Flipper897

Hello, I am a first-time poster.

I bought a new 2005 RX-8, 6 speed-manual, Grand Touring Package, etc. in late June.

In August I experienced a dead battery - Roadside Assistance came & jump-started the car - my dealer tested the battery & said it was fine & that I could not get a new battery under warranty. I do not use the car as a daily driver so the mileage is very low - at the time it had under 450 miles on it. It was recommended to me that I start the car every 3 days or so & run it for about 10 minutes until it was fully warmed up. (I have noticed the postings here about bad original batteries).

Initially this solution worked fine - I took the car on its first trip just after Labor Day and everything was great - the car is a blast to drive.

Now that the weather has cooled down (I live in the desert, in the Phoenix suburbs), I am experiencing problems again. I began starting the car every 2 days rather than 3 because I sensed it was sluggish starting up cold. I should add that the car is always garaged when not in use.

This past Sunday I drove it about 15-20 miles, all seemed fine. On Tuesday before starting it up, I noticed that when I used the remote on the key to unlock it, the lights did not flash (I got suspicious then). The car started, albeit reluctantly, on the first try. Yesterday (Thursday), I went through the usual routine, I could not start the car. On the first try, it simply didn't have enough juice. On the second try, all I got was a rapid clicking. I called Roadside Assistance & had them flatbed the car to the dealership, I wanted them to experience the car's problems after having it sit overnight. I had a long discussion with the service manager, he had researched it & was going to do a thorough electrical inspection, under warranty. He was surmising already that the battery was bad, & he had found some service bulletins that might hold the solution.

Less than an hour ago (Friday), one of the service guys called, they have still not figured out what's wrong. Somehow while the car is sitting, power is being drawn away from the battery & they don't know why - he was asking permission for another hour of labor to work on the car, implying that it might not be under warranty, so it could cost me about $92. The car has just under 1200 miles on it, I told him I hadn't done anything to the car or made any modifications to it, ever.
He tried to reassure me that it's likely under warranty but they are still stumped at this point.

Does anyone here have any advice, any ideas as to what could be wrong? Apparently they think putting in a new battery is not the complete answer. They still have the car, I told them not to rush anything, I don't want it back until it's in perfect running condition. I'd appreciate all the responses I can get - thank you!

Phil

Gomez

The trunk lid is open. The trunk light is on. Very common problem.

Gomez

One other thing has caused this in the past. Does your car have Nav? One guy found the Nav unit between the rear seats was drawing excessive current while the car was garaged.

The non-flashing indicators are a deadset give-away that the trunk is open....look there first.

Flipper897

Gomez thanks for the help - I'll mention to it to the dealer tomorrow morning although I truly doubt the trunk is open. I do have the navigation system but I haven't used it in the past 2 months & the unit in the rear seats is empty right now, I put the CD back in the glove compartment. One thing though, when I had the first dead battery incident in August, I was sitting in the car trying to learn how to use the nav system, engine was off, ignition key was in the "accessory" position I think - after only 3 minutes all the dash lights started flashing, I turned the key off. A couple of minutes later, I could not start the car! I'll mention this to the dealer also - thanks for the help! Phil

Go48

Here's the thread Gomez is referring to:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/battery-problems-62584/

Also, see the e-mail I sent you with additional details.

Flipper897

G048 & Gomez - thank you very much.

I printed out your response & took it to my dealership this morning (Saturday 3 December 2005). When I arrived they told me they had found the problem, it is not only the navigation system that was draining power from the battery, but also a GPS system that Mazda recommended from an aftermarket supplier that installed it.

I am getting a new starter installed early next week & the GPS supplier will be contacting me - either repairing the GPS or uninstalling it. My dealer says my car is the first they've seen with a problem with the GPS - my hunch is I won't be the last. I'm leaning towards having the GPS taken out & fighting for a refund - we'll see how it goes. By the way, the battery has been tested again & the dealer insists it's fine - we'll see.

Thanks a million to both of you - this site is great! Phil

Gomez

No worries. Happy motoring and Merry Xmas....

Go48

Glad to help. Hope they correct the problem to your satisfaction.