Ranged28

I'll miss you guys here, you were all great. Catch me on g35driver.com now though.

Later!

jskup1

iTrader: (7)

I just had mine done. They performed the 4206F emission recall and reprogrammed the PCM, replaced spark plugs and inspected the cat. The car ran fine before. Now, it's hard to start when cold, sputters on initial accelleration when cold and has LOST power. I'm gonna bring it back in the morning and find out what they did to it. Any thoughts?

Uwchlan8

Took my 04 MT 8 over to Faulkner Mazda/Subaru in Harrisburg, PA. Car had been in a month and a half earlier because it up and died in rush hour traffic on I-83. 64K miles, so out of warranty, and before recall issued spent $350 out of pocket on new plugs, battery, and "diagnosis." Car still ran sluggish, so I saved all of the letters on the recall to my computer and called up for an appointment for the recall. They took the car in two Mondays ago, and gave it back at the end of the day. Apparently my car was fine with just a flash update (according to them). I get the car back, and it's still hesitating in first gear, and it feels almost as though if I don't rev the engine in 1st, I'll stall out. So I take the car back in, complain about the lack of gas and explain that I have the dealer letters. Service manager Tony basically berated me for having "proprietary information." I argued that proprietary or not, I still had it, and I wanted my car fixed right. Car went in yesterday, and service guy Todd says nothing's wrong with the car recall-wise, but he noticed the hesitation in 1st gear as well. If I want that problem fixed, it's apparently on me. As I'm on my way home from the dealership, CEL comes on, and to quote Ron White "spiraling me off into a dimension of pissed off I'd never been to before." I don't know what I'm going to do at this point, maybe just hope the car lasts long enough until I can afford another. Next one will certainly not be a Mazda.

Mr986

04 MT (8/03 build)with 27K miles. Before the visit the car seemed a bit sluggish through the gears but no major problems at the time.

Testing lasted a few hours, with a call back that they found no problems, replaced the sparkplugs and reflashed the computer.

The car was washed, interior cleaned and had a full tank of gas. Car seems to have more zip but not sure if that's the new plug or flash.

Also had a set of Kumho SPT's put on; what a relief from the OEM junk. A great tire for $95 each.

staticlag

04-29K miles

Had the recall done last thursday,

Went in with no loss of power, everything working fine.

They had the car for about 8 hours, didn't note mileage.

They did all the tests and noted the number values on my invoice. They also made a note of my aftermarket cat, intake, airbox, and short throw shifter on the invoice.

When I got the car back it seemed like they vacuumed inside and wiped the windows (though the windows inside were already spotless ) Car was very peppy when I got it back, very powerful and hard to keep traction when just accelerating (though it was raining in a downpour fashion). They replaced the spark plugs. So it would be difficult to tell if the imprements were from the new plugs or the flash. Overall seems better to me.

TownDrunk

Had mine done yesterday... I have an early production '04 with had no problems going in. They had the car for most of the day and also performed the 30K service. All they did was reflash the ECU, I noticed no difference before and after. Paperwork looked normal (nothing extra noted like RB exhaust). Car still likes to hit redline, so I'm cool with it.

Napboy

Had my recall done on Friday. They say they replaced the plugs (even though I had new ones installed with the starter), didn't need a new cat, passed the vacuum test, and reflashed.

The car is running a little sluggish and the start up sounds different. I'm gonna wait a few hundred miles to see if the pcm "learns".

I noticed a couple others with a loss of power after the recall. Did anyone come to a conclusion of the cause?

vmax

I took my 04 in for the recall.The dealer said that he was told by Mazdas regional director for Panama City Fl. not to do it!I have the Greddy turbo,RP cat,and the RB exhaust. I've had no problems with the car what so ever. I called mazda customer service and they repeated the same.WE Won't do the recall on your car due to the aftermarket parts. WHAT NOW??

jskup1

iTrader: (7)

Got it back today. One of the spark plug wires was loose. It's running fine again. I did get to drive a Dodge Charger while they had it. I was sooooooooooooooo disappointed. It's a plastic P.O.S!

