Every car model has it's wear and failure points. What do you think will fail to gracefully survive the test of time?

Here are my observations:

> Center arm rest cover -- there's already a thread devoted to this one.

> Inner door sill plastic cover -- wobbly from the factory, mounted atop a serious bundle of wiring. Definitely subject to major scuffing. I'm tempted to buy replacements now to install at trade-in or sale time.

> Outer door sill aluminum 'RX8' plate -- caught mine lifting up the other day. Stuck it back down, but I expect to see it fall off soon.

> "Bits between the doors" -- I've gotten into the habit of opening and closing the passengers doors (front and back) due to occassional confusion on the part of passengers: "Which door should close first?" I'm waiting to see the results of a front-before-back forceful door closing...

> Passenger seat rear pocket -- age won't be kind to the nylon zipper interface next to the pocket.

> The Carpet -- with only 3000 miles on it, I've noticed serious wear to the point of the little, boxy carpet bulge underneath the accelerator pedal. This carpet is not tough stuff -- it's light though.

> Engine cover -- whether it's to show off the ugly, but technically superior rotary or for the 300 mile oil level check, I notice that the cover over the engine needs to come off a lot! Would feel better about fasteners which don't rely on pressure and rubber banding to keep the cover on.

> Exterior light covers -- they're soooo clean and clear...plastic, too. These babies may not look too hot at 40K miles. Lets hope Mazda used better Lexan than Mercedes did in the late 90's!

> The BIG cover behind the nose -- has everyone looked closely up under the front of their cars? The angled radiator is way cool...but the huge plastic cover below it might not survive to 50K miles. The cavity behind the smile is large enough for a family of cats to take up residence!

none of my stuff is going to last long
I'm gonna replace most of it with aftermarket parts

I agree with the arm rest cover and carpet. appears they won't last too long. I've seen no evidence of the rest, but i realize you're making predictions. I've got about 8000 miles on mine now.

I have kids, so, I don't expect much of anything to last.....:-)

Originally posted by thered1996


> "Bits between the doors" -- I've gotten into the habit of opening and closing the passengers doors (front and back) due to occassional confusion on the part of passengers: "Which door should close first?" I'm waiting to see the results of a front-before-back forceful door closing...



that is my biggest fear :(

Don't forget the silver-tone plastic running down the sides of the driveshaft tunnel.
Mine look good now, but someone is bound to hit them a few times with the seatbelt buckle and gouge them.

Shift knob is going to get burnished.

Aluminum pedals scratch easily.

Wheel well plastic and FABRIC (yes - the rear wheel wells are lined with carpet! Go figure) will get dingy very fast.

Exterior black plastic will very quickly turn gray.

External mirror plastic mounting plates are going to warp.

Plastic in the trunk will scuff.

Brake rotor backing plates will get grainy looking/oxidized in less than a year in most places where we live.

My stock exhaust system is already starting to rust badly after 2200 miles.

Oil coolers and air conditioning condenser will get dinged up fast.

There is a significant amount of paint on the front of the RX-8 that is exposed at relatively sharp angles to the airflow around the nose. It will all get chipped.

Soft interior plastic is easily scratched.

Gray/taupe parts of interior and headliner will quickly get dingy.

Vinyl parts of the seats will get wrinkly and the leather will develop creases.

I could go on, but it is depressing....

Originally posted by Maniac
Don't forget the silver-tone plastic running down the sides of the driveshaft tunnel.
Mine looks good now, but someone is bound to hit them a few times with the seatbelt buckle and gouge them.

Ok, most of the ones you mention are typical things that happen to cars. If you want to keep them showroom-new, keep them in the showroom. Meanwhile, the rest of us will drive their cars. :)

But the plastic tunnel had me thinking, and you will soon find out whether or not that's a good or bad thing. :)

Would it be possible to apply some of that "clear bra" vinyl to the painted plastic to keep it from getting scratched up but still look ok?

