tksnobords

I talked to my service advisor today. he said...at this point mazda won't be replacing the tranny. the techs need to take it apart and find out which parts are not working properly. everything that doesnt look right, he will add to the work order to try to get a new tranny. after they have checked out the tranny...mazda will decide to repair or replace the tranny. meanwhile i will have my car in the shop for atleast a week to a few weeks. i will be stuck in a **** box mazda 3 base model for up to a month it sounds like!!! and i probably won't even get a new tranny. another thing that pissed me off....he made me change the tranny fluid first thing when i took it in. he said if its not the problem i'll take care of you...now he said he cant do anything about the $63 i paid for a tranny fluid change because it needed to be done. eventhough its not due until about 60k. he cant even give me a free oil change...

tksnobords

they will have to put new fluid in the tranny after they take it apart and repair it or if they replace it right?

GatoEnFuego

Just picked up the car from the dealership, look back a few posts to see my issue. I highly doubt they did a damn thing... Car sounds exactly like it did when I dropped it off, VERY loud gear whine through the entire rpm range when under load. They did however stick a big 1" thick foam pad under the shifter in hopes of covering up the noise I guess, all it did was limit the shifters range of motion and make the car very unpleasant to drive home until I could pull it out. Dealerships are worthless...

pfloydss

I cant get my 05 into 2nd gear from 1st at anything over 5000rpm shif. Mazda dealer had 3 diff tech take it for a ride and said it was fine and wanted me to drive back to slc 200 miles away to show them what I was talking about. I told them that 3 of my friends drove the car and all 3 couldnt shift it to 2nd the first time the tryed to get it to 2nd. They took it for another ride and one tech thinks clutch ( NOT) and the other is thinking 2nd gear or sinchro. Clutch is not under warrentee and will cost about a grand but tranny is under warrentee. I asked what it will cost to find out and they said nothing, and I could tell them to put it back together at no cost if its the clutch. I grew up with my dad who was a profesional mech his whole adult life and I learned a few things from him. I know its not a clutch (as it shifts in all other gears just fine and it doesnt slip and only has 30 thousand miles on it) but I am afraid that they will tear it down and say it is the clutch even if its not just to get my money and replace the tranny paid by mazda with out me knowing. Am I just paranoid?

tksnobords

pflo...i dont think you're being paranoid. the shops are like that. they should like to do warranty work. its more revenue for them!

CaliAgents1688

Howdy folks,

I am the proud new owner of a silver 2004 RX8 with approx 37k miles on the odo. I love most everything about the car, from the steering to the snick-snick tranny to the quite utilitarian interior. My weekend car is an S54 powered M Coupe with coilovers and other goodies and the RX8 out of the box is more of a proper sports car than the M Coupe is STOCK =)

My only minor nuisance is rearward visibility and blindspots. It doesn't give me as much confidence backing up and changing lanes like other cars.

Now for my very serious concern:

90-95% of the time when I shift fairly rapidly only from 1st to 2nd (note I'm not banging the gears by any means or trying to shift abnormally fast) the clutch or gearbox will produce a thunk/bang that is audible and definitely noticeable through seat of the pants feel.

The clutch or gearbox thunk happens after I clutch in and start to move the lever into second. Before it even moves into 2nd gear it will produce a clunk that you can hear and feel. I've driven many stick-shift cars and this is the first time I've ever encountered this problem. I highly doubt it is normal. This occurence also happens on occasion while doing the 2 to 3 shift.

I would really appreciate it if any of you guys could help provide some input regarding my situation. Most of the time I have to literally granny the 1-2 shift to make the transition feel 'normal'.

CaliAgents1688

I took it in to the dealer on Friday to have the techs look at it. One of them went along with me for a test drive and I showed them what happens when I shift at a normal pace around 4.5k rpms. He then asks to drive the car to see if he could replicate the problem (you guys know the drill) and he intentionally shifts slowly so that the clunk wouldn't occur. You gotta love these jokes who pull all types of bullshit out of their *** to deny your claim(s). He said something along the lines of, "This car has a special driveline since it's rear-wheel drive. It's different from other sports cars so it is perfectly normal for that to occur."

After the short diagnostics drive, we head back to the dealer and he decides to have me drive one of the RX-8s on the lot (a customer's 2005 car) with 29k on the clock. Note, my car has a tick over 37k miles. I fire her up and start moving the shift lever through the gate and I immediately felt a difference. It felt more buttery smooth and less notchy overall. On to the test drive... no banging at all from 1-2. Everything felt wonderful as it should be. I knew the tech silently acknowledged that something was wrong with my transmission but you know how they operate.

Update:

Service manager calls me up on Saturday to inform me that they had a couple other techs look at it but they couldn't replicate the problem whatsoever. Okay. He then goes on to tell me that the regional service rep will be coming in on Tuesday and if I wanted him to inspect it. I gave him the green light to keep my car until then and that was that. What can I do to insist on getting my tranny replaced under warranty? Go to another dealer with the possibility of getting shafted too?

