01Racing

Hey guys, as spring has come so have the number of RX-8's coming into our shop! 1st I would like to say I really appreciate the business from all of you and we will do our best each and every time.

As you all know the climate in the automotive business is tough and all the manufacturors have tightened their respective belts. Where this will affect all of us is in the issue of warranty repairs, specifically maintenence history on your cars. It is clearly stated in the warranty book supplied when you cars were new that the scheduled maintenence must be done to keep your warranty valid. Where we can run into issues is when you purchase a used vehicle and dont get any history with the car, or do your own service/have it done by a private mechanic. It is up to the owner of the car to provide the documentation that the maintenence is done and up to date, as stated in the warranty book.

In saying all this, as of yet we have not any warranty denied on our RX-8 customers cars. This is just a heads up if your planning on buying a used 8, make sure you can get the history so you dont have problems down the road.

The next part of this post is to advise you on what to do when you bring your car to a dealership. Our service advisors open between 20-40 work orders each day, and they are supposed to walk around the car with the customer to inspect for damage before we touch the car. If your advisor doesn't do this, please insist they do, looking inside and out. Many times we have a "they said... we said" type of issue which shouldn't happen if both parties take a moment and do the walk around. If your car is towed in, that is an issue all to its own (lol).

Like I said we do our best to serve you the best way possible, but we are all human and make mistakes. Hope this little blurb makes all of you happier RX8 owners, and happier with the dealers you deal with!

Kafka

For my short time at the dealership I already witnessed how some of the people treated their cars. eg. super filthy lease return, bombing tranmission due to abuse, etc etc.

And yeah, please do a walk around check with the service advisor before going in to make sure there are no misunderstanding. If you DO know you have small dings and scratches before servicing the car, please let them know. Its just unfair to blame them.

Last but not the least, at least Al's shop is honest, and I saw examples of them owning up to their mistakes. It is TRUST that makes the longer trip to dealership worthwhile compare to other places close to your home...

Sanguine

If I remember correctly, the engine core warranty is void if we do our own oil changes even if we use Mazda oil filters so should I even bother keeping track of all of the filters, oil and for when it was bitterly cold out, the receipt from the official mechanics?

Marc_GS

Al, this is good advice, but there is a problem with this when it comes to used cars. My understanding is that used cars in dealer lots very rarely have the full service history, even if the maintenance is impeccable. For the cars in your inventory, do you have the full history? It is likely that most cars that you do have the history on are the ones your dealership has serviced since new, but what about other makes or even Mazdas that were serviced elsewhere?

In my experience, dealers don't even care about this information at trade in time. I have done two trade ins, and in both cases they didn't ask for the history. The first time I actually offered to provide my documents, but the dealer didn't want them (I guess he didn't want the hassle.) Even on my Mazda lease return, service documentation was not requested at any time. Does that mean that off-lease Mazdas don't have warranty?

If Mazda really starts to enforce this to the maximum, they are not recognizing the realities of the used car industry, and will alienate many customers.

Thumper3322

Your advisor didn't do the walk around with me I'm too trusting I guess, but she seemed all good after Thx for looking out!

Kafka

If you trust them enough, you don't need it. But you can always ask for a short look around for assurance to protect both parties.

I do know that all mechanics treats the rx8 with extra care since they know both Al or I will yell at them if the car is not being treated properly haha.

For a particular 2004 lightning gayllow rx8 with mazdaspeed kit though...that car I gave it special oil / sauces everytime it comes in for service. Right Theif? hahaha

REV-illusions

iTrader: (3)

Hey Marc,

It really depends on the dealership. If you were returning it to the same dealership you got the car serviced at then they have all the records already. Some places couldn't give a rats because they're making a sale off of you or whatever. They don't really think about the well being of the next person who comes a long and buys the car. That being said, others do. Having a clear history of the services done to the car usually indicates that the owner has taken the time to ensure that the car is in perfect working order, and they can ask an additional amount for those types of cars. Specifically ones which were bought and serviced at the same location.

In any case, I'm going to guess going forward you'll see a lot of other manufactures implement procedures such as what Mazda has done to ensure that they are spending the least amount of money possible while sales are sliding. To your point, I'm also going to guess that resale cars will still have their warantee's honoured the majority of the time.. it's more of a question with regards to what type of problem the issue is. If it's a dead engine and the oil in there is a sludge because the owner clearly didn't have the oil changed for months / didn't top it up, etc.. then chances are you're going to be on your own.

Kafka

Lets just say that replacing tranmission and engine all the time is not a good business proposition for ANY car brand...

01Racing

When we take a used car in on trade that is our product we usually request the service history from the customer, if they dont have or wont supply it, that will reflect on what we offer them for their trade. If the car was serviced here then I dont ask as I have a history on file. When you buy a used car from a used car dealer who got the car out of province or at an auction, then you are right. The buyer should be aware of the possibilites and thats why I put this post up.

01Racing

Dont listen to Josh! Dont trust them and make sure they do a walk around with you! (lol)

Thumper3322

what about history via carfax?? The carfax on my car was up to date and always (from what carfax reported) taken to the same dealership for maintenance. Would that be considered enough history?

