I've Had It!
 

As the owner of an '04 RX-8 GT A/T I have absoultely had it with this car. Aside from the multiple little things.... interior rattling, creaks, sunroof issues, etc. I've had multiple run-ins with the mechanical troubles of this car, everything from the no-start scenario due to flooding, weak starter, what have you.... to heavy engine vibration, stalling, lack of acceleration power, surging, etc. etc. etc.

This car has been treated like a baby.... I've used only premium fuel since day one, have changed the oil to spec. and have had every service recall to date. I've called Mazda Corporate a few times to address these issues, and while I have been covered every time to have the car looked at or repaired, the issues still remain.

According to my dealership, they have been unable to replicate these problems and I was not a candidate for the engine replacement program as they said it passed all the tests. I've had the plugs changed, the starter replaced, the coils replaced, the engine mounts replaced.... but just this morning the car stalled on a heavy traffic road while at a red light after driving the car for 20 minutes and I then spent the next 10 minutes going throught the no start scenario while scores of drivers behind me were all too eager to give me the one-finger salute, not to mention making me late to work. Immediately, I called the dealership and spoke to the service manager (who knows me on a first name basis) and he said to bring it in again.

Not sure what to do anymore..... this is becoming epidemic. I keep bringing it in, and the problems continue to go unresolved. Anyone familiar with Lemon Laws?

sorry to hear of your problems :( www.lemonlaw.com

Yikes Kid, sorry to hear you're having so many issues with your 8! I
've had some of the issues you listed (sunroof, rattles, engine mounts) but all I can tell you is that it really comes down to your local dealership and how they handle each situation that will vasty determine how you ultimately feel about your car and it's "quirks"

As for lemon laws: they vary quite a bit from State to State so I might suggest making a similar post in the Regional forum that includes Florida.

Not to rub salt in an open wound but maybe you just got a the bad apple from the bunch...it unfortunately does happen from time to time with all car manufacturers. Hope all gets resolved for you soon

sucks for u I'm sure, mysteries of life and RX-8s and all that :banghead:.....perhaps another dealer even thou this 1 tries could get to the root cause....that this 1 hasn't obviously found.... try to hang in there :sad:

good job

sorry bout your car. i had mine since 04 and i never had issues with it. but your car sounds it has never seen a good day. i hope thngs work out in the future, and maybe its time to trade in the car for something else.

I appreciate the suggestions.... the thing is, the next closest Mazda dealer is far away (especially with how often I find myself needing to go there). Additionally, this is one of the larger more acclaimed Mazda dealerships/service facilities in the area. What pains me is WHEN the car runs great, it just runs great and is a truly fun car to own. But.... these problems are intermittent and like a doctor's office, when you go in for a checkup, things suddenly are better. What I'm concerned about is what happens when this car is OUT of warranty. Am I then going to be responsible for the repair costs that I have desperately tried to correct when the car WAS under warranty?

I completely understand all cars have their quirks, bugs, etc. but the fact that is has not been remedied is getting old already. I have a service appointment AGAIN tomorrow morning.... we'll see what happens this time.

At least you have a 5yr warranty...unless you drive alot!

I've Felt Your Pain
 

I have an '05, and (knock on wood) but I haven't had a single issue with it. It's only been back to the delaer for regular maintenance and the engine recall.

But I went through an ordeal similar to yours with a '97 Honda Accord. Constant surging, stalling, misfires during acceleration, 15 mpg mileage, 20 mph swings in speed with the cruise control on, etc etc. It developed these problems shortly after I purchased it (new). It went back to the dealer on 5 separate occasions. The first two times they said they had made some adjustments and it was fixed. Not. The second two times the report came back that they could not duplicate the problem and that nothing was wrong (just me and my imagination, I guess). The final time I was told that this behavior was "normal" for an Accord with a manual transmission. I had contacted Honda's division headquarters after the 3rd trip (when "no problem existed"), and they offered little help. After the 5th trip, I made copies of all the service reports, and sent them along with a letter via certified mail, return receipt to Honda North America. The letter was polite and professional, but also quite clear that if they chose to do nothing about the problem(s), I would have no choice but to begin legal proceedings. About a week after I sent the letter, I got a call from Honda corporate, and to make a long(er) story shorter, they provided me a loaner while they kept the car for about a week. At the end it was fixed, and was apparently something with the computer or the wiring to the computer that was causing all the problems.

