En route to a Local All-Mazda meet, I was driving about 45mph in traffic. As traffic slowed to about 25-30mph, I pushed the clutch pedal in, and rev' matched my downshift from 3 to 2nd gear. When I let the clutch out the whole car felt like it was shaking. Was HORRIBLE grinding/popping sound. I Pushed the clutch pedal in, tried the gas pedal - no dice. :(

As fortune would have it, the car had enough momentum to coast into a 'transmission repair' parking lot.

4.5hrs later I'm just getting home from the mazda dealer - Praying to God I don't have to go thru weeks of 'well it broke, so OBVIOUSLY you've abused it!' bullshit.

:(

will update as I get info.

:(

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=59101

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=59100&stc=1

Welcome to my world.

Yep, might not hurt to go back and check for any "incriminating" posts. ;) :D

OUCH....good luck :( This really sucks. Hope it's fixed before Sat :D

Mate, sorry to hear of your problem. Hopefully it's as a result of loose pressure plate bolts......but it sounds like a catastrophic clutch plate failure to me.


Model Starting S/N Ending S/N
2004 RX8 40000000 40122421

Some customers may complain of hard to shift, or unable to move shift lever into any gear range while the engine is running. Also, the clutch may engage / disengage near the floor. The concern may be caused by loose clutch cover (pressure plate) bolts. Follow the repair procedure below. 1. Confirm concern. 2. Remove starter per shop manual.(Section 01-19-2) 3. Check clutch cover bolt torque. (16.3 - 24.4 ft lbf) The bolts may be difficult to access using standard wrenches / sockets. Aftermarket distributor wrenches may be used to access N torque bolts.(14mm 9/16) (Example- Snap-On P/N-s-8176) 4. Confirm repair.

All the best. Cheers,
Gomez.

^ that happened to me a month after i bought the car!

Dmp,


I Told You To Check Your Plugs!!!!!



:D

Damn, that sucks.

sucks horribly... :(

anyone recommend a good mazdaspeed parts dealer?

sorry to hear that dmp. hopefully u will get your transmission fixed soon.

another misfortunate event happened to silver 8 owner :o

Sorry about your problem. We all hope it is covered under warranty.

Please let us know which dealer you took it to and what the outcome is.

SAME THING happened to me last night.

I have a 05 base 6MT with 5000 miles on it. Bought it in July.

I was on the highway doing 60mph 6th. I wanted to pass a truck, so I downshifted from 6th to 5th. Pushed the clutch in, blipped the throttle to match teh RPMS. Heard a Horrible grinding noise, the clutch pedal sunk the the floor, seems like the clutch completely failed. I coudlnt get into any gears. Car has been towed to the dealer, and I'm anxiously waiting for what the dealer will say monday morning. I'm still in shock as to why this happened. I've been driving manual transmission since i got my license 5 years :confused: ago. I BABY this car. :confused:

Again, welcome to the club. This highway experience sounds almost the same as mine. Unimpressed.

What's the diagnosis, 6mm??

This seems to be a recurring problem....

would those that have had a pressure plate/clutch problem give us a reply with how it was handled by Mazda...ie: this should be covered under warranty.

I know dmp, and the way he drives his car...it would be impossible that it was related to abuse in any way!

I know of a few already that have been handled poorly by Mazda....let's hope that they get better results this time!

Post a build date, for the love of the rx8 post the build date!

.....and approx VIN #.....

Not to hijack the thread but I have noticed something with my car, when I don't drive my car for a day or 2 then get in it the clutch is very grabby and the peddle is somewhat firm, yet after driving it that day and then the next day and so on the peddle feels a little spongy and the clutch doesn't feel like it grabs the same, just a little softer. Is it just heat getting back into the disc? Like I said, it is just something I have noticed. No major work has ever been done to my car, and you can see my build date below.

Post a build date, for the love of the rx8 post the build date!


Unless somebody can run my vin and get a build date, I won't know my build date until I get back to my car - assuming it's annotated on the data plate.

:)

sorry to hear the news this blows... hope you don't encounter any resistance and get it covered under warranty.

Still no word from the dealer; as I'm sure they'll crack open the transmission, I went ahead and ordered a MS Flywheel today - either way this thing works out, I'll get the car a better flywheel :)

OK, the dealer tore it all down today and got back to me. Service manager claims that the clutch "exploded" and is completely destroyed. Much to my relief, he said the regional Mazda rep has approved the repair work for a new clutch assembly under warrenty. he also said this is the "only time they will do it, as the clutch is not covered under warrentied". This is when i brought up the pressure plate bolts issue to him. He seemed like he never heard of this problem before and suggested that the cause of failure was probably the driver. I said, im not going to accept that and I would like a complete investigation done as to the cause of failure. I REFUSE to be told that I am the cause of this problem. I baby this car and hardly ever drive it hard! I also told them to go ahead and do the 5000 mile service and recall repairs. Service manager also pretended to not know what was talking about when I mentioned the recall...SHould I be worried? :confused:

Service manager also pretended to not know what was talking about when I mentioned the recall...Should I be worried? :confused:

Yes.

