Just got a call from Stoney Trail Mazda, had my car in there for a service...they said my battery is a goner..I beleive them as I was having some start up issues. Before leaving it with them I downloaded a TSB that talked about the replacement battery. The service advisor said that was merely a service tip therefore my battery is not covered?? BS or true???:banghead:

Secondly, when I suggested that I simply go get a battery and install it myself, he suggested that that wasn't a good idea, as the battery needs to fit the box...understandable...but do you guys know whether there is another battery out there that fits our specs size wise???

Thanks guys...and if anyone has the link to a TSB for the battery replacement that would be great as well...

And I assuming that replacing the battery is simply a matter of disconnecting and reconnecting...something which I'd like to think that I am capable of???

I talked to them about the replacement but they said the same thing. Probably because the TSBs are American ... so they "don't necessarily apply to us" (according to Mazda Canada). I think the service guy assumes everybody is a neanderthal and not capable of changing a battery.

The battery is very easy to replace. I got a nice battery from Canadian Tire with ~800CCA vs my crappy stock one with a measly 300CCA. Battery size is 34R or group 35 (I believe).

Good luck!

How TSB's were explained to me was that they are pretty much just suggested changes if an issue occurs. Even then they are only automatically replaced if you are still under warrantee.

The correct battery would be a Group 35, very easy to install but be sure and read the "Steering Angle Sensor Resetting" procedure in the owners manual. Here's the "Battery Tip" TSB: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/rx8/bulletin/01-019-05-1504.pdf

They also had one on the starter but I can't find it.