Hi guys! RX8 Query

[AMH]

Any idea how much your looking at for them replaced and fitted? And a mazda garage is your best bet to get it done?

I got the Genuine Mazda RX-8 Uprated Coil Pack, Magnecor Leads set, NGK RE8 C-L Leading Spark Plugs and NGK RE9 B-T Trailing Spark Plugs all from Mazda Rotary Parts. Clive very kindly fitted them for me at the Christmas Party - don\'t think he can offer that sort of service to Scotland though! :Giggle

[clive]

Any idea how much your looking at for them replaced and fitted? And a mazda garage is your best bet to get it done?

Hi Matt,

This is a a very easy job that any garage or DIYer can carry out,

The 4 coils sit on top of the engine behind the air filter box,

On the side of the convoluted hose that comes out of the air filter box you will see a square plastic box held on with one jubilee clip,

Remove this box and you will see and have access to the coils then all you need to do is push the tag in on the grey electrical connection that goes on the back of the coil, undo the nut holding the coil to its base plate with a 10mm socket pull off the HT lead that goes in the top and you now have a dead or dying coil in your hand,

If you do this all one coil at a time you won\'t get anything mixed up.

All this should take 20 to 30 minutes to complete,

Hope this helps

[seanp]

Sad thing is Mazda often diagnose a problem, replace one or two coils (at extortionate prices), sometimes remember the leads & plugs... then two weeks later the others go. Best to always replace all 4 at once (including leads and plugs) :-)

Like always having a 4-wheel full geometry check done when changing rubber,  I now believe that the coil-packs should be replaced at the same time as spark-plugs (i.e. every 3rd service). Don\'t know whether that will ring true for R3s though; they have a slightly redesigned mounting bracket for the coils, perhaps to address the issues the S1 has?

[clive]

Don\'t know whether that will ring true for R3s though; they have a slightly redesigned mounting bracket for the coils, perhaps to address the issues the S1 has?

I bought an R3 bracket so I could find out the difference as some people seemed to think this would cure the coil issue, turns out it just has big dimples pressed into the mounting bracket that makes it stronger :2Rolleyes

[Matt Shepherd]

Hi guys!!

So finally after much searching and much patiencem im going to see my first rx8!

I hope im safe in linking auto trader links...if not can a mod please delete it asap!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201030364580167

Ive spoken to the guy selling the car for about 40 minutes in total. Ive been checking autotrader pretty much everyday like a man possessed (like? ) and the moment i saw it, i was straight on the phone! Sadly he had already taken a £500 deposit on it. It was due to be sold on the 21st (Id rung on the 4th), the guy buying it was away on holiday. Anyway cut a long story short, the seller said he was really sorry but took my name and number on the off chance it fell through.

So i got a phone call this afternoon!

Going down to see it saturday / sunday, with the intention of buying it providing it starts well and has no problems accelerating up through the gears? Is there anything else i should be checking for guys? The reason i was so drawn to this was simply because of the 22k miles, hes actually selling it on behalf of his wifes best mate. I dont think shes been red lining it at all, but hopefully it wont have done too much damage to a 22k car?

Thanks in advance

[JIM.E]

Hi Matt
 
I posted this up on the RX8 OC site today for another prospective buyer - its a bit wordy but hope it helps
 
Other than the normal things you would look for on any car you have got to buy on condition 22k may seem good and it may be a very nice car but...
 
Assuming that it looks straight and youve HPI\'d it and a recent MOT then there are 3 things you should look out for;
 
1. Service History
2. Service History
3. Yes you\'ve guessed it Service History
 
You really need to dive into this and maybe get details of supplying dealer and give the last service garage a call etc
 
Then you need to look into the non service items such as coils - these may need to be replaced within the next 8-10k miles
 
If your not used to a rotary then when you drive it for the 1st time it may feel a little short on power - this is because you need to go right thru the rev range up to 8-9k (231) to make it work
 
It must restart after being warmed up - try to get it started from cold - test drive switch off walk around etc and then start again (foot on clutch only) any problems with warm start - no matter how nice low miles etc just walk away.
 
It will be a firm ride but not harsh - no bumps or rattles etc
 
231 is a 6 speed / 192 is a 5 speed and the gear change should be quick and precise a little notchy but not clonky
 
If private - as the seller how much oil it uses - the answer is more to see if he/she is looking at the oil regulary than the actual amount used
 
 
best of luck

[Matt Shepherd]

Alrighty! Let me check list this haha, so ask abouttt

• Oil - how often shes changed (i heard the casterol gtx was a good choice?)
• how shes been driving it
• i know it has a FSH but am i looking for anything specific?
• should start up smoothly even from cold? test it, switch off start from warm (should i always be starting it with cluch in by the way?)