By the same token, loose pressure plate bolts should not be a problem if your car is not in the indicated VIN range......

By the same token, loose pressure plate bolts should not be a problem if your car is not in the indicated VIN range......


Understood. the car is an 05 with a 4/05 build date. does everyone having clutch/tranny problems own an early build 04?

Much to my relief, he said the regional Mazda rep has approved the repair work for a new clutch assembly under warrenty. he also said this is the "only time they will do it, as the clutch is not covered under warranty". :confused:I think we will find there are quiet exceptions to this statement :D about it not being covered under warranty.........

OK, the dealer tore it all down today and got back to me. Service manager claims that the clutch "exploded" and is completely destroyed. Much to my relief, he said the regional Mazda rep has approved the repair work for a new clutch assembly under warrenty.

Please PLEASE if you can, ask him to give you a case or file number or something...If I can show precidence, it'll help me in my 'cause'...

Thanks much!

"only time they will do it, as the clutch is not covered under warrentied".
Wait a minute. I thought wear items (i.e., clutch, brake linings, etc.) were covered for the first 12,000 miles?

Troubling news...sort of.

I heard nothing from the dealer yesterday - so this morning I called from work and left a message. I was out of the office for a bit so checked my voice mail:


"Darin, this is Brian from Milam Mazda - We found something in your clutch disc basically exploded - we've got some replacement parts on the way, and if they come in today, we'll have the car back and done this evening."

I called down to the dealership right away.

"Yeah" Brian said, "we found parts broken in your clutch - we've got replacement parts en route, and should be able to get the car done today."

'Wow. Brian - that is awesome; can I ask you guys to slow down a little bit? Figuring you guys would have to drop the transmission anyway, I ordered a Mazdaspeed flywheel hoping you could install that for me.'

Brian went on to say He'll check with mazda - as Mazda is paying for everything, he wants to make sure they have no issue with doing the flywheel whilst the clutch is out - he'll call me back.


NO question....No hassle...Miliam Mazda in Puyallup, WA handled things with my car.

Why am I troubled? Car problems that go THIS smoothly worry me...I mean...heard the phrase 'too good to be true'?? ;)

- darin

By the same token, loose pressure plate bolts should not be a problem if your car is not in the indicated VIN range......
Gomez,
Forgive me for asking, but what is the "indicated" VIN range?? Is there a TSB out on this? I do not remember seeing one. Thanks.

Spoke again w/ my service guy - he said 'This is the last clutch we can fix; Mazda would typically only cover it if the car had fewer than 12,000 miles."

My reply: "So if the disc breaks apart again, at 26,000 miles, or even next week, I'm out of luck eh?"

'Yup' Was his reply, 'You'll be on your own.'

:(

Then you should go ahead & put in the MS Clutch along with the flywheel.

Then you should go ahead & put in the MS Clutch along with the flywheel.


If I want the MS Clutch, I have to pay for the whole thing; so says their 'Mazda' people. :(

:-/

I just had a clutch replaced under warranty do to the pressure plate bolts thing. Dealer was really cool with me and didn't give me any hassles whatsoever. I don't ever abuse my car though and I always baby it. My car was an 05/2003 build.

My dealer would not do the MS flywheel install however.

Gomez,
Forgive me for asking, but what is the "indicated" VIN range?? Is there a TSB out on this? I do not remember seeing one. Thanks.

Post #5 in this thread.

En route to a Local All-Mazda meet

Going to Mazda events is bad luck. My p/s-dsc module failed on the way to revitup last year and last month my battery died, stone cold flat dead on the way to a local rotary meet.

Sorry to hear this. Hope they do your flywheel too.

Spoke again w/ my service guy - he said 'This is the last clutch we can fix; Mazda would typically only cover it if the car had fewer than 12,000 miles."

My reply: "So if the disc breaks apart again, at 26,000 miles, or even next week, I'm out of luck eh?"

'Yup' Was his reply, 'You'll be on your own.'

:(


I was pretty much told the same thing. The parts are in and they said it will take them a few days to finish the job. I want them to take as much time as they need to do this job PERFECTLY, as I am a bit spooked that this clutch may fail again due to a mazda DEFECT and it will cost me out of my pocket. For the meanwhile...I got a Dodge Dakota v8 as the rental. Talk about a totally differnt driving experience...i miss my rx8, but its fun to be up high on the road.

