This is a question to members who have had their cars longer than the average...

Where does the RX8 begin to show it's age? Dashes don't crack anymore but do the seats rub in a particular place? Does the boot lining begin to sag? Do the engine covers become brittle and break with time? Are there any areas inside prone to scratching?

I'm interested in how The 8 ages to try a little preventative stuff now to keep the new car look and feel as long as possible.

Give us the benefit of your experience...

 

I probably have not had my car the longest but have covered 75,000kms so can probably make a fair assessment.

1. Interior front doors, leather inserts where they meet the rear doors mark/rub slightly, especially if they are red.

2. Drivers seat will always look more worn than rest, mine seems to be pretty uniform though. Nothing that a regular wipe doens't help to maintain.

3. The plastic door sill trims scratch up, but not a lot you can do with that.

Apart from that cannot find fault with anything else Boot carpets, interior carpets, dash, even the glossy bits are still as new. People have mentioned that the silver on the gearknob would wear off but have not noticed that at all.

 

This is the stuff I was after. Thanks.

Do you treat your leather seats to any potions, creams or dressings?

 

60,000 km
The silver is being rubbed off the centre console by the seat.
The vinyl shift boot cracked so I replaced it with leather.
The paint looks like it won't last too long.
The hard plastic of the interior shows scratches.
I'm watching out for rust (winter driven).

 

Yes. The bolster that is closest to the door. Sliding in and out of the car wears this part really badly. Insteady, try climbing in and out...

The boot is not real leather so in time, it will get hideous. You can buy a genuine leather one for about $40 from Redline. The "silver aluminum" spars that run down the tranny tunnel scratch easily. I replaced the rear ones the first week I had the car. My son has trouble putting his seatbels on and hits them with the buckle.[/quote]

The best way to keep your car looking new, especially the interior, is to make it a habbit not to touch anything that doesn't require it. Like the overhead, etc. I also, use a sneaker water-proofer spray ($8 at footlocker) on everything inside from the carpets to the overhead....

 

Just cleaner and conditioner wipes. Bought them off the net and they work well.

 

Watch out for careless passengers.
My girlfriend thinks its really funny that she uses the passenger side door sill as a foot rest with her heels.
Also passengers that have bags they like to keep between their legs leave nasty scratches when they pull them out to get out of the car. (ie Handbags)

I suggest wrapping the gf and all her belongings in bubble wrap before she enters the car. Works well. Also prevents unnecessary fiddling of music/air conditioning *****.

Also watch out for touching the roof with grubby hands. Seems to stain easily.

Getting out of the car, try not to kick the door open cause it is fairly heavy otherwise you will begin to scuff the speaker grilles.

Be careful when you release the seatbelt since with the older model Rx8s the rear headrest is plastic not leather and tends to scuff.

My car only has about 40 000km but leather is starting to show wear and is the one part in the car that can be kept looking good much longer with good leather protectant and care. The plastic and scuff marks only appear if your careless.

The gear **** also does begin to rust a little so I try to avoid masturbating it at the lights and keep my hands off it except when I need to change gears.

Otherwise the car is in fairly good nick. I'd say at around 60-80k is when unavoidable wear and tear will start showing.

 

My drivers sear is looking more worn than the other. I use meguiars gold class rich leather liberally

 

My car is like new~

I don't see any wear... is that because I keep changing everything inside?

 

I think the funniest thing is that his gf owns an RX-8 too.

 

I have a "first shipment" (July 2003) basic model with fabric trim, 70k on the clock. The seats are unworn, and have not sagged or wrinkled at all. The driver's seat back does show the nap brushed in one direction, but this can be brushed back the other way. If you do have fabric seats, then I would recommend fitting a lamb's wool seat belt protector to stop the top of the belt rubbing on the fabric. I am very pleased with the quality of the seating fabric - calling it "cloth" is putting it down - it appears to be an excellent quality microfibre. We also like the contrast in textures in the fabrics used.

I always use a sunshield when parking outside, summer and winter and even in the shade. We live in Brisbane (for US readers, think Florida) and the UV is fierce. I use low sheen armour-all on the dash and other non-shiny trim (every month or so), but never on the gear shift boot - these very flexible plastics don't like things like armour-all or leather treatments. I have educated my wife to lift her feet when she gets in the car. Otherwise, no scratches, etc. - we come from an older generation for whom things never came easily so we tend to look after stuff.

To sum up, this is a car that will last well if looked after.

 

I use Meguiar's products on the leather and plastic and so far it has stood up pretty well.

The door sills do get scratched and there's little you can do about that. However, the rest still looks pretty good, including areas that others have mentioned as problems (e.g. silver console strip still looks fine, as does gearstick boot). Mind you, I replaced my shift **** with an aftermarket unit a while back.

I tend to ensure my kids don't have shoes on in the car (they're still pretty short, so their feet stick straight out and tend to interfere with the seat backs).

 

Just wait till they get their licenses...

Daddddddddddd, I think i scratched your car last night?

 

I think he is.

Dave: So you make your kids take their shoes off outside the car and then get in? Or are they allowed to get in and take them off?

 

I think he feels it will be too crude to make them naked in the back seats. Otherwise Revolver will haha.

 

Aah, yes it is a pleasure to not have any kids

 

I don't see what the big deal is.

My kids prefer to have no shoes on for a start. And no, I don't make them go barefoot when out of the car.

Might help to understand mine is not the kid taxi - we have the 6 for dunger duty. So, it's not like they're in it that much anyway or getting in and out all the time.

 

Actually, I'd prefer to wrap them in soft terry toweling cloth (that has been treated with leather conditioner). Then when they muck around in the back they'll be cleaning the leather...