So I have a Mazda RX-8 and recently had a problem with my "smart key". I took my car to the dealership (capital mazda in cary) and was told that my car was out of warranty by 750 miles and that it would cost $300 to replace the key.

Well that pissed me off so I called Mazda Corporate and they said they would call the dealership and try to work something out.

The lady called me back and said that they would send me a gift card for $200 but I'd have to cover the rest. When I pressed for them to cover the entire cost she told me that if i had a better relationship with the dealership, they could have done more (i.e. had all my service work done at the dealership).

I explained how I couldn't understand why where I got my car serviced had any effect on the gift card mazda corporate sent me. She then said "well I can either send you the gift card or I can just not".

That pissed me off even worse but I eventually accepted the gift card.

Any suggestions about how to handle this further?

10/7/2009 3:14:33 PM

Deal with it.

10/7/2009 3:19:05 PM

Why don't you call a goddamn locksmith company? A lot of them can do transponder keys and shit for cars.

10/7/2009 3:26:56 PM

I can understand your frustration since the dealership won't help you out b/c you don't have all your work done there. I think it's fucking bullshit that you have to build good favor with the dealership by having your interval service done there. And by interval service I mean checking fluid levels and all that other BS that is an excuse to take your money.

10/7/2009 4:05:58 PM

thats exactly what i thought. I mean, good customer service should come because i bought the car from mazda, not because I got my oil changed at the dealership.

10/7/2009 4:14:35 PM

If you really want to be a pita, write a letter to corporate detailing your interactions. Be polite, concise and indicate that you won't buy another one of their vehicles in the future.

10/7/2009 4:19:56 PM

I'm a vegetarian, so I'm not going to get involved with this "beef" of yours.

Actually, no I'm not.

Quote :

"out of warranty by 750 miles"

Sorry to say, however, they are under no obligation to help you out. Consider what you got as more than what they were obligated to give you and be happy. Could be worse. Not trolling or being mean, that's just how it is. If you are out of warranty, don't expect to get warranty work done. I would say though that if you had done all of your work through them, you'd have more of a leg to stand on and could probably raise a little hell (politely).

What is with you people always trying to get free lunch.

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 4:24 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 4:25 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2009 4:21:07 PM

I'm dealing with an on going issue with Honda over my S2000. If it's not resolved to my liking you better believe I have no problem telling them I'll never buy another one of their cars. Judging by how boring most of them are following through on that threat should be easy. I'm not dealing with the dealership at the moment, purely through Honda NA.

10/7/2009 4:37:51 PM

they gave you 2/3 of the cost to repair something that was out of warranty, take what you can get.

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 4:38 PM. Reason : you've still got the 100k engine warranty]

10/7/2009 4:38:14 PM

Free Lunch?

The guy at the dealership told me after they tested my key that they "just short out sometimes". Making me pay 300 for another key that "just shorts out sometimes" sounds like a free lunch for Mazda.

I'm not paying for this bullshit. Luckily, I've found the keys on ebay for around $75

10/7/2009 4:40:40 PM

they're programmed?

10/7/2009 6:45:08 PM

so buy a car that doesn't have expensive high-tech shit that breaks

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 7:22 PM. Reason : what a fucking whiner]

10/7/2009 7:22:17 PM

Cars break out of warranty. It happens. Mazda isn't obliged to keep your car running forever on its own dime. A $200 gift card is actually quite generous.

10/7/2009 7:25:24 PM

I went round and round with Chrysler on this sort of thing. At one point I owned 3 Chrysler products. Not anymore. I told them I would buy another Chrysler and I would do my damnest to talk all my family, friends, and anyone else out of buying one. I am down to one Chrysler. Got a toyota and a Ford instead, and like the much, much better.

