let me start out by saying i'm a mustang guy, but i come in peace... with that said, i love the 8, wanted one in 04 when they came out but went with a truck instead. went to pull the trigger on one summer of 06 but messed up and drove a new mustang so long story short i have a mustang again. got my girlfriend turned onto the 8 quite a while back and she's finally finished her degree and started working. found her exactly what she wanted and set it up with the dealer and we're picking it up saturday. 05 whitewater pearl, black leather, auto. i've done a little research on your forums in the past, but had a couple last minute questions. how often should the oil be changed (serviced) and what type of oil is called for in the 8 and what's the most popular brand? i'm a mobile 1/ royal purple kind of guy but have never messed with a rotary before. thanks everyone

it's an AT and your gf (I take it on face value) doesn't have a dick, so I'd say go for 5k oil changes, the rx8 uses 5w-20, and if your gf (again, face value) drives like a girl, then you can use that, it's cheaper, but I'd recommend 10w-30 personally, also, just to be on the safe side, go for non-synthetic, if you want synthetic, royal purple is a normally used brand

Taj's clever way of calling the new person's gf a tranny makes me smile.

Taj's advice is right on... non synthetic is what mazda calls for, 5k changes are normal... check the oil level every other fill up or every two weeks. The 8 uses oil and needs to be topped off.

Read this: http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=52856

yes she drives like a girl, hence having to find exactly what she wanted in an AT. (which sucks when i want to drive it) the same argument takes place in the mustang world i.e. 5w20 (ford says) or 5w30. i use what the manual calls for b/c they know a lot better about their engine than i do, but i always used mobile 1 synthetic until trying royal purple on my last oil change. and if i'm not mistaken, the 8 needs to use 93 octane correct?

would not do auto they last less time more problems with the engine. ask around i cant remember where i got the info from. just fyi

octane is a whole other thread. People run 87 and swear by it. I run 93 and swear by it.

would not do auto they last less time more problems with the engine. ask around i cant remember where i got the info from. just fyi

um... fail :banghead:

What year mustang do you have?

Not Even Joking I Read That The Fact That The Auto Use Less Of The Rpm Range That They Accustomed To They Tend To Fail Sooner. However I Will Say That For All The Crap That Some Ppl Have Said About The Car, Its A Beauty. I Own An 8 2004 And I Love The Damn Thing. Wife Hates It Because I Pay Too Much Attention To Its Well Being But Congrats On The Buy. ALSO HERE IS THE LINK TO 8'S RECALLS GET YOUR 8 CHECKED FOR GOOD MEASURE. http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/mazda/mazda_rx8.htm

i don't see how the AT would cause problems with engine. if the AT has problems it should just be with the transmission and drive train. it should use the rpm's they wanted it to b/c the AT is designed to redline at 7500 if i'm not mistaken. as far as gas, do the owner's manual call for 87, 93?

oh and my car is an 07

They Call For 91 But You Can Do Half 93 And Half 89 And It Would Be The Equivalent. But For All That Work Its Easier To Just Go 93 Lol. Yeah Sorry Dude If I Could Remember Where The Hell I Saw That Post I'd Post It Here. But As Long As You Baby That Sucker And Give It Some Tlc I Dont See Why It Would Go Sour On Ya. Enjoy It!

and what is this whole deal about the TSB i'm been reading about on here? the car belonged to the dealers niece, all papers and service records but sounds like it might be something i need to ask about before handing them a check saturday morning

im missing something boss TSB? more info please?

TSB = Technical Service Bulletin

They are bulletins that the dealers use to help diagnose and fix common problems. Stuff like a foamy dipstick, fog in taillights, loss of power and so on.

Here is the list:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/store/pages.php?pageid=11

depends on ur area to what weight you should use.....and if you're goin synthetic royal purple is the way to go

There is a sucker born every minute.

Welcome to the club!

here's the thing with ATs, they use to fail more earlier due to the oil injectors being coded for MTs and then they inject too much in and some don't get burned off, Carbon builds up because the engine runs colder

I swear to god that in the long run, it will require far less maintainance than the MT cars

1. no clutch and flywheel change crap
2. no clutch pedal brackets breaking on you
3. no changing tranny fluid every 3k miles

so there ya go

Oil weight should be just what you do with the Mustang. 5w20 vs 5w30 all over again. Mazda does not recommend synthetic oil...but you've probably read the synthetic oil thread here by now.

The most popular brand of non-synthetic oil among people here is Castrol GTX. Most of us believe in 3000 mile oil changes.

The owner's manual says that 91 octane is recommended for best performance, but you can use down to 87. Personally, I use premium because I'd rather let the timing follow what Mazda programmed into it rather than ride the knock sensor.

Since the car has all the service records, I assume it's also got the owner's manual. If it does not, you can download a pdf version by signing up in the owner's area at mazdausa.com. Even if you have the printed manual, the pdf is really worth having.

This is a really great car - you and your girlfriend should have a lot of fun with it. Remember to redline the engine at least once a day.

Ken

I put in 89 octane here in SE PA...been in 95 deg ambient temps and have not had any problems with detonation.

I use 5W30 Castrol GTX (non synth)...Mazda does recommend 5W20, but there are several threads where third parties who rebuild these engines recommend a heavier weight. I have yet to switch to synth, but I might at my next oil change in 2k miles. Check out the Expo1 Engine Rebuild thread for alot of good info about oil weight and engine wear.

