cougarrx8

Hey guys.
so today i take out my 2008 rx8 with only 61K km on it and owning it for exactly one month.
car would not go above 2000rpm and no more than 10-12km/hr. the car was rough and shaky. then it stalled on me if i came to a full stop and then turned the car back on and after some secons the check engine light would flash. lucky at this point i only drove for 100m or so and another 100m to a gas station so i got to the station and popped the hood open to see a small flame from the ignition wires (sparkplugs wires). i took the gas bars extinguisher and killed the flame.
i get it towed to mazda and they take the wires out to tell me the biggest bullshit with a quote of $670 CDN.. the BS part is that a rodent or something chewed the wire thus causing a spark and it caught the fire.
then guess what its not on warranty because of that reason. i have full warranty and they wont even fix it unless i am ready to pay.
i need help....
i have looked online to see the part i need its around $150...
oh i forgot to mention that its the wires and sparkplugs costing me $670.

i live in Toronto so maybe someone knows what i can do or at least get this in warranty as it is only a 2008.

HELP

rz-jacks

forget about replacing your ignition with stock components, just get one of these:

http://blackhaloracing.com/products-...nition-system/

http://raceroots.com/index.php/produ...n-harness.html

Better coils, better wires = reliability, smoothness, more MPG.

if you just want to replace the wires only they also carry them separately.

EDIT: these guys, and I think raceroots too carry the OEM spark plugs for 80 bucks or so, dealership will charge you double that

SlickRick51586

Flashing CEL means misfire, or something else just as bad in most cases.

1. You can take it to a reputable mechanic, and get a second opinion/quote.
2. Take it to a different dealer (assuming a district Mazda rep didn't decline warranty work)
3. Order the parts and fix it yourself

cougarrx8

thing is i told them to wait for a day. so i went to another mazda and got a second opinion. there too one of the guys looked at it and said it seems like something chewed this wire so we cant say. if i bring the car to the other dealer then they can try to put under warranty but they said not guarantee depending on if the tech contacted mazda people and open a case. so if they suddenly put it on warranty then they get into trouble with difference of opinion.
bottom line is i am savy enough to do it myself with help from this site but they car is sitting the dealer without the wires as i took them to get another opinion.
i was thinking to get them to just change the wires then i will deal with everything else. the plugs arent that bad but since its at 60K now its best to replace them according to the book.
so would you guys advice let them put just the wire and check the computer system and clear the codes then i can get the plugs and coils and do that myself? this should cost around $120 i think if i just did the wires from the dealer

jasonrxeight

just change the wires yourself, how hard can that be? you can change both coils and wires within 30 min with very simple tools.

cougarrx8

so what tow the car back into my basement and wait for the parts to arrive?
either way i have decided to get rid of this car asap so once fixed i am trading the car in before its too late. so i was thinking let them fix wires and i march into dealerships and trade the car for something more ecomonical by fuel and a simple car.
definately not a mazda though
these bastards didnt even give me a courtesy car for the day so i had to rent it from them.

YaXMaNGTO

Your engine is running horribly and stalls, so you go ahead and start it to limp it to a gas station while the check engine light is flashing?

Then, you're mad at the dealership for not covering damage that's not a manufacturer defect?

Really?

YaXMaNGTO

Oh, that's even better. You take it on the chin by paying all the taxes with TT&L when you bought the car, and then you "march into the dealership", lose thousands on another trade-in, and do it all over again because you can't keep a few mice out of your engine bay.

This thread delivers.

cougarrx8

what are you talking about? you sound like someone from the dealership i am at

yea i'd rather trade this in for 3-4000 less money and end up having a 40K car and still have everything on the loan since i haven't really payed into this car except the first months payment

cougarrx8

no the check engine light started to flash when i was already on the road literary. the engine shut off as i was on the road and at that point about 100m to a gas station. then i turn it on and a as i was driving to pull into gas station the light starts to flash.

SlickRick51586

He's just busting your *****, you made a mistake.

Learn from it...

Fix the ignition system, get the engine compression tested (your engine was probably misfiring, and it will indicate if the engine is good, and thus if the car is worth keeping)

Check the rest of the exposed wiring in the engine bay, for obvious reasons.


If everything checks out okay I would keep the car.

jasonrxeight

I believe you can get those wires from any auto stores.

cougarrx8

well the car never misfiried until today. for the past month a simple turn and the car would turn on. its only today that is had a hard start and that could be because the wires insulation rubber had cuts on them somehow. so i think that can cause misfiring and sparks to cause the fire.

question. can you request dealership to run a compression test and is there a charge for that?

jasonrxeight

why dont you just change the damn wire and see how that goes?
there will be a charge for the test if the engine is within the specs.

YaXMaNGTO

Oh, okay. thank you for clarifying that.

I wouldn't keep the car either. It's probably best to pay the bastards at the dealership to fix it, and trade it in...

cougarrx8

oh btw i live in an appartment so there are alot of cars in the underground basement. why the mice went for this car and not my jeep or any other car.
problem is if i can prove it wasnt mice then it could be coverd by warranty so its my word against theirs. they dont have proof either that it was a mice. so what can i do.

jasonrxeight

can you prove it wasnt mice? over a $20 wire?

tonik

I have a used wire you can use (for free) if u want to while waiting for the parts. They are still in good shape. I change mine last sept and keep the used one for spare...same with the coils..

jasonrxeight

nice man, but dont bother, hes gonna get rid of the car because of the wire.
by his opinion, Id get rid of my Jeep countless times.

tonik

I've almost get rid of my 8 because of a leaky gas tank...and oil pan too..good thing i saw a spare oil in my brake light..lol

jasonrxeight

you sure it wasnt binker fluid?

tonik

I'm sure it's oil because i fell hp increase when i take it out..lol

jasonrxeight

lol, way to go.

cougarrx8

thanks tonik on the offer. i think best to replace the wire from them and i know its over priced but saves me trouble to install it. i am going to test drive cars and have some in mind so lets see if i can make a decision this week and once the car is out i wont drive it much except to take it in to dealership and have them give me an offer.
i will post more as i know

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

no offense but folks with your mentality need to be driving a Civic(or whatever the curent generation of car is that is the drive and forget type grocery getter)

Of course a dealership isnt going to warrantee damage caused by something like that. secondly, you dont have to tow the car home, wait, etc etc. Go to the auto store, get a set of wires, go to the dealer, spend 10 minutes or less replacing them, drive home.

A wire that has been chewed through and has conductor showing like that will spark, cause misfire, CEL, and possibly start fires.

A dealer should perform a compression test for you, but if the results dont end up with you having repairs done under warrantee, then you'll have to pay for the test

unless the dealer is blatently lying to you(possible but 30 seconds to pop the hood will answer that), then you'll never win a fight to get this covered under warrantee