He goes on to say, "Mazda UK or the dealer can’t pay for the fuel (DVSA deem this as an incentive and we aren’t allowed to incentivise recall work) so there will be the fuel bill to pay for of course."
I have replied that as long as the price per litre is reasonable, then I can't see this should be an issue for owners.
Additionally, he has said:
"My Technical Manager is arranging for the Mazda Repairer network to be contacted to understand the greater scale of the problem highlighted post repair. We will priority target those dealers highlighted in your correspondence where we see from your feedback there has been a faulty repair, but it will also be important we speak to Technicians from other dealers as they may have seen the same problem but fixed prior to giving back to the owner."
I don't think we could have reasonably expected a better outcome than this. It's a shame that Mazda UK didn't react sooner, but once David W-G got onto the case it's taken less than a week for serious action to taken. It's certainly done a lot to restore my faith in Mazda's after-sales care.
I now strongly urge any owner with this outstanding recall to get it done. I would recommend you check, when booking the car in, that the new procedure of filling the tank to check for leaks will be performed as per the recent Technical Bulletin.
Apart from this recall changing-out parts which might lead to a serious fuel leak, owners also benefit from a new fuel filter. We know, from experience, that these filters are clogging with age**, so it solves another potentially expensive maintenance job. Plus, owners run the risk of having their insurance invalidated if the DVSA record shows this safety recall work has not been done.
**Fuel starvation has occurred in certain cornering conditions with less than 1/3 tank of fuel. This manifests with the engine losing power for a few seconds. Extensive investigation by RX-8 OC members has concluded that clogging of the fuel filter with increasing mileage is the cause.
ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are a few topics scattered on the forum on the subject of this Mazda Recall:
“Safety Recall – Fuel Tank”
AH022A Fuel Leak At Fuel Pump Mounting Ring
AH023A Fuel Leak At Fuel Pump Discharge Pipe
There have been a small, but disturbing number of RX-8 owners who have had this work performed by a Mazda dealership, only to find mild to severe fuel leaks when brimming their tank upon completion of the recall.
Some owners have also reported that the fuel gauge no longer reads correctly, or in one case not at all. The problems there appear to be;
- trapped/damaged wiring
- loose connections
- bent float arms
- components accidentally swapped from one side of the tank to the other, even though they're obviously different.
Here is one of the more severe leaks (on my car, first fill after the recall work)!):
The leaks do not seem to manifest themselves unless the fuel tank is full. After Mazda had attempted to fix my leak, it was only the last 2 litres of fuel that revealed a leak still existed, albeit less severe than in the video above.
The problem is, we have no idea as to the scale of the issue. Is there just a very small number of cars suffering these leaks, or is there a more widespread issue?
If you have had this work completed, I would not recommend brimming your tank without immediately checking for a fuel leak from either/both of the two tank sealing rings at the top of the fuel tank, situated under the rear seats. If you feel confident, then there is a simple process to check for leaks, requiring only a crosshead screwdriver. You can follow this procedure:
Pull hard on the front, lower edge of both rear seat squabs to detach them from the two clips holding each squab in place. Lift out both squabs to reveal the fuel tank inspection covers on each side.
This is the view on the passenger side: Unscrew the four crosshead screws holding each cover plate in place, placing the screws somewhere safe. Squeeze the small, black plastic clip holding the cable harness to the covers on each and place the covers safely to one side. You will now have a clear view of both tank sealing covers. This is the view on the driver's side. Check for any signs of fuel leaks. If none, go and fill your tank with fuel until the pump cutout triggers, ideally, checking for leaks as your tank approaches full. Should you experience a leak, you will need to have thought in advance of your options!
1. Maybe choose a filling station where you can easily push your car to a safe location at the station.
2. If fuel is leaking under the car, the staff at the filling station should be able to offer some help with sand or similar.
3. Ideally, you will have a valid breakdown cover, through which you can arrange to have your car picked up and taken back to the Mazda dealer for rectification, or another garage of your choice.
I cannot recommend you drive your car if you do discover a petrol leak, so plan carefully for what you will do if you find a leak.
The club committee have a meeting scheduled for 27 September and we will review the issues relating to this recall. To help us, it would be extremely helpful if you can post up below:
1. Have you received this recall notice?
2. Have you had the work completed?
3. If you have had the recall completed, which dealership did the work and roughly when?
4. If you have received the recall and not had the work done, what is your reason?
5. If you have had the work done, have you experienced any leaks?
6. If you have had the work done and not experienced any leaks, have you completely filled your tank at least once?
7. Did you experience any other issues, such as fuel the gauge reading incorrectly? If so, please give details.
For example, my answers would be:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Underwoods Mazda, Colchester, Aug 2020
4. N/A
5. Yes
6. N/A
7. No other issues noted
We am currently aware of 7, possibly 8, cars which have suffered leaks and I shall be PM’ing those owners to make them aware of this topic.
On behalf of the entire RX-8 owning community, I thank you in advance if you can help us clarify the scale of this issue. The committee can then decide if the scale warrants action to further safeguard owners. Mazda UK have been alerted to the issue, but have, to date, chosen not to get involved, placing the responsibility for workmanship squarely with the individual dealers.