Good Experience At Dealership

[legion]

I post enough threads b****ing about stuff, so I thought I'd call out a business that did a good job.

About three weeks ago I pulled the head unit on the RX-8 to run an audio cable for a subwoofer and amp I want to install. I ran the cable, reinstalled the head unit, and discovered that the turn signals were all screwed up and didn't work at all when the headlights or parking lights were on. I never got to installing the subwoofer and amp.

I pulled the head unit and discovered that the original owner had nicked and repaired some wiring on a wiring harness when installing the aftermarket radio and dash kit.

I tried in vain to find a wiring diagram for the car (not that it would do me any good. I tried to post on RX-8club.com, but they sequester all new members posts to a "new member forum" where they are ignored.

I desperation, I went to the local Mazda dealership (Sam Leman Mazda). I explained what the problem was and that because the problem was probably in the wiring, simply swapping parts to try to fix the problem would not be sufficient. I was quoted a maximum of three hours at $100 an hour to diagnose the problem, and $2,500 to replace the main wiring harness--as a worst case scenario. I explained about the aftermarket radio and dash kit, and they agreed that they would take a look for me despite the non-factory modifications.

I dropped the car off yesterday and the service manager immediately called over the master technician so that I could demonstrate the issue to him. I asked that they call me when they were finished with the diagnosis so that we could discuss repair options. If it turned out to need a new main wiring harness, I planned on trying to locate one from a salvage vehicle and do it myself next winter--and just not drive at night until then.

I had a very busy day at work and didn't hear from the dealership, so I stopped by on my way home as it is on my route.

When I walked into the service area the service manager immediately got a big smile. He said: "You have to see this."

I replied: "Now you've got me nervous."

He let me behind his counter to see his computer and asked me to read the tech's service notes. They ended with something about "crossed wires" and "successfully repaired". I asked him what the damage was.

"$285", he said. He went on to explain that because the tech found the problem after two hours, they could fix it and still come in under their $300 estimate for diagnosis, so they just went ahead and fixed it. I told him that I agreed with his approach. I tested it in the parking lot and everything worked exactly as it should.

I've gotten burned in the past having dealerships work on electrical issues. I've had some refuse to work on old vehicles, some refuse to work on vehicles with any aftermarket modifications, and some just change some parts and say the problem was fixed...without checking that it was. It was obvious from the tech's notes that he actually pulled out a multimeter and physically checked wiring to find the issue. The service manager said that he worked on the car in 15-20 minute intervals, and took breaks to work on other cars. I would have done the same myself if I had any idea which wires to check.

Anyway, I'm very happy that the dealership actually took the time to properly diagnose the issue instead of just changing parts and hoping the problem was fixed.

[biosurfer1]

$285 to uncross two wires...yikes.

I still don't understand how everything was working fine, then it wasn't after you pulled the head unit if the PO had crossed wires?

[legion]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

$285 to uncross two wires...yikes.

I still don't understand how everything was working fine, then it wasn't after you pulled the head unit if the PO had crossed wires?

Something pulled loose and made contact where it should not have...probably because the PO accidentally cut/repaired some wires that would not have otherwise been involved in installing a new head unit. The installation of the new head unit also involved aftermarket climate and display computers--as those functions are part of the radio in the stock setup.

I've done electrical work on much simpler vehicles and it is painstaking and time-consuming. This car has something on the order of 300 wires running behind the radio. Assuming that I could even get the information that I needed to diagnose the problem myself, it probably would have taken me weeks to attempt a diagnosis, and there is a good chance that I may have never found the problem. Paying someone else who is competent to do is well worth it IMO.