I knew the letters haven't gone out yet, thats why I was worried that they already want to do the work...could they really be being proactive suddenly? :)

oh right ! imagine that.

Can we determine if this car has been flooded?

Did I miss something? To what end would this matter regarding Heat Shield/Ball Joint Recalls/Inspections?

Flooding == Unburned Fuel in Exhaust == Extremely High Temperatures when Burning in Exhaust == Melting Gas Tanks.

At least that's a theory.

If they inspect a car & find the recall defect, they could possibly be held negligent, if they allowed it to leave the shop premises.

the problem is not ambient temp related. please read the recall documents posted earlier in this thread

Took my group 1 car in today for the 25,000 mile oil change and while they had it they went ahead and did the inspection for the recall. When I went back to pick it up, I was told that they did the reflash (however, there is no campaign sticker under the hood anywhere), installed a heat shield and that no deformities were found.

My questions are: has anyone else had this done yet and if so, have you noticed the following -

1) exhaust sounds funny (mine is stock) - it's not a backfire or misfire, it's more like a "huff" noise when I gas it and let off
2) radiator fan no longer cuts on after driving - the heat in Louisiana is sitting right at 100 degrees today and normally after driving home from work the fan cuts on as soon as I cut the key off, but it didn't today
3) air conditioner no longer gets as cold (I've never had a problem before with mine getting cold quickly)

Any input would be great.... I definitely plan on calling the dealership first thing Monday morning to address my "list of issues".

Hey Al - you have exactly 25 days to get things sorted out ;)

Does not soud like any thing they did.. More like you are listing more carfully..
The Rx8 has a Crappy AC even after its AC pump fix.

Your Fan may not always come on after driving only if its hot enough to .. and the car decides that .. who knows waht your hearing or feeling withthe Exhaust can you be more specifc ?

if they unhooked the batery the AC amp may have lost its programming. search for ac programming and you wiil find a threafd from recently that describes this. the reprogram is easy -hold 2 buttons until somehthing flashes

Okay Crooked.... I'm workin' on it! Did you answer the email that we got yesterday? Can't wait!!!! :D

I saw the heat recall insulating pad today....it is a small rubber "batwing" looking pad about 3/8" thick,six inchesX 15inches approx...I had invisioned a lot bigger pad that was going to insulate a lot more of the fuel tank......

This is not a big problem, if this is all it takes for the fix

Bought it new - only a few miles on it when I picked up. 9,000 miles on it now. No significant issues - have only had the right tail assembly replaced due to leakage causing misting and had the overhead dome light replaced when one got real dim.

Car has been great. I don't beat on the car at all - some spirited driving but nothing crazy or for long periods.

Dealer said in a later conversation that the "deformation" was very minor but since there was any they felt it should be replaced. I'm supposed to pick up today.

Bought it in Columbus OH - been in Buffalo since other than a few road trips (Montreal, Pittsburgh, Adirondacks).

Never did any racing or anything significant in that vein. The usual spirited acceleration on ramps and such.

:)

As I said in another reply, the dealer subsiequently advised the deformation was very minor but they wanted to replace since there was some.

I haven't heard word of this recall from my dealer yet. And on mazdausa.com where my car is registered it says there are no recalls currently. Is that abnormal or is it just going to take me a while to get word?

I went ahead and called up my dealership and asked if they were accepting appointments for the recall and they told me they were. My car is currently in the shop (I took it in yesterday afternoon), so I'll call them up later in the day to see how things are coming.

They have all of the parts in stock and are currently performing the recall procedure on their RX8's. It might not hurt to give them a call to inquire if you havent received your letter yet. Chances are that they will do the procedure since it's pretty late in the month.

I'll let you guys know my impressions after I get my car back.. of course :)

davefzr,
Which dealer are you refering to. If not Browning Mazda, then does your dealer have a good service dept?

This is really odd, but I just got a call from the dealer telling me the parts weren't in yet and could I keep the rental car they gave me another day or two. This service rep tells me that the part they are waiting for is just the insulating pad for the tank and my gas tank is just fine! I told him that the woman I spoke with last week told me they had to order a new gas tank - I said "it was really deformed?" and she said yes and they needed to replace. He said he didn't know and would have to talk to the other rep - he was just reading the work order.

I'm waiting for the service manager to call me back to explain this - but it appears the whole discussion may be a false alarm of sorts!

I also can't figure out how they could be waiting for the insulation pad when I had asked about parts availability before making the recall appointment!

Something is f^&%ed up here. Sorry to have gotten everyone all excited / interested if it is indeed a false alarm as to the gas tank...

I dont even want to go there. My service department isnt the best but they are handling this fairly well...

I also asked if they could take a look at the steering wheel because it is squeeking like crazy. They said that the district mgr would have to get involved because my warranty had been voided. If they dont cover the steering wheel I will have to get a lawyer because that is rediculous...

(Back story is that they voided my warr. because of aftermarket parts, but I have since uninstalled some of them and I am still having some issues)

Fun!! :) haha..

I have a feeling that this car wont be in my garage for long.. we'll see if things improve.. My warranty is almost up anyway. I have over 41,000 miles on it.

<<<<<<<EDIT>>>>>>>
They approved my steering wheel and I am awaiting completion of the recall work.
<<<<<<<EDIT>>>>>>>

I think this is the very reason folks are saying to just wait until you get the recall notice and not try to "rush" to get the repair. Seems like the dealers are learning as they go - using your car (and others) to try to figure out what to do.

I will wait until they have lots of experience before I bother to take my car in :cool:

Dennis

took my car in they did the E-break when you put it down the e-break light stays on and they did that thing about the gas tank and i got the (( R )) flash.

At end of the day am driving off and the AC temp NOOB fell out i was like wtf ?!?!?! some one broke the damn thing so they are replacing it, Now the car feels a lil SLow with the (( R )) flash duno why.

Well, I contacted my Dealer (Surburban Mazda - Troy, MI) a week ago inquiring about the Thermal Recall. He asked if I had received a letter from Mazda.....I told him - no, not yet, but I heard about this recall from the RX8Club forum and wanted to see if I could bring my car in. He laughed and grumbled something about us always knowing about things before them and indicated that an appt could be made so I could bring it in. I then asked if the 'R' Flash was part of this....he said - yep. Then.......I inquired about the Control Arm Recall. David said they are just starting to get information on this and couldn't do anything right now as they had no instruction from Mazda.
So......yesterday I took my 8 in for the Thermal Recall. Was given a rental car and told my car would be ready around 4-5pm. To my surprise, they called at 12noon (took it in at 9am) and said its ready! Great. Blanket installed and R Flash complete. Guess I'll have to wait for the Control Arm thing as I have a Group 1 04.
Now.....as to the R-Flash. I've always chuckled at the threads written here about performance, and the ole butt-dyno stories, but, I have to admit that I have noticed a bit of difference with the R-Flash. My car used to hestitate and seem like it wasn't quite as peppy under full throttle through 4-7k. Now, it 'appears' that I have more 'jump' and the acceleration is better......quicker and smoother. Not sure if it is a reality or my wishful thinking but it does seem like there is a difference. Hmmmm.

^^what flash were you on before the "R" update. I felt this difference when moving from "M" to "N". Others have complained since the "R" flash. Just curious.

I was on the 'M' flash.....I know it seems like alot of folks are 'complaining' about the move to 'R' but I seem to have noticed positive improvement.