HardHitter

Well, today I checked the date my 2004 RX-8 was built and it had 1/04. Is that bad or what because I've heard that anything before April of 2004 had problems with like flashes and floods and all of that. It's strange cause it said 1/04 but my car only had 190 miles on it after being driven from Sacramento to Red Wood City and then to my house meaning that it is practically brand new.

There have been times where I have started my 8, and parked it in the garage and turned it off and there has been no flooding *knock on wood* I have also started it and accidently stalled it couple times and no flooding *knock on wood* Is there a way to check if my 8's fine or what?

brothervoodoo

Just make sure all the recalls and any TSB's appropriate to your vehicle's VIN have been completed and you're good to go....

HardHitter

How would I go about checking that and what about am I looking for?

markd

What does your VIN # end with? I forget who, but I think there are people on here who could tell you how good or bad your 'vintage' may be based on that fact. Either that or someone posted about a TSB, as Brother Voodoo said, or some other Mazda publication in relation to the VIN number.

Go48

Based on the mileage the car is probably a new '04 that sat around the dealers lot for some time. The dealer should have carried out all the recalls and TSB fixes while the car was in their possession. Go to the listing of TSB's at the link below and see which of the bulletins apply to your car using the VIN. If you have any of those problems in the future, take it to the dealer and have them do the TSB work. Having a copy of the TSB with you helps sometimes.

Otherwise, you can take the car to a dealer with copies of the appropriate TSB's and have them verify that all have been done. Those that have been done should be registered in the Mazda database. Most important item is to have them verify that it has the latest PCM flash.

A few hints.

Try to determine who the good and not so good dealers are in your area. Then, obviously, avoid those with the bad reputation. Based on comments on this forum, it appears that the quality of Mazda dealer service departments varys greatly.

Get smart with the TSB's before you contact the dealer. Don't be surprised if you end up knowing more about the issues with this car than they do.

Try to develop a good working relationship with the service department and don't ask for too many TSB "fixes" all at once.

And most important of all: READ THE FORUM THREADS! Good luck.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ocs/index.html

GRT8

I have an '04 that was a leftover because it's green. I ran the VIN through a dealer I did not buy it from the all updates per Mazda were done. Just wanted to make sure...

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Mine was built 9/03 and I purchased 6/04. I have never had a flood issue. Cat was replaced in 9/04 under warrenty. ECU has been re-flashed 3 times.





Note: Date was edited due to error I made, but pointed out by a smart ***. :D

MI_FamilyMan

If you have a competent service manager, he should be able to produce a printout that shows the entire service/warranty history on your vehicle. On this printout it should show what recalls & TSBs were addressed. Based on your build date, I would recommend you make sure that the MSP04 campaign was taken care of, as well as the major recall items (dynamic damper, airbag, etc.).

My car was built in July '03 but was updated prior to purchase in Aug. 04 and everything has been fine so far. You are doing yourself a favor by educating yourself on this board as well.

V_for_velocity

You bought it 3 months before they made it? Cool.
(I like your squealing tire sig.)

expo1

Mine was built 5/03 picked up 2/04. Been great, just had to do the Oil pan TSB. I was getting 17 mpg pre M-flash so getting 19 mpg post is even better. So long as your update on flashes Built date is not much of a concern

HardHitter

My VIN number is JM1FE17394 Is someone able to check for me?

Go48

If you're referring to checking to see which updates have been done to the car, only the dealer service department can tell you that. However, you can use the VIN to see which TSB's or recalls apply.

HardHitter

Am I able to call my dealer I bought it from and give them my VIN number and ask them or do I need to go to the dealer or even worse, the dealer where I bought the car from and ask them? I'll be going to the dealer pretty soon I think because the hood has two small chips in the paint when they were bringing it to their dealer so they need to touch it up.

Go48

I doubt if any dealer would give out that information over the phone, but you never know. Anyway, you're better off going there in person and asking them to print out a list of the "fixes" that have been applied to the car. If the dealer you bought it from refuses to do that, go to another dealer.

zoom44

hardhitter- since you havve not had any problems thats a good indication that your car is fine. the next time you are at the dealer ask them to show you if any recall msp's or tsb's are open. the recalls and msp are the most important.

and word to the wise- NEVER give your vin out like that in public. unscrupulous people could take your vin, go to someone they know at a dealer, get your key code and all of your personal info(address), then have a key made and steal your car!

i have editted the post and the quote to remove part of the vin

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Go to this web site to decode your VIN number.
http://www.analogx.com/contents/vinview.htm

You may want to eliminate the last few numbers of that number in your post for your own security purposes.