It's -6 to -10 C outside today in Calgary.

....so, not really that cold...

I went to start my car today and it wouldn't start!
The first 3 attempts failed -- the engine would not fire.
Finally, on the fourth attempt, the engine barely managed to turn over and ignite.

I asked them to take a look last time it was in for service, but they said nothing was wrong.

This is really making me wonder on the reliability of this car in the winter.
I mean, it's a brand new car.....it should behave like this, right?!

What is wrong with my car? Should I take it in to get it checked out?
Any ideas?

I haven't done anything to "winterize" it except change to winter tires.

Did you get the new starter and/or bigger battery yet from a dealership?

These things are common for people complaining about hard starts/cold starts. Apparently they fix the problem...

Here's a helpful thread:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=71252

This starter was replaced by a dealer in Ontario, so you could have your dealer call them if they give you a hassle:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=65046

Thanks for the help, I'm going into the dealership tomorrow to see what they say.

Alright, so I get it back from the dealership and they say that they cannot find any problems with the starter unit and cannot see the starter failing (As I suspected).

I took the car home last night and then went to play hockey at 10:00pm finishing at 11:00pm.
I got in my car and yep, you guessed it, it wouldn't start the first 3 attempts. This time, I barely managed to get her going after stepping on the gas a little.

I'm at a loss on what to do. If I bring it to the dealership to get them to try and replicate it it works fine because I've already warmed the engine up for them.

Do you think I should just leave it at the dealership in really cold weather for a week or so and hope that it will fail for them??

How many cranks are you giving the engine? I find that in the winter it sometimes requires a longer crank session ... maybe like 3 seconds before the engine starts up. And in between attempts, give it a few seconds before trying.

You could leave it at the dealership, but I suspect they'll say the same thing about longer cranking. You are up to the most current flash, right?

Same advice as BlueFrenzy. Let it crank for a few seconds. I've had just a few hard starts. It seemed like it was an eternity before it started up but I bet it was maximum 2 - 3 seconds.

well, isn't it we hv to use thinner engine oil for rotory engines when the teep. is low?? @_@
tats wut I hurt from some frds....

How many cranks are you giving the engine? I find that in the winter it sometimes requires a longer crank session ... maybe like 3 seconds before the engine starts up. And in between attempts, give it a few seconds before trying.

You could leave it at the dealership, but I suspect they'll say the same thing about longer cranking. You are up to the most current flash, right?

I'll try the longer crank next time it occurs. I haven't been holding it like you suggested.

I don't know what the current flash is, what is it?

I got in my car and yep, you guessed it, it wouldn't start the first 3 attempts. This time, I barely managed to get her going after stepping on the gas a little.

I'm at a loss on what to do. If I bring it to the dealership to get them to try and replicate it it works fine because I've already warmed the engine up for them.

Do you think I should just leave it at the dealership in really cold weather for a week or so and hope that it will fail for them??

How long are you cranking it on each attempt? I think mine takes 2 to 6 seconds even in the 40F mornings.

My dealer said, "if you *say* it is hard to start on the cold mornings we will replace your starter and battery." If your dealer is dragging their feet then maybe they have enough business and you should take your business to a more cooperative/hungrier dealer (or they have a bad reputation with Mazda and have trouble justifying their warrenty claims in which case you don't want them working on your car anyway).

have the dealership tow the car next time and let them try to solve the problem .if you do this a couple of times the cost of a new starter &battery will not be as much as the tow bills.fight fire with fire let them spend their money.

I believe that the current flash is R. You went in for the heat shield recall, no? Cuz I think part of the recall was to check the current flash and to reflash if necessary. Anyways, they'll probably flash if you say that you are having hard starts ... although you already brought it in for that ... hmm.

But yea, I had the same thing happen today ... needed at least a good 4 second crank.

I've started my car after being off for 2+ weeks in -40c weather with no issues.

When you start the car do you put the clutch down, and just turn the key and wait for it to start? I usually put the key into the on position, let the car beep 5 times then do the full start.. Try that, it helped during the winter for me and that's how i start my car all the time now.. beep 5 times, then crank :)

MrJynx

I've started my car after being off for 2+ weeks in -40c weather with no issues.

When you start the car do you put the clutch down, and just turn the key and wait for it to start? I usually put the key into the on position, let the car beep 5 times then do the full start.. Try that, it helped during the winter for me and that's how i start my car all the time now.. beep 5 times, then crank :)

MrJynx


It's been ok the last couple days.
I always hold the clutch down, turn the key to the ON position wait for the beeps to stop then crank it.
It seems holding it down for a couple of seconds is helping out.....only time will tell I guess