SpoiledBlk8

04 MT 7K miles

Took it in to Bommarito Mazda in St. Peters MO and they have it listed on the invoice as PCM reprogramming & spark plug replacement. They offered a CX7 for a rental but we declined since we didn't really need one. Car came back detailed inside and out with a full tank of gas. The car runs much better then it did before it went in. I am more then pleased with the service.

selmeralto

Recall done today at Faulkner Mazda in Philadelphia.

Starter and plug kit.
Trailing spark plugs.
Starter.
Battery.
Flash.
Car washed.
Gas topped up.

The car starts quickly and runs beautifully. Seems to be a lot peppier.

Faulkner was courteous and efficient. They've been very good to work with, as they have been in the past.

CarAndDriver

Recall work completed.

Cat check: passed
Spark plugs: replaced
Engine computer: reflashed
Car wash: exterior, but not interior
Gas: topped up with 13-14 gallons
Rental car: Enterprise barebones beater Kia Rio

Received paperwork/receipt from the dealership indicating Recall work completed.

The car starts up quickly and seems the same as it was before the work. The car does seem to idle and rev a bit more smoothly than before. The mileage seems to be about the same, but I haven't driven it a lot since I got it back.

dbullock

Recall work completed.

Dealer: Rosenthal Mazda, Tysons Corner, VA
Time: 3 hours between drop-off and call to pick up
Cat check: passed
Spark plugs: leading replaced
Engine computer: reflashed
Car wash: interior and exterior (good job for free)
Gas: topped up with 14+ gallons (I took it in bone dry)
Rental car: Enterprise Ford Focus

Received paperwork/receipt from the dealership indicating Recall work completed.

I made sure to confirm the car cleaning and gas. Service guy first said I only get 6 gallons of gas. I asked him to go ask and he came back with the corrected info of $60 max in gas.

Almost had a good experience this time, but the guy who took my appointment (Larry) had apparently marked me down for an oil change. Neither words "oil" or "change" were ever even mentioned in the conversation. When I picked the car up I saw the oil change charge and told my guy (Matthew) that I never requested the oil change. In fact I had just changed it last week. The charge was removed, so no charge at all for the appointment.

This dealer is better than others, yet of the 6 times I have been there I have always had a bad experience. I really think most dealers and dealer customer facing employees are simply slimely. I keep giving them a chance to prove me wrong and they never do.

fanaticz

Cat check: passed
Spark plugs: replaced
Engine computer: reflashed
Car wash: exterior, but not interior
Gas: topped up with 13-14 gallons

I had an aftermarket midpipe on there, but I went ahead and had the stock cat put back on. I have to admit, it runs a ton smoother now. Especially since I had the midpipe taken off. Idle is smoother and it definitely starts faster. Ahh.. love the 8.

ken-x8

No wonder I didn't get any gas - you drained their supply.

How do you know the details? Chat with the tech when you picked it up?

I got mine done there today, and picked it up a few minutes before closing, so I didn't get to talk to anyone. The invoice just says "Emissions recall completed." Doesn't list parts.

Hmmm...I see that it lists 0.70 hours of tech time. That's what the dealer letter lists for PCM reprogramming and new plugs. 0.30 hours for flash only. So I must have gotten plugs, too.

So far I'm very happy with this dealer. Buying the car was a pleasure. It was S-plan, so there was no price haggling, which helped, but the guys were fun to deal with. They gave me a free tank of gas and a wash when I picked up my plates, so I'm already up on the freebies. And the recall was handled with absolutely no BS.

Ken

lunatik1

Here are the detail recall experience on our 2004 Base AT

9/8/06
Brought in for a recall appointment at Oak tree Mazda (SF/Bay area)
Got a Chevy Aveo for a rental
They called me but unfortunately they are too busy and could not work on my car till 9/11.

9/11/06
Recall procedures A,B,C & D was done and passed.
Flash update was done and they did a final test but FAILED.
(sudden lost of power during WOT)
They request approval for engine replacement.
Got a call to pick up while we wait for engine replacement approval and the actual replacement to arrive.
When we got there it won't start.
They said there is a TSB to replace the battery/starter.
They decided to keep the car.

9/19/06
Got a call to pick up.
Engine, cat, spark plugs, starter, batter and ignition was replaced.
On pick up, they filled the tank but was not wash/clean.
(No big deal I prefer to clean my car).

