Climate control head + Amplifier replacement
 

Hi everyone,

I've owned my 8 for about 5 years now and have just recently started having all sorts of problems with it (plugs, coils, wires, MAF sensor, vacuum leak, etc.). I have just under 50K miles.

Anyway, the most recent problem is the AC display going out and not allowing me to change temperature/mode. It's also not showing the ambient temperature and what settings I currently have the AC on (display for radio and everyone else on the left side still works fine).

Problem started with just the temperature control knob malfunctioning and only allowing me to set AC temp to 13-16 but eventually got to where nothing related to AC/heater works or even lights up. Looked up the DIY and fixed the temperature control knob to where it will go from 0-16 but the displays still won't come on.

Paid $85 at a shop for them to tell me that they need to replace the entire temperature control unit and amplifier for $700+ ($529 for control unit and $57 for amplifier + labor). Apparently Mazda has issued a service bulletin saying that the amplifier must be replaced every time the climate control head is replaced.

Sorry about the long post, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I want to know what you guys think before blowing 3 weeks pay on basically a circuit board :(


Edit: meant to add this. Has anyone heard about the service bulletin the guy mentioned to me? Also, I found people on EBAY who repair rx8 climate control heads for around $100. Send yours in and they send it back with a guarantee. Just wondering if anyone else had experience with that. Thanks.

I have most certainly never heard of ANYONE replacing the Bose audio amplifier when replacing the temperature control unit. Could they be talking about a different amplifier? Maybe something built into the non-Bose headunit (even that I highly doubt). Maybe something else? A non-audio amplifier?

We've had several users on here replace the entire A/C control unit (board, knobs, etc) without any amplifier problems/need to swap them out. We swap out our headunits with aftermarket (breaking any A/C / radio connection), have issues with the Metra interfaces, but audio still plays fine.

I'd ask them for a bulletin number so you can read up on it yourself. Sounds like BS to me. And if you found out it is BS, connect Mazda and report them. There is no room for blatant shadiness.