autoblog.com — Mazda RX-8 owners were pretty upset with Mazda over a video leaked that indicated surveys they completed on dealer service would not be counted. Autoblog managed to get an official response from Mazda and more details regarding the video, which should never have been leaked.
Aug 4, 2006 View in Crawl 4
epiloniousAug 7, 2006
Check out the Technical Service Bulletins linked in the article... you would see that most of the problems with the RX-8 are with electrical systems and things like "squealing brakes". The "rotary engine" problems are few and far-between and the Renesis has the same failure ratio as the engine in a Mazda3. Also, the entire point of this article was "gosh, My Mazda RX-8 keeps getting crappy service at that dealership, and now it seems like Mazda wants to ignore my survey feedback so no-one will know that it's a bad service dealership". I see no reason for that to translate into "gosh, the rotary engine sure is crappy."In addition, a Mazda guy going "that was not information meant for outside eyes" isn't really ducking the issue. What if they are planning to set up special service shops or separate ratings for the RX-8 in particular? What if they are planning on releasing an RX-7 coupe in the near future alongside retooled Wankel plants, what if they are upgrading the RX-8 and are doing something to the service departments that make these complaints moot? You don't know, and "the Mazda guy" is specifically barred from telling anybody.
tmankaAug 8, 2006
Anyone have a copy of the video taken down by google? Would be great to get a copy.
bruflethAug 8, 2006
I suspect the 2.3L turbo wouldn't even in fit in the RX-8
phejAug 8, 2006
Google took the video down. Anyone get it before it went?
bytex64Aug 8, 2006
The flooding problem was a bug in the ECU dating back to the second-generation RX-7, and I thought they fixed it by the time the 3rd gens rolled around, so the RX-8 shouldn't have that problem. It happened to me a couple of times. The first time is educational, the other times were definetly a "D'oh" moment. Apparently the bug doesn't manifest until you start it up again, so pulling the ECU fuse after a short drive should reset it back to normal.If this still happens on the RX-8s, which are some 20 years newer, then Mazda has some 'splaining to do.
smujeremyAug 8, 2006
And don't forget the fiasco when the car was released. The engine was severely overrated HP/TQ wise. People were dyno'ing way lower than they should have.
hubrisAug 8, 2006
I call bulls**t...wording like has been transcribed to the video (I didn't see it before it was yanked) isn't taken out of context....it means that some managers are getting rid of a problem by ignoring it, and they've been caught.What will happen from this? A coverup.....an internal investigation to see who allowed the video to fall into the wrong hands....and severe warnings to any Mazda or dealer staff who allow internal information to be leaked in the future. Notice I don't mention anything about addressing the issues documented by the surveys by RX-8 owners.My own employer used to do employee surveys. The first one showed employee dissatisfaction, and they promised to use the survey to improve things. The second showed even greater employee dissatisfaction....and they decided to stop conducting surveys.
pingviiniAug 9, 2006
@NougatWhere exactly could I come in contact with this company?That sounds awesome!PS. a quick google search turned up nothing.
mrcodergaNov 22, 2009
Cake? Where is it?My other 4 cylinder cars got 300 hp and no problems.Yes I know Rx8 has no cylinders. Just problems LOL