Well, it's happened to me. One minute the clutch was fine and, literally, the next minute it was gone. Pushed the pedal in but couldn't shift into any gear. No strange sounds or anything. And it wasn't slipping either. She's at the dealer right now. They want to replace the whole clutch assembly, flywheel and all to the tune of $1300!!! It's not the pressure plate bolt torque, I had them check that first. The car has 31k on it and probably 2/3 are highway miles. I've been driving sticks for over 20 years so I know it's not me. Anyway, I'm hoping it's something in the hydraulics. The car has a Feb '04 build date and I've only had it for 26 months. :mad:

Good luck! I've since sold my RX-8, but there is no doubt in my mind that the RX-8 clutch is defective. I have also driven manual vehicles all my life and NEVER had to replace a clutch that simply exploded...until the RX-8.

I had mine replaced partially under warranty. Mazda covered the labor and I bought upgraded parts...

Anyway, I feel your pain.
:spank:

Thanks. I'm still waiting for another call back as I want to see EVERYTHING before I authorize any additional work. I could see if I had 75k on her and the thing started slipping. But to just suddenly stop working, tells me that something FAILED.

Good luck! I've since sold my RX-8, but there is no doubt in my mind that the RX-8 clutch is defective. I have also driven manual vehicles all my life and NEVER had to replace a clutch that simply exploded...until the RX-8.

I had mine replaced partially under warranty. Mazda covered the labor and I bought upgraded parts...

Anyway, I feel your pain.
:spank:

Got the word. One disc spring broke (pics #1 and 2). The small broken piece actually fell out of the pressure plate when the tech was handling it. He said, and I agree, that the broken piece probably got stuck somewhere and that prevented the clutch from fully engaging. The pressure plate and flywheel look really good to me (the machined groves are still visible!) There is no blueing or any other sign of abuse. Now, the service advisor is still saying that it's a wear piece and that I do have 31k on it. Bullsh_t! Now if 3 or 4 springs were broken, then I'd say he has a point. It's now going up the chain, supposedly to the Regional Rep or whatever Mazda calls them. To sum it up, I have a FAILED piece that happens to be on a wear item. I doubt I'd have any issues at all if the broken spring was on a non-wear item! Advice please.

At 56K on my 04 MT I had to have the engine replaced; while in for this work (see my story here under my Blown Engine post about a year ago) was informed that I had a couple of busted pressure plate springs so had the plate/clutch/bearing replaced at the same time. New throwout bearing I got was a "squealer" for about 1K miles and then quieted down and I was good for a while.

Car is back in again for tranny work now as I type this, synchros on 4th gone and 3rd & 5th are right behind it. Still waiting to hear the final damages. I've been driving sticks for over 25 years and this is the first vehicle I've ever had this kind of trouble with. Car never tracked or beaten.

Sometimes I find my self wishing I didn't enjoy this car as much as I do... :dunno:

Conedodger. The friction surface on your clutch is still within spec limits so your clutch is not worn out. The springs broke. That sounds like a part defect. If the friction surface was bad than okay you wore it out but you didn't so you shouldn't have to pay for it.

U are 100 percent correct. I have a broken piece that happens to be fairly high $$ on a "wear item". The service manager wants a number from me on how much I'd be willing to pay, given that, according to him, the federal life expectancy of a new car is 10 years or 100k miles. BS. So he's telling me that Mazda's are only good for 100k? The next thing he'll say is that I used 1/3 of the clutch's life. He wants the number before he calls the zone rep because they are offing to work w/ me. "Good will" is the industry term. Anyway, I have less than 4 months left on the lease so we'll see what he says to my minimal offer.

:crazy: HAD THE SAME CRAZY THING HAPPEN IN RUSH HOUR!!! coming to a red light and pushed the pedal in and the car was still trying to move so i puled it out of gear to find the clutch would not engage or disingage.speed matched the gears untill i got to a safe place to be towed from out of traffic.long story short the dealer said the throw out bearing blew apart taking the clutch and pressure plate with it!!!!!!33,000 miles and wro paid for it and said they know i did not abuse it hell it was rush hour and the flow was 15 mph!!so far so good at 37,000 hope your car turns out ok i think there are a few more out there to explode yet a few of you guys and girls do not have that many miles on you car yet. :icon_tup:

oh i forgot 2004 6sp g.t t.grey drop in k&n with ms exhausts thats it !!

So what does the life expectancy of the car have to do with the tea in China? It's broke. It needs to be fixed under warranty for approximately $0.00.