Parts replaced/listed are:
1 n3h2-02-200r-00 Engine,SHO
1 n3h2-02-200r-00 Core Return
1 n3z1-10-s50a Gasket Set
1 n3h1-13-461b Ex. Gasket
1 n3h1-14-604 O Ring
1 n3y1-20-sa0 Cat kit
2 n3z4-18-110 Spark Plug
2 0000-18-n3y1 Spark Plug
4 n3h1-18-100a-98 Ignition
1 5555-cs-fret Warr-cso f (<-????)
2 r134a r134a refr
1 0000-80-6535-wb Battery
1 n3y2-18-s70 Starter


We put about 500 miles and it seems to be running fine like before the recall work.
My only real complain since we got the car is that the AT trans feels like its lugging the engine when it is cold (first 5 mins), but they could not duplicate that problem.

Klemeji

In for service to clear CEL (Fuel cap ) - no letter yet (MD) but asked if the recall could be done - service writer said he needed to check to see if VIN was "open".

He called an hour later and said they could do the recall

Results:
Cat check: passed
Plugs: replaced
PCM: Reflashed - no sticker, need to go back and get that...
Drive test: N/A - never had hard start or loss of power
Wash: full detail in and out
Gas: filled

CarAndDriver

I'm surprised you car had the engine replaced considering you live in the SF Bay Area in NorCal. The climate is totally the opposite of LV and Phoenix.

What kind of conditions are you driving your car? Did it come from someplace hot originally?

lunatik1

I was suprise too, since the car has been running fine since we got it (no loss of power and never had a no start problem). My wife drive it mostly in freeway, average speed 40-60 (during highway 101 mild traffic). She also drives it like her old Corolla.

Tirminyl

Recall completed 9/29/06 by Bob Sight Mazda-Kansas City

I posted pics of my car on the lift and "new" engine- https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-multimedia-photo-gallery-6/8-lift-my-new-engine-99739/

Dyno of bad engine- https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=132

First off great dealership. The service guys are great! They actually talk to you and are not your standard "Hi, whats the problem, mmkay, go sit". Best service I have ever gotten and best dealer I have ever visited, and thats ALOT.

Recall: Failure. Low idle, stalling, hard starts.
Work Completed:

CarAndDriver

Tirminyl - thanks for the links and the video. Glad to hear that your experience and results have been very positive. Sounds like your car was having issues before the recall.

CarAndDriver

Some engines are just clunkers. Maybe she drives it a bit too softly? I think the ATs tend to have more engine issues overall though from what I read on here.

time4akshun

So what models does this recall cover? 2004, 2005, 2006?

Been searching and havent seen an answer.

Time

Tirminyl

No problem. I like to provide as much info as I can. I have an oil sample from the bad engine so I will be sending that in to get analysed. The car ran great though but apparently she was already on her way to death.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-media-news-11/mazda-expects-recall-rx-8s-97039/

Riccardo A.

Recall service done at Tustin (CA) Mazda on near-new '06 that had no symptoms. They tested cat, battery only; did reflash. Also had first oil change done (@ 2k miles). Got free rental, but it was delivered almost on "E" (they couldn't quickly add gas because they'd had their pump taken out, for safety reasons, I think they said). I returned the rental on fumes that afternoon, and they wanted to charge me for not replacing gas; I refused to pay ("You're not doing me a favor by performing a recall service; charge MNAO for the gas"). They didn't top off my 8, but I was only down 1/4 tank, and I let it go. I assumed oil had been changed correctly, but was mistaken. Next weekend I checked the oil and it was about 1.25 inches over "F"; the invoice (which I'd not studied) said 5 qts filled. Drove back immediately and demanded oil be drained and refilled properly. I was assured by RX8Clubbers that no serious damage would have resulted from the overfilling, though oil might have blown into air intake. I've procrastinated on complaining to MNAO and having intake checked for oil (though I've had no symptoms of malfunctioning). Still drives like a (thirsty) dream. BTW, this was two for two in Mazda service department disappointments, the first being the car's initial post-prep delivery to me (by Norco [CA] Mazda) with the real spark plugs still in the glove box. Had to drive back the next day to have the temporary plugs replaced.