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My odometer just clicked over 158,000. Bought it used,all paper work and service info available. had 102K on it when i bought it. 2006 Cooper Red Shinka. Everyday driver still running strong, serviced every 3000.
Hi! I just joined this cool club:-) My 04 Rx8 just flooded for first time since we've owned her (6mo). Original engine & trans 99,995 mls. Clutch has started to stick, and was told by shop that we may have compression loss in a cylinder. :-( All kinds of bad words keep coming into my mind! I love her! Any ideas? We only put good gas 93 in her, chng oil every 4-5 and idle her before and after every trip.
Great write up ! just clicked over 171K on my 06 shinka. getting ready to replace coils and plugs. changed oil at 3000 miles filer ect. Also air filters
Well haven't been on here in a long time, spotted this thread and as i reached the 100,000 mile mark a good while ago, now on 102550 miles, thought i'd join the club lol.
2004 UK spec 231ps 6 speed in winning blue.
original engine, only sump tray changed, spark plugs X2, magnacor leads and oil changes every 3k-5k miles.
on 2nd CAT, but even half of it has exited the exhaust, on 2nd water bottle and sensor starting to cause light to stay on even with coolant at proper full level.
starting to take a little longer starting after filling up with gas, but still only max of 9 secs and not all the time, sometimes starts quickly.
switched to faster starter long time ago and bigger cap battery. on original bushes, control arms, brakes and discs too. also fuel pump and only have a motoria ss exhaust and k&n replacement air filter, same original air box. changed clutch at about 75k and replaced engine mounts too as they had gone.
i did do a lot of highway miles so like the op, i think long driving trips are the secret together with red lining and pre mix to a healthy series 1, pre 2006 engine. good quality fuel helps too.
I haven't been to this site in a while, just stopped in for advice on water in the tail light.
My '05 in Winning Blue that I bought new in January of '06 is up to 102000 now. The first 40k miles or so I had a lot of annoying problems with plugs, coils, wires, some emissions stuff, but since then it has been practically fault-free. Put a new clutch in a few thousand miles back and suddenly the transmission shifting is greatly improved. Somehow all of the worn clutch gunk was causing drag and giving me a lot of grinding during shifting. I thought my synchros were going south but it is so much better now.
Still starts fine, runs great, sucks gas. As I was creeping up on the 100k mark I began looking around for a replacement, but it's been running so well that I decided just to stick with it. At this point, I have had this car longer than any other car in my life. And I've had a lot of cars.
About to get my 4th engine (yes FOURTH) from Mazda even out of warranty, though I will have to pay for the labor. Here's the break down:
1st engine - odometer @ 18K miles - replaced during the first major recall in 06 due to misfires
2nd engine - odometer @ 74K miles - replaced after it failed the compression test; first it was rough idling and shifter **** was shaking like crazy with AC on while idling, then it was misfiring with check engine light on; after spending about $1500 replacing O2 sensors, coils, spark plugs, and wires, it was still misfiring with a blinking engine light at high RPMs on a hot day; after Mazda replaced the engine under warranty, no more rough idling
3rd engine - odometer at @ 117K - misfiring; replaced coils, plugs, and wires again after seeing the blinking check engine light at high RPMs on a hot day, and it was beginning to rough idle (shifter **** shaking) especially with AC on; huge improvement after replacing those parts, but it still idles a little roughly whenever the air compressor kicks on (shifter **** bobbles a little); took it in for a compression test, and it was found to be below minimum specs but not inoperable (7.0, 7.1, and 7.2 readings on the rotors while the minimum is 7.9); already have a ticket with Mazda's after warranty assistance to cover the cost of the replacement engine, it's just a matter of waiting for the right time to turn my car into the dealership for two to three weeks for the replacement work
Aside from the engine, I have recently replaced the clutch with an Exedy stage one racing clutch with an ACT lightweight flywheel + counterweight (about $1400 parts & labor). The last clutch replacement was done at about 18K miles when I was just learning how to drive a manual...haha! There was nothing wrong with the stock clutch I had just replaced except that the release bearing was making an unbearable chirping noise due to age. The pressure plate was still in excellent shape.
Transmission was replaced last year with a junkyard part from a totaled 8 which had about 68K on it. The third gear on my old tranny was popping back out half the time, and I think it was because I blew a synchro during a spirited downshift.
Brake pads were replaced twice while rotors were replaced once. Master cylinder had to be replaced one time because the brake light kept coming on even though there was nothing wrong with either the normal brakes or the emergency brakes.
ECV valve was replaced a couple of years ago.
O2 sensors were replaced right before the second engine replacement at about 74K miles.
The coolant bottle was also replaced during the second engine replacement because excess moister was tripping the coolant sensor especially in cold weather. It's starting to happen again.
A year after the full warranty had expired (not the extended warranty for the engine), the temperature control dial for climate control (the one on the right side) started to go out. In order to change the temperature, I had to apply pressure on the dial before turning. As time went on, this became harder to do. Since Mazda wouldn't cover the repair, I pulled the head unit out and detached the control board for the fan and temperature dials. One the back of the board, the solder joints for the temperature dial were particularly weak compared to the joints for the fan dial. Looking at the pictures posted from other RX-8 owners having this exact problem, I came to the conclusion that this was definitely a manufacturing defect. So with my soldering gun, I reinforced those weak/broken joints, and the problem was fixed.
During the very early years (second year maybe), the tail lights were replaced under warranty because there was condensation inside, and they were starting to get fogged up from the moisture.
That's about it as far as mechanical problems go. Earlier this year, I spent over $900 on detailing services inside and out. So now with the exception of a few minor dings, scratches, and scuffs on the rim, the car still almost looks like the day I bought it!
I am going on 150k on mine.. Replaced the engine at 130.
How did you get your engine replaced at 130K since it would have been out of warranty? Did you b**ch and moan to Mazda like I did, or did you have it rebuilt by some other rotary mechanic?
For a car which has gone through as many transplants and surgeries as yours, it looks great!
I'm putting fewer miles on my '05 than I used to and only now am up to 102k. The engine seems fine and has been absolutely problem-free since about 40k. During the first 40k it went through several ignition system rebuilds and emissions-related repairs, but we finally arrived at an understanding and it lets me drive it the way I want to without complaint. New clutch at 100k, new HID headlights at 101k, and probably some suspension related items coming up.
Of the 12 everyday drivers (I think...) I've owned, this is the one I've kept and driven the longest. And have decided to keep driving until the cost/reliability factor becomes too annoying to continue.
Have you thought about what it will take for you to give up on yours?
Made it to 138k on my last one before Compression gremlins forced me to part with it... just started over with 31k... Hopefully another 100k is in my future.
08-17-2014, 11:23 AM
100,000 mile club
