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Coupes & Convertibles Mazda RX-8 Mazda RX-8 Care & Maintenance
103 messages, Last post on Oct 25, 2009 at 5:17 AM
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2004 RX-8 with 25,000 miles. Noticed really loud/bad thumping noise coming from rear of car/rear axle. Progressivly worse as speed picks up. Tires are fine with 32 PSI in both rear tires. I did rotate them also but the noise and thumping vibration continue and actually seems worse now. Any ideas? Maybe bad rotors? I have no issues when breaking, no scraping, no thumping, no problems at all, just when driving do I hear the loud noise and feel the vibration. Not too bad at slow speeds but from 40 mph up its really bad. I do not drive this car very often and am getting concerned with all the little issues I have had with it (CEL on 3 time in 6 months, the AC turn knob broke off, now this really bad thumping noise from rear of car). Thanks!
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Replying to: pensfan30157 (Mar 17, 2008 10:29 am) I'd also say to check your differential fluid level. I've never done it on this particular car, but on my old truck you basically just stuck your finger in the fluid fill hole and it was supposed to be filled up to a little below the hole.
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I own 2 MazdaRX8's both 2004, one is black with black/red leather interior, the other is black on black leather, saying I am a car nut is putting it lightly LOL My husband is 6 ft. 5 inches and he does not fit into my car well, which further makes it mine, mine, mine !! Anyway as 2004 was the first year they were produced (please correct me if I am wrong) they will both be collector cars in the future, both are fully loaded 6 speed manuals with everything but navigation, I just don't like the look of it personally. But this past September my car really proved it's worth in gold, I was sitting at a stop light in Golden, CO (a great little town if you ever decide to visit, we were there on vacation) waiting for a green turn light, there were two lanes of traffic to my left that were stopping for their red light, the lane to my immediate left was full, the lane to the left of that was empty, they were on a small incline, there was a stop light 1/2 way down their hill for pedesterian walkway and then your regular stop light at the top of the hill. When my light turned green, the lane to my left stopped and I proceeded, I was the first car in a line of about 5 cars waiting to turn, as I made my turn and was 1/2 way through the intersection I saw headlights coming at me in the lane that had been empty, I realized we were going to get hit as I could not go backwards as there were cars behind me and if I went forward she was going to hit my rear quarter panel and I had a full tank of gas, so I crammed my foot on the brake as hard as I could and told my passenger to hang on, laid on the horn but it did no good. She hit me and pushed me 3 ft into the intersection further, crushing my left front fender, breaking my A-Arm, bening my front suspension bar, crunching part of my front door, cracking my front bumper and that is all I could see at the time of the accident of course there was more damage that I could not see. I could not get out on my side and that is probably a good thing as I was plenty mad and would probably have ended up in jail had I been able to get out, there were tons of witnesses that saw her run the red lights and hit me, she was going about 35 miles an hour when she hit me, she ran the red light half way up the hill and the one at the top of the hill, as she was driving a big SUV she received only a scratch on her bumper but we were lucky that she did not run right over us. I was amazed at how well my car took that hit, of course we had our seatbelts on (she did not) but we both walked away with bruises (on me from my knees hitting steering column) and sore necks, but it could have been much worse, I am a nurse and I have seen accidents of 5-10 miles an hour and have patients in serious to critical condition. I was more mad then anything else, I had only had this car for 6 weeks, I bought it from a military guy who was too tall to drive it and it had 5000 miles on it when I bought it and had never even seen the rain ! She sobbed to the female policewoman that she was not "concentrating on her driving as she was going through a rough divorce and the policewoman felt sorry for her as she had just gotten out of a bad marriage herself, so she ticketed her for only running one read light, not speeding (speed limit was 10 miles per hour), not for running the first light for a total of two, not for not wearing her seatbelt (which she admitted to) not for having an expired drivers license, not for not have a registration and finally not for not having proof of insurance. I had everything the policewoman asked for and here I was out of state visiting. So I asked if I could charge her a ticket as a citizen, which I did, she ended up in court and ended up loosing her license as this was just one of a long string of problems with this gal and tickets. I am sorry but why do most of us do the right thing and carry the right documentation and then someone hit you like this and have nothing they are required by law to have? But what I wanted to convey to this forum is how impressed I was and even the tow driver was with how well my car took this direct hit, so not only is the Mazda RX8 a great car to drive, fun to own, an unusual car on the road (you rarely see them in my area), a truly beutiful car, it is a well made and unbelievably safe car to own and drive. I do have one question though, I have been using 5/20 oil, but have read about "Royal Blue" oil, have gotten several accounts that it is better for the car, makes it run cleaner, and lasts longer, does anyone have any other information abuot this oil? Any help advice would be greatly appreciated, I check all fluids every 300 miles and do not intend on inviting trouble by ignoring my cars needs, but am always interested in learning about something new. Thank you very much and happy ZOOM ZOOM.... Pam 
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Replying to: mdw1000 (Mar 21, 2008 7:12 pm) Happy Reving!
