I was thinking about getting custom plates too, but the things I wanted on it wouldn't fit properly. I was also considering "13 STU" (my autocross number and class), but for some reason it wouldn't let me use that combination.



hmmm...it must have been some other grey RX8 I saw. I wonder if he's a member on here. Then again, there's two people at the hospital I work at that have RX8's and I've never seen the owners in person. Maybe they're on here too. Wouldn't that be ironic? We work next to each other and don't know about the other's "rotary secret".

It's kinda like finding out that your workmate has AIDS and has been hiding it from you.....but so much cooler......

All in good fun........

 

There is a silver one here at the office. We even parked next to each other the one day...boy was the weird. Never talked to them though.

 

[QUOTE BTW, was it you I saw driving down 306 in Mentor today at about 6:20pm? I told my wife, "My that's a fancy looking car! I'd love to have one of those!"

(It looked exactly like mine, except mine has a spoiler - which makes it much, much faster and more agile. )[/QUOTE]

actually that would probably be me. i was the one who you also met at the eastlake autocross.

my name is kevin

 

Welcome to the club Kevin

 

Nice to meet you (again) Kevin.

Are you planning on any autocrossing this year? I could use some competition in the STU class. Telling people I was the fastest in my class every single event was cool.....until they found out I was the only one in it......

BTW, remember- AutoX events are not "racing", as the driving that is done is at low speeds with no other vehicles on the course. Also, the driving is not much different from real experiences that test driver skill on the road (such as emergency lane changes and tight turns).

 

i am planning on it. a couple of the guys that i work with at classic race also. i have my new tires getting shipped tomorrow and should be getting my midpipe in the next week or so, so i should be ready to burn some tires and shoot some flames

 

Hey Guys.

RX8 newbie here... Just picked it up last week. I've been lurking on this board since 2002 though. I was torn between the 6 and the 8 back then. I went with the 6 in 2003. Great car. I don't miss it one bit though I love the Rx8 so far. Gotta get some decent all season tires though. Anytime the temp drops below 50, my rear end gets a little loose for my taste. I think I'm gonna pickup a set of Goodyear F1 A/S. Conrads has a good sale on right now. About $665 installed with tax.

Anyways... I'm up for any get together in the area so let me know.

This is me:

 

You work at Classic? Mazda? What do you do there? A friend of mine worked for Classic Cadillac as a tech, but recently switched to a different dealer.

What tires are you picking up?

The first autocross with SCCA is on May 18th. I'll be there.

Congrats on your switch over to the RX8, johnny. You won't reget it, that's for sure. We're bound to get some type of get together going this season. As the weather warms, we'll figure it out. If anyone has any ideas, shout it out. Maybe a group autox meet?? (That is if everyone can fit into their cars with their helmets on )

 

Welcome! How do you like the moonroof deflector?

 

I don't know... Haven't had it open yet I probably wouldn't have put it on if it were me.... it came like that. We'll see how I like it over time.

 

What are some of the autox events in the area? Always wanted to but never have, mainly because i don't know where to go. It would be especially fun for a first time to meet up with a bunch of other Rx8 owners.

 

http://www.noraracing.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1385

 

The ones I attend are held at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland through the North East Ohio Region of the SCCA. (www.neohio-scca.org)

The first event is supposed to be held on May 18th. I'll be there, 100% for sure. I used to go to the NORA events too, but had a bad experience with them one weekend. At that point I decided not to attend any more of their events. There are a lot of people that do attend, but I am no longer one of them.

I hope to see you, along with anyone else who is interested, at Lakeland on May 18th.

 

since the weather has been nice, ive taken the car out quite a bit recently! i bought my rx8 a couple months ago, havent driven it because of all the snow! but its nice getting it back on the road! saw a few rx8s tonite around fairlawn. saw one nice red rx8, pretty nice with some grey after market wheels. also saw a stock grey one as well! hope to see ya guys around! ive been around cleveland as well.

 

i do work for classic, just not over at mazda. i work down at toyota as a tech. i love to drive our cars, but would hate to work on them everyday. the two mazda techs we have though are very knowledgable, but the service writers there are a bunch of flaming idiots!!!!!

i won't be able to make it to the lakeland event seeing as how i will still be hungover from my brothers wedding the day before. will have to try to make it another time.

 

This past Friday I took my 8 in for service at Fred Vincent Mazda and I wanted to share my experience with you guys.

It all started two Thursdays ago when I took my car to get E-Checked. It obviously passed the emissions portion with flying colors, but it failed the gas cap test! How, I have no idea as there were no CELs or engine codes. Anywhoo, I called Fred Vincent and they agreed to warranty the gas cap. I drove up there to pick it up and everyone was extremely nice. The female service writer was very polite and helpful. As she entered my information into the computer, she told me that I had an open recall out for the PCM reflash. I set up a time on friday to bring it in.

