I'm getting to know my new-to-me 2004 RX-8 GT. So far, search on the board here clued me in to the valet button in the glove box which was keeping the trunk button from opening it.
My car has the optional spare-tire carrier assembly minus the Enkei wheel/tire/cover. Fortunately I have all of the tire tools. Above the lid that covers the tools, on the vertical part of the back of the trunk there is large rectangular indent, like something might have sat in there. Any idea what that might have been? I can post a picture for clarification if needed.

Is the Bose system somewhat underwhelming? I don't listen to bass-heavy music, but it has practically no bass. I'm not hearing rattling like if the woofers were blown, but maybe the foam is gone?

I stopped by to visit one of my stepdaughters which involved slow driving for about 5 minutes. When I parked, the cooling fans ran with the key off. That's fine, but when I left 10 minutes later, they were still running which seemed excessive. I've been keeping an eye on the temp gauge like a hawk and it hasn't gone past halfway so I don't think the car got hot.

Random trip for today...traveled to Spokane WA to what turned out to be an excellent wrecking yard and picked up a good used warrantied MT for my car as the transmission in it was almost completely out of gear oil much to my chagrin. With oil in it, it sounds better but damage has definitely been done, so I pre-emptively bought the transmission. I also bought a complete OEM airbox assembly (including all mounting hardware), and a steel space safer wheel/tire before I knew what the car was really supposed to have. The Injen "cold air intake" is open in the engine bay, so it's certainly not a cold-air system, plus has a K&N filter which I'm not a fan of. And the "whaaaaaa" sound is obnoxious to my ears, so...OEM will go back in.

While I'm not 20 years anymore, this thing is just a hoodlum car! It is an absolute blast to drive. I don't know how Mazda did it, but it handles like a go-kart, yet doesn't deliver a knock-your-teeth-out ride quality. The 280 mile trip back from Seattle was actually pleasant on some substandard highway roads. This is going to be my baby for a long time...I look forward to fixing the little issues it has, and it will definitely get a proper engine rebuild when the time arrives. It has 121K on the odometer, but has zero hot start issues and runs really well, so I'm wondering if the engine was replaced at some point.

If I need a somewhat idiot-proof way to improve oiling, is one of the OMP adapters better than premixing? While yes, you could let the OMP system run dry, I think that is less likely than loaning the car (if I ever do) to a family member and having them forget to add oil at the gas pump.

 

Welcome! There's nothing above the jack and tow eyelet stowage.
The bose system leaves a lot to be desired, but you can at least up the bass via the equalizer controls. You can also replace the rear speakers. Anything more than that and you need to rip the whole thing out including the head unit.

The most idiot proof way is premixing. If you forget to premix, you just go back to stock oiling. If you forget to fill the Sogn reservoir, you have no oiling.

Aftermarket intakes on this car are a waste at best, a source of problems at worst. MazdaSpeed/AEM/RacingBeat are ok, but the stock intake is already as cold air as it can get, so good idea to go back to stock

 

I thought I picked up another transmission noise but it turned out to be the metallic triangle on the top of the gear shift is loose. Before I break it trying to take it off to fix it, is there an easy fix? Or do I just carefully shoot some epoxy under the triangle and glue it back down?

 

Picked up a CEL. P0076 Powertrain Intake Valve Control Solenoid circuit low and P0456 Powertrain Evaporative Emissions control system leak detected (very small, leak, check fuel cap, piping etc). Will look into those this week.