Anyone got their hands on a factory workshop manual yet?
 

As above.

I have access to the Techincal Highlights Manual and the Mazda RX-8 Technical Training Class information. Should be getting the tech manuals in the next few months. Why do you ask?

Im interested in getting a copy (I have all the previous rotary workshop manuals also).

Unfortunately I doubt if copies of the workshop/service manuals will be legally obtainable by the public for quite some time yet, alas. :(

I rang a few local dealers and they all said they coudn't sell them but to try a certain bookseller/publisher. But the bookseller said to try the dealers!

I rang someone at Mazda in Australia for clarification and this is apparently how it works here:

Mazda owns the copyright on its manuals and protects it carefully for quite a while after new release. They like to keep servicing within the trained dealer network if possible, particularly during the introductory phase of a new vehicle. Although irritating for us, this is understandable from a commercial point of view, but also because they want to keep the servicing 'in house' and out of the hands of the 'cheapo' auto shops whose work standards they have no control over.

The dealer network apparently pays handsomely for the exclusive right to the official manuals, which obviously have a high commercial value and initial cost of production.

After a 'certain period of time' (which can be months or years) the copyright is sold to a third party publisher who can reprint and sell to the wider public. I believe that the dealers get a bit of a refund on their original investment, out of the proceeds of the copright sale to the new publisher.

This is a total pain for us owner/enthusiasts but I do understand the commercial logic from the manufacturer/dealer point of view. I imagine that something similar happens with most manufacturers/vehicles for a period after release. Is the situation similar in the USA?

Having said that though, the information was apparently also distributed on CD to the dealers (not sure whether it was a complete copy or what). And where there is a CD there will someone somewhere who "borrows" it and burns it.

However, as this would be theft of intellectual property and breach of copyright I wouldn't expect to see burnt copies offered openly.

In the meantime, info will continue to trickle out through resources like this great forum.

:)

Trickle indeed.

The entire workshop manual set is avaialbe from:
CDC Technologies
for a minimum $20 a day access fee. It amounts to about 2700 pages of info.
I signed up for about 3 days and managed to pass through all of it.
Quite a lot of detail.

Thanks Maniac, intriguing post. :)

Looks like they take a somewhat different approach in the US to selling the information. Would this service be intended for use by independent repairers (and perhaps individuals who want to pay a fee to look up the details of a particular job they're doing) -or would the Mazda Dealer network also just have a subscription to this sort of resource instead of all the usual paper manual stuff?

I couldn't see myself doggedly ploughing through 2700 pages, but a few chunks might be worth the fee. I admire your tenacity at 'passing through' the whole lot. Impressive. :)

Yeah, I think it is aimed at the independant repair facility and the hobbist.
I imagine the dealers must have paper manuals, but mine wont admit to it.


I had some "super-human" help.