Well, this is starting to worry me, although I have an 06. I hope my "problem" doesn't come back and have something like this happen. :eek:

I'm waiting for a return call from the service manager so we'll see what transpires today. It's my feeling that U are always going to have an uphill battle w/ the dealer whenever U have an issue with a "wear item".

Well, Mazda did the right thing (at least IMO) and gave me a new clutch. All I had to pay for was the rental. Took two very stressful days and several trips/phone calls. I was persistant, documented the problem w/ pics, and had my facts together. Their act restored most of my faith in the company and dealer, although I still have somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth from the whole affair.

Congrats! You are now offically "The artful conedodger!" Once again data and common sense win over laziness!

Pretty much the same exact thing happened to me over the weekend. The guy from the dealer just called me and quoted $1500 to fix it. I said I only got this car 2 months ago, and don't think I should pay anything, he talked with his manager and said "wel'' give you 10% off"...

dmp, ExcelonGT, Rotary_Brother, XRX8X, conedodger ... mind sharing any tips on how to get them to step up and fix it? This is not an issue of wear.. one second it was working, the next it was toast... Got any case numbers / whatever with Mazda NA to help my case?

Congrats! You are now offically "The artful conedodger!" Once again data and common sense win over laziness!At least I wasn't left out on the Wayside.

Pretty much the same exact thing happened to me over the weekend. The guy from the dealer just called me and quoted $1500 to fix it. I said I only got this car 2 months ago, and don't think I should pay anything, he talked with his manager and said "wel'' give you 10% off"...

dmp, ExcelonGT, Rotary_Brother, XRX8X, conedodger ... mind sharing any tips on how to get them to step up and fix it? This is not an issue of wear.. one second it was working, the next it was toast... Got any case numbers / whatever with Mazda NA to help my case?

Dmitri - have they opened the car yet? Is the Pressure-plate in pieces?

My wife's looking for my repair invoices, etc.

I would go in and ask to see the part, take some pictures. Then ask them what the thickness of the wear surface is and what the min spec thickness is for replacement. If your wear surface is thicker than the min spec then your clutch is not worn out and should be covered under warranty as a failure. "If it's not worn out how come it doesn't work then?"

thanks for the responses so far guys... i've got 4 PM responses in under 3 hours... i feel like i've got the entire rx8club community up in arms :-D

The only thing I authorized so far is the $90 "diagnostic fee", so I don't believe they have tore it down yet. I will be making another phone call shortly (last time I talked to them was right before getting on the train this morning)

I am not in the VIN range for the pressure plate thing (post 5)... But I will definitely ask to see the "worn" parts. BTW, even though I am towards the end of my 50k period (which really shouldn't matter... under 50k is under 50k), I also have a 30k extended warranty

For those of you that got it covered, I remember one instance of a spring being broken, and one "exploded" clutch (disk?). What was the exact cause in the other cases?

Mine was catestrophic Clutch Disc Failure. If your clutch simply 'went out' - that's wear-and-tear and should not be covered. Make a deal with them:

They are authorized to drop the transmission (as part of the $90 'diagnostic fee' - that's REALLY the only way they can diagnose the car, anyway). If the disc is still together, they charge you the going-rate for a clutch (Should be less than $500) job, MINUS the $90 'diagnostic' fee.

If the disc is shattered like mine was, they re-imburse you the $90 Fee, and replace the disc; honoring the factory warranty. (which has been increased to 50K since the last recall)

Just spoke to the service dept again. His exact words: "we took the covers off the trans, looked at it, and it's a worn disc. it's all carbon fiber"...

- Our clutch discs are CF? I didn't know that...
- Took the covers off? Did they drop the transmission for 90 bucks?

Anyway, I asked for an appt with a mazda regional rep, we'll see if I can get traction with the fact that I bought this car two months ago. If not, lightweight flywheel it is....

Just spoke to the service dept again. His exact words: "we took the covers off the trans, looked at it, and it's a worn disc. it's all carbon fiber"...

- Our clutch discs are CF? I didn't know that...
- Took the covers off? Did they drop the transmission for 90 bucks?

Anyway, I asked for an appt with a mazda regional rep, we'll see if I can get traction with the fact that I bought this car two months ago. If not, lightweight flywheel it is....


No - he's wrong. It's organic and metallic. I'd bet money nobody even MAKES a CF Clutch disc. At least not for our car. Show him the photos atop this thread and make him tell you why the hell he thinks they are CF. :)

There should be an inspection cover of some-sort. If the clutch were like mine, there'd be pieces falling out.

Call around and find prices of local shops to replace the clutch, parts and labor. Use that to make sure you don't get ripped off from the dealership.