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Replying to: 4_my_8 (Apr 01, 2008 10:09 am) Thanks again, Pam |
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Honestly guys I'm looking for a good value sports car and the RX8 fits the bill but geez does the calendar turning from '06 to '07 or '07 to '08 magically make all these engine/drivetrain problems (design flaws) disappear? There just does not seem to be any end to these RX8 problems followed by Bandaids from Mazda that really do not address the issues. Are the 07/08's trouble free? Should I wait for a new model replacement (is one even planned by Mazda) or just completely cross it off my list and move on to a Miata or another marque? Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Replying to: johnxyz (Nov 12, 2008 6:28 am) I do not feel the car it be inherently flawed, to be honest with you the first problem I encountered was the cold start problem, but that problem is easily solved with just remembering to treat the car right, to me it is no different then having a physical problem with your own body, you just have to be conscious of it and remember not to do it. The only other problem I have had and this was a recall was the CD going out, which was replaced under warrenty. I love my cars and would not drive anything else, I have chosen to keep my 04's instead of upgrading to a newer model simply because 04 was the first year they came out and to me that makes them very special. What you have to mainly understand about the RX 8 is that it has to be driven as it was made to be driven, as a sports car and yes that means getting out there and really driving it, not treating it as you would a touring car or a traditional family car as this is not what it was built to do, it was built to go and go it will. No I would never use a synthetic oil, not only because it will void the warrenty, but also because if you understand how the engine works you will see that it is not an appropriate product to use with this car, that said, I guess you will just have to make your own mind up, no car is perfect, just as no person is perfect, you have to take the good with the bad as with any vehicle on the market. I have always loved cars and took shop and auto when other girls took home ec class, my car also fits me, I am only 5 ft. 5 inches tall, and my hubby is 6 ft 5 inches, it is NOT a car made for tall people, the pedals are also not made for someone with big feet, what this does for me, is that it makes my car ALL MINE !! LOL Don't know if any of this info will help you in your decision, I would say that if you have this many doubts now, that if you were to choose to buy one you might spend more time finding faults with it then you will enjoying it (sorry if I am wrong about that, as I do understand your concerns especially after reading about the problems some people have had) but if you consider the problems most have had they can be explained to what the owner has or has not done to and for the car. I will say one thing, it is not a car for winter driving in the snow and ice, it simply is not, but on good days in the winter time there is no better way to take out the winter blues then to get out there and enjoy a drive in your RX 8 !!. I wish you the best of luck, make a list of pros and cons, and then let your conscious be your deciding factor. Also, if you are a family man, although the car comfortably seats 4, in my humble opinion it is not a car to haul kids around in, but that is just my opinion, there are many owners who do so, I just preferred to wait for my dream car (s) until my kids were grown and on their own. My cars are black with red/black leather and black on black(leather interior also) I will say I get allot of envious looks, and some odd ones as a woman behind a wheel of such a great car, my car is a 6 speed also, would not have it any other way as I find automatics boring and to me an automatic RX 8 defeats the purpose of the car (again just my opinion). It will be interesting to see what other responses you get, again good luck and if you do decide to get one, ZOOM ZOOM and have fun. |
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With a dedicated set of snow tires, the RX-8 is the best handling rear wheel drive car I've ever driven in the snow, and I've driven many. The 50/50 weight balance, limited slip differential, fantastic traction control and electronic stability control all keep this car amazingly confident and planted in even deeper snows (nothing crazy given the ground clearance - up to 6" ON THE ROAD), as long as you pick a snow tire with a relatively aggressive tread - Blizzak, iPike, Nokian WR, Michelin X-Ice, Dunlop Wintersport 3D, Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3 - or something similar. Also, you should go from the 18" wheels, with the 225/45/18 tires to the 17" wheels, with a 215/55/17 snow tire for winter driving - a narrower tire increases the PSI of the car displacement over snow, and increases traction. The RX-8 is a blast to drive in the snow. Completely controllable, confident and very good stopping distances with the very effective Mazda anti-lock braking system. Dedicated snow tires make a NIGHT & DAY DIFFERENCE!!! 
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Replying to: johncalifornia (Jan 25, 2004 1:00 pm) im actually in the market for an RX-8 myself (2004 with 40 000K) and my biggest concern is that of the oil. Now down here in Canada, where the weather can be very cold and harsh, you don't see a whole lot of RX-8 especially in the winter. But for the most part, im concerned about the oil consumption. A mazda mechanic told me you must verify the oil at least once a week which is fine by me. However, he couldn't specify if that meant that i was likely to add oil every week of if the verification is only for precaution. What im asking here is at what frequency in a months time of daily driving will you need to actually put oil in the engine?? Thank you in advance! XD2
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Replying to: xd2 (Apr 22, 2009 9:30 am) On gas I city drive mostly and get 17MPG on full auto non-aggressive style. When I paddle shift aggressively MPG goes to 12. In the winter, here in Massachusetts, I don't worry so much about that first line as much. One good thing, on the pure highway trips I take down south, there is very little oil usage. |
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