On friday, I dropped the car off at the dealership. This time I was dealing with a male writer. I explained to him why I was bringing the car in and I also asked if they could check out the condensation in my taillights, as well as a vibration I've been feeling in the drivetrain. I dropped the car off at about 10:30.

At about 3:30, I called to check the status of the car. (I had not heard anything from them all day.) They told me that the car was complete, but they were not able to repair the vibration. When I inquired as to why, they told me that the wheels needed to be balanced, but they couldn't do it because they were aftermarket racing wheels. (My wheels are stock.) I explained that they were the OEM equipment and that they certainly could be balanced at a dealership - after all, Classic Mazda balanced them last season. I decided that I would just speak with the tech. when I arrived.

Upon arrival I asked to speak with the tech. He told me that the PCM had been reflashed, but said he couldn't balance the wheels because he didn't "have the equipment to do it". He said the tires I have on there (Nitto NeoGen) are "near racing tires" and that he couldn't balance them. WTF?? I assume this man knows that the tires have nothing to do with the balancing, and how in God's name do they balance the wheels on all of the other RX8's that come into their Mazda Dealership!

The quality of the service I recieved was just "ok". While the first service writer was nice, from there on out it was downhill and the same headache as Classic Mazda's service. At least they had it done on the same day as promised, unlike what Classic has done for me in the past.

I'll probably end up going back there if I need to have something done (except wheel balancing) simply because it's closer to home. It kinda sucks, though. I was hoping for something a lot better than Classic instead of just a little.

Sorry to make this so long.......

 

Damn.... at first I thought you found another good dealer for us to go to.
Sounds like they are considerate and helpful, just not very knowledgeable of their own cars (which I would rather have).
And I don't understand why it matters what tires we have (even though your's are stock).
After the initial shock , I think that I would have laughed in his face if he told me that .
Thanks for letting us know your experience (and their inexperience ).

 

None of the Mazda dealers around here give me the warm and fuzzies. Next schedule maint. will have a trip down to Cuyahoga Falls. Im done messing around with these clowns up here.

 

I just hate to have to drive 45 minutes to Cuyahoga Falls to drop off my car. I guess if that's what it takes to get things done right, though, that's what I'll have to do.

You would think that somebody from these dealerships that we all have a hard time with would see this forum and change things. I guess not. It's not about us hanging out here and trashing them or badmouthing them, it's about owners who have a passion for their vehicles and want them serviced properly by qualified and knowledgeable people who care about their work.

I may give Fred Vincent one more try. I'd hate to give up after one small bad experience. If next time is bad, maybe I'll explain to them that it's not just one person getting bad service, but it's a whole RX8 club and enthusiast group hearing about it. Maybe I'll let them know that if the poor service continues, they may never have the opportunity to have another RX8 in there again.

RX8Club mafia style......that's how we roll.....

 

Mazda was nice enough to send me a survey after my last visit to Classic and that didn't fair so well...I hope that Fred Vincent gets the same from you. While you see it as a little annoyance...it is one that nobody should ever have to go through. Who cares what kind of tires are on it...hell if it wasn't even stock rims they should have been like "No problem sir, we tracked down the problem and for $20 we'll fix it for you." It isn't like you asked for a new tire or wheel...you asked them to stick a weight on the wheel. Someone at work said they knew some of the big people over at Fred Vincent personally...they will be getting a copy of your post. It is just unacceptable to treat people like that.

 

Great. Now I'm going to get sniped the next time I go there!

"Is that Ether I smell........" *thump*

Maybe be you could send them this one too.....

Gee, the only thing that would make me feel better about the poor service experience would be a few stacks of tightly wrapped $100 bills. Things just won't be better without them.....

Seriously, though, be careful what you give them. I wouldn't want anything on this forum to be contorted into something that could be used against any of us.

 

Well...if we didn't own such a ******* amazing piece of machinery we wouldn't have to worry about that because they would work on a 100 a day. I planned on doing some cutting and pasting and such. I'll send it to you before I give it to anyone...cool?

 

That's fine. I'm not worried.

I'm really looking forward to the nicer weather this week. I haven't washed my poor car since before I put it away last winter. With the rain the past week or so, I didn't find it to be adventageous to spend the three hours cleaning it. Hopefully I'll get to do it on Friday.

 

Any of yous guys interested in getting together one Friday night. Maybe a happy hour somewhere? Downtown, Eastside?

 

I'd be in for sure. But why don't we make it somewhere like Peninsula @ the Lizard or something? It's half way between Cle and Akr and there are some decent roads in the area. I mean no offense, but why would I want to go downtown in an RX8? Rather take it somewhere with some curves