01Racing

Honestly what you need is copies of work orders showing maintenance has been done. I didn't mean to open a can of worms here, just posting an FYI. Like I said before if your servicing at your selling dealer they probably have the history on file, or if you know where the car was serviced before you got it, that dealer would have the service record on file.

Sanguine

I guess I should really, really hope that someone with expensive insurance writes my car off in a nice not-at-fault accident before the engine implodes.

Rotary Mike

I have all of my service records, but not the ones from the old owner. I'm pretty sure he serviced his car at te Kitchener Waterloo MAzda dealership.

And I haven't done a wlak around with the service advisor either. I watch them walk aound though. I trust them. I've had my car and my sisters car in there 4 times in the last month.

01Racing

I appreciate your trust and loyalty Mike! Did I mention that I hit a curb when road testing your car yesterday...................... Those snows dont have a lot of grip!

Marc_GS

I appreciate what you're all saying, but ultimately I still say that if the manufacturers really push this to the limit they are not taking into account the realities of the used car industry. I think this may cost them in the long term, because any customer who's had warranty work denied by a manufacturer during the warranty period because of lack of documentation on a used car is NOT going to be heading back to that manufacturer for a new car purchase any time soon. I can understand in cases where there is some proof of lack of maintenance (engine sludge, for example, in an engine where this does not occur in well maintained cars.) However, if the manufacturer decides not to honor warranty because of lack of documentation on a used car in absence of any other indication of poor maintenance, then in my opinion they are taking advantage of the used car situation for their short term gain.

Going back to the leased car example, my lease car was serviced by me, and I kept all records. When I returned the car, it was to a dealership other than the one I had bought the car from, and where only some of the warranty work had been performed. This wasn't a car they knew well, but they still weren't interested in getting my records. I will say that the car was in really nice shape, so perhaps that played a role, but the question still stands: Will the new owner of that car have a warranty?

Agreed, but isn't that the point of a warranty? The manufacturer is basically saying "the product is good enough to last for the duration specified, and in the event that there is a problem we will fix it." Warranties are a big part of why people buy new or new-ish cars. If warranties start being denied left and right, this will influence buyer behaviour in a way that will not benefit manufacturers long term.

By the way, I am not trying to be a dick here, and I especially am not trying to attack Al, who is among the best car-industry people I have ever dealt with. I just think this is a big concern for a lot of people who depend on the manufacturer's warranty to be intact.

Thief

Of course you need the special oil. How else are you gonna prevent your tiny little dick being burnt off by the GReddys?

Qtip006

hi all, I'm new here, don't have an 8 of my own yet, but definitely looking to join the club this year or next. And it seems like there are many mechanics here, so with that, I was wondering if there is anything i should look out for when i'm shopping for a second hand rx8, aside from the service records as Al mentioned. I think I read somewhere about slow starters in the 04's? appreciate the advince, thanks!

delhi

Where did you get that? In that case, lots of rx-8;s engine core warranty will be voided.

REV-illusions

iTrader: (3)

Hey there... do a search in the Canada forum for buying rx-8.. there's acouple posts in terms of what to look for... I've typed this up like 2-3 times already and don't really feel like writing that particular essay again. Good luck with the purchase though!

01Racing

All you have to do is keep the receipts showing when you purchased the oil and filters.

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

Mr. B, regarding 8s with Speed kits and dropped on Eibach's, would there be issues with the hoists when coming for oil changes?

01Racing

Not at our dealership (lol) no problem at all, remember how low the race cars are.

01Racing

Now that spring is back (hopefully for good) lol, Im getting more questions that I would like to share. I know we have covered this before but I think its worth repeating. When Mazda issues a recall on a car, it is valid until it is fixed regardless of milage or time. When Mazda issues a TSB (technical service bulletin) it is just a note for the dealers that is designed to help us perform a quicker diagnosis to rectify the problem. It is not a blanket for all cars, it is not a recall, it is only valid to be fixed under warranty during the warranty period. Just because a TSB was issued, it does not mean all cars are affected by it. A lot if TSB's issued in a country or area only usually apply to that area, not world wide. (lol)

Just a FYI!

Vlaze

iTrader: (14)

A few ?'s for those who have gone through it (yes holy thread resurrection Batman).

First off I only bring in a vehicle if I have a known problem and never maintenance as I do that on my own. However for my case, the GT keyless exterior trunk button is kaput and needs work on. While I'm there and doing a walk around with them is there anything I should ask or inquire on or could get them to inspect it and/or do a check up for free since it is under warranty? Mazda's site showed it was up to date on flashes and the car seems to run fine in the 2 months I've had it (used '06).

So while I plan to just have the keyless entry trunk button inspected and fixed, if I noticed per say something missing like plastic screws or whatever in a belly pan or some other weird small issues do they take care of it or do I have to request the part and do it myself (in regards to them asking for me to pay them to do it, not happening)? Is there going to be a cost associated with the check up with it under warranty (labor, etc)?

Coming from owning mostly American robust trucks that never required a dealer to intervene and fix any of the issues since I could myself; with this car being highly electronic and software dependent I want to make sure I get anything I can there for free under that check-up with it being under warranty.

Let me know your experience bring your car in for check-up, cost involved if under warranty, etc.