T-Rex23

Ok, I’ve been driving my RX-8 for 11 000 kms now. The past week and a half I have noticed the clutch slipping (not engaging when it should). I also noticed at times a faint smell of clutch. This is all from normal driving. Just this past weekend I was driving home at a moderate speed on the highway, everything was fine, except for the slipping, and then all of a sudden I couldn’t put it into any gear, so I had to pull over, that’s when I smelled an extremely strong odor, yeah there went my clutch. OK, now I know what all of you are thinking now, that I don’t know how to drive a standard, but I’ve been driving standards for 8 years now, with no transmission troubles of any kind. The dealership tells me that they won’t cover it, they say I’ve been abusing it. I’m not going to lie I’ve dropped the clutch a few times and I’ve driven it hard at times, but
11 000 kms and a new clutch is needed is somewhat unbelievable. I would think the tires would be long gone before the clutch is. The tires are still in very good shape. Any suggestions or has anyone else heard of a similar dilemma relating to mine.

Thanks All

cas2themoe

I thought mine was going too, I only have 6,000 on mine and I rarely drive it hard. So I wrote them and from what I was told by Mazda was that the clutch is under warranty for 12,000 or 12 Months. Which every comes first. I can find the email if you like and you can print it out and show the dealership. Nevermind I found it.............but I can foward it to you if you like.

"Dear Casimer,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate
the opportunity to respond to you.

In regards to your clutch, please understand I'm not technically
trained and therefore not in a position to diagnose or instruct on
repair procedures. For these matters, Mazda relies on the
factory-trained technicians at authorized Mazda dealerships.

My best recommendation would be to have your RX-8 diagnosed by an
authorized Mazda dealership so it can be properly repaired. Please
keep in mind, each Mazda dealership has access to Mazda's Quality
Assurance Department via a technical hotline. This is offered to each
dealership should they need assistance from Mazda with diagnosing or
repairing a Mazda vehicle.

Your clutch is covered under a 12 month/ or 12,000 miles warranty-
whichever occurs first from the date the vehicle is first put into
service. Specific information regarding warranty coverage can be found
in the Warranty Information Booklet that Mazda provides with all new
vehicles. Please keep in mind that your warranty only covers defects
in workmanship or materials, not items related to maintenance, normal
wear and tear, or outside influences.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. I hope this has been of
assistance. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or
concerns, as I am always happy to assist!

Have a great day!

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2KKKKQNB

Kindest Regards,

Rebecca Falk
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

The 2004 Mazda RX-8 is an Automobile Magazine All-Star"

quack_p

I didn't realize the clutch had a shorter warranty than the rest of the car. Is that normal for a stick shift car?

Gord96BRG

Yes, it's the same as brakes - like brakes, clutches wear out, depending on how hard the driver is on them/it. Note this line from the above e-mail: If the clutch didn't fail in any way, but simply was worn out (abused if you like), then it isn't a warranty issue and Mazda doesn't have to pay for the replacement.

Regards,
Gordon

Ike

Not that I'm aware of, I've never heard of such a thing. On every car I've ever owned the clutch was covered under the standard warranty but not the longer powertrain warranty.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

know issues with pressure plate bolts backing off. covered by dealers.

beers

snap-on

Wear Item Limited Warranty
Wear item coverage for all models is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Items covered include brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades.
*See your Subaru Dealer for complete details."

This is directly from the Subaru site


http://subaru.com/owners/care/warranty/middle.jsp

RotaryNoob

Too bad were talking about Mazda's here...

snap-on

Must have clicked on the wrong " favorite"

Really I linked the site because most manufacturers do treat a clutch as a "wear" item.

RXE16T

Not sure how it is in the States, but here in Australia, Subaru are tough bastards to get a warranty claim compared to Mazda.

Subaru Australia will void all warranty if your car is found to be modified from the original manufacturer's specs, this includes exhausts, intakes, etc.

Back to the thread, you should be able to argue that even though the clutch is a wear and tear item, it's shelf life should be longer than what you have experienced.

Mazda's argument would be that the customer had abused the clutch and that is why it needs replacing so soon, however, they need to prove you abused the clutch.

Just make sure that there isn't any footage of you dumping the clutch or taking the 8 onto the track and legally you should have a case.

Just my 0.02c.

snap-on

I agree the clutch should be covered for at least 12/12.

Actually I personally think they should replace it, abuse or not.

Maybe we should wait until the problem gets looked at, he may have the issue Swoope mentioned


IMHO

Ike

The standard warranty is 36/36, so that just backs up what I was saying. Maybe in cars with longer warranties it's common for the clutch to be a shorter warranty, but I've never experienced that.

G8rboy

The big difference here is warranty coverage of clutch wear vs. clutch failure due to a defect. I can't imagine how much abuse you would have to give one of these clutches to wear it out in less than 12k miles... it would have to be a ton of abuse. I would have to think that most people that drive normally (not spending every weekend at Moroso drag racing) with clutch problems during the warranty period of the car have valid defects.

beachdog

T-Rex23, if your tires, pedals and brake pads all show normal wear for the mileage you have, the dealer should be convinced that the clutch was not abused.

G8rboy

Good point... tires are usually a dead giveaway

cas2themoe

Something to think about, if alot of us have the throwout bearing gone, why not just say the throwout bearing was gone and it made the clutch go too. Just my 2 cents ;-)

magixpuma

I only have 1400 miles and im also experiencing problems with the clutch. sometimes it smells like its burning when im not even on it. and just now it started making a clicking noise i hope they dont give me **** at the dealer ship.