TK421

Well until two days ago I didn't know anything about rotary engines or how they differ from other cars. So I went to a Mazda dealership that had only one 2004 rx8 6 speed manual with 130,000 they also had it over priced, after the test drive which it drove fine I wasn't really use to the rpm , got back they tried to move it and turn it over for five seconds started, then they got a battery box and it started up, took it to the back to get it looked at. I almost guessed something simple like the battery at first, after asking multiple times will it make it back to where I live and got a repeated yes, made an offer that was under a fair price that I could use towards fixing it. Car was still in back, they did take their time , then came back offered it to me for about half the asking price said it would need some work later on but after asking again will it drive to where I live and them telling me yes, I got it. well it drove fine for an hour until I noticed a light flashing " low coolant " , then hit traffic jam started idling low almost died a few , about thirty minutes form where I was going dash lights started coming on, then I noticed gas gauge was empty and light was on " best guess heat messed up electronics" fuel was still there, made it back and tried to turn it over didn't do anything. The sales guy called the next day I told him about 8 pm, followed by the coo/manager of the dealership sending me a email at 2 am today I told him what happened and gave the number to the shop I left it at. Anyway very interesting start, hopefully things work out.

ken-x8

Doesn't sound very promising. But are you sure you didn't just run out of gas? The coolant light doesn't necessarily mean anything - the sensor in the overflow tank often goes bad and turns the light on even if the coolant level is OK.

Since the dealer did follow up when you told them what happened, hoepfully they'll stand behind it. Let us know what happens.

Ken

TK421

Well I never heard back from the dealer, wrote a complaint to the BBB and not that it will do anything anyway. On the plus side the guy who I left it with found the master fuse bad and few other things $110 fix over all. Had that coolant light blink again, took it back it was low and he topped it off. Got to the gas station noticed some coolant leaking, got home still leaking some, not badly, probably take it back tomorrow for a coolant leak. What I was thinking of doing was possibly getting a mishimoto radiator, thermostat, hose kit, not really concerned about trying to add power, more just keeping things cool, also if adding a oil or transmission cooler would really help ? improve the handling maybe which is already good, add an exhaust system and fixing the cd player.

Khurram

Don't waste money on oil or tranny coolers. Your stock oil coolers are already more then decent. Tranny oil coolers are needed on Auto as far as I have read.

Mishimoto is good but they tend to have some fitment issues check the threads for mishimoto radiator on this forum.

If you are in hotter climate zone then look into Remedy thermostat (69F) and Remedy waterpump along with the lower temp fan mod. this will help you keep your engine cooler. an Upgraded radiator is always a plus.

Also, look into your plugs, coils, wires and if they haven't been replaced recently then your best bet is to replace them, (BHR seems to be the top pick arround here). Dealer will charge you & 1000. there are DYI's available and you can do it in 1 hour or less depending on your skills.

Ensure your Cat is good, Look into Catch Can this will prevent your ssv from being gunked and your air filter being soaked in oil. SOHN Adapter is another good mod and supported by majority of the members. These are all reliability mods.

Before anything, get the compression test done. That will help you determine the engine's health.

Read the new potential owners sticky, that's packed with ton of info.

all the best

TK421

Thanks, well I was able to drive it to a friends house as I got out I watched what remained of the coolant the mechanic topped off, pour out form under the car. So I took it back. The dealership that is the closest to me "100 + miles away" is the same one I bought my car from, their responses to my complaint was I bought the car knowing it would need repairs and they have been completely transparent and the attached documents I signed. Ok so they cover themselves and ignore what I said and asked. Just curious does anyone else think that a Mazda dealership selling a Mazda RX-8 might know about recalls it might have, who took it back to be looked at, then allowed it to be bought and driven off their lot with problems and saying the car was ok to drive back sound ok ? They took a battery box, put it on it then started up, came back said it will need repairs later on but not to let it die because of the starting problems. Battery, weak starter, injectors, fuel pump maybe what I thought. Anybody think the people above the dealership would agree with their practices ? Would they be able to do anything? I asked that if they would let the mechanic who has it know of the problems they found when they looked at it and if it was one of the cars that was recalled, and if they felt like doing anything else at all. That was not asking to take my car back, pay the repairs repair cost, perhaps actually answering my questions, offer to look at the car and such. My reply to their response was still not asking for anything besides information, even though the mechanic said the master fuse that was blown might have been because of the battery box they put on it. So thoughts, comments, ideas ?

ken-x8

Any Mazda dealer can look up recalls and service bulletin fixes that have been done. As far as whether they'd do that spontaneously to look after the welfare of the customer who would buy that car - well, it's the used car department. And a car salesman is in the loop.

You did buy a 10 year old used sports car. There's a certain amount of risk in that. Consider just forgetting about the dealer, and focus on fixing the leak(s) and other problems. Khurram gave you a really good list. Compression test should come before you do anything expensive.

Ken

TK421

I finally found the recall notice on Mazda's website after some searching, had recalls and they say repairs completed some good news. After I got the car back there were no start issues, even after driving no problem starting, rpm was back to normal, the coolant problem needs to be fixed, so I will be hopeful that he can do the compression test and maybe it will be ok. Since I'm not sure how much experience he has with rotary engines and nobody else seems to work with them anywhere near where I'm at.