My RX8 horror story - any help appreciated!

[imacken]

Moderator: moved here as first post

I bought a new 231 RX8 in 2005 from a main dealer. For the last 14 years, I have tried to look after it as I love driving it. It has done 42k miles, and looks good to me!
However, I took the car for its annual MOT and service a couple of days ago, and was called by the garage to be told that basically due to a sheared suspension rod due to corruption, a seriously corroded sub frame and 2 holes in the rear sills, that, my beautiful car was a write off and they advised me not to even try and drive it home!
Well, you can imagine my shock. I am still in a state of shock!
Now, the garage showed me the car up on the ramp, and it was horrifying. They said - obviously - that the level of corruption must have been going on for a number of years.
Usually, I go to the main dealer I bought the car from to get the MOT and service, but this year, I just couldn't get through on the phone after trying at least a dozen times, so I went somewhere different.
After what I had seen, I looked back at the documentation from the main dealer, and sure enough, last June, they gave the rear suspension and underframe a tick of good health! Not even an advisory!!
Now, clearly, I have been driving the car in a seriously dangerous state mainly due to the sheared, corroded suspension arm - weird that I didn't notice a change in the driving behaviour -and the main dealer would seem to be completely negligent in giving my car a clean bill of health last June.
What do you guys think I should do about this? I'm very upset about my car, and would obviously have done something to prevent this occurring if I had been given reasonable notice.

[SeeJay]

Hard to tell from the pic,but there appears to be clean metal visible on the broken arm,so maybe it wasn't broken when your dealer had it in last year.

I'm surprised that during 14 years of 'looking after' it,you don't seem to have given a single thought to the condition of the car's underside

I doubt you'll be able to prove negligence on the part of the dealer,but the car doesn't have to be a write off.Plenty of RX8's are being broken,many by one of the traders here on the club - bigpete - so you should be able to obtain a decent subframe(if it really IS corroded that badly),as well as replacement suspension arms.

Where are you located There may well be a breaker fairly local to you

[Delanor]

In theory when your car passes its MOT it is deemed to be roadworthy at the point of testing after that the owner is responsible for any faults.

I once had a cars lights checked for the MOT and whilst we stood there a headlight glass went tinkle and lumps of glass fell on the floor the MOT tester passed the car as he said the lights were roadworthy when he had just checked and passed them.

*
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Del.

[warpc0il]

Of course it's "a write off" given;
- the book value for trade-in
- the extent of the damage
- the cost of new parts
- the cost of dealer labour

You can't do anything about the first two items but there's a solution to the second two.

Buy good used parts for the major components, e.g. subframe
Have them fitted by someone competent, not a Mazda dealer.

There aren't many (any?) rotary specialists in Cornwall but there's nothing specifically "rotary" in the parts that need replacing.
Certainly nothing that a good independent guy couldn't handle for a third of the dealer rate, and probably taking more care.

[Ollie]

Would've thought a corroding subframe would show up on an MOT if it was reaching almost not acceptable levels? Thought thats what advisories were meant to be used for.

[warpc0il]

It is possible to break the rear subframe if you jack/lift in the wrong place (just saying)...

[jwalla17]

Good luck, hope a breaker or other body specialist can help salvage the situation. It’s scary seeing the result of excessive corrosion.

[Shagrington]

Hi and igmack and

[imacken]

Would've thought a corroding subframe would show up on an MOT if it was reaching almost not acceptable levels? Thought thats what advisories were meant to be used for.

Thanks guys.
This comment is my point. There were no advisories last June about the serious corrosion by the dealer when, clearly, it must have been there. In my eyes, this must be negligence. Otherwise, what’s the point of paying them to do a health check?

[imacken]

There aren't many (any?) rotary specialists in Cornwall but there's nothing specifically "rotary" in the parts that need replacing.
Certainly nothing that a good independent guy couldn't handle for a third of the dealer rate, and probably taking more care.

Out of interest, where did you get the Cornwall thing from?

[boosted]

Had a similar issue with my scooby...went in for recall and they pretty much told me the same as you...fit for scrap yard etc...
That was 2 years ago...and car needed front horse shoe welding which isnt even a structure part...its a cradle to bring engine down in event of crash.
I took car away welded horseshoe up...and fixed the damage they done...replaced a cv gaiter theyd stabbed changing lower front arms.
Get it outta dealer and take elsewhere.
A media blasted freshly powder coated subframe sold recently for £60 on mrc.


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[SteveTroman]

I would ring these first. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... out-an-mot

[imacken]

I would ring these first. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... out-an-mot

Thanks for that. However, it would seem that the complaint has to be made within 14 days of the MOT test. It was a year ago, the test in question. It was also the health check that was done at the same time as the MOT. it clearly states that the underfame and rear suspension was fine and they gave it all a tick!

[goodeggbob]

as said before, a good used ,complete rear frame, and a bit of welding would have it sorted.my advice would be, start spraying the mounting point bolts,together with all linkages with plus gas ,because with that level of corrosion they can be a pig.

[nightfire10]

There aren't many (any?) rotary specialists in Cornwall but there's nothing specifically "rotary" in the parts that need replacing.
Certainly nothing that a good independent guy couldn't handle for a third of the dealer rate, and probably taking more care.

Out of interest, where did you get the Cornwall thing from?

My bad, that looked like a Cornish cottage

RX1.jpg

Update your profile with your location and we should be able to point you in the right direction

[imacken]

My bad, that looked like a Cornish cottage

Not your bad at all. You are totally correct, and I am super impressed by your sleuthing skills!

[qwakers]

welcome! another cornish member, that makes 3? cornish members and 6 or so (properly) southwest members now! its becoming quite the party!

where you per chance using vospers truro as your dealer? if so, im not at all surprised at your issues.

[warpc0il]

You *think* that's impressive?

What if I guessed Rose-in-Vale and D&T Motors in Penryn?

[imacken]

To be honest, I have been a member for quite a while here, but I hadn't visited for a number of years and couldn't work out what my password or user name was, so I re-registered as new!
Anyway, yes, it was that dealer.
EDIT: sorry that was in response to @qwakers Vospers query

[imacken]

You *think* that's impressive?

What if I guessed Rose-in-Vale and D&T Motors in Penryn?

Ok, you've got me hooked. Not correct, but close enough to be quite scary! Reveal all!

[warpc0il]

Drag & Drop your photos here

[Salokin]

Drag & Drop your photos here

. You shouldn't have given away the secret. You had me thinking... Is there anything you don't know?!

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[imacken]

Drag & Drop your photos here

Now that is scary. I thought that if a photo had been edited in a photo app and exported as a different name, that stuff like the Geo-coding didn't copy over.
Another scary thing here is that I uploaded versions of the images to my server that had all the personal info (including Geo) removed. However, my post here still seems to have the versions with that info in! Does this forum cache these things? Should it not look to the url to check for changes?

[warpc0il]

The copies on igmack e.g. http://igmack.co.uk/RX1.jpg still have the geotags intact

[imacken]

The copies on igmack e.g. http://igmack.co.uk/RX1.jpg still have the geotags intact

Sorry, but they don't. I deleted them and posted new ones a couple of hours ago, and the ones I download don't have any geo-coding.
There must be some kind of caching going on with you and these forums.