GatoEnFuego

They will not replace the tranny from the start, they will attempt to rebuild it first which in my situation didn't do a damn thing. You cannot insist them to put in a new tranny, if anything that will make them less willing to do anything for you.

mwood

Update on my car:
The tech tore down the trans last week and found not just 2nd gear problems, but also 3rd and 4th were toast. Mazda is supposed to be giving the word on whether this warrants a replacement transmission, but I can't imagine that they would bother trying to rebuild mine...but, you never know. Parts alone are going to be more than just doing a full replacement...

I will have a serious problem if they try to enforce a rebuild and will take it up with the regional people before a wrench is turned...

GatoEnFuego

I just got off the phone with my service advisor, says that he will be in touch with Mazda within the next few days to get this past service order approved and he will then speak with them about getting a new tranny since the noise has not changed after the rebuild. At first he was saying "I don't know what, if anything, they can do." I made it very clear that is not an option and will take this as far as I have to get it fixed. We'll see what happens...

CaliAgents1688

Oh well, I guess everything is a lost cause. The bastards (including the regional tech) all claim there is nothing wrong with the transmission. Should I try for another dealer and take the risk of having my car gone for a week and probably beaten on again?

How were some of you guys able to push for a new transmission even after all their denying of any problems?

mwood

My car had such an obvious problem (grinding into 2nd) that there was no way to deny its existence...once torn down, the whole trans was a mess, probably due to all the metal from 2nd floating around...

Anyhow, the cheapest way for Mazda to repair ends up being to replace, which is what I figured when I was first given the news that 3rd and 4th were also toast.

ETA for the trans is Monday, they promise the car back by Wednesday.

DanRedRx8

Jesus Christ..... this is ridiculous...... ANYBODY HERE HAVE THIS ISSUE OVER AT MAZDA/SUBARU OF THOUSAND OAKS IN SO CAL!?!?!?!?!?!?

im having a touch time getting this horrible grinding into 2nd and 4th resovled with them.......

ninjarama

I took my car into the dealership about a month ago to get 2nd and 5th gear downshift grind looked at... they replaced 2nd and 5th gears under warranty with relatively little trouble or questions asked... but now shifting from 1 to 2 is really notchy... 2 to 3 makes a weird "thunk" sound.. and downshifting from 2 to 1 is both extremely notchy and grinds. Took it back a couple weeks ago to have them check it again, and they said everything is normal. Not sure what to make of it. Is it really "normal" for the 8 to have these shifting inconsistencies? I'm not yet convinced since so many other people seem to be having similar issues.

mwood

Hopefully this is the last update on my car...

Just picked it up, new trans installed. They said it would be done by tomorrow, it was done today...always better to underestimate and outperform expectations...anyhow, it feels like, well, a new transmission, which makes sense, since that's what it is

The young tech who worked on it from start to finish was in to the job, maybe because of the Konis or single exit Borla making the car a little different or something...seemed like a good guy and he got it back together right.

I'm pleased with the way Diablo Mazda/Subaru in Walnut Creek treated me. It did take longer than expected to get Mazda to approve the new trans, rather than a rebuild, but that's in part due to the Labor Day weekend. Once they got the green light, it was three and a half business days to get the trans and install, which is pretty darn good, I feel.

pfloydss

I think it IS normal for the RX-8 as its happening to a lot of us. But it should not have this problem at all.

DanRedRx8

Well i have recently been experiencing heavy grinding when downshifting to 2nd and upshifting to 4th (above 6k rpm) and i took the car to the dealer to have it looked at

I changed the tranny fluid to royal purple before i took it in

They first off noticed that my shifter assembly was broken in the middle, you could litterally pull the shifter **** up and out of the black housing it sits in... They also stated that they could not recreate the grindin problem

They said that it was my fault and would cost 400 $ to fix, so i had them just order the part for 200 $ and i installed it my self flawlessly...

This had no effect on the grinding obviously... i could have left it the way it was for it had nothing to do with the gears of the tranny assembly... just a fact of holding down the leather shifter to the black shifting assembly...

So i took it back to them and drove first with the Tech that noticed the broken assembly, he did not speak very good english (lol these are the guys that are working on our cars using english manuals and bulletins.. ) So he got the lead service manager to drive with me (this guy is a suit and does not actually work on cars) I showed the manager the problem and he agreed that there is a problem present and that he will call the Mazda Corporate office and see what they say....

After a weekend the manager calls me to inform me that a Mazda Corporate Rep will come in and look at my car and decide where to go from there.... they would not let me drive with him using the excuse that since the manager experienced the problem there is no need for the Coporate Rep to drive with me... I let it be and waited for the call...

They call and tell me that i need to authorize a transmission "tear-down" ( i like the wording they use ) so they can diagnose the problem....

This is the Catch and what i need advice on..

They are proclaiming that if they look inside the tranny and find evidence of malfunction from abuse, misuse, or no problem at all, then i will have to pay the bill for the labor which is a ridiculous $1235.00

so i took my car back for the weekend..... my birthday is the 21, friday so i want my baby by my side.... and i will think this over.....

I have never "tracked" the car or abused it.... i change the oil every 3k miles and always fixed anything that was wrong.... i have never touched the transmission except for fluid change and shifter change.....so there should not be any reason for them to slap me with the bill....

