olddragger

iTrader: (3)

Got to admit--my car is running better now than it ever has. I still pre mix but I have cut back a little. Prehaps the cooler temps in Ga is helping some.
All I got was the new flash--every thing else was ok.
olddragger

ArrghhX-8

So, follow up on my previous posts. After they had my car for 5 days, the guy calls me and says basicaly, "your cars fine and you don't need a new engine, it looks like the previous flash didn't 'take' but its fine now."

Obviously I was a little skeptical.

I get there and he starts telling me about how the RPMs drop during idle to comply with federal emissons (??) but in the same breath says if it ever goes below 400 RPM that it would be "new engine time". I said "so basically you have done nothing" and he says "no, no we reflashed the PCM a second time" and goes into this patronizing speach about how the ECU works during which he mentions that it stores speed and RPM, two things I am pretty sure it does not do this, but correct me if I am wrong.

After I returned the CX-7 (which he tried to sell me) they bring my (dirty from sitting around for 5 days) car out which is iding fine (because it's cold). I let it sit for a few minutes with the AC on and I can already tell it is rough, I drive it around the block and come back. When I get back, it is very obvious that the car idles excatly the same as when I first brought it in (very poorly). Only the Service rep I had been working with apparently went to lunch and no one else wanted to deal with me, said he would be back soon. Unfourtunatley I had to go to work and wanted my car, so I left.

I will be going back tommorow.

OliverB

Took our '04 A/T RX 8 (30K) in this morning for the recall at Sharrett Mazda in Hagerstown, MD. Performed the complete test. Engine/catalytic converter passed. Plugs, starter and battery replaced a couple of months ago because of a no start problem.

Have been complaining about a rough idle at times and persisted again this morning. Asked mechanic to specifically check motor mounts. RH mount is beginning to fail. A replacement set will be ordered. Tech said this is the first RX 8 on which they have seen motor mount failure. Last time (couple of months ago) they wanted to see if the new plugs cured the idle problem but it didn't. Sometimes it idles smoothly and when I left the dealer last time it was idling smoothly but seemed to get worse since. Decided to wait until they were performing the recall to question them again about the mounts.

My experience with this dealer has been excellent to-date. Very pleasant to deal with and very accommodating.

ArrghhX-8;
I believe the computer does record and store all that information. At least that is what I was told by the Mazda mechanic at our dealership when we experienced the no start problem. Any chance motor mounts are responsible for the rough idle on yours? It is true that if the idle drops below normal, the engine will idle rough but there could be numerous causes for the low idle.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

a quick update on my experience w/ this recall so far.

just took a 360 mile roundtrip drive on Sunday. Average just under 20mpg for the whole trip, which is actually inline w/ what I've gotten since I swapped to the wider (245/40/18)/stickier Falken Azenis RT-615's, so I suspect that, when i switch back to a set of lighter and OE-sized all-seasons come winter time, I will go back to getting around 21mpg for all-highway driving, as I always have since I've had the car.

so for me, no drastic mpg reduction as result of said flash. Nor do have feel any sluggishness during start-up, startup feels the same as before the recall flash.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

but I do noticed (by butt dyno) slight more punch at higher rpms, could be the colder weather or the fresh plugs, but the power gain is noticeable, to me at least lol

1145climber

UGH! so i call about my 3000 mile check-up the other day, and we schedule an appointment for today. he says 45 mins max.

i get to the dealership, and the guy says that they also need to do the recall, which i had not heard about and never recieved a letter about. apparently, they forgot to mention that to me on the phone... being under 21 or 25 or whatever, i cant rent a car, and im stuck at the dealership for 3 and a half hours.

anyway, they performed the recall, and my '8 passed it all, and they didnt have to change out anything. they did change the oil and oil filter for my 3000 mile check-up though. the updated my PCM as part of the recall as well. also, my brakes were squealing already, so i had them fix that. apparently there was a TSB posted for that one.

here's what i'd say: there's a noticible decrease in power! i know longer feel as quick or as much response when i step on the gas, at basically all RPMs in all gears. it feels much less enjoyable at 5k rpm in third gear than it used to! ah, i do not like this one bit!

anyone else have the same thoughts? im very upset here...

hagar852

Just got my car back today, 2004 early VIN#. Failed all tests done and so it got New Coils, New Cat, New Plugs, and New Flash.

Only got to drive it for 20 min on the way home and didn't get much of a chance to really "test" it. But on the way home I notice it is more responsive and smoother. So far my idle seems better.

See what happens as the week goes on.

