Okay so recently my old 1995 Lexus ES 300 decided it was done. The head gasket blew and it's gonna cost more to replace it than it may be worth. So anyways, I went to the dealership a few days ago and got to look at a 2004 RX-8. It looks pristine on the outside and inside with only 47k miles on it and a Borla Catback Exhaust. It seems like a good deal so far, but since they just got it and it's the weekend it hasn't been through the shop yet to go through what repairs it may need and then from there I will get a price.

It's been kept in a garage for most of its life and well maintained. It has a clean carfax, 1 owner, no real problems, but the more I read on the forums here the more I wonder if maybe being the original 2004 model if maybe it's just a time bomb ready to go off whenever. I'm not against learning to maintain the car and get to know the rotary engine, but I just want to make sure I am paying for a car that will last me and doesn't have any huge problems. With 47k miles, I'd assume I'd want to do everything on that more than 30k list. Now my question is, how many things on here can I do with a small amount of mechanical/car knowledge

Car mileage over 30,000:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended, read this thread for why: Issue Many Are Ignoring: Most Coolants Contain 2-EHA (which 'eats' silicone))
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

I really like the car from what I've seen, I hope it comes out of the shop with nothing major and then bring it to my own mechanic for an inspection and I can hand him this list as recommended by you guys here on the forum. But again, how many of these things can I do myself, and I do enjoy DIY work, but like I said I don't have a large amount of car know how although if I do purchase this car I plan on getting familiar with the car.

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the club.
I hope everything pans out for you.
The RX8 is a unique and marvelous machine to own and drive. It does require regular maintenance and keeping an eye and ear on the little things, though.


With a small amount of mechanical knowledge/ability, lottsa reading on this forum and the proper tools you can do all of those things. Nothing there is especially difficult to do.

 

Thanks man appreciate it! And yeah, I read through the guide for those thinking of purchasing an RX-8 with all the stuff to consider. If I do purchase it I will be sure to do lots of reading and become familiar with the car. Maybe take a weekend to find my way around the engine. Is there anything in particular I should ask the mechanics at the dealership or my own mechanic about while he looks over it to make sure of or check out? Like in particular I guess the compression test and the coils and spark plugs and wiring and what not or are those pretty common tests to run anyways.

Thanks again!

 

The compression test is pretty much all you really need. It MUST be a rotary specific test on a hot engine though, otherwise it is almost meaningless. You didn't state in your original post what brand the dealership is. If it isn't a Mazda dealership he probably doesn't have the proper test equipment. If that's the case then you need to take it to a Mazda dealership or to a mechanic who has a rotary specific compression tester and get the test done before you commit. The cost of the test varies, in my area it is $130.00.


Good luck to you, I hope this all works out.

 

Okay so as far as getting the test done, I'm not so sure whether my mechanic or the shop has the proper equipment. I guess it's just something I'll have to do before hand with my own money just to save myself time and stress in the future.

 

It is something that MUST be done. Whether you do it or the seller does it. If your dealer isn't equipped to do the test see if you can make some sorta deal with them. You'll have the test done. If it fails it's on you, if it passes they'll knock the cost of the test off the price or something like that. The bottom line is that if you buy the car and it has substandard compression you'll be out several thousand additional dollars in repair costs.


Chances are with that particular car at that mileage everything is A-Ok, you just gotta be sure. Some cars have had engines go bad at 20K miles or less. Some go well over 200K without issues. Proper maintenance is the key to engine longevity. I've owned an RX2, RX3, RX4, RX7 and RX8 ... I've never had an issue with any of them.

 

Plenty of 2004s kicking around here, with more miles. If the previous owner was an enthusiast and treated it well, then it could be a great catch.

 

I would say most of the things listed are easy maintenance projects. I did the spark plugs this weekend - took longer to research than actually change them out. Your dealer or mechanic can take over anything you're not comfortable doing. Good luck!

 

Okay sounds good. They're putting the car through the shop at the dealership today to do standard safety tests and make sure everything is running good under the hood. I'm almost positive they do everything up to the compression test. I'll talk with my friend at the dealership about getting that done and see what we can have done. Either way, I understand it's 100% necessary so I won't be making a purchase without the test.

 

When you go for your test drive. Get the car good and hot, park somewhere, shut it off and then start it back up.

 

Okay so I just heard back from the dealer. They say it seems fine but needs a new ECM so they want to wholesale it as is. Do you think if I can get them to consider having my mechanic look over it, it may be worth it for the right price or no?

 

Soooo I guess that means no test drive?

ECU failures are extraordinarily rare, but it's not unheard of for engine problems to be blamed on the ECU, especially if it's not at a Mazda dealer.

Try to get more info on what the actual symptoms are. It could just be flooded lol, wouldn't be the first time.

