Well, it's my girlfriend's car and I am trying to help her. So here goes.

It's a 2004 RX8 with not quite 70K miles. She didn't buy the extended warranty, so the original factory warranty is done. Car is down on power. Exhaust pipe is sooty and damp. Takes probably 4-5 seconds of cranking to start. A can of BG 44k seems to have helped some. The local dealer has been no help. I have found a good rotary mechanic (SF East Bay Area), but before we go that route, can somebody explain Mazda's warranty to me? What exactly will they cover with the lifetime drive line warranty and the 100,000 mile warranty? And what do we need to do to get them to do work under these warranties? I am going to call the dealer Monday, as a buyer of a used car, and ask them the same question. But given their track record, I thought I might get more accurate information here.

Thanks for the help

Lee

 

At 70K miles the bumper to bumper and driveline warranty are over. What's left is the 100K engine warranty:

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/8-years-100-000-mi-extended-warranty-147287/

The warranty goes with the car, and automatically transfers to a new owner. There are some service bulletins that describe symptoms, mostly low power, that can mean the engine is blown. Look for ASH8's thread with all the bulletins.

Ideally, you bring it in complaining of the low power, they confirm the problem, and they replace the engine. The warranty is for the internal parts, so you may have to pay for some of the external components. They also may demand proof that the car has been maintained. Be prepared to find (or re-create) oil change records for the time your girlfriend has owned the car,

Folks who live near you should be able to point you to a good dealer.

Ken

 

try not to go to the walnut creek dealer. they are too lazy to do anything

 

you may have to pay 4 a compression test also.....i think i've heard prices of around 100 dollars

 

Try a different Mazda dealer and agree about complaining about low power. The two top rotary specialists in the Bay Area are in Pleasanton and Santa Clara.

Is it an automatic?