My "new" RX-8 has a few problems.
 

Hey guys, I bought a used '04 a few weeks ago. As with all used cars, there's always a few problems waiting to be found.

When i first bought the car, I took it to the dealership for the 60k maintenance and to get new front brakes. I had them look into a few problems and since I got the car back, I've "found" some new problems of my own

- a grinding noise on power-assist steering
- airbag light
- repetitive knocking noise on braking.
- heat seems to only work at lower RPMs

The grinding noise was diagnosed by a Mazda tech as a bad steering rack. The price of the part is pretty hefty (over $1,000) and since it was a dealership, the labor was going to be pretty expensive too. I held off on that repair, hoping that maybe I could find a better deal on the parts and labor at a non-dealership mechanic (or a friendly dealership-mechanic looking for sidework)

I found a site online that sells remanufactured steering racks. I was wondering if anyone has ever used them. The price is nearly half the price of the part from Mazda.

The Mazda tech originally said that the airbag light was due to a wiring harness problem, but after replacing the light they realized one of the side airbags had been deployed and not replaced (don't you love used cars).


They said the braking noise was due to some non-OEM brake pads that had been installed and I had hoped that replacing the brakes would clear up some of the braking noise I am hearing, but that hasn't been the case. Now instead of a knocking noise on braking, I seem to be getting another grinding noise when braking.

Lastly, this heating problem seems a bit odd. I hadn't noticed it before since I was in Texas and it's the spring. But we had a chilly morning the other day and the car was blowing cold air despite having the temperature turned all the way up. As I came to a stop at stoplights the heat would start blowing nice and toasty, but once I was back underway it'd start blowing cold again.

Sorry to have written such a book, here's some cliff's notes:
- dealership says I need a new steering rack, steering rack = expensive, does anyone have experience with remanufactured steering racks?
- airbag light is due to a wiring harness (replaced already) or a deployed airbag that mazda wanted another $415 in parts to replace.
- odd heat problem

If anyone had any feedback, I'd love it :)

For lack of heat problem, check your coolant level and look at this: DIY: No Heat? Repair the Heater Control. No warranty left on the car?

The car's out of its normal warranty, but it's still cover by the 8 year / 100k warranty for specific engine components. So, most of my problems above are going to have to come out of my pocket. It's not a huge deal, I just don't feel like paying the big dealership markups for getting it fixed.

Yeah, I was just looking at the DIY for the heat control earlier. I was wondering if that applied to me, I don't seem to have any issues using the same control to adjust the AC.

Edit:

I re-read that DIY, it definitely sounds familiar. I wish I had read the entirety of the thread then i wouldn't have even listed it as a problem that I needed help understanding :)

The heat problem is strange. What is happening with your water temperature gauge? Does it follow the rise and fall of the heater temps?

Do the heater control test to see if it is a heater control problem. Audio Power on, press and hold power button and scan up? Or was it seek up? One of the 2. After a couple seconds, the display above the audio panel should clear and give you a number equal to what the heater control is set to. Scroll the heater knob around and see if it covers the full range 0-16. If the knob is the issue, it will be stuck somewhere, or pause longer than it should, etc. It should be a smooth instant change as you roll the knob. If that is fine, the the problem is elsewhere.

Do the brakes grind regardless of how hard you step on it? is it only grinding when light braking or just heavy braking? When it does and doesn't show up helps pinpoint what the trouble is. Our OEM brakes tend to have a bit of a squeal to them naturally, and if something is worn too much it could translate to a grind. I am assuming it isn't a wear problem though, if you just had them replaced. Might want to think about if it happens without braking, at which point the grinding could be related to the axle or bearing. Or if the tire is hitting the wheel well wall at some point during braking and rubbing. Pay close attention to what happens when, and let us know more details, including when it doesn't happen.

I just went for a trip to the grocery store and did the test to see what the A/C Temperature is. For the most part, it seems to behave pretty normally, but it does get stuck at zero sometimes, especially when it's turned all the way up to 16. Based on what other people have described, this appears to be my problem. Now if only I had some experience soldering things back together myself.

The whole time, the temperature gauge is pretty constant right where it always is. I don't think it's an issue with the thermostat.

The Brakes only seem to grind at low speed light braking, like when you're rolling up to a red light or into a parking spot. I haven't heard the grinding at higher speeds, I haven't really laid into the brakes lately.

I'm in for the night tonight, I'll take her out for a spin tomorrow and try and get some better info on the brakes.

Yeah, definitely the control knob issue. Exactly the way mine started behaving. It 0 through 15 was normal, but 16 often bumped it to 0 and flooded me with cold air. It was like that for a few weeks before it just crapped out all together and left it stuck on 0.

If you could backtrack to who did the work when the car was involved in an accident (the missing airbag problem) you might could get it done for free. Considering that would fall under non-functioning safety equipment and it's illegal to even drive without it. Dunno if you could find that information though.

For the brake vibrations, what was the procedure used to bed in the new pads?
Was it just replace and drive away or something more in line with this thread below?

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/brake-faq-167264/

you might be experiencing some pad buildup

At high speeds, I don't seem to hear or see it at all. Nor do I seem to feel/hear it when I really put my foot down on the brake. The only time I seem to hear/feel the grinding noise is in low speed braking. And when I hear it, it is periodic... Not quite a knocking sound, but almost.

I didn't "bed" the brakes at all. I had a dealership change them, and just drove normal. I drive pretty spirited, but that's mostly acceleration and not a whole lot of excessive braking. Would it help to try and bed the brakes? It's been probably 3-4 weeks since I had the brakes changed.