Has anyone had any battery problems? My 2004 is only 15 months old and this morning when I went out to start, it was dead. When I opened the hood to check out the battery, it was severly corroded. Needless to say, it was towed to the shop and I'm waiting for more information.

 

Came back from a short vacation and it was completely dead.

I'm trying to get mine replace under warranty tomorrow. Mazda has replaced some batteries as the original was garbage.

 

I just got mine back from the shop yesterday. I took it in last Thursday for a cel. They fixed a valve in the fuel tank and everything was fine on the drive home. I went to start it on Sunday and the battery was dead. I called and had it towed back to the shop. They did the Cranks No Start TSB (new battery, starter, plugs, and an oil change) and it runs great now! Of course this was the third time I have had it in the shop since I bought it a little over a month ago.

 

The original battery installed in the early US cars was not up to the job and the dealer will probably replace it with an upgraded unit. However, battery failure due to corrosion is a lack-of-maintenance problem, not a failure of the battery per se, so they may balk at a full warranty replacement. You may end up paying part of the cost of the new battery since you had 15 months use out of it.

 

I recommend to anyone with an RX-8 the Optima Yellow-top battery. While Mazda now provides a better battery than they did in the beginning, it doesn't have the deep-cycle ability, the ability to maintain voltage through the discharge curve, and it's still a wet battery where the Optima will not spill, or cause corrosion. This translates to better ability to avoid a flood, better ability to recover from a flood, and zero maintenance. In my opinion it is worth it to pay your own money to replace Mazda's battery, even if it's new.

Check the DIY section.

 

Thanks for the info. As far as maintenance, I have had the car into the dealer about every 3 months for oil changes and full circle inspection. So I have been keeping a sharp eye on my baby. Also, I have less than 10,000 miles, but I do make sure I take her out for a good run periodically. The shop got back to me today and they are replacing the battery and plugs. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

 

Nubo:

Basically agree with you - but plan on using 34R Optima Red Top (800 CCA) ---- right after car out of warranty - until then it's Mazda problem. I already have the higher 640CCA Mazda battery in place - at Mazda's cost.

 

Good to hear that the dealer took care of the problem! Obviously, they weren't popping the cover off the battery box and checking it's condition or they would have cleaned up the corrosion and probably checked for loose cable connections.

 

ok, I just ran into the same thing. It's been pretty cold here and the car hasn't been started for a week. I went out to start it and door locks won't open. I knew it was the battery at that point. Opened the door, tried to start it. Nothing. Checked the battery. I don't have corrosion or anything, but it's still dead. I've had my 8 for 17 months and have 10K miles on it.

Should I call to get it towed down to mazda ( really a big pain in the ***), or I have a charger, so just charge it up and continue on?

 

call the dealer tell them what happened. tell them you want tehm to check the battery. they may say go ahead and charge it an bring it in or they may say lets call the tow truck.

 

Thanks Zoom. Called it in and they made an appointment for weds. So I charged it up and drove all day today. Of course by the time I get it to the dealer, they'll not find anything wrong with it. The car sat for 5 days in cold weather (garaged), but it shouldn't have a dead battery in so short a time. It never got below 0'. We'll see what they say. This is the first real test to see how helpful my Mazda dealer is going to be...

Again thanks...

 

Read the Service Bulletin at the link below. If your dealership is customer-friendly, they will replace the battery, starter and spark plugs with the upgraded units mentioned in this bulletin. Print the bulletin out and if they don't suggest the replacements, indicate to them that the problem you had would be corrected if they performed the service indicated in the bulletin.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...4-05-1448e.pdf

 

I want to thank Zoom.

Brought my 8 in to my dealer for a dead battery, which after recharging and driving it down there wasn't dead anymore. I was sure they were just going to replace it and pro-rate it.

The dealer replaced battery, starter, and sparks plugs, no charge. Excellent.

Thanks guys ( or gals...no assumptions)

 

Hello,
Just got word that my car is fixed. It's been at the dealer for a week (parts to fix were backordered) From what the service manager was telling me, it looks like they replaced everything according to the TSB "cranks-no start". Will check out in detail and let you know.

 

Ah damnit, just came back from the dealer and I think I got screwed.

I have an '04 with 32k on it, and along with my AC cutting in and out and my digital display for AC/Radio/Etc going haywire, it was taking forever to start. They ordered a "module" for the AC, then replaced my battery saying it was toast and charged me 75% of the cost - with an oil change my total was $120.

Should I print the TSB and go raise hell about the battery? This pisses me off, but I'm not sure I have a leg to stand on.

 

Sounds to me like you got hosed. I have 37K on my '04 and all I had to tell my dealer was that it was getting progressively harder to start and they replaced all the items in the TSB (starter, plugs, battery). Print it out and give it to the service writer and try to explain nicely to them that you think it should have been replaced per the TSB (along with the other items). If that doesn't work ask to speak to the service manager.