 

Yeah that's what I'm gona end up doing. I'll bring it to my mechanic for a pre-inspection to make sure everything else is fine. And yeah it seemed odd, but maybe it does need to be replaced. They're gona wholesale it if they can't sell it to me and they want $6900 plus TTT, and they aren't willing to back it with their normal dealer warranty for 30 days just because they don't know how much more is wrong with it. So if I can bring it to my guy and he says it's all good, which it seems to be because it drives very nicely and what not, then I'll probably get it right there. How much would an ECM be to purchase and how easily can it be replaced?

 

Okay so we drove it today and took it to my mechanic. The clutch is a bit stiff, but all in all it seems good. We are getting a compression test done as recommended by my mechanic although he says it seems fine and not much power loss just want to be 100% sure. The ECM does seem like it needs to be replaced as the dealer said and then my mechanic as well. I have a picture here of the diagnostic test that was done. Nothing has been done to the car damage wise as far as the engine it seems although the cat has some scratches on the bottom from speed bumps more than likely, everything seems good.

Here is the diagnostic test he ran and some stuff he came back with.


It kicks pretty good and is was definitely well maintained. I also got them to come down to $6k as opposed to previously being $6990 and that is bellow wholesale though they still make money from the dealer fees and what have you. It drives nice, sounds good as well. Here is a pic of the car itself.



Also, they quoted $1200-$1300 at the local mazda dealership for the ECM replacement, does that sound correct?

 

That sounds like a fair price for the ECU replacement.

 

As far as the part, I'm guessing that's pretty much the best price I'm gona get right. They said about $900-$950 for the ECU(the part itself without programming/labor).

 

Yeh, that's about right for the part.
Then they have a fair amount of work to do to adapt the part to your particular car.
It isn't just plug 'n' play.


The quoted price is fair.

 

Not sure what RX-8's go for in your neck of the woods, but that still seems high for an '04 that needs $1200 of work. Nice looking 8 with low miles though. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

In my honest opinion, I would NOT buy that car for that much money. I picked up my 04 6 speed with 91k miles for 5750 before Tax and licensing fees. but, on top of that i bought the offered extended warranty with it as well. Have had absolutely no problems with it at all. Motor is very tired, but its been more reliable than my N/A subaru. Im fairly certain im the exception. Also, your mechanic says the compression "seems fine"? thats not the right answer. You NEED to get it done using a rotary compression tester. While the motor is hot, given a readout of RPMs and normalized compression for each rotor and each rotor face. My rx8 seems to rip fine and ive got 20-30hp less than i should. I dynoed on wednesday with 146hp at the wheels, and it still seems to scoot. Car has no spoiler, front lip, or side skirts. Its not worth that much. (I know those are minor details, but it adds value to the car.) Id guess the dealer maybe gave them 4500 dollars on trade. maybe. The price on my rx8 started at 6990, and i got them down to 5750. Dont settle for sticker price. Especially if theyre selling it to you as a "wholesale" most "wholesale" cars go for 500-750 more than what the dealer gave the previous customer on trade in. There is no way in hell that they gave the person 6400 dollars on trade. Unless they traded it in on a $60,000 vehicle. Then, maybe. It sounds like theyre trying to screw you over because they're realising they picked up the wrong car.

 

I'm in no way paying the original $6900 they asked for. I got them down to $6000 and told them I'm not purchasing the car until it comes back okay from the compression test which I will be getting done soon. The $6,000 is a decent price and is lower than wholesale though of course they still make money from dealer fees, but like I said it's cheaper than wholesale in my area.

Also, I just called one mazda dealership and was quoted $115.90 for the test and other said $400. What the heck is that?

 

The $400 quote is gouging. Probably an unscrupulous dealer.
Avoid them in the future.

 

Get that compression done at the Mazda dealer for $115 and then take the printout and check the numbers against our chart attached here.

 

Yeah, the test will be done Tuesday, making an appointment tomorrow at the Mazda shop. Hoping it comes back alright and everything. Are there any other tweaks or things I should look to get for the car as far as replacing parts and what not?

 

So my main question at the moment is, is there any other way to go about this than buy a brand new OEM ECU for the RX8 or can I spend a bit less and get a used one or a bit more and get one that will allow for more modifications in the future. I'm relatively new to modifying a car or tuning up the engine, but that's basically my question. Am I best off going with the ECU the dealership wants to install for $1100-$1200 total or should I get my own, and have them install it for me? And if the latter, what ECU exactly would you recommend?

Something like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Haltech-Spri...-/110945195926

Or a used one from ebay, but like I said, I have no clue.

 

I'd go with the known quantity ... the OEM part provided by and installed by the dealer. The part has to be installed by a dealer and they'd probably charge you as much or more to install a part you bought off eBay.