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Mazda RX-8 Care & Maintenance

129 messages,  Last post on Dec 24, 2012 at 12:18 PM

You are in the Mazda RX-8 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda RX-8, Auto Body, Engine, Fuel System, Interior, Oil, Paint, Coupe

Messages Page 10 of 13

#90 of 129 Re: Is the RX8 Inherently Flawed? [johnxyz] by lesch

Nov 17, 2008 (8:37 pm)

Replying to: johnxyz (Nov 12, 2008 7:28 am)
Hello: I am the proud owner of an 04 RX 8. This is my second one, and I love both of my cars, the first one I bought new right off the showroom floor and the second one had 600 miles on it when I found it.
 
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.

#91 of 129 Winter Driving with the RX-8 by ksmigel

Nov 22, 2008 (12:43 am)

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!!!

#92 of 129 Re: Oil Change Frequency [johncalifornia] by xd2

Apr 22, 2009 (10:30 am)

Replying to: johncalifornia (Jan 25, 2004 2:00 pm)
Hi johncalifornia!
 
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

#93 of 129 Re: Oil Change Frequency [xd2] by trispec2007

Apr 24, 2009 (1:17 pm)

Replying to: xd2 (Apr 22, 2009 10:30 am)
I'd put oil in about every three or four weeks to keep it topped off. My 2005 RX-8 AT drops a third to half a quart every third or fourth gas fill up. On the dip stick to first line is half a quart. I fault myself if I don't catch it before it gets to that first line especially in the summer.
 
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.

#94 of 129 Mileage by mikemartin

May 18, 2009 (9:21 pm)

I get a consistent 282 miles to the tank, using 13.5 gallons to fill up, with a mix of 50/50 city and highway driving.
 
And I do not baby the car. Driving the rotary hard is literally preventative maintenance. The harder you drive it, the longer it will last and the stronger it will get.
 
Do some research and you'll see that this is demonstrably proven.

#95 of 129 GPS upgrade by mcusmc

Jul 08, 2009 (3:14 pm)

I own a 2006 Winning Blue auto RX8 and love it. Has anyone upgraded their GPS system and what is involved? Price, etc? How often is a new disk available? I have ended up in a few parking lots recently, and one back yard.
LOL. Thanks for the great forums everyone.

#96 of 129 cabin air filter by psfod3

Jul 16, 2009 (8:10 pm)

I have a 2007 RX-8 with 21,000 miles on it. I was in the dealer today for a oil change and they suggested that I replace the cabin air filter. I declined to do it today because I looked all through the owners and service manuals that came with the car and there was absolutly no mention of a cabin air filter for this car. Was the dealer just making this up.

#97 of 129 My 2005 RX-8 AT by trispec2007

Sep 23, 2009 (8:26 am)

Hi folks. I've not been here in awhile. Thought I'd update this little forum with some practical wisdom.
 
My Check Engine light went two nights ago in downtown Boston. I had been tweaking my parking spot right in front of the Boston Ballet building, trying to make sure none of the Bostonians, with their "bumper banging" parking technique, banged into my RX-8.
 
After several starts and stops, with the engine warm, where I revved to 3000 before shut down, my "Check Engine" light lit up. I instantly grabbed the manual, and it seemed that the most likely issue was a sensor problem, caused by my starts and stops. I drove home slowly and thought the issue would disappear by morning. It didn't. So I drove to the dealer.
 
The dealer charge me $95 to plug the system up and have the computer tell me that an Error #22, which is the SSV out of spec error. It tested fine at the dealer, but it'll be $700 to replace if it occurs again. Here's hoping it was my stop and stop parking that caused it.
 
In the mean time, they also found that both of my engine mounts had gone. They said mine had lasted ten times longer that anyone else's.
 
Over a year ago, a cold engine vibration had started, but I had just put up with the vibration because it went away once the car was warmed up. Well, that vibration was the bad engine mounts according to them. So I had been driving around without good mounts for a long time. I must have had my car for service and oil changes half a dozen times during that time and they never checked the mounts. Ugh!
 
Anyway, $525 to replace both mounts, $95 to diagnose a potential future problem. An entire year of driving around with a potentially dangerous engine mount flaw.
 
Here's the wisdom. An RX-8 AT when idling, cold or hot should ALWAYS be purring, not harshly vibrating. An RX-8 MT, when engaging the clutch, cold or hot, should ALWAYS be silky smooth, right up to the stall point. Otherwise, check the engine mounts!
 
Still lov'n my sweet ride. Did my fourth 2000 mile Boston to NC beach run. Two 10 year olds, my wife and I. Listen'ed to Harry Potter all the way done. Fantastic way to travel, by RX-8. I still feel just like Harry Potter on his Nimbus 2000 and his Firebolt, every single time I drive my RX-8 AT. I so love my car....
 
I don't really even care about the $600 bucks anymore, because she's driving like new again... so nice and smooth.

#98 of 129 Re: My 2005 RX-8 AT [trispec2007] by grinnin

Oct 03, 2009 (1:15 pm)

Replying to: trispec2007 (Sep 23, 2009 8:26 am)
Hey Trispec - good to see a post again from a fellow Bostonian. My 2004 MT GT is still zooming along wonderfully (36K now) except for one setback (which of course happened on a parkway just outside NYC so I was nowhere near home) The heat shield over the catalytic converter corroded off and started hanging by the wires leading to the O2 sensor bouncing along under the car. Well, I didn't know that at the time so when I yanked the loose shield off I severed the wires and the car shut down due to O2 sensor failure. Oooops. New heat shield and O2 sensor was about $400 at a dealer in Yonkers NY. Not too bad. We have also become a 2 mazda family this summer with the addition of a 2006 Madza3s. My wife even wanted a manual tranny after driving the RX-8 so much. I am sure I will need to start replacing some exhaust and brake items soon, but the car has really been fairly trouble free for me (all the more surprising since the 2004s seem to have had the most issues) It has always started just fine for me on the coldest days. Sometimes I only add oil once in the 3000 miles between oil changes. And, I drive it pretty much whenever I want even in the winter with high perf. all seasons on it. Not sure what all the folks mean when they say you have to make compromises to drive a pure sports car. I find my RX-8 perfectly tractable in all driving conditions except a raging blizzard. 5+ years later and I still drive with this HUGE grin on my face. Can't believe how enjoyable my car is.

#99 of 129 Re: Mileage [mikemartin] by m3metro

Oct 12, 2009 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: mikemartin (May 18, 2009 9:21 pm)
PLEASE, tell me what you are doing to get that kind of mileage out of your RX8. I get about 210 per tank. You did say 50/50 in city and on highway. I did notice better mileage when I had to commute to work from my folks house for a week (I was house-sitting).
 
LOVE MY CAR. I have no issues at all. It's a 2004 GT 6-speed with 25,000 miles on it (yeah, 5 years old with that kind of mileage). The engine is still under warranty until 11/2010. I use cheap dino oil, as suggested in many forums. It loves to be "rode". I check the oil once a month, I let it warm up for 60 seconds when the day first starts and I make sure to red line it twice a week so everyone involved remembers what this relationship is all about.
 
My next car will, probably, be another slightly used RX8. I've had it for 7 months and still can't believe it's mine.

Messages Page 10 of 13

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