?

Yes - there is a whole world outside of North America. In fact, the country of origin of these cars has adopted RHD.

As for this stupid argument about cigarette lighters etc...

My car has 2 x 12v outlets. One towards the rear of the center console, the other in the dash next to the ashtray.

The front 12v outlet happens to have a cigarette lighter in it, until such time as I toss it out.

So yes - the car has 2 x 12v outlets and 1 cigarette lighter.

Have you got any real problems with the car?

Cheers,
Hymee

 

Good for you. However I would not want to toss mine out, as I happen to smoke.
So, I was rather hoping to get the in-dash 12 volt outlet and the lighter, as promised.

Problems? Yes, an abundance.

Lack of power
The brochure I was given this spring when I paid my deposit claimed 250HP
When it was shipped to me Mazda had reduced that to 247HP.
After we started taking delivery of the car and many of us said "Ther eis no way in hell this is making 247HP!" they reduced it again to 238HP.
The powertrain in this car is similar to the Miata. Same transmission and differntial unit. Lighter driveshaft.
The Miata drivetrain takes 25HP.
If we apply tha to the 238HP claimed now, we get 213HP.
Dynos done on this car range from 165HP to 186HP.
That is still down by 27HP from the 3rd claim they are now making.
A Volkswagen Golf, with 1 1.8 litre turbo makes a claimed 180HP.
It accelerates EXACTLY the same as my RX-8.

I drove an Audi TT yesterday, with the same 1.8l engine,
but more boost and other items allow Audi to claim 225HP
from that engine.
It is WAY faster than my RX-8.
It weighs the same, BTW, so that is not the difference.

God awful gas mileage. My Honda Odyssey gets 11.2l/100km
My Chev 3/4 ton truck with a 350 V8 gets 13.6/100
The Nissan Setra SE-R Spec V that I sold to buy this car made
190HP at the front wheels on a dyno ( two dynos actually,
I got it tested at two places) and got 12.4/100
My buddy's pathfinder gets 12.7/100
My RX-8 gets 15.8/100

A friends RX-7 3rd gen, twin turbo, with boost controller, and Apexi computer, and lots of other mods makes around 350HP, and gets about 10% better mileage than my RX-8!

I have had no problem driving within 10% of the EPA mileage figures on every other car I presently or previously owned.

Roasting feet. When I turn on the fan hot air comes out of the vents.
To drive around I have to turn on the air conditioner.
If I just turn on the fan my wife and daughter tell me to turn it off as they are cooking.

No way to get a block heater, even though I paid for one on my sales invoice. Dealer won't do it, Mazda Canda has no solution.
Dealer put it on the sales invoice, I did not have to ask for it.
Dealer did not bother to mention they did not do it. Only noticed last week, when I was starting to plan winter preparation, and notice there is no cord.
I live in Edmonton, for crying out loud. Last March it hit -30C one night ( -22 for you Yanks). I guess the heat out put around the feet might have come in useful there, but we found one more bug:

Turn on the heat to about halfway.
Set the ventilation mode to heat the windshield and the floor, no air from the dash.
When heating up a car when it is cold out I want hot air on the windshield to
thaw it, and the rest to the floor to heat it and drive the cold up and out,
and to melt the snow on your feet, and dry out the floor mats.
I do NOT want it coming out the dash and blowing in my face.

Whan you do this on the RX-8, the air conditioning comes on and blows cold air on your feet.
Doh!
Again I talked to Mazda about that little detail, and they said nothing could be done about it.

Oil light on the dash.
When I go at higher speeds on the highway, it comes on after about 10 minutes.
I hear they know about that problem in the USA and Australia.
They did not know about it in Canada until last week, when I called them about it,
I got tired of hearing them repeatedly telling me my oil must be low,
and me telling them that it is topped up.
Finally I insisted they call Mazda USA and check.
They got back to me to say there would be a service bulletin.
In at least two weeks. They apparently have to translate it into French first.
They are ordering the parts this coming week, so they will be here in about a month.
I explained that I plan a rather longish road trip at the end of the month,
and hoped it could be fixed by then, so that if I really did have an oil problem
I would know about it.
They tell me that is not going to happen this soon.

The floor mat on the drivers side. In Canada they put the hole for the clip in the wrong place.
Considering my sale was registered in mid July with them, and I got my customer satisfaction
questionaire a month ago, they have had lots of time to send me a new floor mat.

