Dealership Can't fix my problem :-(

Pete_89T2 · 04-20-2011, 11:46 AM

It's not the flywheel, that's for certain. Frankly I'd question the competence and reputability of the Mazda dealership you brought it to. Based on your post, I see several red flags that lead me to think these guys are shady. First, why did they replace your starter - was it broken or causing problems? No need to do so given the job described. Second, by doing the full job described (i.e., presumably by chucking your cat(s) to replace with headers & catless pipe) they intentionally run afoul of federal laws against tampering with emissions gear, irrelevant if you ordered them to do the work or not. Reputable dealerships generally don't do this sort of thing, even on a car that's got 100K miles or is out of warranty.

Back to your question, I'd start looking for any & all electrical connections or vacuum hoses that may have been distrurbed during the course of the work. My guess is you'll find something they forgot to reconnect or may have broken. I'm not too familiar with the RX8, but the work done requires removal of LOTS of components to do the job. Does your check engine light (CEL) come on, or did you try reading the CEL codes using an OBD-II code scanner in case the CEL isn't on, but codes may be stored?

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04-20-2011, 11:46 AM	#3
Pete_89T2 Lifetime Rotorhead Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Elkton, MD Posts: 874 Rep Power: 16	It's not the flywheel, that's for certain. Frankly I'd question the competence and reputability of the Mazda dealership you brought it to. Based on your post, I see several red flags that lead me to think these guys are shady. First, why did they replace your starter - was it broken or causing problems? No need to do so given the job described. Second, by doing the full job described (i.e., presumably by chucking your cat(s) to replace with headers & catless pipe) they intentionally run afoul of federal laws against tampering with emissions gear, irrelevant if you ordered them to do the work or not. Reputable dealerships generally don't do this sort of thing, even on a car that's got 100K miles or is out of warranty. Back to your question, I'd start looking for any & all electrical connections or vacuum hoses that may have been distrurbed during the course of the work. My guess is you'll find something they forgot to reconnect or may have broken. I'm not too familiar with the RX8, but the work done requires removal of LOTS of components to do the job. Does your check engine light (CEL) come on, or did you try reading the CEL codes using an OBD-II code scanner in case the CEL isn't on, but codes may be stored?