MAKE SURE you get the original parts back :)

Hmmm. I don't know how to check the clutch without taking off the transmission and the pressure plate. I don't remember seeing any coverplate. Unless there is a boroscope hole and they are snaking a boroscope down into the bell housing... Yeah the clutch is not carbon fiber. Neither is the flywheel or the pressure plate or the springs on the clutch. Is he saying that your carbon fiber drive shaft is shattered?? They might have dropped the trans for $90. I'd say it's an hour's work for a good mechanic who is familiar with the car and has the right tools. You definitely want pictures and to be able to see the clutch plate itself.

Thanks again for the replies. So either he's not being level with me, or he doesn't know what he is talking about. Anyway, I will definitely get pictures (probably post them here for "approval" :-D ) once the mazda rep comes in, and get prices elsewhere.

Just spoke to the service dept again. His exact words: "we took the covers off the trans, looked at it, and it's a worn disc. it's all carbon fiber"... WHAT? First of all, what are transmission covers? Secondly, while there is an access hole where the starter snout goes, I don't see how they can diagnose a worn disc w/out taking the tranny out along with the bellhousing (maybe attached to the tranny) and unbolting and removing the pressure plate. It's the clutch disc that actually wears out and the only way to examine it is to do everything in the last sentence. I wouldn't believe a word the dealer says. They "knew" my clutch died and wanted me to pay $1300 for a clutch job just by doing a simple parking lot test. "Oh your clutch died and since it's a wear item, it will be your responsibility" BS! The real reason for my failure wasn't evident until everything was apart. Thirdly, like someone else said, the only part that's CF is the driveshaft. Go examine it, take pics, and get the details.

That is a VERY VERY good point Cone- I wasn't thinking earlier. Indeed, the clutch disc is HIDDEN behind the clutch pressure plate.

yep. the only way to get a good look at the clutch is to take the trans off, pull off the pressure plate, and remove the clutch disk and then see what is what. You may want to ask them to make sure they pull off all the electrical wires before taking the trans out...just to make sure they're not complete idiots.

Curious... There are electrical wires going into the transmission? Anyone know what they're for?

I believe they are specifically designed to make your life misreable and bust your knuckles when trying to remove them.

Actually don't know. Maybe there are sensors or computer actuated controls inside. Guessing though.

Here's a DIY on replacing your flywheel which may help with your general knowledge on what they should be doing.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=34289

:spank: wow! i have taken out a few trans and i am a owner of a rx8 the only wires you have are for the reverse switch to my knowledge.there is no way the clutch is made out of carbon fiber.they at the very lease should know what they are talking about !first lets understand it's your car and unless you got thousands of bucks to throw around it makes no common sense for a dealer to rip you off!mazda pretty much stands behind there cars.they have had a history of bad transmissions in the past i thought had improved.it seems like if you do not question there work they will charge you and try to get away with it.question everything and have them prove your car is not covered of take it elsewhere for a honest repair. :mad:

Curious... There are electrical wires going into the transmission? Anyone know what they're for?Reverse switch, like XRX8X mentioned, as well as components to measure vehicle speed. An electrical sensor reads the RPM of the driveshaft or tranny output shaft (may work differently in various vehicles) and sends the signal to the speedometer, which then converts the signal to display vehicle speed. Some non-RX8 (i.e. Vette) transmissions also have a shift skip feature that's electronically controlled.

Ok, finally got through to the service manager and got an honest conversation going. They are going to pull the trans, look at it, show me the parts.

- If something snapped, they replace the whole thing under warranty
- If it's "worn", I get a $650 labor bill and provide them my own parts.

An interesting thing he said I would like some feedback on: "When the clutch disc goes, the fibers <friction material, I guess> can jam the throwout bearing" Realistic scenario? It wouldn't really explain why my problem happened so suddenly, but...

Once they pull everything off it should be pretty clear what the problem is... Thanks for everyone's help and I will keep you guys posted.

Oh, does anyone have any good pics of a "normal" and a "worn" rx8 clutch disc?

Ok, finally got through to the service manager and got an honest conversation going. They are going to pull the trans, look at it, show me the parts.

- If something snapped, they replace the whole thing under warranty
- If it's "worn", I get a $650 labor bill and provide them my own parts.

An interesting thing he said I would like some feedback on: "When the clutch disc goes, the fibers <friction material, I guess> can jam the throwout bearing" Realistic scenario? It wouldn't really explain why my problem happened so suddenly, but...

Once they pull everything off it should be pretty clear what the problem is... Thanks for everyone's help and I will keep you guys posted.

Oh, does anyone have any good pics of a "normal" and a "worn" rx8 clutch disc?