Mazda lied about the power (THREE TIMES), lied about the blockheater,
lied about the interior items (12V outlets, leather covered park brake handle)
and lied about the gas mileage.

And they refuse to fix ANY of it. The odd items they have owned up to, are taking forever to fix.


They can take this car and shove it!
I am eagerly waiting for the response from my letter,
so I can (hopefully) get rid of this lemon soon.

 

Canzoomer,

So that would put in the "Not a happy camper" category.

Sorry you think your car is such a lemon. I reckon mine is great.

Our's were advertised at 177kW, which equates to your revised 238HP. Sorry to here you are missing out on the 9kW.

Fortunately I don't have to worry about the extremes of temperature you endure. The Aussy '8s have climate control as standard.

My car has a 12v outlet in the dash. It also serves as the holder for the cigarette lighter.

And as for the leather parking brake, mine hasn't got that, but I wasn't expecting it. I'm sure it would make all the more difference to my parking experience, but I can live without it.

Mileage - Well on at least one tankful I have achieved the 12l/100km that is advertised over here as the comparitive measure.

Good luck with your next car. If you really like it I hope some other disgruntled ***** bags the **** out of it on some public forum and gives it a bad name as well.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

canzoomer, you are one stubborn and pigheaded person! This has been explained to you multiple times, yet you seem to believe that you are the only one that can count. Instead of insisting that everyone else is wrong, perhaps you might consider that you made an assumption that was incorrect?

YOU assume that the word "lighter" means "lighter with associated, exclusive 12 volt socket to put it in"

EVERYONE else (including the manufacturers, and not just MAZDA), believes that the word "lighter" just means the piece that heats up that you apply to your cigarette to get it to ignite. It does NOT mean a 12 volt outlet.

For example - a Miata has a 12 volt outlet, no lighter. A RX-8 has 1 12 volt outlet and 1 lighter (for sake of discussion, we're ignoring the 2nd 12 volt outlet at the rear of the console box). The difference? JUST the lighter - they both have 1 12 volt outlet.

Do you understand the difference? Please answer specifically - is there any possibility that your assumed definition of "lighter" is incorrect??? Or are all the rest of us ignorant, lying, deceitful, untrustworthy scumbags?

Look, I've tried to be polite, but your pigheadedness about some of these issues and your refusal to consider that you might be incorrect are just incredible. So let's consider your beloved Audi TT, according to you a much better sports car, that's faster and better handling.

Really?

Hmm, look up any road tests lately?

Did you read .this Car and Driver comparison test , where the 225-bhp Audi TT roadster finishes last in a comparison with the BMW Z4, Honda S2000, 350Z Touring, and Boxster? The test where they said Wait, what was that? The 225 hp TT tests at 1 second slower to 60 than an RX-8, and .1g less in cornering capability, and much longer stopping distances? But you say that it's faster and handles better than the RX-8?

How about This Car and Driver comparison test , where the 180 bhp TT quattro coupe is compared with the Mustang Mach 1, 350Z, and Honda S2000? The test where the TT again finished last, and they said Hmm, isn't it funny that other comparison tests that have included the RX-8 against some of these same competitors place the RX-8 first rather than last, yet you insist that the TT is the better sports car? I suppose if you don't include acceleration, braking, or cornering, responsiveness, shift quality, weight (the TT is 200 or 300 lbs heavier than the RX-8), then the TT might be the better sports car.

You also probably didn't read
this Car and Driver long term test , where they said Hmph, how about that - a car that made more power and got faster when it had some significant break-in miles on it (40K miles, in the TT's case). Of course, there's NO reason to suspect that the RX-8 engine might also loosen up and develop more power, is there, even though compaddict's dyno tests at 2000 and 4000 miles already showed 9 extra hp from the 2000 extra miles. Only TT's can get more power and get faster once they've got a bunch of miles on them, right?

Face it - the TT is not a better sports car. By every test (and sorry, I don't consider your butt dyno a reliable indicator of which car is faster), the RX-8 is faster, quicker, lighter, better braking, and better handling, than a TT. Of course, the fact that you faced off against a Golf 1.8T that was probably modified, and was probably piloted by a better driver, and got humiliated is enough reason to buy a TT and pretend that you're getting a better sports car.