When I first saw my car in the back lot, unprepped with 5 miles on it, I was tempted to ask them to keep all the blue [I think] plastic-protecting film on the inside.

But then I remembered what happened the last time I failed to remove that stuff: it was on the kids' basketball backboard...it welded itself to the lexan, cracked, and is still on there to this day.

-----

I'm pleased to see so many responses to this thread. I'm hoping that it will serve as a 'time capsule' for future reflection. Or maybe it will help engineer the 2006 M.Y. cars.

Over all, I'm with racerdave, I'll drive the piss out of this car and evaluate when my 7 yr/100K bumper-to-bumper extended warrantee expires. I have 6 yrs. 9 mos. or 96, 500 miles until then.


[that carpet in the rear wells is sort of bizarre...one of many 'clues' to my hypothesis that Mazda will make this car over in a future year and raise the price by $5-10,000]

Fortunately my only thing is the silver rx-8 doorsils are loose. I noticed it last wash (it's been 5 months more or less) that I removed and re-aplied with some 3M tape as mentioned before. We shall see how it lasts.

Other than this I am incredibly happy with the car and still get in it every time expecting to have a fun drive.

The nexttime I go to the dealer I am getting the center arm rest replaced b/c it is very loose and the plastic knobyou push to slide it back is sometimes tilted out of place. Oil panhas to be installed. Alsothe temperature knobfor air conditioning needs to be replaced its very loose. I am goingto show them how loose the Rx8 sills are and the plasticthat is coming off around them---and they are going to have to check the brake rotors sincemy car is squealinga lot now whenever I start braking. I dontthink I have driven it once thisweek without hearing the brakes squeal andits pretty humiliatingto have a brand newcar w/brakes that are already squealing below 5000 miles. It lookslike theyre goingto have my car for a while.

Originally posted by Texas 8
I have kids, so, I don't expect much of anything to last.....:-)

Now that's funny. Spoken like a true parent!

I dont own an 8, but my friend has one.
As far as the stuff you guys already mentioned I really dont know.

One thing that I notice is the plastic around the side view mirrors.
It seems to be seperating from the car, especially at the top (where it comes to a point), its sticking out probably 2-3mms. WHen I first noticed it wasnt sticking out very far, but the gap seems to have grown.

Originally posted by Lawerence
I dont own an 8, but my friend has one.
As far as the stuff you guys already mentioned I really dont know.

One thing that I notice is the plastic around the side view mirrors.
It seems to be seperating from the car, especially at the top (where it comes to a point), its sticking out probably 2-3mms. WHen I first noticed it wasnt sticking out very far, but the gap seems to have grown.

Yeah, that was on my list, above.
Mine appears to be separating as well.

ok...I have one....the material behind the passenger above the pocket and attached to the underside of the molded plastic will come loose completely......if you have a chils sitting back there that is. With his feet plastered up against the seat I noticed today the material was coming apart from the plastic....I tucked it back in but it is a little puffy and not flat now! I have scraped up plastic too.....yes, the silver down the middle of the car is getting a little scratched up and I am very careful! P.S. Ordered my Dunlop winter tires today....$490 plus $70 shipping online at a place someone else sugggested in a thread(hubby ordered them....will get name of co. if anyone needs it. The size is slightly off but dealer said it would work...they are a little wider and lower I was told. Here in 3 days. I fish tailed today on some little icy patches.

Oops a few typo's and one word left out...seat and chils=child! Sorry...in a rush.;]

I fear those carpeted linings of the rear wheel well. What was mazda thinking? Carpet in a wheel well?? It looks awefull in the snow and wet, dirt seems to stick easy.

Originally posted by JeRKy 8 Owner
Alsothe temperature knobfor air conditioning needs to be replaced its very loose.
First, let me say - punctuation and spacing are our friends. ;)

I believe there is a TSB on the climate control knobs. So, the dealer may have those on hand.

i had a paint chip on the nose when it came off the truck, luckilly my dad was able to see it before i drove off the lot in complete darkness. I also have a nick in the silver tunnel. The armrest is pretty flimsy.

my mirrors are separting also

here comes mazdaspeed to the rescue

Don't get me wrong, I love the way the interior of the 8 looks, but it also seems obvious that the dash (not the instrument panel, but the center area with the radio and climate controls) is going to look really dated a few years from now.

