Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I have read countless hours on forums and I was finally able to know everything I have to know about the 8. I fell in love with the car 3 weeks ago when I test drove it so I bought it. It has 80000km or 50k miles.

A bit about the car:
- It has a new CAT and new starter and battery from july 09 which was previous owner.
- I recently changed the spark plugs and wires (NGK wires and plugs) and they were really dirty.
- I ordered OEM coils should be coming soon.
- I cleaned my MAF sensor with sensor cleaner
- I put a K&N drop in filter
- Changed tranny and differential oil with Redline fluids (MT90 and 75-90)
- Cleaned engine bay with Simple Green but its still really dirty

My questions are:
Is a new CAT,starter and battery a bad sign from the previous owner? As in he flooded the engine a few times and the motor is damaged? Can the motor get damaged from flooding?

Also, i havent changed the coils yet but even with the new wires and plugs I tested and when I gun the car it seems like at 6k rpm there is a slight hesitation and then boom it keeps going. Could it be the coils? Cause I hear a ticking sound from the engine and I know the plugs and wires are on tight. It was doing it before I changed the plugs/wires and I thought it would go away. Do the coils tick when they are fried? Cause its pretty loud when im in my garage.

This is what they looked like http://img5.imageshack.us/g/dscn0012y.jpg/
What can you tell from those pictures there is a lot of black and rust and sh*t

For now, from what I read I think im gonna stick with 5w20 oil since im in montreal canada and I took an extended warranty so I dont wanna screw up anything with it. Is Castrol GTX 5w20 ok?! cause it says "anti sludge formula" on it so im scared it might burn less when injected in the motor.

My steering wheel makes a noise when turning the wheels while parking or very slow speed. Is that normal? Like a stretching sound that you can hear from the cabin.

Last question: If I changed my plugs and wires with bad coils still on will it damage the new wires and plugs? By next week I should have my new coils.

Basically Im a neat freak and I love everything to be a bit better than stock but to stay stock. I want my car to be running well and keep it clean. Too bad the previous owner didnt seem to take much care of it since there is a lot of rust underneath the car. Ill see if it possible to do anything about that.


I was pissed that Im only doing 300km/200miles per tank. That is why I did all the little mods trying to improve mileage. I basically do 1-2 redlines a day for maintenance and the rest is 85% highway. So I find it quite ridiculous to do 20Litres/100km. I havent noticed any difference with the new plugs/wires/filter/clean MAF sensor. Will the coils do it you think? I bought the new version ones. They were probably not changed for the life of the car.

Sorry for the long thread and thank you for taking the time to read!

My set up and though process is very similar to yours with the exception of the K&N, I stayed with the stock. other wise same level of highway... For this type of driving I'm usualy around 350 to the low fuel light 400-450 to the tank full.I had a 80kph cruise once and got 600km per tank full. One thing not on your list which would be a good idea to continue your plan of giving you self a fresh start is a engine clean, do a quick search here for "seafoam". the Cat, starter and battery are a common replacement and not typically an issue. If your repacing your coils in a week I wouldn't be to concerned about the current ones having an impact on your new wires and plugs. As to oil grade... big subject on this forum, 5w 20 for winter use and keeping things simple for warranty retention, sure, I've done this. thinking about going to 5w30 or 40 come the summer. one last thing check to see if your oil cooling lines in the front of the car have been replaced, there is a Canadian TSB for having this done by the dealer to correct an oil cooling line corrosion issue for the fittings.
Just going to give you a warning about trying to drive it with out winter tires but I see where you are there's no question about having them or not.

Good luck you will enjoy the car

The '04 and early '05 build starters were weak and therefore replaced by a TSB at that point in time. The original, Panasonic, battery was also weak and similarly TSB'd. This early combo led to flooding. Therefore the fact that the original owner had these changed as he was flooding is a good thing.

Although I've never had to replace a Cat, it does happen. More often the O2 sensor(s) fails, and I've replaced a number of those on various vehicles over the years.

Good maintenance actions on your part!

I would recommend going to 5w-30. No one will ever know and 5w-20 is only 'recommended' anyway. You may also want to consider pre-mix of 3.5-4 oz of Idimitsu or similar 2-cycle oil per tankful of gas.

Over time less than capable coils can lead to poor performance, but as they are typically putting out less than optimal voltage they won't really damage your cable and 'plugs.

Keep up your cleaning effort. You can bring back most any vehicle to near-showroom condition with the right products and effort. You'll find many helpful threads in the "show and shine" section.

btw: see the recent "50,000 mile..." thread for other good insights.

edit: oh what the heck, here you go:

Just to recap:

1. Coils, either OEM or better the BHR kit (which also contains 'plug cables)
2. Sparkplugs, which you've done (hopefully NGK Iridium)
3. Sparkplug cables, if not going with BHR; stock are good, Moroso or MSD a bit better.
3. Intake Air filter; stock is good; K&N drop-in to stock intake box is a plus.
4. Cabin air filter, the Aldehyde from Mazda is better than stock http://www.finishlineperformance.com/store/product.php?productid=16195&cat=273&page=1
5. Transmission fluid, drain and replace with Redline MT90
6. Differential fluid, drain and replace with Redline 75w90
7. Oil and filter change; OEM filter and Castrol GTX 5W30 (10w if warmer climate)
8. Premix with 3.5-4 oz of Idemitsu 2-cycle oil every tankful
9. Brake pads, if necessary. Inspect current thickness. Stock are good, Hawk a bit better.
10. Rotors, if necessary. Inspect and replace if 'phonograph record' grooves. Stock are good, Racing Brake a bit better.
11. Coolant flush and refill with 50/50 premix Dextron
12. Brake hydraulic fluid flush and refill with DOT3 (optional; but at least check level)
13. Rotate your tires and check pressure; note that some aftermarket tires are directional.
14. Clean your MAF with spray electronics cleaner.
15. Reinforce your Clutch Pedal with welding or bracket.

There, that ought keep you busy over the winter and establish a clean baseline going forward. ;)