Care to define for us what "sports car" means to you? Because most of us look at acceleration, top speed, braking, and handling, along with responsiveness, shift and steering feel, etc. to define "sports car".

But hey, keep hanging around here, keep reading the dyno tests as the cars get broken in and the power increases. When the stock RX-8s with 8K or 10K miles are making 210 rwhp (ie around 238 flywheel hp), will you post an apology for calling Mazda liars about the rated power? We know how big you are on apologies, after all...

[Edit] - one final wrap-up, with a quote from EVO magazine ( www.evo.co.uk ) where they compared the RX-8 against the Golf R32, the winner of their previous hot hatch test (which has the more powerful 240 hp VR6 and AWD drivetrain - basically, the best version of the Golf platform, TT notwithstanding). Here's what they had to say:Hmm, RX-8 wins again!


Regards,
Gordon

 

So am I .
Take a look at it from my persective for a second:
December 2001, put a deposit on a 350Z Track Pack. Dealer promised delivery in April.
April did not happen, and in May I heard the RX-8 were coming to Canada very soon. Dealer told me by the end of June.
So, got my deposti back on the Z from the Nissan dealer.
Looked at the RX-8 brochure with my Mazda dealer.
Advertised 250HP ( not PS, HP)
I said to myself: "Hmmm, about 37HP down from the 350Z, but I guess I can live with that. At least I get back seats and a trunk.."

Then as July 1st rolls by, no car, but we see the power rating on the Mazda specs now "adjusted" down to 247HP.
I see this, and say " Ah well, it's only 3HP. I am still only down 40HP from the 350Z"

Then July is progressing, and we are at July 17th. Still no car.

Bear in mind that here in Edmonton the roads are not ice free until late April, and that only lasts until late September.
Sports car season is pretty short!

On July 18th I am booked for vacation with my family, not too far from you. We go to S. E. Asia and Japan for a month.

So, I make arragements with the dealer for him to keep the car while I am away on vacation. I don't want it parked on my driveway for a month while I am gone. I also do not feel like paying for insurance for that month.

On July 17th, at 3 in the afternoon, the dealer calls to tell me my car is in! I go down there, he lends me a dealer plate, and I get to drive it for 2 hours. I have to get it back before they close.
I treat it very gentle as it is just beginning break-in. What can I tell about power from that? I am shifting at 4500rpm.

I get back from holidays, pick up my car, and start reading the threads in the forums.
Ouch! 170HP on a dyno. I am getting REALLY WORRIED!

More dyno tests confirm this, and finally Mazda owns up that there is a "small discrepancy"
They claim it is now at 238HP.
So, at this point, I believe them, and think "Hmm, now I am down about 50HP from what I started with. Not so good. This car sure must chew up a lot of power in the drivetrain. I talk to my dealer and he "confirms" that the loss is around 25% or more. Wow, surewish I had known that earlier. The 350Z only loses 15%, and I would have ended up taking delivery sooner.. Oh well, what's done is done."

I drive lots, mainly highway, and break in the engine. At about 1000 kilometers I start to open it up some, and push the revs up.
Not impressive. The Nissan Spec V I have just sold would kick this cars *** in a run.

I read more postings, and see that the power really is around 170 at the rear wheels, maybe 180 on an optimistic dyno.
I read that the tranny is the same as a Miata, and that the Miata eats 25HP in it's driveline. The RX-8 has the composit fibre driveshaft, which is very light, and an electric steering pump, so no loss from that belt.
I realize that my car has around 200HP, maybe 205 at best, once it is broken in.
I am down 87HP from my original goal, and down 50HP from what I paid for.

Let's put that into perspective:
In Japan, the original model versions are:

RX-8:
154KW (210PS) claimed, with 5 speed, and no DSC
2,400,000 Yen. About $28,000 Canadian Dollars ( $20, 470 USD)

RX-8 Type S ( the same car equipped as I bought it here in Canada)
184KW (250PS) claimed, with 6 speed and DSC.
2,750,000 Yen. About $32,000 Canadian Dollars ($23, 460USD)

I just paid $40,000 Canadian, plus freight, prep, a block heater charge, floor mats, tank of gas, etc., and this came to $42,047 before taxes.

