Hi all,

The engine coolant light has lit up on the dashboard. Apparently it is a manufacturers issue however there is no recall or goodwill from Mazda. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to disable it?

KC

 

It's a known problem, but no RX-8 still has any remaining bumper to bumper warranty for a dealer to cover it. Expecting Mazda to cover it isn't really realistic. Stuff does fail from time to time, that's why a warranty exists to cover it when it's too early. Otherwise, repairs are on you, just like any other problem in any other car.

Repairing it requires replacing the coolant bottle, which is $130 from Mazmart, and if the person doing the replacement doesn't know about the short hose underneath, then it will additionally cost you a new radiator ($150 from Mazmart) as the radiator nipple that the hose attaches to breaks easily.

Alternatively, you can unplug the coolant level sensor and the light will stay off. However, this requires very constant and religious monitoring of your coolant level, since you no longer have a light to warn you if it starts dropping. And it can, without warning.