Hey fellow rotorheads. I just moved down from Seattle. I was wondering if there are any regularly scheduled events for RX-8 drivers in San Diego county. The group I drove with in Seattle would usually put together a drive once a month rain or shine; mostly rain.

Also I am looking for a reputable Mazda dealership to get my regularly scheduled maintenance done. I see alot of the 8's down here have Hine plate brackets. Does anyone have any bad stories on them before I let them touch my baby.

Third, does anyone have the ipod mod installed on their factory radio? How do you like it? Has anyone installed it themselves or is the hassle involved worth paying the techs the cash to do it for you.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

Welcome to SD. As for the meets, they happen every so often (though I've been out of the loop for a while). There's a thread called San Diego 8's (or something like that) that is updated whenever there's a get together.

As for a dealership, your only local choice is John Hine Mazda in Mission Valley. There's another in Escondido and one in National City, I think. John Hine is actually pretty good and most that I've heard like it.

As for the IPOD, there are several options available to hook it up to the factory radio. The PIE adaptor works well. I think there's a solution that allows you to use the factory read-out and/or steering controls, but I don't know much about it.

Most of this info can be found using the search function.