This is not unique to the 8; most Japanese cars tend to look dated inside rather quickly compared to other brands. This may be because they go for edgy styling in the first place, which can quickly turn passe...

so it sounds like it will be a good market for plastic trim pieces, carpet patches, and mirrors for the RX8. I bet the 350 Zed has the same problem.

With so many companies making exhast kits and aero kits, someone could start making the interior pieces and really do well.

greese

jonalan ifyou make one of my car payments for me I will go and buy a new keyboard that doesnt have a messed up space bar just tomake you happy. So Do we have a deal??

i dont think this is the best page that future 8 owners want to see like my self but its very good to have people who are honest about their cars to inform us. any future 8 owner dont let this page get you worried this is pretty much wear and tear on any car. and this is just a few . mazda has sold bout 38,000 8's and all good feedback

my shift knob has dried out and instead of being black, has some lighter colored cracks appearing. I used some leather cleaner that came with my zaino, and it's back to being jet black.

the center console is the most likely to not make it.

the center rear view mirror makes a lot of noise when I move it. It acts like it's 10 year old plastic.

Originally posted by thered1996


"Bits between the doors" -- I've gotten into the habit of opening and closing the passengers doors (front and back) due to occassional confusion on the part of passengers: "Which door should close first?" I'm waiting to see the results of a front-before-back forceful door closing...



that is my biggest fear :(


Its happened to me a few times, no ill effects, the door makes contact at all points so the door just bounces off.

There is something like a "Door Inner Trim Protector" that you can buy that will also help minimize any problems from this. It's really just a rubber pad that glues to the inside of the rear door. Hopefully when it does happen to me it will serve it's purpose.

I have to agree that all these things are going to wear but if you treat it well it will last if you want it too. :) and my center lid broke 2 days after I drove it off the lot :eek: but I got it replaced. I treat my car as if it were gold.

Revisiting my old thread...

Most everything is holding up. My only observation is "damn, where did the tread on those tires go?" (She's got a wee bit over 20K miles now and 4 out of 4 tires are due for replacement before 22K.)

broken arm rest cover TIMES 2

Quote:
Originally posted by thered1996


> "Bits between the doors" -- I've gotten into the habit of opening and closing the passengers doors (front and back) due to occassional confusion on the part of passengers: "Which door should close first?" I'm waiting to see the results of a front-before-back forceful door closing...


that is my biggest fear :(


ya every single time anybody gets into my back seat. I always yell out "BACKDOOR FIRST!!!!!" doesn't matter who it is, and however many times they have heard it I still say it :) saved me quite a few times.


MrJynx

I'm on my 2nd 8- (first one stolen) but noticing my armrest- was wearing, discoloration- I brought it back to dealer and complained-- The service writer looked at the armrest- and (no kiddding here), said- " It looks to me like you have been leaning your arm on this" ! Enough said!!

Every car model has it's wear and failure points. What do you think will fail to gracefully survive the test of time?

Here are my observations:

> Center arm rest cover
> Inner door sill plastic cover
> Outer door sill aluminum 'RX8' plate
> "Bits between the doors"
> Passenger seat rear pocket
> The Carpet
> Engine cover
> Exterior light covers
> The BIG cover behind the nose
Do what floats your boat: drive it to/near its potential, take reasonable care of it, enjoy it and then down the road, replace it. Or, baby it, keep it forever and just read about how it performs. Either way is OK. It's an 8, and it's yours.

1.3L

Time to revive this old thread. What has worn out? Almost everything on this list on my car looks perfect. A couple of nicks on the silver-painted center console and a scratch or two on the leather wheel, but everything else looks new. How about yours? Oh, and the stupid water logged rear lights.

