Richard's Car Blog
Well Nunns have sorted things out: they arranged for me to bring the batmobile in today to fit a new relay for the rear foglight – it switches to the trailer when the towbar electrics are connected and back to the car’s when it’s disconnected – and a different iPod integration module following Nunns’ discussions wit Mazda Europe.
And lo and behold, it works with my old iPod as well as my new “RexPod”, displaying track number (from the playlist) or artist or track names.
Result!
Well it seems that all is not well with the R3, so it was back to the dealers today for fettling.
The rear foglight has not been working since I got the car: it turns out that the wiring loom to the towbar fitted by the dealers, Nunns, has a relay that should switch between the foglight on the trailer and the foglight on the car. Whilst the foglight on the trailer works fine, the one on the car doesn’t. Sadly this wasn’t picked up in the PDI when I bought the car. Parts are now on order.
Of equal concern is the (very expensive) iPod integration module that doesn’t seem to actually want to integrate any iPod with the Bose stereo system. Mazda list a whole load of Apple devices that aren’t compatible with the module – which, by the way, cuts off the auxiliary input circuit so you’re completely screwed if it doesn’t integrate – and I found that none of our iPods of varying age worked at all with it. They all connect fine and some can seemingly draw power. All display the Mazda logo. All have their functionality removed from the devices whilst connected. None actually work with the stereo system.
Including the brand spanking new iPod nano I got for my birthday specifically for the car. Ah…
So Nunns will be talking to Mazda over the next few days to try to find out what’s wrong. If they can’t fix it, I’ve already told them I want the auxiliary socket reconnecting and my money back for the horrendously expensive integration module.
A fellow R3 owner over at the RX8 Owners Club has pointed out that his R3 has a Mazda badge in the usual place on the boot lid and mine hasn’t. Looking at the Gallery over at Mazda UK’s site, this also shows a Mazda badge there. One for the dealer to answer, I think.
This is getting beyond a joke. This evening I had a call from the salesman at Nunns who’s been dealing with us and going the extra mile for me, Gerry.
It now seems that there’s no sign yet of the tax disc as – apparently – the Local Vehicle Licensing Office at Lincoln is building up a backlog of registrations/licensing and there’s no tax disc for my RX-8 yet.
Great! Let’s hope it’s there by Friday.
In the meantime, it just makes me think I won’t bother buying a new car again: too much like hard work!
I went in to the dealer today and asked whether the delivery date I had been told – 1st March – was definitely happening as I was making my arrangements and managing my diary around that.
I was very disappointed to be told, after waiting for 20 minutes, that it was probably going to be delivered at least a fortnight later but even that isn’t guaranteed.
Now my present insurance runs out on the 9th March. The promised delivery date of 1Â March obviously would have meant that I would not need to take out insurance on the ST200, but a later date means I will have to take out new insurance and then almost immediately cancel it which will mean I incur additional costs as the best insurance quotes for the RX-8 R3 and ST200 are from different insurers.
Similarly, I was going to obtain a refund for my road fund licence but again I will be out of pocket because of the delayed delivery.
When I placed the order on 22nd January, I was told that 1st March delivery was achievable and had relied on this date, even to the extent of booking a service on our other RX-8 bought from them recently for the same day.
I have now asked the dealer for their proposals for achieving the 1stMarch delivery date or alternatively covering the extra costs this delayed delivery will mean for me.