I called Mazda Roadside Assistance today because my car was dead. I was told a tow truck would be at the car in about 40 minutes, 90 minutes top. I called at 11:00. It's 2:05 and I'm still waiting. I'll keep you posted on when (if!) they arrive. In the meantime, if you have used the Mazda Roadside Assistance Program how long did you have to wait for someone to arrive?

 

Took over 3 hrs for me :o
Called late on a friday night... and waited... and waited...

 

What if you were stuck in Harlem? I think I'll call good old trusty AAA if the 8 ever breaks down. Knock on wood.

 

I thought it was supposed to be towed by flatbed.

 

AAA is who Mazda Roadside called. Seems they contract with them. :o

 

Back, folks. 3 1/2 hours to get a truck. AAA under contract to Mazda.

The manual has instructions for towing.

The towing company knew to send a flatbed ("We use flatbeds for RX-8s.") but you need to have the car winched up the flatbed board. For this you need to use the tie-down clamps that are stored in the back. They're easy to attach. The winch clamp is hooked to a tie-down and the car is pulled onto the flatbed. Then the car is secured to the flatbed by belting the tires down. No harm to the car.

Cause of the problem? Bad battery. Everything covered under warranty, I was told. Lost a day but, all in all, I got off pretty lightly ... apart from the aggravation.

 

Well, my car survived the pull up the board but the driver could be right. Anybody out there know?

 

Does anyone know whether it's safe to use the tie-downs to winch an RX-8 up on a flatbed tow truck?

 

yes its safe 100% safe. I took off my bumper plenty of times so i know for an fact taht it attached to teh box frame. they screw in theya re safe. This is how i got my car towed.

 

Thanks, eclps0.

 

I've never had my car towed. To you people that have:

Did they pull your car up onto the flatbed using the tiedown hooks? The warning below seems to imply that winching (towing) the car up onto the flatbed is a no-no.

eclps0, I know you said they used the tiedown hooks to winch you up ..... I'd like to hear from you other folks that got towed, please.

Here's what the warning says in the Owner's Manual on page 7-24 in the CAUTION box:

"Do not use the tiedown hooks under the front and rear for towing. They are designed ONLY for tying down the vehicle when it’s being transported. Using them for towing will damage the bumper."

rx8cited

 

There may be some ambiguity in the language. They may mean don't tow the car any significant distance along a road or they may mean don't even use the hooks to go up onto a flatbed truck. Eclps0's comments and my experience lead me to believe that they meant the former. But we really don't know for sure. I suppose an inquiry to Mazda would settle it. I'll see what I can find out.

 

No luck talking to MazdaUSA. They say they're not equipped to answer technical questions. Told me to a call a dealer.