BS about the 'jam the TO bearing' part. IF the TOB went bad, or got 'jammed' it'd make a HORRIBLE sound as it scraped against the Pressure plate. I bet the clutch would still disengage and everything - but you'd have metal-on-metal sounds.

Oh, does anyone have any good pics of a "normal" and a "worn" rx8 clutch disc?Well, the pics I posted show a 31k mile clutch which looks pretty damn good IMO. I'd say that a well worn clutch would be similar to a worn tire; the friction material (tread) would be worn down to a point where it wouldn't be too much higher than the rivits (tire wear indicators) or the straight grooves. It's been a long time since I've seen one but that's what I seem to remember. I'd make sure that they show U your actual clutch. BTW, there's probably a listed spec that would be used to determine if replacement is warranted. I'd think it wouldn't be an arbitrary figure or thickness.

Update... Went over to the dealer today to look at the parts. Like in conedodger's case, the clutch disc springs were busted... The dealer service manager is saying that it's my fault, that this sort of thing happens when you drop the clutch at high RPM...

I say bullshit, calling mazda tomorrow morning. Any other suggestions appreciated, guys...

Attaching some pictures...

Do I count correctly that there are three broken springs? If I remember, didn't U say that you've only had the car a few months and it has close to 50k on it? I'd bet that, unless you've been doing some big time high RPM clutch dumping, the previous owner likely caused this and U are feeling it. If everything above is accurate, then I'd say U have a case, though probably not as strong as mine (1 spring 31k miles). Since they sold U a car w/ problems, I'd tell them to fix it. If they baulk, U may have to ultimately chip in. Maybe U supply the new clutch and they pay for the labor. Clutch disk doesn't look too bad so it doesn't appear it's close to being worn out. Since our cars lack low end torque, revving them to get a good launch is something Mazda should have taken into consideration when engineering the parts. Therefore, the springs should have been designed to be stronger. Good luck!

As far as inspecting the clutch, if the tranny's are anything like those on RX7's..


There is "inspection cover" on the rear iron, it bolts to the transmission + rear iron. Take it off, and you can see the entire clutch, or, at least, the side.

Update... Went over to the dealer today to look at the parts. Like in conedodger's case, the clutch disc springs were busted... The dealer service manager is saying that it's my fault, that this sort of thing happens when you drop the clutch at high RPM...

I say bullshit, calling mazda tomorrow morning. Any other suggestions appreciated, guys...

Attaching some pictures...


I'm REALLY going to dig hard for my paperwork - with the case number, etc... :(

SORRY bro. :(

Anyone a lawyer?

So I talked to Mazda corporate again today, and they won't budge an inch. "The district manager has declined the claim, so it's final". Without ever speaking with me or hearing my side of the story. That's fantastic....

It's great how they have the whole system set up. Everyone points their finger at someone else and you can never speak with someone who actually makes the decisions. What a racket. Extremely poor showing on the part of Mazda of Lodi, as well as Mazda NA...

Not sure if I'm better off having them fix it now and trying to get my money back later, or trying to sue them now, or what.... I want my car back :'(

:smoker: :spank: I DO NOT LIKE THERE RESULTS AT ALL!!!i had mine replaced from throw out bearing failure and i am pretty sure a car company would OR SHOULD NOTadvertise 9000 rpm's like we dare you to try and get there then have a part that won't take the pressure and to make the deal even sweeter we will charge our customers for our f/up!!!!!!! SOMEBODY NEEDS AN HEAD CHECK AT MAZDA CORP.!!

Ooh, it gets better: I just got a voicemail from the dealer saying they are going to charge me a storage fee if I don't make up my mind by tonight. I'm off to call some lawyers...

Anyone a lawyer?

So I talked to Mazda corporate again today, and they won't budge an inch. "The district manager has declined the claim, so it's final". Without ever speaking with me or hearing my side of the story. That's fantastic....

It's great how they have the whole system set up. Everyone points their finger at someone else and you can never speak with someone who actually makes the decisions. What a racket. Extremely poor showing on the part of Mazda of Lodi, as well as Mazda NA...

Not sure if I'm better off having them fix it now and trying to get my money back later, or trying to sue them now, or what.... I want my car back :'(

Same basic scenario happened to me with MNAO when the original factory engine failed. The actual decision making party was the regional factory rep however. Once the regional rep made their decision to leave me hanging out on a limb without a safety net, MNAO suddenly could only pronounce the word NO. I took almost 2 years, but via the extended warranty I eventually got my money back from Mazda.

I would say the eyelashes hanging off that clutch are not a good sign. That may be signs of abuse by the previous owner. Fact is though the springs again are not a wear item. The clutch surface is. I don't understand why any amount of abuse should break the springs? If the clutch mating surface is worn out fine, you own buying a new one, but the springs?? Anyone else know of a reason why the springs would be considered a wear item that should go over time?