I do have aftermarket parts but they have nothing to do with the tranny

1. borla exhuast that came with this car as it was the dealers demo-car and it had 7500 miles on it when i got it
2. new coils, wires, plugs, battery (all oem except for RB wires )
3.AP pulley.... nothing to do with tranny
4.SR cold air intake.... again nothing to do with tranny
5. my wheels.... makes them think i "track race"

My idea so far is to let them tear the tranny apart and if they proclaim problems that are my fault... i will go to court and have a hefty paper trail from this forum showing the growing majority of the rx8's do indeed have a defect

SO THAT IS MY PROBLEM.... WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OR HAVE EXPERIENCED????????

tksnobords

dan i feel your pain! you're basically experiencing the same problem as i am. i still have not found the time to make it back to the dealership. i think i am going this saturday! my dealership said they cant work on it under warranty if they cant verify a problem. which finally they did. next is taking apart the tranny. but they said nothing about me paying for the labor if there is no problem. i'm not sure of any advice i can offer...other than maybe seeking out another dealership. GOOD LUCK THOUGH!!! MAZDA REALLY SUCKS AT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

DanRedRx8

thank you for your your reply TK... i noticed that your heater control unit was replaced...... what was the problem with yours? mine does not get hot anymore...... i have to go back and forth about 20 times for it to get hot.... and thats after a good wamr up time so i know the heater is hot! ive p0retty much replaced everything you have replaced !!! hahahahah we have good luck huuh!?!?!?

GatoEnFuego

Dan, that sounds a lot like what the first dealership I went to tried to pull on me. I turned around, scratched my *** and walked out. Found another dealership willing to work with me however they NEVER return my phone calls...

My story is up above a few posts, got the car back after a full "tear-down" where they replaced a few internal bearings and shift fork to try to eliminate my excessive gear whine, the sound was just as bad when I got it back. After filing a claim with Mazda USA they said a regional rep will need to see the vehicle in order to authorize further work on it. I'm probably another week or two away from "her" being in the area, per my dealer. I really wish I could get a video camera with good enough sound capture to show you guys how bad this whine is, I can't hear the exhaust or the engine over it. Sounds exactly like a WRC rally car on the inside, would be pretty cool if it really were a rally car with straight cut gears and the whole bit, but it's not...

tksnobords

yeah no kiddin dan! i love my car but thank god its under warranty. i bought an extended warranty which i didnt NEED to buy. but i have already paid it off and then some. my heater would intermittenly* blow WARM or cold air. it stopped getting hot. then after a few more days it blew cold air for the most part. the worst part...this was only a couple days after i had bought the car. the dealership told me i could hold onto my car until the part came in (which ended up being a week or two) or stay in a rental...but it was about 20 degrees out during that time...so i got the rental! lol. atleast the heated seats worked!!!!!!!!! might have died without them

sleeperx8

yea.. that really sucks. I had the same problem, but it was covered under warranty. my service people even knew what the problem (broken synchro) was, but ordered a "tear down" to make certain. They took a day to take it apart and confirm and then told me I had to take it somewhere else to get it completely replaced. Those people took 2 weeks to fix it (i was driving a dodge durango rental for two weeks!), but it got replaced, and I didn't have to pay any money, so I'm just happy about that.

So, really, it depends on where you go for service. Some places will blame you for everything, but not all places. And you know for sure you aren't under warranty rite? (i haven't read the previous pages yet... so I don't know if that was covered already.)

DanRedRx8

Yea I am 100% covered under warranty and I made an appointment to let them tear it down.... so i am just waiting to see what kind of BS they will try to pull.... im not too worried about it anymore... I think they are just trying to scare me away from making them do REAL work for once.... no reason why it shouldnt be under warranty anyway... ill keep you posted and scan the work order for future reference!!!!

tksnobords

I have moved kind of far from Lee Johnson mazda, which is where i was going to have the tranny work done. It kind of suck though...because I have to start over with a new dealership. But i will be taking it in on wednesday to drop her off and hopefully it won't be a huge problem.

DanRedRx8

So after about a week and half driving a Corolla.. the dealership is saying that everything on the transmission is up to spec and that they see nothing wrong with it... they say that mazda will not give up any new parts and therefore they want me to pay the $1235 for the transmission tear down not to mention driving around in that **** corolla which cost about 30$ a day...

Needless to say i thought that was BS... the gears are grinding under normal driving conditions and they are trying to say that there is no problem... i told them to send it somewhere else and have them look at it... I am so infuriated with the way they treat customers and that dealrship... they NEVER return promised phonecalls and they give you the cold shoulder with everything... i asked them to explain to me the reason why im only having this grinding problem NOW not 40k miles ago... OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING IS WORN OUT OR BROKEN!!!!!!!!!! it is simple logic!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont know what to do anymore but try and get a court case together..... they guy even went as far as to say that this is "normal operation for this vehicle" .................. so the transmission is made to fail? god what these people say..................... yay i dunno i just wanted to post the story on here....

the dealership i went to is MAZDA/SUBARU of thousand oaks in SO CALIFORNIA
BEWARE