whatup guys, i have been having a few problems with my 8, 4 to be exact, and they all seemed to come in at about the same time. This is the list.
-rattling, seems to be coming from the door side panels or the windows

-the seat squeaks everytime I get in an out or make a turn (annoying)
-my brakes started squeaking when I brake (reduces cool facto greatly)
-my shifter seems to get stuck, when, for example, I just stoped at a stop light and im in neutral and want to go to first, I pull to the left to go to first and it gets stuck, I have to pull 2 or 3 times to get it vertically to 1st and 2nd gear. And it also seems to get stuck when shifting to 4th

I love my 8, but I am beginning to question the precision and craftmanship of mazda. Are there any quick fixes to any of these. Which ones are covered by warranty. All input is appreciated, thanks.

 

1, 2 & 3 have been addressed a lot on the forum, so a search should help you narrow these down (I've got to deal with the seat squeak, too).
#3 get checked at the dealer under the TSB: http://www.finishlineperformance.com...cs/04-006.html
#4 sounds more serious, maybe an adjustment issue in the shifter? I'd take that to the dealer, too.
Heck, since you'll be at the dealer anyway, see if you can get a better fix on the door rattle location, then sic the dealer on all of those.

 

the door panels have some styrofoam triangle pieces in them for safety impact of some sort that squeak terribly in cold weather. I'm not sure what part of country you are located but the dealer is having my doors dyna-matted next week for same reason at a local auto accessory shop for 200.00 and approved under warranty (requires special authorization).

There are plenty of squeaky seat posts I am sure if you do a search-I personally have not experienced this. However any adjustments including squeaks, rattles,etc are only warranted for the first 12,000 miles. This also includes one free front end alignment according to my local Maz dealership.

There is a technical service bulletin for replacing squeaky brake pads with updated ones under warranty.
tsb # 04-006/04

Once again I have not experienced any shifting issues (other than it's -12* and everything is stiff in e. washington state). I would suggest another search or a local trip to your dealership.
Good luck and don't get discouraged............
Gary