Oh yeah I got a full tank (93 octane) and a wash.

shinronin

north penn mazda in colmar, pa just called to say they can't get any readings from the PCM because of my RB intake. *sigh*

anyone know of a good philly area dealer that can actually do work without excuses?

update: the service rep called back to say he had a miscommunication with his tech. the tech said there's a blown fuse or whatnot that's preventing communication with the PCM. they're going to troubleshoot further. ;-) my 8's symptoms are: 1) key fob doesn't interact with the car 2) center console is not responsive to any buttons. so, yes, a blown fuse or damaged wire would make sense, eh? oy vey.

selmeralto, i'll keep falker in mind. thanks.

update 2: after the above drama, i just got a call that a blown fuse was indeed the culprit (a $.70 culprit. sheesh.) so the CEL is gone. they replaced the spark plugs, flashed the PCM, cat was fine, washed the outside (cleaned the inside too!), and gassed up the car. ^_^

selmeralto

I have been very pleased with Faulkner.

RedSheDevil

Took car to Naperville Mazda. They were unaware of anything regarding this recall, so I brought in the MNAO to dealer letters. Had a bad cat, got it replaced. Refused to give me any documentation regarding what they did/found etc claiming "the only people who are allowed to see that is Mazda and us." They let me view the instruction page that showed the new PCM Calibration Part Number: N3Z2-18-881T.

Washed exterior and filled up tank (after I asked about it). They also were not going to give me any loaner/rental until I pointed it out in the letter.

Seems the new owners must believe heavily in the MULLIGAN THEORY!!!

Mazda-Rati

Took my rx8 in for the recall yeasterday and only needed the newest flash (i was currently on M) and a new set of leading plugs.

I told the mechanic that I had replaced the plugs a few months ago with the new RE7C-L plug and it wasn't nessesary to change them. The mechanic told me that the new plugs they are installing are new as of 2 weeks ago. Is this true? He mentioned that they are a hotter heat range.

The only thing I noticed about how the car runs after is that I barely get the POP sound when I shift over 6K (it used to be very noticable) and my idle seems a bit smoother.

mikeschaefer

Hall Mazda in Virginia Beach
(I've never had power loss :D)
replaced leading plugs and flashed ecu, checked cat - no problems
Only difference I've seen and care to measure is that my idle is smooth as a baby's ***... even with the A/C on.

mods on at the time: AEM CAI, AP Pulleys, Greddy SP2

They also convinced me to do the cabin air filter and while this is off topic I recommend it. It really does make a difference in air quality coming in to the cabin.

Domer

(Chicago-land) Two plugs and flash only for my '04. It engine starts with much more "pop" than it did before the recall. I don't know if it is due to the flash or whether I have had semi-fouled plugs from the beginning. I purchased mine before they started changing plugs after factory shipping.

hagar852

After initial recall fixes... Had it retested once again for same problems and I got the official word today...

The New Engine is on the way to my dealership.

cnaude

Took the car in on Friday to get the recall work done, as well as a few random repairs and oil change. I dropped it off at 7am. I had to call them at 4pm to see if it was ready. They explained that they needed to keep it overnight and offered me a rental. I declined the rental. I called again on Saturday an hour before they closed, and they told me it was ready.

Here's what they did.

Reprogrammed the PCM.
Replaced spark plugs.
Inspected the catalytic converter. (Condition was good)
Tightened driver side mirror. (Was really loose)
Ordered new right taillight.

I also asked them to do something about my noisy brakes and rusted rotor hubs. They refused and told me I had too many miles. My car has 18,400 miles.

Overall I'm glad they did most of the work and I didn't need a new engine. They even topped off the gas.

The car feels pretty good. It seems to idle smoother and start a little easier. I won't know about the gas mileage for a while.

ZGlide

Dont feel any difference at all. I did bring my car in for the recall with the RP supercat on, and they said don't worry about it, they'll just skip the cat test since almost none of the CA cars had any problems with their stock cat. Does that sound right?

ZGlide

Also, when they flash the PCM, is the radio stations supposed to reset?

cornholio135

iTrader: (2)

I live in San Antonio Tx, I received the recall letter about the last week of August. Before I took it to the dealer I drove to the coast the third weekend of September. Upon arriving The check engine light came, starting running rough, then the radiator warning light came on. I checked the fill bottle on the radiator and it was empty. Got some coolant and while filling the bottle brown sludge came floating to the top. Then checked the oil dipstick and had coolant on the end. Car made it back to San Antonio after the weekend. Just had CEL on and at hard accerleation crank was slipping. I took the car to Legeng Mazda in San Antonio Tx. on Monday Sept 25th. The service rep Vicky was very polite and aware of the recall. stated that she had 8 other RX8s currently in for the recall. after me describing the problem with oil/coolant she stated that it would probably fail the recall tests and that if the engine was replaced it could take up to a month to get my car back. Sure enough it failed the tests and the ordered the new engine on Tuesday. I went to Enterprise and picked up a rental ( at dealer expense) they gave me an ugly/slow KIA RIO. 0-60 in 5.1 minutes. had this for about 3 weeks. The service rep callled me on week three and had me return the rental and pickup a CX-7 as a loaner. After 5 weeks my car was ready and I picked it up last Friday Oct 27. They filled up and washed/waxed the car.

