RX8Club.com - VWoA settlement

Like most of you, I'm really upset about this "lie." Look, the S2k is advertised at 240hp and it seems to me that Mazda wanted the 8 to look like it beat Honda on this point, but got caught.
As for the amends, $500 credit (probably on purchased of over-priced Mazda parts) and free maintenance for 4 yrs., it is just a ploy to avoid costly law suits...they hope.

Here's a real life example:
In 1998, I bought a New Beetle turbo diesel on a lark since I had never owned a diesel. About a year later (after the half shafts were replaced...the regular one couldn't handle the torque), I traded it in on Benz for my wife. Now, on August 11, 2003, I received a notice in the mail from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Atlantic County, that a settlement had been reached involving the "malfunctions of front door window mechanisms" in just about every VW NB, Golf, Jetta, etc. produced from 1998 to 2003. The "settlement" reached with VWoA is to replace the mechanism and provide a 7 year extended warranty for that mechanism; and reimburse any owner who paid to have the mechanism replaced, including any "out-ofpocket" expenses (towing, lodging, etc.) if the window wouldn't go up in a snowstorm, etc. The three named plantiffs will each get $1500 and the attorneys will get $520,000. Add to that what VWoA paid their own attorneys to litigate this case.

So, what does this mean? To me, it means the offer to make this "right" is one that saves Mazda a shit load of money! Engines are much more costly to deal with the "window mechanisms." Even BMW, when faced with engine failures in the M3, extended the engine warranty to 100,000 on the engines replaced (at no charge) and all other M3 engines, even those that did not fail.

I'll still get my 8 next week, but there needs to be something more in the way of reparations that don't require me to haggle with the dealer over the price.