I would say the eyelashes hanging off that clutch are not a good sign. That may be signs of abuse by the previous owner. Fact is though the springs again are not a wear item. The clutch surface is. I don't understand why any amount of abuse should break the springs? If the clutch mating surface is worn out fine, you own buying a new one, but the springs?? Anyone else know of a reason why the springs would be considered a wear item that should go over time?


Doesnt matter, really. The Stealership Cop-out is "Well, CLEARLY you ABUSED it for it to break like that!!"

Assholes... :(

:-/

Well, they are not calling it wear anymore. They are saying I "abused" it by "dumping the clutch" at "over 6000 RPM" and that subjects the springs to "1200lbs of force" (whereas normal clutch release only puts "100lbs" on them), and they snapped.

Of course, it's my fault that gently letting off the clutch while pulling away from the toll booth in heavy traffic can snap the springs. Springs are made to compress and expand... If they were excessively compressed by excessive force, it would be the mounting points that would have gotten deformed. A spring snapping sounds like metal fatigue or part defect to me...

The shavings ("eyelashes") were apparently generated when the center of the clutch disc became misaligned and machined off the friction material.

Doesnt matter, really. The Stealership Cop-out is "Well, CLEARLY you ABUSED it for it to break like that!!"

Assholes... :(

:-/


I dunno. I don't buy it though. If I'm a clutch engineer sitting in front of my computer in Japan figuring out how to size and pick materials for my spring I'm going to size them using LCF cycles for 100Kmiles and X clutch uses per mile (or whatever they actually use) and clutch drops at 9000rpm at a standstill as a worst case scenario. Understandably you'll need a spring that's soft enough so the clutch pedal pressure is reasonable but really hydraulics can help there. I don't buy it that a 9000RPM clutch dump should exceed the design limits at 50K miles. Anyone from the 7 board see similar things happen? Maybe it's a rotarygod question on what we should expect from clutch springs. :dunno:

Similar situation but did not experience a casualty.

Was going 45mph in 3rd gear. Then let off gas to around 35 mph and decreasing going up a hill, so I performed a double clutch downshift into 2nd gear. Heard a repeating squeak noise akin to squeaky brakes. Came from underneath the footwell, either dead center or left of center.

Felt something was wrong and let off the gas. Was almost back home so I just pulled in and called it a day.

On the way to work that morning, the shifting was rougher than ordinary--I'd say it was being difficult to work with and sort of picky and reluctant in the 1st and 2nd gears.

Since then I've been taking it real easy and hoping the mechanicals settle down and that I won't hear the squeak again. I'm worried that this is an early indication of a 2nd gear casualty or premature clutch wear.

Well, they are not calling it wear anymore. They are saying I "abused" it by "dumping the clutch" at "over 6000 RPM" and that subjects the springs to "1200lbs of force" (whereas normal clutch release only puts "100lbs" on them), and they snapped.

Of course, it's my fault that gently letting off the clutch while pulling away from the toll booth in heavy traffic can snap the springs. Springs are made to compress and expand... If they were excessively compressed by excessive force, it would be the mounting points that would have gotten deformed. A spring snapping sounds like metal fatigue or part defect to me...

The shavings ("eyelashes") were apparently generated when the center of the clutch disc became misaligned and machined off the friction material.


There's a forum member - ACTman or something? He's the president of ACT Clutches. He commented on my clutch exploding. MAYBE he'd be willing to comment on your clutch situation? May be 'ammo'?

Keep in mind - according to LAW, they must PROVE you abused it. Showing a failure is NOT proof of abuse. Ask him if he thinks you REALLY launched at 6,000 rpms +. Your car was towed from 'a' documented location. Do people 'launch' from toll booths? Print out my thread and show him. Show him it was covered - that Mazda service line has RECORDS of repairing similar failures. Maybe question his credibility? He said "The service tech removed the inspection plate (there isn't one, right?) and saw the 'disc was bad'. If the can be WRONG about the disc being bad - when it wasn't, he can be wrong about what is 'abuse' and what is 'part failure'.

There's a forum member - ACTman or something? He's the president of ACT Clutches. He commented on my clutch exploding. MAYBE he'd be willing to comment on your clutch situation? May be 'ammo'?