the following was replaced

NEW rotory engine ( rep states it was ordered from Japan)
NEW battery
NEW Throttle body
NEW Starter
PCM reflashed


I asked the Rep what the bill was ( my copy listed parts but cost as warranty)
"About $8000.00"

My * is a 1 owner tradein that I picked up last May from a ford dealer in San Antonio It now has 46000 miles and it drives better than when I first bought. Plan on keeping it for sure!

mazdatech177

i love the recall, our dealer has put in 8 engines so far. ive done 4 of them, they pay good to do them, are easy to replace and almost kinda fun. except for the lower back pain at the end of the day. its a days worth of work if you take a short lunch.

from a financial aspect... i cant wait for the rest of the engines to loose compression

Old Rotor

So tell us about your background and experiance with the Rotary.

Stavesacre21

Just got my car back from the update...

Only thing that needed done was the PCM reflash. I had the plugs replaced about 3 months ago under the other TSB, so that didn't need done. Everything else checked out good.

Don't really notice any change in performance, then again, my 8 was running fine before anyway.

Best of all, I got a full tank of gas (was below 1/4 when i took it in) and a free wash out of the deal. When I first went in, they gave me the classic "we only do that when you purchase the car and when you get a new engine". I plopped the dealer letter down...bam. Shut um right up. Thats right.

However, instead of a CX-7, I ended up with an 02 Mercury Sable for a loaner...lol. I'd already decided that if it took more than 1 day i'd be headin back to swap for a 7. Work took less then 5 hours and I got the call to come pick it up. Sweet deal.

All in all, I'm hopin the reflash is worth the while, as i was already averaging 18-19 mixed milage anyway. If anything, the $40 or so spent on wash/fuel seems worthwhile at the moment. They did put in unleaded however

agoodcave

Stavesacre21,

They took lead out of fuel about 20yrs ago. Do you mean regular as opposed to premium or mid-grade?

Mike

Stavesacre21

now we're just splitting hairs, but yes, that was my reference.

Although it is indeed referred to properly as regular unleaded (87), most stations stick up "unleaded, plus and premium" on their signs.

Point being, even the dealer didn't put in the recommended fuel. Cheapskates

devildog1679

Recall done today. All checked out fine, got new plugs, pcm flash, and oil change(free of charge) Also installed my winter tires. I got the CX-7, NICE care to drive.

MX6_2_RX8

I got my recall work done last Friday with an oil change. When I told the service tech that it came with a free tank of gas he laughed at me so I gave him the printout - Thank You RX-8 club for making me aware. I got a PT cruiser that smelled like an ashtray for a rental

I picked up the car the inside smelled like oil smoke. I figured that they spilled some during the change, it was 5:30, the rental car was returned....And what could I do anyway.

The car started a little hard - I figured that they finished it up and pulled it around front and shut her down cold - not good but it started. The oil smoke continued. I drove it about 5 min, enough to warm it up and I had to make a stop. It started hard again. - not good and was still smoking, still not good. I drove it the 45 min home and it smoked at every stop and filled the car with that smoky smell. We were planning a huge Halloween party so I parked it (in front of my other car) and left it until after the party on Sunday. When I tried to start it, it started very hard - LIKE NOT AT ALL. The more I tried, the less it sounded like it wanted to start. The De-choking procedure didn't seem to do anything. CRAP, now I have a flooded car in front of the other car that works. I was looking under the car to find the tow hooks and noticed a lot of used oil all over the undercarriage around the passenger's side. I checked the oil level and it was about 1/4 full.

I knew that Mazda Roadside Assistance would not tow it to this dealer from my house because it is 2 miles further than the other stuck up, pretentious Mazda/Porsche dealer that I Hate so I waited until Monday to get it towed to the Mazda dealer that I like (That F----d up my car). Of course, I had to work and they wouldn't pick up the car with out me there so we arranged it after 5:30. They never showed.

Tuesday now, I call the dealer again and finally last night at 5:00 my car was towed back to the dealer.

Wednesday AM - TO BE CONTINUED........