I'm only relating this because you might give the certified letter angle a try first. Lemon law proceedings can work, but they can also be a major time sink, especially when you might have a dealer saying that they can't ever duplicate the problem(s) you're having. Hope things work out for you, man.

Best,
Bill

First mistake - You baby the car
Second Mistake - You whine too much
Third mistake - You didnt do your homework before buying
Forth mistake - You trust your dealership too much

The stuff that you've said applies to every single line-ups out there. You just having some bad luck. Have you ever thought about the problem is you ? not the car ?

^^Haha!!

It sounds like a flaky computer to me, or a short in a harness (perhaps it is jostled before each incident). Remember these cars use an electric throttle body and if the computer wants it can cut the throttle at any time. I would see if they would be willing to do something similar to what Rotario did with his Honda.

As for things you can do, watch every variable you can and try to get the car to reproduce the problems. If you have the equipment you could ohm out the plug wires as well as different sensors on the motor like MAF and throttle. If you have a screwdriver and a plug wrench you can check the spark. Creaking is probably just because the vehicle is very stiff, what are the roads that you drive on like? I would also recommend checking your oil often and watch for it to go down, this way you know that the MOP is working.

NYCGPS, Are you even worthy of a response?

Well, let's look at these two at least:

First mistake - You baby the car
Forth mistake - You trust your dealership too much

I'm not being a horses ass here, He really does have two good points but maybe presented them a little harshley.

You really do need to drive the crap out of this car some. I've been shifting gears lately around 3700 RPM to try to conserve gas but i always make a point to blow it out some on the way home form work. I don't mean driving 125MPH I just mean red line in 1st, 2nd and keep it high in 3rd for a while before settling down. I try to do this several times a day at least.

As far as the dealership goes.. he is correct. Look for another one that will help you troubleshoot.

I'd look a little deeper into some post as you may find some very good advice.

I've had some of the issues you mentioned but my service department has been great at fixing them. Things like the rattle in the sun roof was covered by warranty. They replaced the moving hardware. Most of the other items were fixed with no problem.

It is possible you do have a lemon but it sounds more to me that your service department is a lemon.

he does have a point about babying the car - those of us who thrash the crap out of them seem to have less issues .

A redline a day keeps the rotary mechanic away

By babying the car, as I explained in my first post, meant that it has been treated per Mazda's specs for this car by always using Premium fuel and always staying on top of oil consumption and oil changes/regular maintenence.

Do you drive it hard some?

plus after 2000+ posts i think he has a basic idea what he's doing and it atleast shows that he's been around longer then you (kidryno) and plus he good points

yea no problems here yet....

if you dont want it ill take it off your hands...i could use another rotary.

:spank: this is such a sad story of what happens to so many who really care for there cars and the dealer will not back the person up or belieaves that the problem is there at all.i work in a dealership with new cars (ok ok they are fords)but at the same time i like the fact that i take the time to do whatever it takes to find the problem.most people won't mind if you keep there car for a short period of time to find out what the problem.this is the only way they can understand your facts is to have it happen to them.when all fails please try another dealership with better customer relations then the one your using.i have had problems with my 8 and i am very happy to say Browns Mazda has taken care of every problem i gave them to fix with out question of how it happened or if it's covered or not .the fact is they heard my complant and took care of it.shop around there are a few good places to go to yet and don't give up on your 8.it's by far a great car!!it has a few bugs that need to be shot out of it .good luck on trip to the dealer sometimes we can and other times we cannot fix it but we give it our best and thats all you can do .we have bought cars back from our customer's at time just to keep there bussiness. :ylsuper:

Sounds like you got a really bad one....the 04s seem to have more issues than the later years. Hope the problems get resolved.

KNOCK ON WOOD, I've been pretty lucky thus far with my '04. It's been in a few times, but it's been for the minimal-type stuff (headlight & tail light replacement, dipstick vent, rattles, gas cap replacement). Heck, even my gas mileage is decent!

Wow, you must have the Bizarro Eight to mine—which has been practically perfect!
Sorry to hear it.

really sounds like a lemon. stalling shouldnt really be happening. find a better dealer possibly