Hey guys. I recently just contacted a seller and we agreed to take it for a compression test. It is a 2007 with about 50K miles (80k km) on it. Yesterday he called me and said it failed the compression test and Mazda is gonna replace it under warranty. If i buy the car, i would start with a re-manufactured engine? im just wondering whether if this is good or bad news? If i should proceed with this deal or find another one?

And yes... how long does the replacement process take?

 

Replacement can be short, I had mine installed in 3 business days after getting it diagnosed. Or they can be long, numerous stories of people waiting 3-6 weeks for an engine to arrive from Japan.

Starting out with a reman is generally good news. Make sure you validate some sort of warranty coverage for the first 10,000 to 12,000 miles, as most remans that fail early fail within this mileage range (and nearly always due to a coolant seal failure). If it passes this period with good compression still, the motor will probably last you quite a while.

 

im not quite familiar with mechanics..is the coolant seal failure issue preventable? or just luck?

 

It's always preventable.

Just if it happens because the cooling system failed, it's something you could have prevented, if it is because of a terrible engine build quality (they are all built by hand) then it's only something that the reman facility could have prevented and nothing you could have done about it.

The latter is why you should attempt to have some sort of warranty on the engine for the first 10-12k (miles, add whatever for kms)

 

Starting off with a reman engine is always better than nothing. You're generally going to have parts that were already spec'ed to be good and or replaced. Furthermore, you're going to have a warranty on the new engine that you wouldn't have otherwise.

Overheating a rotary is one of the most deadly things that can happen (second to running out of oil). You'll be lucky to not have a coolant seal issue if you don't notice you've overheated and continue driving. As stated, maintaining the coolant system is the only way to prevent it and watching your temp gauge.

When the engine is cold, squeeze the radiator hoses and feel if they are brittle or have any cracks. Second, you should take off the pressure cap and inspect the rubber seals for cracking or tears. Looking at the cleanliness of the coolant and using a hydrometer would be a bonus...

 

You will only have a warranty on the engine if you are still under the 8 year 100,000 mile period. Once that period ends, you have no warranty no matter what mileage is on the reman engine itself. The reman engine itself only carries a 12k 12,000 mile warranty if you purchase it from a dealer and have them install it.

OP, a reman can be hit or miss, my first reman lasted 74k, the second 30k. But it's still better to have a reman than an original engine IMO. My original engine only lasted 22,000 miles. But there are many modes of failure so there is no way to prevent failure.

Honestly, you best bet is to pay a little more and get a 2009+ RX-8 since they are reliable.