By my reasoning, I got the base RX-8 for all intents and purposes.
That is a car that is $4,000 cheaper. Sure, I got bigger wheels and tires, leather ( that I did not want, no choice) and a Bose Stereo, that I did not want.
If you take away the options and add-ons that I would have chosen, I paid about $3,000 too much for this car.

More to the point I got cheated, lied to and abused by the manufacturer, who show absolutely no sign or remorse whatsoever.

And they have a history of doing this to their customers. Think 2001 Miata.

Quote:

Good luck with your next car. If you really like it I hope some other disgruntled ***** bags the **** out of it on some public forum and gives it a bad name as well.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Just to be sure about that, I joined and read a whole lot of Audi TT forums in the last 24 hours.
I am quite certain I will feel a lot better about that car.

And I KNOW they don't screw their customers like Mazda do.

 

Well Mazda have never screwed me.

This is the 5th new car I have personally bought off them. They never made me buy one of them, and I doubt they made you buy yours. If you wanted the Datsun Z so much maybe you should have waited. It sounds like you are just cranky with your descision. I paid someone to get me out of a 5.7 V8 the had similar consumption, yet put out 235 kW at the wheels. It was a decision I didn't take lightly. But there's more to it than pure kW. I'm still grinning.

Anyway - this thread has now gone way off topic. I won't respond any more. Hymee has left the building. hehehe

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

YES- YES- YES: Last night, I was driving my new RX-8 at a high speed on the freeway (I live in california) and the Oil pressure light came on. I know the car is full of oil because I have under 2 thousand miles on it. As I slowed the car down the light went off and came on again. When I made the car go faster. I need to take the car in to have it cheecked out.

 

OK So it sounds like you made a rash/impatient decision and now you're angry about it. Don't sweat, I do it all the time - I get something in my head, I convince myself I really want it, something happens I make a slight change and end up getting not exactly what I wanted, then I'm upset about it.

You have an excellent opportunity to rectify your mistake by taking advantage of Mazda's PR error (ie: not having their facts straight before publishing stuff) and giving the car back to Mazda. Give it back and get on with your life. Going over the gory details continously and trying to pre-justify yet another possibly rash decision is bad for you and a big pain in the *** for everyone else.

Imagine how much of a pickle you'd be in with your decision if the buy-back wasn't an option? So count your blessings and get on with it. I hope you enjoy whatever car you end up with, because chances are you won't have the same opportunity to undo the decision like you have in this case.

Oh yeah - and on the 12v/lighter thing, go to the gas station and buy a 50c bic lighter. Problem solved....

 

Just a minor point, but the light indicates low oil level, not pressure. Before you take it in to be looked at, check your oil with the dipstick. After 2000 miles, it's entirely possible that you may need to add a pint or so.

 

-8 year bump-

04 GT 6-spd MT @ 96kmiles (49k miles on engine) (build date 9/03)

I'm also experiencing my low oil light coming on after some spirited driving followed by 70-80mph cruising....

This has happened before once (in February), but after checking the level of the oil (it was full) I restarted the car and it was gone till now.

It happened again this morning, after driving with the rpms @+6k for awhile the oil light came on. I dropped the rpms and started cruising @ about 65mpg in 6th gear. The light stayed on so I decided to stop at a buddies house and check it out. The oil level was again full, but this time the light came back on about a minute after I restarted the car. I checked the wires and plug for the level sensor, but everything looks good. Plug is clean, the wires look fine, and the oil has about 700-1000 miles or so on it.

What should be my next step? I bought this car used, so I don't think Mazda will help me out.

-Note-
The dummy oil pressure gauge never moved. Using GTX 10w-40 oil. (Just in case that matters.)

Thanks,
-Shawn

 

1.3 im not 100% sure but i think mazda had a recall or tsb on early model oil pans. i think it was something with the sensor or baffles in the pan. experts can chime in now

 

hm i had similar problem but the light only came on after racetrack sessions, never during the regular street driving.

 

Here is the TSB you want to read.......what will you do?


http://www.finishlineperformance.com...13-04-1341.pdf

 

My problem is more along the lines of that the light is still on.
Even while it just idles.

My VIN is 40113221, so I don't think that applies to me.

 

Well now I thinks it's a wire / sensor issue... The light went off this morning some time while driving to work... Guess I better start looking around to see if I can just change the sensor out or if the entire pan needs to be changed...