Car companies don't seem to care, but sooner or later, they will learn that they have to...when no one buys their products

10/7/2009 8:03:00 PM

Quote :

"Free Lunch? The guy at the dealership told me after they tested my key that they "just short out sometimes". Making me pay 300 for another key that "just shorts out sometimes" sounds like a free lunch for Mazda. I'm not paying for this bullshit. Luckily, I've found the keys on ebay for around $75"

Yeah. You're pissed because you don't want to have to pay for repairs that you are now responsible for. WAH WAH WAH. I DIDN'T BREAK THIS SO SOMEONE SHOULD FIX IT FOR ME WAH WAH WAH.

Quote :

"they gave you 2/3 of the cost to repair something that was out of warranty, take what you can get. "

+1

Quote :

"Cars break out of warranty. It happens. Mazda isn't obliged to keep your car running forever on its own dime. A $200 gift card is actually quite generous."

+1

Quote :

"so buy a car that doesn't have expensive high-tech shit that breaks"

+1

TKE-Teg's issue is completely different. He HAS WARRANTY, so yes, he has every right to bitch and complain to get his shit right as well as expect it so the first time. When you bought this car, you knew the warranty this thing would have. If you were worried about needing to make a "warranty claim" for a broken part, you should have gotten it extended. I understand hindsight is only 20/20, however, you accepted the risks when your warranty expired so now you have to pay. It sucks, but you deal with it. Don't take it out on the Mazda people.

I'm sorry I apologize that I don't feel sorry for your situation. By free lunch, I meant expecting someone else to pay for something that they are no longer responsible for. People who complain about this kind of shit piss me off.

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 8:54 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2009 8:52:44 PM

you are a dumbass. By complaining I got the $200 to start with. Bend over and take it from companies all you want if that is what makes you happy but I won't.

10/8/2009 2:51:33 AM

You drive an out-of-warranty RX-8. You'll practically be running backwards through a cornfield for the next few years.

10/8/2009 7:54:17 AM

Quote :

"you are a dumbass. By complaining I got the $200 to start with. Bend over and take it from companies all you want if that is what makes you happy but I won't."

What you aren't getting is that the company isn't trying to screw you or "bend you over". Your car is out of warranty. They are merely abiding by the contract that you and they agreed to. They don't owe you shit and you should be damn happy they agreed to send you the gift card.

10/8/2009 8:22:40 AM

Are we sure this isn't a case of planned obsolence. Many companies now do this, use parts that they know will last around the warrenty time. They are gambling it will make it past the time. I know GE is famous for doing this in their appliances. And to rub it in, they tell you when it is two months out of warentee, we know it is a bad design, so we will only charge you half price to fix it.

10/8/2009 7:24:55 PM

The RX-8 has had so many little problems that were covered under warranty. My console broke, my sun visors cracked, coolant light malfunctioned. All had service bulletins about them being known issues and were covered. They even extended the powertrain warranty to 100,000 miles because of problems with the engine.

This is why I was so pissed about the fucking key.

10/8/2009 8:21:53 PM

sports cars break

10/9/2009 12:30:19 AM

Japanese Fords

10/9/2009 12:45:28 AM

Quote :

"Are we sure this isn't a case of planned obsolence. Many companies now do this"

ORLY? You mean that thing GM perfected in the 60's?

10/9/2009 8:20:22 AM

If you still have a key you can program the new one yourself:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=43873

If I am not mistaken any decent locksmith can cut the blank.

10/9/2009 8:54:56 AM

Quote :

"The RX-8 has had so many little problems that were covered under warranty. My console broke, my sun visors cracked, coolant light malfunctioned. All had service bulletins about them being known issues and were covered. They even extended the powertrain warranty to 100,000 miles because of problems with the engine. This is why I was so pissed about the fucking key. "

you bought the car that had more recalls thatn any other vehicle ever made, so that's not too bad of a warranty repair history. Did you even do a tiny bit of research before buying it?

I'm not saying that you should or should not have bought it, but you at least should have known prior to the purchase that you will be bringing it to the dealer on a monthly basis.

