Ridiculous M Flash story
 

Since I have a hefty commute to work and rarely am home during normal service hours, my wife drives the 8 to Anaheim Mazda for warranty work and oil changes. A month ago, after the TSB came out that gave us our M flashes, Judy took it in to do the air bag and demand the M flash and the AC fix. After some serious jawboning and waving around of TSB printouts, she gets the flash and the AC. You don't want to mess with Judy. No sticker on the hood though.

Today she takes it in for an oil change and they advise her that everybody is getting a new flash. I already had it, she says. We don't think so says they. So, they give her a rental and when she comes back, lo and behold, we got a second M flash. I for one don't entirely appreciate giving their mechanics an unnecessary opportunity to do damage, but I wonder how this is going to work out when Anaheim Mazda puts in for warranty work compensation. To think how hard it was just weeks ago to get the newest flash, now you get 'em like hot cakes.

Still no sticker, and this is the third time we drove the car out of Anaheim Mazda with the oil overfilled.

From what others...
 

...have been saying, it seems like the "second" TSB issued by Mazda was a more directly-worded bulletin, since so many dealers/service shops had trouble figuring out exactly how to go about applying the flash, ie. "Is the car having problems, Is it hard to statrt, If nothing is wrong, we can't flash it..." I thought I'd have ahrd time getting it...but it popped up as a "re-call" on my service guys compuer.

It's a funny thing about the sticker...I never got one either! Some other owners here didn't get them as well. It's odd, since it's an illustrated step in the TSB.

Arvin

Idiots. One of the first things the "MSP" bulletin says it to check the current flash level, and explains how to do it. If they had done that, they would have discovered you already had the "M." So either they didn't really give it to you before, or they did and lied about doing it a second time, or they just dumbly reflashed it again. Pretty sad.

They did something the first time because it passed the brake-tap test. Guess what - it still passes the brake-tap test.

Edit: Improved sarcastic effect.

Ignorance in action is frightening.

I didnt get much response in another thread so I'll post it again here in the techie garage :)

Thankx....

I got a sticker this last time when I demanded the 'M' Flash. But... they never put it on my work order or invoice/records..

I was glad I got the sticker, so at least I know they did it.

That was Browning Mazda at Cerritos

As Omi states above this should be the case... The latest is M.. so who can explain the PCM part # to me...

Thankx!

When a warranty claim is input at the dealer the "part number main cause" will always be the "A" suffix.

This way the warranty dept in Irvine doesn't have to change the part number in the automated system for every reflash on every vehicle.

BTW the 03 Mz6 is up to "E" and the 04 is up to "B"

Edit..the digit/letter after the "E" in the file name is the actual reflash level..SW-N3H4E"M"000. This is the file the Dealer downloads from the Mz web site and installs in your car.

Great, thankx for the clarification....

Re: Ridiculous M Flash story
 

And guess what, Bernie? Chances are they overfilled it with 10W-30 instead of the specified 5W-20. The service writers there told me they don't even stock the oil that is specifically called for in our owner's manuals and even right on the oil filler cap.

Needless to say I take my business elsewhere (West Covina Mazda). They use the right oil and gave me no grief at all about reflashing my car.

I had the same thing happen to me at Galpin Mazda in Van Nuys. I was in for an oil change and they did the M calibration. I went back for some other warranty work and I was told they needed to do the M calibration again since it was "official" that it be done to all RX-8s.

Re: Re: Ridiculous M Flash story
 

I had Judy ask them that specific question and the service writer said 5W-20. Since we live in a warm climate I don't think there will be any problems with 10W30 but I nevertheless expect them to use the oil as specified by Mazda.

One last followup - to be fair to Anaheim Mazda. I found the sticker. It was placed on the driver side forward door jam. You have to open the door and look near one of the hinges. Now that I know it's there, I think it's ugly where it is and I don't like it. It's definitely better off under the hood. Also, the day after I made the previous post I drove the car for the first time since the oil change and noticed that they left a Pennzoil service sticker. They wrote that they used 5w-20. I think they got the message.

what do u guys think of using 0w20 for regular oil, just a full synthetic on our 8's?