Keep in mind - according to LAW, they must PROVE you abused it. Showing a failure is NOT proof of abuse. Ask him if he thinks you REALLY launched at 6,000 rpms +. Your car was towed from 'a' documented location. Do people 'launch' from toll booths? Print out my thread and show him. Show him it was covered - that Mazda service line has RECORDS of repairing similar failures. Maybe question his credibility? He said "The service tech removed the inspection plate (there isn't one, right?) and saw the 'disc was bad'. If the can be WRONG about the disc being bad - when it wasn't, he can be wrong about what is 'abuse' and what is 'part failure'.

At this point, trying to communicate with MNAO is like talking to a brick wall. I am ordeing an ACT clutch and flywheel and I'm gonna pay the dealer to put it in. Then I'm gonna sue their ass to get my money back.

Anyone have any rx7store coupons?

updates?

updates?

The parts have been shipped. Should arrive in the next couple of days... I can't wait to get my baby back... (with a lightweight flywheel! :rock: )

Am looking around for a lawyer / looking for other peoples' experience in similar situations... I'll keep you posted so that anyone going through a similar ordeal can hopefully benefit from my experience.

Well, I got my car back today!! Finally.... The Prolite feels great. Makes a huge difference in first and second gear, and I can still feel the effect in third. Taking some getting used to though, especially in traffic. But, it is perfectly streetable.

No updates on the legal end of things yet.

I had the same thing happen........ told me its the clutch....... money coming out of my pocket. Im currently waiting on parts to be shipped myself. Mazda corp brushed me off like i was a mosquito. keep us informed.

I had the same thing happen........ told me its the clutch....... money coming out of my pocket. Im currently waiting on parts to be shipped myself. Mazda corp brushed me off like i was a mosquito. keep us informed.

This happened more than a year ago for me - how many miles on your car? Did your clutch disc explode as did mine?

I have about 31k on mine right now. It happened roughly 3 weeks ago. They didnt tell me my clutch exploded, but said my clutch was burned out? Stated that was the reason the car stopped shifting into gear. Funny thing though my check engine light came on the same day this happened, but they told me that was because of my mazsports cooling fan mod........

Any updates HERO?

under 12k miles and months its covered..

Well, I just joined the busted clutch club. Very little warning. I started it up and it made a noise I hadn't heard before and I think "I need to take it in and get it checked". 15 miles later, I push in the clutch coming to a light and it goes to the floor all the while making a horrible noise. Just had it towed to the dealer. Will see them in the morning.

Just got back from the dealer. The throwout bearing was toast. No other damage. The new bearing won't be in until tomorrow so I called RP at Axialflow and he is having a short shifter overnighted to the dealer for me. The dealer will but it in instead of the stock shifter. Never miss an opportunity for free install of a mod!!

Any updates HERO?

I have my car back now after $368 for an exedy stage 1 and $468.20 for labor........ Warranty will in no way, shape or form cover it. About my check engine light, they initially told me it was due to my mazsports cooling fan mod which doesnt make sense because ive had that on since christmas with no problems. The tech who worked on my car at the time evidentally reset my ECU and then quit, so the new tech told me to just wait until it comes back on for him to check it out. The shifting from gear to gear is a little rough. If that doesnt fix itself out in a couple weeks ill go back in for that. Besides that, the exedy clutch is soooooooo much better than the OE! I'd recommend it.

hows everything going for everyone else?

I have driven manuals for over 15 years, I never experienced such a heartache as my rx-8, seems like my engine light is a whole transmission has eaten itself, the whole second rotor assembly is hoofed into the drive shaft and the whole bottom of the car looks like a scene from die hard 3 after mclaine been through there... car is totaled with less than 55k miles on it, also a 2004, bought in early 04, I think this is my last mazda, they have lost a good customer that bought an rx2, later an rx-7 and then later an rx-8... they treated me good, but not the 8, I am disenchanted by it, could have been such a great car... had it been handled the way the FD3s was, I drove the piss out of my FD, for over 8 years, never, I mean never had a problem with it, my rx-8, has been in the shop 6 times in only 3yrs...

Hello guys, I just recently bought this car at the start of November. Mine is a 05 ti Grey with 25000 miles i bought it at 23890. This unfortunately is my first post, as i more of a reader than a poster. I had been reading and getting myself familiar with this car. I have read alot of bad reviews about this car but dont care because of how insanely fun this car is to drive. Intro aside. I was driving in regular traffic to work today when all of a sudden i noticed a loss of power. when i released my clutch it would not engage at all. after about a few hours it was off to dealership. And after reading this and many other posts the next couple of days is gonna be hell at the dealership. If any of you guys have any tips for when I go to the dealer I would very much appreciate it.

You're in Brooklyn ? Please tell me you did NOT took your car to Giuffer Mazda ...

PM me for more info about your problem, Im in Queens.

Yes I did take it there, the roadside assistance said they could only tow it the the nearest dealer. How bad was your experience there?