Quote :

"You drive an out-of-warranty RX-8. You'll practically be running backwards through a cornfield for the next few years."

said it best

10/9/2009 9:00:32 AM

Quote :

"they gave you 2/3 of the cost to repair something that was out of warranty, take what you can get. "

BlackSheep you sound like a whiny bitch, stop bitching, man up and deal with your business like a grown fucking man instead of bleating like a bitch.

i had to replace a o2 sensor merely to pass inspection (mileage and performance were ok with it out) that was ~$190 (parts and tools out of pocket, got free labor) and you don't see me bitching to the Subaru corporate that they should fix it.

10/9/2009 9:27:16 AM

My car makes my oil all dirty and then I have to replace it, but the dealer won't pay for that! They just say "engines tend to do that".

what bullshit.

10/9/2009 9:44:56 AM

^lolz

10/9/2009 9:54:26 AM

Quote :

"The lady called me back and said that they would send me a gift card for $200 but I'd have to cover the rest. When I pressed for them to cover the entire cost she told me that if i had a better relationship with the dealership, they could have done more (i.e. had all my service work done at the dealership)."

that's pretty much why I won't buy another honda product.

they screwed me and then tried to play it off.

[Edited on October 9, 2009 at 12:37 PM. Reason : i was in warranty btw. leith acura boo.]

10/9/2009 12:34:23 PM

^I've heard some Honda dealerships are refusing claims on soft top replacement under warranty. They say it's not included with the factory warranty. So ridiculous

10/9/2009 1:00:23 PM

Quote :

"you bought the car that had more recalls than any other vehicle ever made"

source/link?

10/9/2009 2:18:25 PM

^ weren't all 2004-2006 RX-8's recalled for an engine replacement or something like that? some sort of overheating that melted exhaust components? or an oil leak that killed the engine? i've heard nothing but bad things about the RX-8

it's easy to believe it's the worst

10/9/2009 2:47:44 PM

Quote :

""Are we sure this isn't a case of planned obsolence. Many companies now do this""

All companies do it. Target is 140,000 miles on pretty much all valve-train and chassis components... No idea on trim and electrics, but I'd say less.

10/9/2009 7:12:20 PM

i thought it was just 2004 that was the problem year for the arghx8, and they upgraded to hotter sparking plugs in the years after that

[Edited on October 9, 2009 at 8:29 PM. Reason : ]

10/9/2009 8:23:23 PM

want shit done right? let me know. I run shit up there. NO, SERIOSLY. let me know

10/9/2009 9:42:17 PM

Regarding a car's electronics systems, it seems that most components manufactured for vehicular standards are rated at or above industrial temperature ranges, shock tolerances, ESD tolerance, and materials. When looking at electronics components datasheets, most ratings are in the order of commercial, industrial, automotive/military.

10/10/2009 6:30:24 AM

Quote :

"i thought it was just 2004 that was the problem year for the arghx8, and they upgraded to hotter sparking plugs in the years after that"

there were many TSBs (hard starts for example) but only one major mandatory recall that I know of, which reflashed the ECU to increase lubrication of the apex seals for hot climates. Yet even with the ECU reflash the overall architecture of the lubrication system in the 2004-2008 models has a major flaw in it that pretty much guarantees accelerated apex seal wear unless you put 2 stroke oil in the tank. The 2009 models corrected that and a number of other problems by redesigning much of the lubrication system.

10/10/2009 11:53:15 AM

my beef with mazda


the RX-8 folds like a catchers mitt on side impact




















and its no fun unless its sideways

10/11/2009 4:55:48 AM

Quote :

"out of warranty by 750 miles"

i don't really understand your problem. you already said it is out of warranty so why should they be obligated to fix it? ohhhhhh, they shouldn't since it is not in warranty? you know you can solve the problem by paying for a new key shit head.

10/11/2009 2:16:08 PM

Busse locksmith on wake forest rd.


jesus christ people, you dont have to go to the dealer for shit these days, there are plenty of places than can do it

10/11/2009 7:50:09 PM