reverse01134

I am so nervous and worried to be a rx8 owner.
I am going to purchase used 2006 blue rx8 grandtouring with 29k miles on it.

I know that 06+ models had fixed all problems that 04-05 has, and heard hundreds times that all I need to be careful is not turning off the engine if it is cold, and check the oil pressure every time I get the gas. but I still worried about the rotary engine.

I just read the post https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/need-motor-replaced-denied-mazda-192236/
And I saw many rx8 owners who had motor replacement up to 3 times.
I am so worried if my 8 will get some engine problem and (or) dealership will deny to repair it.

question for you
1. All differences to maintain between rotary engine and pistone engine is not turning off the engine if it is cold, and check the oil pressure every time I get the gas, that's it?
2. do 06+ models also have possibility to need engine replacement?
3. If I want to get the extended warranty (8 years/100k miles), should I get all maintanence from mazda dealership?

ken-x8

Don't buy a car that's going to make you nervous. Buy one that will make you happy.

Assuming the balance falls on "happy," the two special things about a rotary are don't turn it off cold and make sure you rev it above 8K on a regular basis. You need to be aware of oil use, but that's not the big deal some make it out to be. Just check the oil every couple of fill-ups, as you would with any car.

Getting all your maintenance at a Mazda dealer is the surest way to make sure the warranty will be honored. But getting it done at any shop that documents the service is also good.

Ken

reverse01134

Thanks for reply
The thing that makes me nervous is that some owners in here got engine rebuilt even 3 times. Are they 04-05 year owners? or 06+ model also have posibility of engine failure?

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

like any other car, earlier model will have more problems which is fixed in the later models.

+06 models are less likely to have failures, but dont forget they're newer than 04-05. who knows whats gonna happen next year ?

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Give it time, more 06's will get replacements. A local SARX member is a Mazda tech and this 2006 was getting a new one.

reverse01134

Why do many rx8 get engine problems? because it is less durable than other pistone engines?

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

A poorly designed and tested engine is just that, faulted from the beginning. It is not specific to Rotaries. There are plenty of unreliable piston engines.


That said, I am on my third engine and I love this car. If you want reliable buy a Honda Fit. Reliable and sports car rarely go together in the same sentence.

reverse01134

My previous car was G35. G35 is not a pure sports car, but classified as GT. No one says G35 is reliable and practical car like Honda Fit, but I didn't see much problems with its powertrain and never saw any NA engine got rebuilt in g35driver forum. I know many rx8 owners keep their 8 without any problem, but when I read some posts about engine problem in this forum, it looks like rx8 has some more problems compared to other competing cars such as G35, 350Z, S2000, Sti etc..

9krpmrx8, what is the year of your 8?

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

The numbers of members here who have had motor replacements is less than 3% IIRC (there's a thread on this).

I don't know what the overall number is, and have never seen any data released that would allow anyone to compare catastrophic failure of, say a Toyota 3.0 liter (sludge), compared to a Renesis gen I or gen II.

I do know for a fact that Toyota motors were grenading with regular frequency in model years 2000 to 2004 due to major sludge and carbon buildup.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

you need to read around a bit more.. more than a few motors were replaced in that series..

beers

reverse01134

you mean G35?

redcopper06

good blurb about preventing engine failure here:

http://pettitracing.com/rx8/index_information.htm

basically poor maintenance + other factors will kill the engine.

overboosting a turbo kit, overheating (poorly maintained cooling system or lots of traffic jams)

for instance, you are in a traffic jam, it's 90+ out, you hear your engine tapping a little as the oil thins, all of a sudden the jam clears and you get on it hard. lol good luck.

if you plan on driving constantly like you are in a nascar race, have spare engines on the shelf like nascar drivers :D

i wouldnt recommend redlining all the time. 7k is enough to flush out carbon deposits.

a clogged air filter will contribute way more to carbon buildup, as will bad plugs / coils / plug wires, than running your engine at normal rpms.

dont use bad gas. it calls for premium. just do it.

keep your oil clean, whichever type you choose to use.

dont get on your car hard when it's not warmed up yet, or when it's overheating a bit.

you will be fine.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Sorry brother, not sure what thread you are referring to and I won't speak for our local dealer tech and service guy but just one dealer in a city with four dealers has done a couple hundred already and not a week has gone by that they have not had one in for a replacement. I am on my third engine and each time I got o the dealer there is an 8 in there getting a replacement and several local members have had engine replacements at dealers other than the one I go to so one could guess that they are just as busy with replacements.

And yes, the Toyota sludge problem was significant as well.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

this rule applies to all engines.


Same as above.


Same as above, and its known that recommended oil weight is pathetic. Ever wonder why I use nothing but 20w50 ?

Mazda has increased the OMP (its still kinda low), so it should be able to lower the wear, especially when idle.

There are engines out there with over 150K miles without any issues.

Its not just about cleaning stuff inside the engine, redlining will make sure the APV "moves"

Its same for all engines. duh.

Lower Octane gas does not mean its "bad", it just have extra additives in there to raise its Anti-Knock(Pre-Ignition) power.

It calls for Premium because of its higher than usual compression ratio (10:1), Mazda wants to be safe, so they just call for Premium.

This engine is build by hand, so the quality "greatly" depends on the builder's skill/mood. and Mazda loosen up some of the "tight" requirements. this might also the reason why Renesis sees more failures.

Always.

Whoever choose to 2f2f their car when its still cold does not deserve his/her driver's licenses.

Lets just hope everybody ...

Anyway, I believe mine died because Mazda's crappy OMP + I did not premix from start + I idle ... quite a lot. who knows.

redcopper06

here is a some info if you want to verify operation of your auxiliary port valve

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...14-07-1777.pdf

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Where is the engine poll by year? I couldn't find it.

dynamho

Hi. Just wanted to clarify that the Variable Intake Valve on a stock 6-port Renesis is programmed to open at 7250RPM. So I recommend taking the RPMs north of that.

Source: http://www.tomorrowstechnician.com/C...0000001985.pdf

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

I honestly say, if you are worried about this now, you probably shouldn't buy one.

i wouldn't buy something if I was worried about it failing before I even purchased it.

it's a crap shoot anyway. you'll never know how long it will last. lots of people follow mazda's maintenance and have no issue, while some do. Same with the DIY crowd here, some do thier own stuff that they feel is helping yet they've still gotten engines replaced etc.