swrotary

Hi all,

I wonder if somebody in Europe have experience and maybee have bought a US Mazda Rx-8 and exported it to Europe...?

- I want to know if it's possible and how to convert Guages from Miles to Km...?
- Are any of the Lights different between US spec and Europe cars..?
- I know the ECU is different and probably the Flashes to, is it any chance to ReFlash the
US spec ECU on my own with right equipment offcours..?

- Anyobe have a good list of what things are different on US spec cars and Europe Spec..?
I know there is differnt spark plugs between US and Europe spec...

- What is the difference between the ECUs in US and Europe spec cars...?
If i need to ReFlash my US ECU, would I need to use COBB Accessport to do it...?

Thankfull for all help i can get...

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Speedo changes KM-Miles with the push of a button...

headlights are the same except for UK where they are RHD....

ECU differences shouldnt matter...flash it yourself

I think there are other differences as well...interior controls etc...but really nothing that is drastically different

swrotary

Hi there,

Thanks for your answer...

- Ok, so how do I change between Km and Miles..? (I have not recived my 8 yet..
- Is it possible to ReFlash the ECU on my own..? - How do i do it, and what do i need..?
- Where can I get hold of US flashes for ECU, and then ReFlash it when car is in Europe..?
- Can Mazda in Europe use US flashes in there Equipment to help me ReFlash my ECU..?
- Have anyone tried to switch the US ECU for a European ECU..?

I have also checked with Mazda and I loose all Warranty on the car when I export it to
Europe. - They sad that "Because its sold in US, Europe warranty dont apply..." - sucks..!

So, I'm on my own here and need to find out all info before I export it to Sweden.

Thanks

Lennart

You surtainly are!!

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

press the button on the gauge cluster..

yes, you need a tool like the cobb accesport, or get it done by pettit and soon hymee

you likely cant

could they physically do it, probably. will they, doubtful


dunno

yep, it happens to mine as well when i move to belgium next october
you shouldnt have any need to reflash your PCM just because it gets shipped to europe. if you get there and you do for whatever reason want to be able to flash back to your current calibration, the only way i know of doing that is the Cobb AP

swrotary

Haha, whats up brother...!

F

swrotary

Hi there,

These are the kind of answer I need right now... - Thank You verry much "paulmasoner" for your answers,
it really helped alot to figure everything out...!

Thanks

bse50

You should try and contact hymee or mazdamaniac (for the access port etc) if you want to custom map your ecu to suit our fuels etc.
The two ecus are pretty different to be overwritten\retuned, the american access port won't connect to our ecu and the european one won't do the same on an american model
Best thing to do is try it as it is and if you have a mate with an obd scanner have a look at the readings (afr\misfires etc) but they shouldn't be a problem.

robbz23

hahaha Swrotary you are on your way to sweden too? I leave in about 3 weeks and I am shipping my 04 Ti too. I figure its paid off and well they are much more expensive there then here. Where are you coming from in the US? What port and shippers are you using? I got a quote for 1200 including insurance.

robbz23

oh be aware, when you see octane ratings in Sweden they don't line up with our numbers. The US takes the two methods of measuring and average them out. In Sweden they use the higher of the 2 numbers. So you will see 95 or 98 octane all day but I am not sure what that number means as far as US octane rating.

RX8_DANNY

iTrader: (1)

Im also interested in this...port newark nj to Rotterdam Nethewrlands
Im mostly concerned of being charged taxes

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Just go to you bank or insurance carrier and inquire about buying a bumper to bumper warranty for your car. Guys in the service do this all the time. The extended warranty will reimburse you if you pay to have it fixed. Not factory warranty but worth it. I also suggest calling Mazda USA and Mazda Europe to get additional info.

robbz23

RX8 Danny,
I think that you will be charged for VAT as it enters the Netherlands. I know here in Sweden I would have been charged VAT except that I was an immigrant so I get an exception from paying taxes. my shipping charges with DAS was pretty good at $1200 including insurance. Also maybe you can contact Wallenius directly and see if they have better prices.

Motomouse

iTrader: (1)

I think in Europe you will have to get sprinklers(Iam not sure if thats how it call) for your headlights on your bumper. My brother got a ticket having xenonlights without the front bumper"sprinklers" and auto leveling system. I know the police officer was an *** but he told him is some European Union Low and give him the ticket !!!
But if you have 8 without xenon you should be OK

REsuperD

wouldn't it be easier/cheaper to just buy one from germany or the uk, etc?

swrotary

Hi there,

I think you need to have the Front squirters (Sprinklers). - Easiest is to buy a bumper in EU and change it. - You also will need the High pressure pump, plumming and all the electrical wires to mount it all. - On the other hand I have seen alot of cars here without them, so i dont know if thoose cars is breaking the law... - Or if it is a Imported car, maybee You can get the car Inspected and get a note that you dont need them..? - I will check this because My Rx-8 will arrive to Sweden in April from So-Cal.

About the Xenonlights, All Sweden sold cars have the Xenonlights, dont know if the Law is different on other EU countrys but here it is OK to have them...

miata25

Octane Rating: European 98 equals 93 US rating, 95 European equals 90 US rating. I've been using mostly 98 in my US spec RX8 for about 18 months in Germany with no problems.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

What about the radio? Aren't the AM stations every 8 kHz in Europe? In the US they are every 10 kHz. What about FM stations? What are their separation there? Can you reprogram the radio?

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

EU uses the same range of the FM band as us. i think a couple countries( i know italy used to) uses 1/2's like 101.95 vs 101.9. but other wise it should be the same as the US except for they may use only odd or only even...

Motomouse

iTrader: (1)

what about fog light in the back ???? I think thats important too but easy to install

robbz23

Well to all those questions I can say there is no problem bringing a US spec rx-8 to Sweden and I imagine most of the EU. I did have to remove my 20% tint on the drivers window which I knew I would have to. I did the inspection and it passed without any problems, but I had already switched my yellow corners for clear. I believe the law here about front lights is that amber is only for turn signals and not markers like in the US. So you don't see any yellow corners here at all. I also changed my foglights to operate as daytime running lights according the DIY on the forum. Lights are required here on all the time, and instead of turning my on all the time, I just leave the foglights in the on position most of the time, except at night when you are not supposed to have them running at the same time as headlights. Yes from what I have read the octane 95 in EU equates to about 90 in the states. Thats fine though because with the super low temperatures so far I haven't seen any issues with running 95. If it gets hot in the summer (doubtful) then I will switch to 98. And as far as the squitters go I guess they weren't needed because I wasn't asked about them at inspection. Actually they way they inspect here was amazing to me compared to the US. They had a lift that was designed just for this function and hard to explain in a few words. But it was crazy and tough compared to VA or PA inspections I have had in the past. Oh and the EU is tough on headlights that shine to high. They actually ran a lens in front of the car checking the height of the lights. But it was all good with our projection lenses cutting off at a certain point.