I just got my 8 last week 9/13. I have the option of taking it back within 15 days or maybe 30 not sure. But I have been reading the posts about all the problems people are having(especially all the engine replacements) and that Mazda doesn't seem to know how to fix them. I have a 2004 MT6 w/everything. Had one of those loss of power problems once on the interstate. Took it in today for the recall work and some other cosmetic fixes. But my SA told me they needed to keep it overnight and that he would talk to me tomorrow. That kind of gets me worried that they have found something serious wrong with it. Just wondering what others thought about if I should take it back and get something else. I really love this car (looks, performace pretty much everything). Been wanting one of these for quite some time now. Just happened to see one with a pretty good price and not too many miles (~24000). Any comments greatly appreciated. I just don't want to one of those people posting that they haven't had their 8 for like 40 days or so and still have constant problems with it once they do get it back.

 

Well, I will say

All cars have their own problems, not only 8.

I mean you have to trust her if you really love her. If you dont trust her , get rid of her.

Thats my concept.

Not too many miles? I suppose you got a used 8?

If you do, you better make sure you bring it to some shop that you can trust and do a "deep" check of everything, well, its better to go to a shop with good Rotary Experience. Most of the time Dealers just going to make sure it can start, no visual damage, no major leak, and be able to go around the dealer's streets and thats it.

I've been to some shop that, they've been in business for over 10 years and still have yet to see/service a Rotary Powered car. and they was like

"no way, how could this thing run?"
"Such a small engine"
"I've never seen this kind of engine before, I've been in this business for over 10 years, is this new ?"

Just my 0.02

 

If you take it back, what comparable car will you get that won't have potential problems? Do not base your decision on the problems you see reported here. In the forum polls, most members report no significant problems at all. Those with problems squack the loudest. It's human nature. You still have warranty miles left on the car so drive it and enjoy.

 

some states have a 3 day law, but I never heard of anyone taking a car back after 15 days, let alone 30

 

LOL true dat!! :D

 

Rx8Club.com has more than 20,000 members. Users with blown engines are (apologies for mispelled names):
Oktobernv
UKBLACK
simbakai
mazdaspeedgirl
twin-8s

Of these 5 users the first 3 (Okctobernv, UKBLACK, and simbakai) only started posting after they had problems. They had a bad experience, are angry and want everyone to know. That's quite understandable. But since they wouldn't have been here without their blown engines, they aren't really part of the random sample of board members IMO, so judging by this board, your chances are 1 in 10,000 of blowing your engine. Those who have will disagree, but the vast majority of us haven't had any serious problems.
--R.

EDIT: I just rechecked, UKBLACK posted 6-7 posts over 5 months before his engine blew. Still, engine troubles are very rare at this point.

 

Playing devils advocate here.

That's an interesting "analysis" RexA, but I question your assumption that the 20,000 members (and BTW, where did that number come from? and what percentage are active members?) are each and every one an owner/driver of an RX-8. And I can't follow how you arrived at 1 in 10,000 chance of having a blown engine. Aside from that, the general concept would certainly be the way to determine the probability of having a blown engine--that is, if valid, verified numbers were known. Good thought-provoking post regardless.

Personally, my opinion is that the blown engine problem is way over blown. :D :D

 

Keep it, you'll miss it when it's gone.

 

I really think you need to include the larger group, including me, that have experienced the power loss/rattling/engine stall problem but the dealer has not been able to find any problem, so they are scared sh*tless about having a blown engine AFTER the warranty expires.


It would be hard for you to find someone who loves the RX's more than me, but frankly, as much as I love this car and loved my RX-7, I would not buy it again if I could turn back the clock. The only reason I'm keeping it is because I'd take a serious financial hit by selling it. I am really hoping all of my remaining problems can be resolved to my satisfaction, but not at my cost.

 

i don't have any problems with my 8. i drive it hard everyday. put 19k in 9 months of having it. change oil every 2500 miles myself. only one re-flash (m). wash it twice a week. i love this car.

 

Wish I was you. No, wait... I was you. My car was great for the first 18K. After that, my problems started popping up. But don't let that get you down

Seriously, I hope you remain problem-free.

