Autobarn Evanston sets new LOW for service
 

Today I took my RX-8 into the Mazda dealer in Evanston, IL for service. There were 3 issues:

1) Hot air coming from the vents even when the A/C was on and temp turned all the way cold.

2) Brake squel when coming to a stop.

3) Milky dipstick (when it's cold outside, mostly in Winter).

In an effort to be helpful, I gave the check-in guy a service bulletin number that seemed to match each of these issues.

And how many of the three did they fix? ZERO!! nada...

Why?? The mechanic (Harry Koulouvaris) had written N.P.F. (no problem found) next to each item. I couldn't believe it. The service desk rep was blank faced and disinterested.

So I get in the car, which is parked 20 ft from the counter, start it up, and immediately feel HOT air blasting. I call the service desk rep (Bill Waring) over to see for himself. After fiddling with the knobs and buttons for about 10 mins he says, "That's not just warm air...that's HOT." duh...lol

In quick determination he concludes that the Freon must be low. Of course, hooking it up to the machine to check it OR recharge (whether it needs Freon or not) is a $200 plus job, he tells me.

"Can't we just try the remedy that is recommended in the service bulletin?", I ask (replacing the A/C amplifier).

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...02-04-1338.pdf

"No", he says, "because the service bulletin says 'a noticable temperature
fluctuation (cool-warm-cool) from the vents'; yours is just hot."

Same kind of BS on the other two issues. The brakes clearly squel when I pull up to a stop sign. And I guess the milky substance fix can only be done in Winter, since it only happens when it is COLD! (I think we all know this).

So there it is.

As I gave up and prepared to drive off the lot, I glanced at the bottom of the service receipt, which read...

"100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS OUR GOAL!"

lol...good luck, Autobarn of Evanston, IL.

While the Autobarn of Evanston has been known to have a bad service reputation, let me address some of your problems. The answers to all of these issues can be found on this site.

This one is a sticky in the DIY forum: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-no-heat-repair-heater-control-158200/
The circuit board that contains the control was made with bad solder connections. Mine does the same thing. I just haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. Replacement board is expensive. There is a DIY on here on how to repair it. Mine works full on or full off if I fiddle with it.

Try these search results for the problem: https://www.rx8club.com/search.php?searchid=4919145
A known problem with the OEM brakes. Mazda tried to fix it and failed. Ironically, mine never did squeal. Try aftermarket brake pads. The squeal doesn't affect your braking ability.

This one is a sticky in the Issues & Problems forum: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/strange-gunk-oil-dipstick-info-questions-49652/
Also a known problem/difference. It is caused by moisture building up in the oil due to condensation. The fix is warming up and driving the car more. Mazda came up with a fix (TSB) that doesn't really work well. It looks awful but it really doesn't cause any problems.

Good Luck.

Thanks, Al. I guess with dealerships folding right and left, we have come full circle and have entered a new DIY age, like when they first started making automobiles...lol. Maybe we will begin to see tool boxes mounted on the rear fender again, like in the 20's!

Like I said, the Autobarn of Evanston (there is a Autobarn of Countryside too, run under different management) is known to have bad customer service. If you haven't already selected a new shop, go to www.mazdausa.com to find the nearest to you. My dealer, Wilkins Mazda, was great while the car was under warranty. But, now that it is out, they charge too much for their labor rates and full list for parts. I'm going to have to find a new dealer for the things I can't do myself.

What exactly can you not do yourself al?

Rebuild internals, like engines, transmissions, rear ends ......
Sometimes, I just get lazy too.

We can do that in your garage. Just get mac and a wrench and he can do pretty much anything.

It would take a week to clean out my garage.:mdrmed:

He can take care of that too, just give him a shovel and a dumpster, clean that out really fast!

I'm really not much of a mechanic, so I may wind up taking it to Lamb's Automotive, an excellent independent shop in Buffalo Grove.

http://www.lambsauto.com/

They fixed my clutch problem for something like $50...after Autobarn in LaGrange had told me that I needed to replace it for $1,800. Of course, I don't think I would have any warranty coverage at Lamb's, but at least it would be done right!

I'm really tired of these incompetent dealer shops.

Good place, we know the son (Jason) of the owner. Haven't heard from him in a while, since he got married, but he used to own a RX8.

They do suck, I ended up paying 100 dollars for NOTHING! for them to tell me my car was ok. I had my transmission rebuilt by Mazda Carbondale, and now I get a strong smell of Trans fluid ( common problem, i know) I took it to them, and they smelled nothing! At that time the smell was so strong it could choke you!

They are a bunch of useless douche's.

There is a way to check this. I will have to ckeck the service manual when I get home. I have the same problem and I would like to fix it before this winter. Maybe we could all team up to do all the cars at once. Might be easier with more helping hands, plus this would take advantage of the fact that the first one might take 4 hours, but the rest will go much quicker. Just something to think about.

Edit: Found it
Easy Diagnosis:
The easiest way to verify this is to turn on the radio, press and hold the power on/off button and press and hold the scan-up button for a second (full second). The word "A/C TEMP" should appear on the left of the display and a number from 0 to 16 on the right. I suspect yours will have the number 0 (or 16 if heating only problem) displayed no matter where you turn the temperature control knob. If this is the case you could turn the temp. knob to full heat and see if it goes to 16 after pushing down or to the right on the knob.
In a working system, the number moves evenly in increments of 1, from 0 to 16 as you turn the temperature knob.

Two things to add. 1. TRhis does not work if the car is moving (at least in mine), and 2. On mine the number would change, but it was not smooth. I think that is why my heat/AC would work, but was inconsistant.