my 8 threw a CEL on the way to work yesterday morning, but the car was acting fine so i didnt worry to much. took it into the dealer this morning, they diagnosed the CEL as a cat inefficiency problem. the service advisor/tech asked me if i properly warmed up and shut down the car and i told them i did because i was aware of the flooding issues, also i never drive my car wihtout a proper warm up and shut down procedure. advisor told me he'll keep the case open, hes gonna talk to mazda technical support and get back to me soon.

after they reset the CEL, car seemed to have a lil bit more 'oomph'. car was probably running on the lean side to keep the cat from having to do too much work.

how do you know if you set off a CEL>?

The CEL is a "Check Engine Light" you'll get in your console.

I noticed an extra "oomph" when I disconnected my battery and did the reset procedure (I think it runs somewhat "hopped up" when it's relearning) but it went away that same day.