Few other quick concerns guys and im sorry if i lack experience, i have been googling all the questions im asking, but well straight from the horses mouth is never a bad thing So please dont feel obliged to reply, i dont want to trouble anybody.

If she tells me shes only been changing the oil on services, should i be walking away? Ive read so many diffrent things about rx8\'s and oil, some change it every 2000 miles...some every 10000, people using diffrent filters...is the stock filter so terrible?  Should i really be replacing castrol gtx oil every 2k miles? i appreciate its a high maintenence sports car but that seems slightly excessive!

Pre-mixing...again ive read so much on this but there seems to be no definitive answer, ive read mixing 2 stroke fully synthetic oils helps prevent carbon corosion in the engine seals, since theres only 2 injectors as opposed to the 3 in the r3? If it is all rubbish, will putting bike oil in my petrol tank kill my car? I know its very small amounts per litre but still, it has to go somewhere?

Im right in thinking i should always be fueling super unleaded? will this help preserve the engine or just give me some more ponys to play with? well maybe not ponys but faster ones!

Sorry for the flood of questions i just want to enjoy my dream car lol, i dont want to have to go to bed every night worrying that because my car was 5 years old its likely to die at any moment! lol sorry im getting carried away but it just seems theres so many people talking about the negativies...like they somehow forgot they are driving a technological and engineering masterpeice!

i feel so lucky to even be in a position to own one, why is it people are only happy when they have something negative to say

though having said that, knowledge is power i suppose and if it wasnt for the negatives we would all just be ignorant and blind

wow what a rant! my apologies guys  :3gears-rh

p.s. the moment i get the car, im signing up as a full member!

[AMH]

Hi Matt, I read your post on my iPhone last night but couldn\'t log on to reply so appologies if I\'m repeating what\'s been said.

You really do need to speak to the owner and make sure she knew what she was doing with a rotary car, it may seem all ok but you need to know how well it\'s been treated. If she\'s not been red lining it then that\'s not a good sign  :2Rolleyes plus RX-8\'s don\'t like short journeys all the time so if she\'s just been taking it a couple of miles to work everyday then that\'s not good either. If she clearly doesn\'t have a clue what a rotary engine is then I wouldn\'t be keen to risk it.

I won\'t get into the whole oil and pre-mixing debate but it\'s not about changing the oil (at services should be fine), as Jim says it\'s asking how much it uses as a test of wheather she checks it regularly.

Is there an RX-8 owner near you who could come along to view it?

[Matt Shepherd]

Well as eager as i am to buy it, i wont throw 6k at her if she tells me shes been driving it a few miles to work everyday, stuck in traffic the entire time. Im hoping she travels at least once a week in it properly and has been giving it plenty of revs. Ill be absoloutly devastated if it turns out shes not been giving it any welly at all.

And sadly i dont know a single person who drives an rx8! Which i guess is one of the reasons, (combined with the fact it looks incredible and im madly in love with it ) that i want one. My only real concern is i wont be sure if the car is lacking in compression / acceleration or not, since i havent driven one before.

I also read quite a lot about recalls on the rx8, im assuming that will be covered in the service history - i read about the heat sheild for the fuel tank and the "flooding" problem.  Is there any other recalls i should be looking out for?

[Matt Shepherd]

Oh 1 more thing, didnt mazda extend the waranty to 8 years? will this still be covered by it?

[marcusd666]

there is a hotline number for mazda recalls I found it on the RX8OC site just give them your vin and they tell you there and then.

Hope this helps.

[AMH]

Oh 1 more thing, didnt mazda extend the waranty to 8 years? will this still be covered by it?

Not in the UK. It was 3 years standard and you can pay to extend it further, with some restrictions.

[Bourno]

Hi Matt,
 
I\'ll give you my own account on my experience with the RX8. First and foremost it has been an amazing experience from the beginning, and don\'t be put off by any horror stories these all stem from lack of/bad maintenance of the car.
 
I purchased my RX8 (04 plate) just over 50,000 miles in June 2009 and all went swimmingly for a month or so until I noticed that the car kept juddering every so often. Took it to WGT and it turned out the spark plugs hadn\'t been replaced (brought the car from a garage, would have thought they would replace them).
 
The car was fine for a few weeks until it started again - being an absolute novice I didn\'t think anything of it and left it as that.
 