 

I have had my "8" a little over a year and have had ZERO problems. It was built 08/03. It is an 04 6MT Gran Touring model. Everything else is stock, except for the tires. It currently has 17,800 miles on the odo. I'll admit I had reservations when buying this car because of the rotary engine. yeah I heard all the comments from my friends about how the rotary engine drinks gas,smokes,uses oil, explodes ect....All cars can have problems regardless of make or model. I talked to an old rotary mechanic at my work place and he was very favorable about the rotary engine. He did say that most folks are used to piston engines and that the rotary requires different care and feeding than the conventional piston engine.I haven't found that to be altogether true. I drive this car the same as I would any car and perform regular maintenance. I have observed that some folks don't have a clue on how to take car of their investment. I'm not pointing fingers, I just know that if you drive the hell out of it all the time stuff is gonna wear out faster and break. You have to expect that and not worry about it. This is my first rotary and I would buy another rotary in a new York minute and not think twice. Keep it nad have fun

 

Well well ... take it from me and all the other satisfied 8 owners...if you take care of the engine, warm it up and cool it down as recommended, use the best oil (Castrol GTX 5W-20 by the way...) and check it every other fill up, the engine should run great. I bought mine in august '05 (i'm new i know!) but so far so good. i absolutely love it! :p do you know if the previous owner took good care of it??

 

Some folks do have a clue how to take care of their investment, because some folks have owned a rotary-powered vehicle for 20 years. I certainly wouldn't say a rotary engine can't last 200K miles, being as my last one had 154K before I quit driving it (and it still ran great). However, I [b]never[/i] had a single engine-related problem with my last 13B. I have had issues with the Renesis, however, similar to what others have experienced. My opinion of Mazda has soured due to my experiences, and their apparent lack of concern. I showed great faith in Mazda by pre-ordering my car before I could even lay eyes on anything other than a photo, and salivated over the photo for 8 months prior to that, so don't mistake me for your casual buyer/owner.

 

Oh, you're absolutely right, that analysis is completely unscientific. How many of the 20,000 members are active, how many own an rx8, how many users have more than one account. It's also remotely possible that one of the members claiming to have a blown engine is a 12 year old who wants to buy a 350z when he grows up, and is making up his story out of some wierd Nissan loyalty. Aside from the probability I stated, it does give you a good feeling of the size of the "problem" to realize that 5 members out of 20,000 have had blown engines, only 3 of which had ever posted before their engine blew. The actual probability is probably somewhere between 1/1000 - 1/10000. Most blown engines are automatics. I suspect nearly all the blown engines have rarely been above 5000 rpm.
--R.


PS. 20,000 members comes from the home page, near the bottom in the rx8club statistics secition 20,701 members as of the time of this posting. The admitedy questionable 1/10000 probability comes from 2 previous posting members with blown engines out of 20000. Discounting the other 3 on the theory that they would never have posted if their engine hadn't blown and therefore do not belong in the sample.

 

khoney, I know you have problems, but I personally don't believe you have a blown engine. I can't imagine any situation in which low compression would lead to an intermittent power loss. High compression - low octane - hot outside temperatures can cause detonation which will lead the ecu to cut power intermittently.

I personally will have a compression test done shortly before my warranty expires. I firmly believe my compresson will be fine, but the test will be cheap peace of mind.
-R.

 

Take it back and get a brand new one.....you dont know what this other driver did to that poor car for 24000 miles and you dont know why he would get rid of it so soon....get into a brand new one!

 

The problem with ANY single model forum is that people bring their problems to the board and alert everyone. Even the most statistically reliable cars can be made to seem problematic. I've seen it before with the Protege, which is as reliable as a stone axe. No one logs on after 20,000 miles and says "gee, I dont have any problems with my car except routine maintenance!"

 

I will say that I would never buy a pre-owned sports car unless I personally knew the seller and was familiar with their driving habirs & car care routine. There are waaaaaay too many people that romp around abusing a new car and switch to something else when the adrenaline settles.

20kmi here and I couldn't be happier with her No problems what so ever. Unless you are experiencing problems right now I'd say this is blown way out of proportion.

Enjoy your new ride. Go out for a drive right now and have some fun :D