Mine looks good. The seat (cloth) is starting to show some wear where the seatbelt rubs. Some scratches on the glove box door. Exterior, a bagillion rock chips, well probably 2 a sqft on the front bumper and hood. The parts that wear out get replaced with JDM bling.
I daily year round.

Just shy of five years and mine is doing well. The center console latch failed early on, but never bothered me. The sun visor finally split a week ago. My understanding is that the new model is improved. I've got the all weather floor mats, so there's no problem with carpeting wearing out.

For non-appearance items, the coolant level light is doing its mutant thing and a couple of coils blew. And a rear shock blew out. Shock's unusual - I don't think I've seen any posts about that happening to anyone else.

Everything else looks like new. Still drives like new. Holding up well. I'll check back here in another five years with an update.

Ken

I can lift my center console sideways (as if it was pushed all the way back) when it's in it's regular resting position. Found a little plastic piece that stopped that. Well shit.

Carpet is WAAYY worn

Random nicks and cuts on the interior from every day use.

The bottom of the steering wheel is starting to peel (really been doing that for a year or two..)

Considering that my car is 7 1/2 years old, everything on that list looks excellent. No wear really... if I look hard enough, I can see some minuscule scratches here and there but most people wouldn't want to believe the car's age.

I wonder how many who bought their cars new and 04 and started RX8club are still around?

^^
<== raises hand

Been here since June 2005!

I wonder how many who bought their cars new and 04 and started RX8club are still around?
In 04 I was driving a 94 rx7. Got my 04 in 08.
:suspect:

Got my '04 in '04 :)

Center console... I gave up replacing it after so many times. Not a big deal, it still latches, it just has no push-button to unlock it. I have to literally lift the front edge up to slide it back.

Parking brake boot always tore every winter. It gets cold, won't flex, and... rip. I replaced it a few times, then gave up.

Otherwise, I'm surprised how well everything else has held up. Seats, carpet, dash... everything still looks great after 7 years.

Tamas you old timer. Glad to see some other early guys still around. Got my 04 in 05. Thought about selling it a few times and getting a beater cause I don't really get to have a lot of fun with it on the daily commute. But the resale has been bad and where gas prices are headed I don't see this car ever being in demand as a used car. Too many to be collectable. So, I just keep driving it and, I keep smiling - I still love to wind her up in 3rd gear to about 80 and hear the beep (just like Clarkson). Fun car. And wearing pretty well.

I've got about 60K on mine - how many miles on yours ?

Is there a 'how many miles' thread here somewhere amongst all the lounge crap?

What wore out? This is just off the top of my head...I'm sure there's more...

Well...let me start with what is painfully obvious to everyone.....THE ENGINE.

Ok good, now that we got that part over with...

Paint on roof and trunk melted in the sun after 6 years...I think all I've got left on those areas is mostly just clear coat...and I waxed the car 4 times a year...and I don't remember the names of those 2 long thin pieces that run along the roof of the car...but yeah that paint on those is pretty much gone..I try to avoid touching them...

Suspension is definitely more bumpy than it used to be...but that's to be expected over time I would suppose...

The leather around my shifter looks like crap...and the shift knob is so scratched up it's an eye sore...I don't even look at it

Trim panels, vinyl, and dash trim look worn...even though I used armor all every 2 months or so on them...but the rear cabin still looks really good since it was rarely ever used...except for some scratches on the center console back there

Steering wheel has so many knicks and scratches that if I replaced it with a smooth one it would feel too awkward to me at this point...

I still clean out the soot from the exhaust tips once a month or so...and they actually still look clean

That's all I can think of for now...but overall other than typical maintenance parts you have to replace like coils brakes o2 sensors fog lights parking lights etc...I think my 8 held up fairly well over the years. I've owned this one for almost 6 years now...it's a June 03 build that never got sold until 2005 when I swapped into it from the A/T I originally bought in August 2003.

