Hello guys this is the first time I have posted I hope you guys can help me out. I have my RX-8 for 3 weeks now, and I love it. However today on my way home, my A/C stopped blowing cold air. I thought that maybe a fuse blowned or something of that nature. I took it to the Mazda dealer and they checked the car over and said that there was a hole in my A/C condenser. It looked as if a rock flew up and punched a hole in it. They also said that it will NOT be covered under warranty, and that the parts and labor of the removal/installation will be somewhere between $700-800 dollars. The A/C condenser is located where a normal radiator is. Has anyone experence anything like this?? Am I responsible for the hole?? They also told me that NO ONE in the Houston Texas area has one, and probably no one in the state of Texas has one. They will probably have to get on shipped in from Japan. Oh by the way, Mazda will only pay for 2-3 days of the rental that I am driving now, after that I will be responsible for it as well. I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN CHEATED!!!! I have never owned an import. All my other cars were Mustang Cobra's. Any advice????? Please help!!!

thats BS
how is that not under warranty????

Sounds like shitty luck to me.I find it hard to believe that a rock could get up there with that kinda force to punture compressor.After i read your post i went out and looked i cant see how the hell it coulda happened,i would make some calls go over dealers head or try another.

Hey guys, after I talked to the service guys, I went over and talked to the sales guy that sold me the car. You see, when I picked up my car, there was a deep scratch on the back of the driver's seat (looked like someone large tried to get into the back seat and scratched it with their belt buckle). I complain about it, and they told me that they have a guy that can fix it I even showed it to the General Manager. I NEVER got another call about it. So what I told them was "Fix my AC condenser and I'll forget about the seats, otherwise I want a new seat, and oh by the way, I haven't received my customer servey from Mazda yet, you guys better make this right....." He told me that they will talk to the service manager to see if they can work out something...... Wish me luck!!!

Ask them for the exact reason they believe it is not under warranty, and get it in writing. Document everything they say to you and you say to them, keep any and all receipts. It could just be that dealer doesn't want to pay and is hoping you will just take it. Happens all the time regardless of car manufacturer (unfortunately).

And if they say it looks like a rock hit it, ask them to prove it. What makes it look like a rock did it ? How could it have gotten up there ? etc etc.

That happened to me once (long time ago in another car) and was NOT covered under warranty. They want to change the whole condenser, that's why it's so expensive. I fixed it myself with some epoxy, just find the hole and carefully plug it. Give it a long time to fully cure, remember it's gonna be under pressure. That was in 1995 and the A/C is still working perfectly. A better solution that didn't occur to me at the time is to have the hole plugged by welding it.

That's a good idea, couldn't they just weld it??? I'll call them tomorrow and see. Thanks again.

How much for the repair? Can it be covered under your insurance? Maybe they will pay the deductible.

Mag,

I checked with the insurance co. and they told me it will be covered if I choose to claim it. However it will be under comp. instead of collision even though the rock "collided" with my condenser. My deductible is only 250.00 but I don't want my insurance to go up.... It's already high enough!!!

Weird - there's a thread almost exactly like this in the Australian regional section:

http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12313

Looks like it wasn't a warantee option for them either.

It could very well be worth implementing some rock protection around the condenser if it's going to be susceptible to getting rocks flung up in it.

Simon
(yeah, I'm an Aussie.. so I like to lurk into the Australian section from time to time...)

I saw that thread as well. I think that there should be something down there to protect the a/c condensers. It is just wide open down there.....

Seems like a good market for grills.

Sounds like something mazda should sourt out.

Update:

Talked to the dealership today. Apparently Mazda has NOT released the air condenser to the USA yet. The planned date of release is October 16, 2003. and the dealership will not have one until the following Monday Oct. 20th.

Talked to my insurance agent again, and they said that they will cover the damage with NO rise to my insurance (since it was unavoidable, kinda like a rock in the windshield) , on top of which, since I have rental car coverage, I can just leave my car at the dealership and drive a rental for a few weeks.

Kinda upset that I can't enjoy my RX-8, but then again, think about all the mileage I'd save, especially since my RX-8 is a daily driver 60 miles a day.....


:( :( :( :(

That is what insurance is for. If you don't use it, you are wasting your money.

If you only want insurance for those large accidents, change your deductible and save some money.

My 2 cents... Feel better?

BTW, be glad that it is comprehensive; your policy rates don't go up for comprehensive claims, only for collision claims...

Yep - it can happen. The quote for mine is $810. I understand that includes the dryer/receiver and labor as well. And the parts have arrived at the dealership already :)

I tried repairing the tiny hole with some metal epoxy, and we will try that first tomorrow. If that doesn't work, will probably just get the new condensor installed. And I might get the old one welded and keep as a spare ;)

I put up a post on removing the bumper as well:
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10941#post137373

Here is what the damage looks like:
http://www.ssute.com/ls1/dscn5121s.jpg

And my attempt at bogging it up with QuickSteel:
http://www.ssute.com/ls1/dscn5126s.jpg

Cheers,
Hymee.

Feel ALOT better!!!!! Thanks for all the support.....:) :) I'll post some pictures of my "hole" tonight when I go to the dealership.

The "bog job" has survived its first pressure test, and I am on the road again.

Will see if it holds, and report back.

Cheers,
Hymee.

PS - Texagi95,

There is a new condenser unit sitting here in Australia if you still need it!

I am told it incorporates the dryer/receiver as well.

anyone still looking for an aftermarket screen DIY project? I would be interested to put SOMTHING in for protection given decent air-flow.


