I work in a dealer and you are completely right, ive seen that numerous times, 2 weeks or more to find a rattle and fix it.

^^ this

Yeah, people with rattles (present and future) want to know !
(I'm beginning to suspect my trip odometer reset button)

I wish I could tell you what it was. They didnt tell me. I am sure that I could go back to the dealer and ask. When I picked up the car the guy that helped me didn't act like he knew much. I can say that its gone, and it must have been complicated since the tech called the Mazda tech reps a couple of times.

^ It's a great thing when Corporate gets involved. When I worked at Honda as a Service Advisor, anytime the techs got stumped on weird problems, they would call tech line. A lot of the time the experts at tech line would have a solution based on previous complaints from other techs across the nation. Older vehicles always had the solutions while with the new vehicles, you would always have to play the waiting game. Once it was apparent that there was a common high % problem, they would issue out a service bulletin showing exactly what the techs needed to do to repair the problem.

probably loose nuts or screws left under the dash... one of my friends, who is also a master rotary mechanic- even tho that's completely unrelated- used to work at an Infiniti dealership for many years. and, he said that he saw SO many new G35's come back to have their dashes removed because of "rattling," or "buzzing" noises. in every case it was some screws or nuts that either fell loose or were accidentally left in there from assembly. most customers just let it go he said. but, some do complain and insist on getting it fixed. the dealership just pads the labor hours and bills the manufacturer for their time. but, all of it has to be documented to a tee, or they refuse the warranty claim. corporate bs and shotty workmanship.

and, that's why we all hope to get a Wednesday car.

monday the assembly line guys are still kinda hung over.
tuesday they are drinking coffee and getting it together.
wednesday they are finally on the ball and concentrating on what they doing.
thursday they are already thinking about how they're getting to get drunk friday.
friday they just do whatever to get thru the day to go get drunk.

:shrugs:

sorry to hear about this painful experience, but happy to hear u got it fixed. $9K off the price does raise an eyebrow tho.

9K under sticker?

I wonder if I wait another month or 2 would I be able to get a 09 for 10 even 12 K under sticker?

if I can I would probably trade the one I have in, even tho it probably worth 5K or so.

try to press/touch softly mazda logo on the steering wheel/horn but dont make it horn~i did my one everytime when driving

My 2010 rattles like an '83 Caprice. From A pillar to A pillar and from stem to stern. I think the dash was affixed with bubble gum. Backing out of the driveway this morning in -7 degree air the creaking and cracking coming from the structure was horrendous.

Exactly.

I'm pretty sure I'm having the same exact rattle from the driver's side dashboard like the OP had. It comes & goes, and it usually comes when I'm going about 40 mph and on slightly bumpy roads. It's annoying as hell, and I might take it to the dealer. Though I'm afraid the dealer may not notice the rattling since it comes and goes, like I said.

Perhaps the rattling becomes more present during cold weather??

Any word on what was causing this, OP?

YEs, creaking happens more often in cold weather on EVERY car.

Yup ... the fun laws of expanding and contracting of metals, plastics, etc

Next time you hear the rattle on the left side of the dash, try grabbing the instrument binnacle. I think that's the source of my rattle, as the pod is a little loose in its mounting (feels like its the nature of the assembly, as if it is snapped in).

yeah. I get a bit of rattle at high speeds. It's not overpowering and it makes me not hear the passenger. Which for me is a good thing :)

Dude the whole car rattles. And the gas pedal is about 3" too far to the left, the armrests are either rock hard or too narrow---the list goes on...but the handling makes up for it. The dealer will not be able to solve a rattle. BTW, how did u get the car for 17 grand?

The center armrest IS rock hard! I was going to buy a leather one from overseas, instead I found an R3 one on eBay. The R3 one is leather and padded.

You might be able to find some S1 that had padded armrests used. I think Grand Touring models? I'm not 100% sure, but I think the S2 Grand Touring it was not padded or leather? Maybe someone with a S2 GT can verify?

Yup, looks like you guys stand correct. The temp has warmed up quite a bit lately, and the rattle is gone. Weather is fun stuff, I tell you.

Makes sense. I'll remember that when the rattle starts again.

Like others have mentioned, the cold temp could have very well been the cause of my rattling issue, so I guess the solution to fix the problem is out of my hand. Good thing is that it's gone for the time being.

Thanks for the help, guys. :)

Yup. Its lookin more and more like I shoulda sprung for an R3, woulda solved a lot of the shortcomings of the Sport, well except for the gas pedal and rattles lol.

I bought one of these :

http://tinyurl.com/4ph37dj

Nice and soft, rotor emblem moulded-in. Could use improved adhesive, especially in hot weather, but it works fine.

^^thanx just ordered one!

Here's the set-up I have to keep my leg from writhing in pain because of the not-far-enough to-the-right gas pedal. A well chosen piece of memory foam.

Does it allow the armrest to slide and open with it on? Hope it fits the S2, nothing else seems to.

It doesn't interfere with the slide / open functionality of the console at all. It's the same for S1 and S2, and the pad fits fine. You might want to add some extra strips of double sided tape ( sign tape would be best ), but I haven't really needed it yet.

Got mine. Looks good. But, as u said, I can't believe they didnt give us 2 more pieces of velcro for the sides. I mean the entire thing is held on only in the center with a half-inch wide strip! Cheap bastards!

fark, ive this exact same rattle by all accounts of the OP. Very disappointing there was nothing learned from the experience to share.

I've had my car in at dealer and on 2 occasions the can't find it. They admit to hearing it, it's very distinct and metallic on rougher roads. Really sounds like a loose screw.
I've tried for ages to press/push on this and that to stop it and today I did!! If i pull the steering wheel towards me with a bit of force, it stops! What can it be???

If it is the first 12,000 miles of a new RX8, Mazda will cover the cost of finding and fixing any rattles. I know because it happened to me with my dash on my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition. My dealership, Maple Shade (Turnersville, N.J) Mazda has great service people and they asked to take an extra day to take the whole dash apart, find the rattle, put it back together and drive it overnight to make sure the rattle was truly gone,driving it thoroughly. I was happy to let them do it, besides they schedule and give service customers a loaner car. They did the work and banished the dash rattle, and told me about Mazda's coverage for this in the first 12,000 miles.