A few months later (it is now December 2009) I decided I would go for an aftermarket exhaust, rang up WGT they ordered the parts and fitted it. When I collected the RX8 Pip informed me that they normally give the old parts back to the owner but the stock exhaust had almost rusted away so it was useless. At this point I was concerned over the health of my car.
 
End of January 2010, driving to work on the M6 pulled out of the left lane and into the middle lane (going approx 68mph in 5th gear), suddenly the car pulls back hard and the check engine light lights up.
 
The engine now sounds like there is a bag of spanners moving around, power and torque has hit rock bottom. Panic sets in and I continue to drive another 30 miles to work and then another 45 miles back from work to my house.
 
Next morning me and my Dad take it down to WGT, Pip comes out to the car and gives it a check. He\'s very concerned and is surprised I managed to drive it so far in the current state it is in.
 
When Pip opens up the engine he finds that the little teeth around the rotor have been severely damaged (I never saw the damage as I was at work but my Dad ensures me it was horrific). Pip says the engine is beyond repair and we\'ll need a new engine. Searched for a used engine for a few months but unfortunately couldn\'t find one.
 
Start of April, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a new engine from Mazda and by end of April I got the car back. The whole ordeal was a financial nightmare (cost me in total £4k for a complete repair), this is also my second car and I\'ve never had to deal with anything like this before.
 
My car has had two previous owners, first owner was a male and owned it for 10,000 miles, the second owner was a women who owned it for the other 40,000 miles
 
I\'ve still got my RX8 with a brand new 2010 rotary engine (the engine is still shiny and love every minute of it.
 
Now I know that it is a new engine and that I will properly maintain the engine and I haven\'t had any problems, even though I know I\'ve only done a small amount of miles on the new engine (12,000 miles) compared to the 3,000 miles I did on it before the engine keeled over.
 

should start up smoothly even from cold? test it, switch off start from warm (should i always be starting it with cluch in by the way?)

Yes, my car starts up smoothly from cold (before and after the new engine). Don\'t start it up and then turn it off straight away, drive around for at least 5 minutes to make sure the engine is warmed up before switching it off. I always start with the clutch pushed in - I\'ve been told it reduces the strain on the engine upon ignition (applies to all cars)
 

Oil - how often shes changed (i heard the casterol gtx was a good choice?)

My oil is changed every 3,000 miles, but I\'ve heard you can take it up-to 5,000 miles (I take it to WGT for an oil change I do not how to do it, I\'m a novice) avoid synthetic oil I\'ve heard it does terrible things to the rotary. I use 15w 40 mineral oil Mobil Super 1000 and Casterol GTX
 

Im right in thinking i should always be fueling super unleaded? will this help preserve the engine or just give me some more ponys to play with? well maybe not ponys but faster ones!

If you can afford 97 RON without it breaking your back, I throughly recommend it, the engine sounds and feels so different with 97 RON compared to 95 RON, but avoid supermarket 95 RON fuels like the plague, tesco 97 RON is meant to be pretty good.
 

Sorry for the flood of questions i just want to enjoy my dream car lol, i dont want to have to go to bed every night worrying that because my car was 5 years old its likely to die at any moment! lol sorry im getting carried away but it just seems theres so many people talking about the negativies...like they somehow forgot they are driving a technological and engineering masterpeice!

My car has never flooded and I\'m beginning to believe it\'s a myth...just ensure you don\'t turn it on and turn it off, but that applies to any car as it can cause damage and doesn\'t help the car in anyway. It\'s all about proper maintenance
 
 
I hope my story helped and will help you make the right choice when buying your RX8. I can\'t stress enough how happy I am with my car. I love my RX8 so much that I\'m branching out and buying an RX7 from WGT this coming Friday.
 
If you live close enough to WGT I recommend you take your RX8 to there, they have always been helpful and do a great job.

[AMH]

Doesn\'t sound like you\'ve had much luck Bourno, but glad you still love the RX-8 and welcome to MRC. :wave

don\'t be put off by any horror stories these all stem from lack of/bad maintenance of the car..

I do agree but that\'s the problem with second hand ones - you just don\'t know how well it\'s been looked after.

My car has never flooded and I\'m beginning to believe it\'s a myth...just ensure you don\'t turn it on and turn it off, but that applies to any car as it can cause damage and doesn\'t help the car in anyway. It\'s all about proper maintenance.

The flooding isn\'t a myth, but you\'re right it\'s easily avoided. I stupidly moved my old car from the front of the house into the garage before I went on holiday and when I got back sure enough it wouldn\'t start. But I knew straight away what I\'d done and Mazda Assist had it going in no time - plus a check over by my dealer confirmed I hadn\'t done any damage.