As we all know the RX8 is coming to America. Mazda intends, and hopefully will, sell a large number of these cars. With so many rotary powered cars on the road, the question of rotary techs comes up. 90% of the time anything that needs to be done to a rotary car a regular mechanic can do just fine (i.e. oil changes, tune ups etc.), but every once in while only the expertise of a rotary tech will suffice. Does anyone know if Mazda will be training more rotary techs or requiring any dealer selling the RX8 to have one? One of the main reasons I shied away from buying a RX7 was the fear that an apex seal would get blown or something like that and the nearest rotary tech will be many miles away. I am not saying that there will be significant problems with the 8, just that Mazda might want to consider beefing up their staff of rotary techs.

 

Queball:

I have been wondering that myself. I know the RX-8 will sell well, not doubt about that, but will there be tech "proficient" in maintaining the rotary engine? I have an 85 RX-7 and live in NH. I know of no shop close by that works on rotary's. I've been doing most of the work myself, but would love to have the engine checked over by a real "rotor head"

I hope Mazda put money not only into creating a great 4-door sportscar, but also into training their mechanics to keep the 8 running like a top. :D

 

Guess no one else cares..... ??

 

I have the same concern myself especially since I have never previously owned a rotary powered car. I just started a new thread in the Canadian forum asking for recommendations regarding places that have proven themselves as providers of good rotary service.

I believe it would be in Mazda’s best interest to let the public know what they are doing in this area. Let’s face it, this has to be one the biggest areas of concern for first time rotary buyer. Everyone’s biggest fear is that his or her car will breakdown somewhere and nobody will know how to fit it. Its not like you can take it to any local garage to have it repaired.

For the rx8 to be successful my guess is that most of the buyers will be first time rotary buys and probably first time Mazda clients. Mazda does not appear to be addressing this important issue which in my opinion is just plain foolish.

 

maybe Mazda wants us to figure out the capabilities of the Renesis

















lol... j/k

 

if we have troubles, i'll take it to the dealer :l.

 

But are the dealers prepared/staffed to fix them?

 

I've owned 3 FCs and 2 FDs, all of which were purchased used and way beyond original factory warranties. Knowing that most dealer shops were too incompetent to service rotaries, I always took my 7s to shops that specialized in rotaries.

The 8 is be the first car I will ever purchase new, and for warranty--as well as litigation--sake, I hope Mazda will better train their technicians to handle the (hopefully) sudden increase in rotary clientele.

 

You would think that Mazda/dealerships would have some kind of training program going for their service techs. Then again maybe it's up to the individual dealers to train their staff? I'd think they would have some foresight into this and have trained people ready.

 

Your logic seems fine... but there should be some Mazda public retaliations statement stating so.

 

How about going to your local dealer and requesting info/proof that something like this has taken place. I'd hate to have some tech "learning" how to service this engine from a shop manual..
It's a good thing my lease is up in 04.. time to work out the first year glitches.

 

This is just conjecture, but I think one of the main reasons that Mazda has decided to go with a NA engine (God knows they made the rotary engine work for production cars in the first place so I know they can turbocharge it) is that NA engines are very reliable and less complex than turbovharged rotaries. With that said, most Mazda dealership probably still have an "old" guy who remebers the days of the 2nd Gen (86-91). Hopefully, this will lead to some practical hands on training of the newer dealership techs. Although I am blessed by living in an area that has a wealth of Rotary experts, I also know what my dealership can and can't do for me. They can handle the RX-8. There just aren't that many moving parts in a NA motor. If you don't abuse it and change the oil regularly, they run like a fine swiss watch!

 

hehe some kinda freudian slip?
i noticed the warrenty info from the press kit(i think) said 24/7 365 day per year road side assisstance for the full warrenty period so at least they won't leave you stranded.

 

I'm almost 100% positive that Mazda is currently developing/finalizing the technician training for the RX8. Mazda requires all dealer staff to achieve a certain level of training to receive certain perks/benefits. And if that Master Technician wants to remain at that status, he/she will definately have to take RX8 training. Also towing will be covered to the nearest dealership for the warranty period which is now 4 years/50,000 miles!

K

 

I plan to treat my 8 quite gingerly for the first 500-1000 miles. I want to make sure she is broken in correctly. I also want to demand that nobody at the dealership drive the vehicle when it arrives. I wonder if they'll listen!