I used the Wal-Mart Craft screen on the oil-coolers with great results, but I would think protection for the condenser will have to be metal and much larger.

good work hymee

Originally posted by wleonard
anyone still looking for an aftermarket screen DIY project? I would be interested to put SOMTHING in for protection given decent air-flow.


I used the Wal-Mart Craft screen on the oil-coolers with great results, but I would think protection for the condenser will have to be metal and much larger.

Anyone interested in a screen/grill kit to protect ther condensor - please PM me. If there is enough interest I will make up a batch of them complete with all hardware and fitting instructions.

Cheers,
Hymee.

count me in

me too!!

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why would this damage fall within your factory warranty coverage? If a rock hit your windshield, would that be a warranty item? How about if a bird sh*t on your seat and bleached it? How about a motorcycle hitting the bumper? No? Then why would a rock hitting your condensor be any different?:confused:

Here are some picture of my first prototype...

Un-painted:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5131.jpg

Painted, off car:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5156.jpg

Painted, on car:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5159.jpg

That will keep the nasties out!

Originally posted by Hymee
Here are some picture of my first prototype...

Un-painted:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5131.jpg

Painted, off car:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5156.jpg

Painted, on car:
http://users.tpg.com.au/adslnt5c/marko/images/Dscn5159.jpg

That will keep the nasties out!

Hey, that's really nice work! Impressive.

Originally posted by Lensman
Hey, that's really nice work! Impressive.

Thanks dude. If the job is worth doing, it is worth doing properly. Once I have sorted out a minor glitch I plan to offer these to fellow forumers as a complete kit, with full instructions and everything needed to mount and protect that vulnerable A/C condensor.

Mesh is grade 304 Stainless Steel, as well as SS screws, nuts and bolts.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Hymee,

I am definately interested in the grill. Could you also make one for the oil coolers as well?? They are the ones located on the left and right of the bumper. Please keep me in mind. I drove my car to Dallas this weekend, and you have no idea how paranoid I was about following any and all trucks.

Thanks again

I had the same thing happen last week. The dealer told me the same thing about not being covered by warranty. Price quote was $668.00

I have called Mazda Customer Assistance at 1-800-222-5500 and reported the problem, and told them that with 2,600 miles and less than 2 months ownership, I didn't feel it was right to have to fork out the cash. The lady was very helpful and stated that she would get back to me later today or tomorrow.

This isn't a windshield or bird crap...those are obvious items that must be exposed to the elements. A 3-4 inch gap with a direct line to the AC condensor just 6 +/- inches from the ground is NOT a good design and is the direct cause of the fault...not ours. To think otherwise is ludicrous and closed minded. I love the homemade grill design and certainly may be interested if you're going to price it out.

Another note: I also had to have mine towed to the dealership this morning...before the condensor part even arrived. I started backing out of the garage and it just died. It will crank, but it's missing fuel or spark.

This is my first Mazda, and after these incidents, may very well be my last.

They say the car was flooded and that's why it died. Doesn't make sense to me that a started car would die due to flooding. I'm sure some of the flooding occured by me trying to crank the car afterwards.

The service rep actually mentioned that they had another one towed in this morning with the same symptoms. Sounds rather fishy to me!!

Sorry about your problems with your A/C. You may want to file it under your insurance. I did. and the insurance paid for 2 weeks of rental car while I waited for my part. However, my deductible is only 100.00 and I was guaranteed that my rates will NOT go up. Thats why I did it. Before you ask, now I am VERY parnoid every time I get close to a semi, and or checking my A/C even when I don't need it just to make sure that it still works.

Texagi95

My "deductable" (we call it an "Excess") is $650, and my premium won't go up if I claim on it.

Got the word today...after almost a week. There is a national (US) backorder until November 4th.

I told them I would be more than happy to accept one from one of the cars in their lot. They laughed...but I didn't. ;-)

Mine was replaced on Monday (did I post that already??) at a cost of near $800 Australian.

The Condensor and Drier/Receiver is all one unit. Fairly straight forward to remove and refit, then re-gass.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Glad to hear it's working for you!

I just got off the phone with Mazda. In the US, they will escalate it to a regional service manager who makes the final decision. There is nowhere to go from there according to customer assistance. I am also going to inquire how installing a custom grille might affect the warranty for the remainder of the car prior to attempting a retrofit.

Originally posted by Zonker04
Maybe I'm missing something here, but why would this damage fall within your factory warranty coverage? If a rock hit your windshield, would that be a warranty item? How about if a bird sh*t on your seat and bleached it? How about a motorcycle hitting the bumper? No? Then why would a rock hitting your condensor be any different?:confused:

Because the damage to the condenser would not have happened if the obvious need for a grille had been addressed in the design. This will probably be the first thing I do to the car. It was the first thing I did with my '91 Miata, which also inexplicably came without a grille. A bit of stainless-steel mesh is all it took.

A bit dirty, but still doing the job. In fact, It'll probably outlast the car; I might save it for my '8 :)

Spoke to the service manager, and they are willing to pay the comprehensive insurance deductible!

Awesome outcome, my faith has been restored.

That is very good news. What is your deductable? Mine was $650 so it hardly seemed worth it. Plus Mazda were not interested in paying anyway.

My deductible is $500...so insurance will pick up the remaining $168 without an increase of my premium....that means nothing out of my pocket, other than time and frustration.

It certainly turned me 180 degrees on my feelings.

The service manager was great to work with. I also questioned them about the mesh grill and whether that would affect the warranty. He was going to pass the info to the regional manager to verify, but didn't think it should affect the warranty.

It's great that they are looking after you!