Have our cupholders lost some of their heating ability thanks to the recall? I have done the usual commuting to and from work and feel that they heat up less. My mp3 player for one will be glad about this if it's for real.

 

there was a tsb for insulation under the cupholders. Did you complain about the heat in the interior?

there's nothing in the current heat recall that would directly reduce the heat in that area unless that heat was traveling forward from the gas tank area and the insulating blanket was helping.

 

where's the info on that? i couldn't find anything about it at rosenthal mazda.

 

Nothing in the recall would have reduced console heat......here is the Mazda Repair Information (MRI) on the problem. It's not a TSB.

FRONT CUP HOLDER / CENTER CONSOLE BECOMES HOT
Applicable Models
Model Starting S/N Ending S/N
2004 RX8 00000000 40113124

Some customers may complain of the front cupholder area of the center console becoming hot after extended driving, causing cold drinks to warm. Due to the heat from the exhaust system (catalyst), the center console (cup holder area) becomes hot. This is due to insufficient insulation between the floor panel N cup holder. A insulation pad is available to reduce the heat transfer to the center console. 1. Remove the upper panel, hole cover (cigar lighter) and storage box from the vehicle. (See WSM 9-17-8) 2. Remove the six screws from the upper panel and remove the rear console. (See WSM 9-17-8,9) 3. Attach the heat insulater pad to the bottom of the front cup holder in the rear console removed at the above step #2. NOTE: Be sure to attach the heat insulator pad so that the bottom of the cup holder is wrapped. 4. Re-install the parts reverse order of removal. Parts information: F151-55-161 Heat insulator pad

Cheers,
Gomez

 

does this mean that they HAVE to fix it FOR FREE if i complain about it?

 

Yup there's a thread on that here: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/warm-weather-brings-back-warm-cabin-temps-25815/

I have a 2005, so that won't apply. I asked the question because logically it doesn't make sense for the recall to have made a difference. I was wondering if anyone else had noticed this ... Looks like the answer is no! I probably just haven't been on a long enough drive since the recall!

 

Does this apply to the 2005's as well? Maybe the 04's were a lot worse, but I know my 05 gets mighty warm in there.

 

No, it doesn't apply to 05's. And those with '04s should point out to their dealer that there is a fix, but in reality this is not a recall, they don't have to fit the heatpad. Ask nicely about it at your next service. Don't storm in demanding it be fixed......you'll have a better result that way.

 

My VIN is out of that range, but the cupholders still get quite warm - I imagine how hot it must have been for those cars that fall into the mentioned VIN range.
I wonder how could that area be insulated even better... it appears they started to use better insulation from VIN 40113124 upwards, but honestly, it wasn't too effective.

 

Why fix it? It's a good way to keep morning coffee hot

 

What ever would we do without Gomez?

Bummer this doesn't apply to 05's. Oh well, great for keeping my White Chocolate Mochas warm.

 

I'm confused. Can someone reiterate the problem with the drink warmers?

 

I have an actual pre-order car when they first arrived in US.. The cup holder did get extremly HOT.. The insulation blanket was applied by the dealer, but sadly the overall effect in cooling is negligible.. Ohh well.. no big deal..my cafe-con-leche stays warm on the way to the office. Still I love this car...Even after two years I get thumbs up from other motorist.

 

i think my drink warmers are defective...they don't more than a little warm. definately not enough to keep a hot drink hot.

 

if I get one more recall on my 8 I'm lighting a match

 

Okay! I jumped the gun! My mp3 player got nice and hot sitting in the cupholder today, so all's as it was.

 

RX-8 heated cup warmers...

a design flaw, wrapped in a tuxedo, is called a "feature".

 

Heh! They didn't give me a tuxedo! Is there a TSB for that?