Good luck with the new car.

here's the thing with ATs, they use to fail more earlier due to the oil injectors being coded for MTs and then they inject too much in and some don't get burned off, Carbon builds up because the engine runs colder

I swear to god that in the long run, it will require far less maintainance than the MT cars

1. no clutch and flywheel change crap
2. no clutch pedal brackets breaking on you
3. no changing tranny fluid every 3k miles

so there ya go

you change transmission fluid every 3000 miles o_O

i changed mine at 30k and will do so at every 30k from here forward until the car RIPs. manual states 60k is just fine after the first 30k maintenance. maybe 15-20k would be okay, but seriously, every 3k?!

Every 3k transmittion fluid change, really?

WWP is a fantastic choice. I had it narrowed down to Winning Blue and Whitewater Pearl... both great colors, but I think you made the right choice -=)

would not do auto they last less time more problems with the engine. ask around i cant remember where i got the info from. just fyi

terrible false comment

"Teh AUtoo No Good Cause BAd!!"

no.

-1

05 autos are bad, only 1 oil cooler when 2 is barely enough.. stear clear... and a weaker engine to boot o.O

Teach your girl to drive STICK! She will love it once she gets hang of it (most girls do, he he) and you will have urself a REAL (i say real cuz of the MT) sports car to switch off to from the grunt of the Stang (u better have the V8). The 05 AT's are so slow and a rotary isnt truly experienced unless you can rev to 9K at will on any shift. TRUST US, convince her to get the MT by all means possible....just tell her they have less problems (debateable), are way more fun to drive, more power and have better warranty (just lie:))

An AT RX-8 and the MT RX-8 are two different cars man, they are not like other cars where the diff is minimal.

come answer your questions taj!

you might as well steer her to say a g35 from infiniti than buy an automatic rx-8. IMHO automatic for the rx-8 should never have existed.

tried teaching her to drive a stick, not enough patients, she doesn't need a stick right now and she's ready for the car right now. it won't be drove hard it will just be for cruising. i test drove a couple of MT's so i know what it's like up in that 9k sweet spot but like i say she don't need all that. it would be sweet for when i take it for a spin, but it's gonna be her car. and someone said i better have the GT, to put your mind at ease i said i had a mustang, not a crippled pony.. :) full SLP exhaust, CAI/tune, spyder shaft, so it does alright

I understand I traded an 01 Mustang Cobra for My 8 cause there was something about this car that I just had to have it.

This isn't typical auto bashing, you really don't want it. An 06 auto with the 6 port engine shouldn't be that much more cash. Go with that at the very least.

If it's going to be a cruiser, that just means more carbon build up. She's going to have to rev it. I'd probably steer her away from an 8. It needs care and someone to beat on it to be happy.

if you just put the car in drive it will pull the power it needs before hitting another gear. not like she's gonna be using the paddle shifters and hitting another gear at 2500 rpms

there is nothing wrong with buying an AT

Make sure you have her rev it here and there to avoid carbon buildup.
If you were talking about buying this car for yourself I too (an AT owner) would tell you to buy an MT.
However, as long as she can handle the quirks of an Rx8 it really doesn't matter.
Ignore people who tell you that EVERY AT Rx8 has problems because that is far from
the truth, they just need fell the need to bash the AT because it makes them feel better
about their 200hp they have in their stock MT.:spank:

you might as well steer her to say a g35 from infiniti than buy an automatic rx-8. IMHO automatic for the rx-8 should never have existed.

This isn't typical auto bashing, you really don't want it. An 06 auto with the 6 port engine shouldn't be that much more cash. Go with that at the very least.

If it's going to be a cruiser, that just means more carbon build up. She's going to have to rev it. I'd probably steer her away from an 8. It needs care and someone to beat on it to be happy.
+1 :squint: :squint:

be sure if she is just using it for cruising that u take it out and beat the piss out of it to keep the carbon from building up....(and an excuse to play haha...)

thanks guys, we just got back from picking up the car. she didn't like have to ride in the passenger seat and wait until she got to drive it but all is well. even being an AT it impressed me, you can have some fun when you switch it over to the paddle shifters. drives and rides like a dream, extremely smooth. i got in my mustang at her house and followed her back to my house and the car is such an attention getter. that whitewater pearl looks amazing and the black leather interior is also very nice. very pleased thus far. thanks again for all the help. oh, and i took care of any carbon issues while i was in the drivers seat

Just imagine how fun it would have been driving a 6 speed :)

Congrats on the car. You made the right color choice. WWP is a color you really have to see in person to fully appreciate it.

WWP and WB are two of the most beautiful colors ever made for the rx8.

im jealous.

hey can you help me out i need to know what is the best kind of brake fluid available that i can get.

the last service was done right before we purchased at 59,000, it has a little over 62,000 on it now and i'm going to have it serviced friday. i know it calls for 5w20 and needs to be non synthetic. i'm a mobile 1 guy, any reason not to go that route in the 8?

An auto is fine for over 90% of the people.

Driving a car doesn't entail racing in the streets or a stick shift.

the whites are nice but nothing like the LY's haha....

or even better the SS. :)