But getting the new engine put in around the 70k mile range was sweet though...probably gonna have this car for at least another 3 years...even though the resale value actually went up about $1000 this year thanks to the Japan supply disruption which makes it tempting to sell...but it's like Forrest Gump...and I figured...since I've gone this far..I might as well just run across the great state of Alabama

By the way...rereading my ancient post from 2003 on this thread back when I had that busted up keyboard and didnt have a care in the world...wow that caused some flashbacks. Such a different person back then...and those were happier times. Anyways

I'm a new comer, but I figure I can report here anyway.
About 3 weeks after I got the car, I got a little too spirited in a corner, and ripped the front part of the inner fender plastic out, that covers the oil coolers. I guess that doesn't have to do with the age of the car, but, whatever.

The front bumper is chipped ass eff, but since I was quoted 1k to have it repainted, I'm just letting it be. The center console lid still latches.
The silver on the center console is scratched to shit, and it's starting to turn black. I'm contemplating removing it and painting it charcoal grey or something.
Back of the seats are scratched as a mofo.
The nylon net is holding up well.
The carpet isn't torn, but it doesn't look great, either.
The suspension is pretty bumpy, but, I need struts, so, ya know.
The car was on it's original clutch and engine until 137k.
The third brake light refuses to function for some reason, and as of the last week, my abs and skid lights are on.

I think that's it. Lmao.

Surprised nobody mentioned the rust on the lip of the rear wheel wells. I have a very little bit on the passenger side but on the drivers side part of the lip is completely destroyed and there is even a small chunk missing. I now have a paint bubble in that same area that burst so now I have a big rust spot as well. I think it's a little ridiculous for that to be happening on a car that's only 7 years old. Not a cheap repair either.

Surprised nobody mentioned the rust on the lip of the rear wheel wells. I have a very little bit on the passenger side but on the drivers side part of the lip is completely destroyed and there is even a small chunk missing. I now have a paint bubble in that same area that burst so now I have a big rust spot as well. I think it's a little ridiculous for that to be happening on a car that's only 7 years old. Not a cheap repair either.

Do they salt the roads during winter in your area?

1st gear: Oh hello 6500 rpm, we're doing a little under 30. I see the owner likes to have a little fun while driving, but usually keeps to reasonable speeds (just kidding on that last bit, I never do that).
Me: It's about time to shift. Clutch in, pop it down to #2.
2nd gear: OH HIA I SEE U WANDA SHIFT NAO. HEER LEMME TRY THA-KGGGEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR rrrrrrrr.
Me: FUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Hindsight me: That gear had too many teeth anyway.

Long story short my transmission makes a pretty decent boat anchor. :\
Not too happy about having to get (at the very least) 2nd gear synchros replaced after 53K miles.

LoL
Fun thread as its so old.
Ive had problems with my tranny/clutch since day one however I've not blown it up yet(knock on wood).
So with that comment it is both the worst and best driveline ive had
If u get what i mean
Basically my syncros are fucked and my clutch has never worked correctly

I do love my RX8.. Appart from the constant rattling and chirping noises it makes at idle, the trany has been my only considerable frustration.

hmm. Since it's bumped.

As our 8's age...

I'm annoyed by how cheap it's getting. Now it's getting bought up by cheap ass kids that will eventually rice it out if it doesn't get totalled first, all while bringing the average intelligence of this forum down drastically.

I take deep offense to this...^ :P

I have seen this exact post on every car forum I have ever visited. Facts of life and such! We got two things killing its resale right now, the dependability (warranted or not warranted), and the gas mileage. We better keep our rides as unmolested as possible for the next generation to see. I have a feeling we will not see a car like the Eight anytime soon. That is sad statement because it’s one of the most unique cars on the road. I still turn my head when I see one, that in not mine.

hmm. Since it's bumped.

As our 8's age...

I'm annoyed by how cheap it's getting. Now it's getting bought up by cheap ass kids that will eventually rice it out if it doesn't get totalled first, all while bringing the average intelligence of this forum down drastically.