 

I just called Mazda customer assistance, 1-800-222-5500, and I asked them about training specifically for the RENESIS. She believes there will be based on the fact that they had mechanic training for the Mazda6. She did say that nothing was currently planned in writing though.

 

I remember taking my 93 FD into the Mazda Dealerships in Santa Cruz, San Jose and San Francisco from 1995 til 1999. The support may have been there when the 3rd Gen Rx7 was first introduced, but it soon disappeared. The mechanics who were assigned to work on my vehicle simply kept replacing parts until they.....A) Accidently fixed it......or......B) Claimed that it wasn't really problem as it peformed to Mazda's published specs. I think initially, you'll probably get decent trained mechanics, but over time, I would consider taking it to a speciality shop. My current mechanic is a Rx7 specialist and I wouldn't take it anywhere else. His shop is 40 miles away from my house, but at least I know my problem will be fixed.


On a side note, I would caution people's expecations of the RX-8s peformance. This is not a Rx7 that is for sure.

 

I have rarely seen a dealership mechanic teardown an engine. If you have an engine problem, Mazda will probably send a crate with a new engine. Make sure it does not run out of oil or overheat and you should be in the clear.

Just my 2 cents,

Don

 

Well, hate to burst you bubbles guys, but mechanics at dealers do that crap ANYWAY. You should see the hack-n-scrap job they did on my brothers Miata when he first got it. The guy we bought the car from paid 1/2 the repair amount(came to $650, we then got our money back) replacing needless parts since the car didn't idle right. It had a "hunting idle". We brought the car in, I told them I think its a vaccume leak, thinking they'd be well adept at tracking down and fixing the problem. After 2 weeks, we got the car back with the note "low compression on piston 1, engine needs to be replaced".

They replaced the intake and exhaust gaskets(the smartest thing they did...but all they had to do was check it, not replace them) replaced all the belts, replaced the alternator and the thermostat. What does the belts and thermostat have to do with the idle? I have NO idea. On top of it all, this car has a JR Supercharger, they did NOT replace the belt because you can't get one stock from Mazda...which they claimed they did.

It was a vaccume hose that went from the intake to the rising rate FPR...they "claimed" they worked on the car all the time and knew exactly what it was. Yeah, I fixed it.

Anyway, dealers *always* do this, there's almost nothing special about the rotary in their treatment.

But talking to the local RX7 mechanic,(Greg Burns) he said Mazda has ALWAYS offered rotary classes on the basis of once every 6 months or so...the MECHANICS have to volunteer. And since it takes up there Saturday, they don't go.(or Saturday and Sunday in some cases). Its not Mazda's fault, well maybe for not pushing enough, but the mechanics are just lazy *** bums most of the time.

 

Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. If you worked a full week, and if you have a family at home that you might want to spend time with, would you be so anxious to go to a whole weekend of class? Do they get paid for that time? Remember, the RX7 is not the only car. How many other weekends have they had to spend for other cars? If you had a choice of going to classes for cars that you get in all the time, and a class for a car that you rarely see in the shop anyway (in which case, you'll forget most of what you learned if it was a month since you had the class anyway), which would you spend time on?

Not all mechanics are dumb and lazy. Sure, we all have horror stories, but that doesn't mean that that is every case, or even the norm. There are bad cops out there, but we don't hold it against all of them, do we (well, some people do...)?

---jps

 

Ironically, the mechanics who do take the extra curriculum are probably more interested in branching out on their own or to a speciality shop then sticking around at Mazda. My mechanic trained a few guys to work on rotaries for Mazda in the mid nineties....none of them still work there.

 

I'm sorry for putting that horrible generalization on mechanics. I actually ment to edit that part out before I sent the message, but forgot to do so. Yes, you are right. They do have full work weeks and a family(most of the time), but what is 6 hours of your life you only have to do once, maybe twice. Also, why do they claim their certified when they're not. Thats my biggest pet peeve with mechanics...besides except for a few cases I NEVER goto a mechanic. Greg is the except, of coarse, but only when its something I CANNOT do.(like when my computer went out and it wasn't throwing any lights, the car would run...somewhat...boy, was I CONFUSED.)

But, they could put in a little more effort. At least John Finger sends the cars to Greg which they can't work on...they charge double the amount, but at least the car is fixed then.

Michael