New Developement yet another chapter
 

If you have been following you know that I have had my car into the service department 6 times for low mileage. The last time they said the engine light came on and produced a code "thermostat stuck open". They replaced the thermostat which they said was a major job because they had to remove the fuel injector assembly. They told me this would greatly improve my mileage.

They returned my car and I still get about 10 mpg. I drove it 2 weeks and the engine light came on. I took it in and they said it again showed "thermostat stuck open". They said they are sending the computer back to the factory. I asked them why they just don't replace it and they said they can't get one. They said the computer would be cleaned and a new upload would be put on. One that is not even available to the service departments. These words are the service managers. He is not computer savvy he says.

In the mean time they got me a rental. A new Mazda 6 with 8 miles on it. I really like it. My wife wants a new car down the road. She likes this car. Can anyone also suggest alternatives in the price range and size so I can compare.
2 doors or 4 doors would be fine. We like the idea of the Mazda 6 5 door

Well, it sounds like your dealer is a pretty good one. I mean they really sound like they are trying with your 8, and you can't get a better loaner than a brand new 6.

There are few comparables to a Mazda 6 five door. There are so few wagons out there, but I think that a Dodge Magnum with a 6 cylinder is in the range, and a Subaru Legacy wagon, however, when my brother went looking for a new wagon, the 6 beat the competition in his eyes hand down. The magnum had poor visibility.

Sorry for your troubles with the 8, and I will be interested to read what the final upshot is concerning your troubles.

All the best - Haze

My wife drives a Mazda 6s with a 5 spd. In the price range we bought at there was no real competitor (paid 19000 for a new 2003 in early 04 - and it has power seats and leather), but a new one, I'd defintely look at the subaru's, then you've got the usual Accord/Camry/Altima if you're smoking something good you could check out the new Chevy Malibu Maxx... just don't....

hopefully what will actually happen howard is that MZ will send you a new pcm so they can keep and dissect your old one. i have heard a couple times recently that they are doing this. they might be looking for/at an architecture change that they were unaware could cause a problem. if this is the case then turnaround time should be very short.

i truly dont believe you can do better in the price range than the Mazda6 5door. if my wife and i were looking for another car soon it would be at the top of our list. in fact it is at the top of our list we just arent shopping yet:D

They told me they were sending back the same pcm but who knows. In any case maybe I will finally have a solution and a step toward solving this issue for other RX8 owners will have been taken. At least they are taking it serious. I believe the service department has always believed me but Mazda was questioning whether there in fact was a problem. They said they would be overnighting the part both ways.

Also I mentioned the foam in my oil and they told me the part to fix this would not be available to March but they had ordered it.

As for the Mazda 6, well my wife had recently lost her job and is looking for another one. When she does I am sure this one will be high on our list. We had been looking at Toyota Celica and I know it is smaller but in similar price range.
The service manager said there had been a few problems with the Mazda 6.

We've had exactly zero problems with our Mazda 6s - got about 15000 miles, and a year old. Of course I've had zero problems with my 8, so maybe we're lucky. :)

Well I for one can tell you the 6s is a great buy. No problems with mine and I have 58k on mine and I beat the crap out it daily.

I actually considered buying the 6 before I convinced the missus to stretch the 'budget' to an 8.

It truly is one of the best mid sized cars on the market.