I know there has been various threads about this...but I am still unsure and have read most of them. I frequently pop to the shops to get a paper/milk/beer etc; or pick child up from cubs/piano lessons etc...these are all within a mile or so. Are these 5 min journey's going to harm the car..?

PS: Clever quips about 'you should walk' taken as read.

 

...well I am doing it....however, I guess I've been driving around not not stopping until the temp gauge is up at halfway....
dunno if its right though!

 

What you should be asking is:
Is this a viable mode of transport if I CAN'T do 5 minute trips?

 

Strangely, the warning about not shutting off the engine when it's cold does not appear in the UK owner's manual, unless I've missed it. Also, my dealer was not aware of this requirement. This is odd, because shuffling cars around on the forecourt is something car dealers are doing all the time so they would surely know if the car flooded as easily as some people say. I was just told to idle the car for ten seconds before moving off.

It may be that the European cars do not suffer too badly from this problem (different fuel maps to the US, or maybe they've fitted different spark plugs). Or maybe the problem is just not as widespread as we have been assuming. Either that or Mazda dealers had better get ready for a deluge (edit: oops, sorry for the pun) of flooded cars because they don't seem to be warning owners about this.

 

Short journeys don't do any cars any good. A lot of wear and abrasaion takes places when your car starts from cold, until the oil has got up to temperature.

 

I have had my car a week in approximately an hours time .... and can't stop driving it...(done almost 1400 miles already). I have made numerous short trips during that time (i.e sub 15 minites) and as yet had not even a whisper of a problem starting.... I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Wear is a problem for all engines at start up from cold.....

 

brydd

1400 miles! That's pretty good going! How's that MPG looking (and have you added it to the MPG thread)?

 

I am another one who should walk!!!

I havea small golf course 3/4 mile from my house and play there every Sat with my son.

This Sat I started the 8 and let it run for about 30 secs, drove down to the course and parked up.

When I tried to start the car after 18 holes it struggled to start and when it did fire there was a strong smell of petrol for a while.

Maybe I'll walk next time and get my lad to carry the clubs..

:D

 

If only they'd made the 8's boot the wrong shape for golfclubs... :>

 

It is the wrong shape. By no stretch of the imagination will you get The Belfry or St. Andrews into the boot of an RX-8.

And think of all the sand you would get in the mats. Ugh!

 

I thought the bit inbetween the two rear passengers unlocked so you could poke things (like golf clubs) through? Not tried it but I seem to recall the manual mentioning it.

 

Can we get this back on line as this is a really important thread considering the problem they have been having in Australia and US. If there is nothing in our manual but the car is prone to flooing on short journeyts we need to know as it will be very embarrassing to be stuck in public trying to start the car with bellows of smoke coming out the rear. We won't look so proud then.

If anybody has the info please contribute,

rael.

 

rael,

Read Chris W's post as I think he had the most significant say. Dealers are continually shunting cars around. There was no evidence of a problem on my test drive and the car was turned off to allow me into the drivers seat. Was turned off again by me, before the mechanic drove it back into the workshop, and on each ocassion this was for no more than 10-15 seconds tops.

Ray

 

Well last night I took my car on a short trip to the garage about a mile from where I work on the way home to fill up. It had reached operating temperature, but only just. When I restarted it took about two seconds turning over to start rather than the usual one second.

Obviously this isn't a problem in itself, but it indicates there might have been a problem if the car had been colder so I'm going to stick to the rule of not turning the ignition off unless the car is warmed up.

My only real worry about this is if I stall the car when it is cold. It is not normally an easy car to stall, but I have actually done it twice (fortunately with the engine hot). Both times it was when I thought I was in reverse and I was actually in 6th, which is pretty much guaranteed to stall it.

So, if you back your car out of your drive or parking space every morning, double check that you have actually selected reverse before you move off.

 

When I picked mine up last Weds, the salesman got one of their drivers to drive it out the showroom and told him not to turn the engine off. I asked if this was because of the flooding issue and he said it was, and that they've had the problem with one car already.

Don't know if he was going to mention it if I hadn't noticed and asked ...

 

My experience to date has led me to believe that the problem occurs when the car has almost warmed up.

I have had no issues starting the car to let people listen to the engine, or shuffling cars backwards and forwards on my drive.

The only issue has been when the car has been run for a short while and almost reached operating temperature. It is then that the car is hesitant to start.

This I can see becoming more of a problem as the weather gets colder and it takes longer to warm the car up fully.

 

Anyone approach Mazda and request a more official response?

rael