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Need advice on whether or not I should visit the Doctor....... Picked up my first RX8 on Saturday (2004 /MT), and simply cannot remove the smile from my face no matter how hard I try..... I am assuming when the first CEL lights up, the smile may go away, but I am not so sure, this thing is just so damn fun. I have been an aircooled VW guy my whole life (still have three bugs right now), so I sort of have a thing for cars that like to be worked on regularly.
My daily drive to work is 12 miles of country winding road, and honestly, I cannot believe how fun this car is going in and out of turns.
I completely understand the love for this car!
Should I make the appointment, or will everything go back to normal after a period of time?
Thanks! No compression check done, ticking time bomb waiting to happen
This was actually an accidental Ebay purchase. I placed a bid on it, and forgot that I did.... a week later I had an email stating that I had won. The main reason I bid in the first place was because the location was 20 miles from my house and the price was not terrible (at least I don't think it was). Up here, you don't see a ton of them around. It is completely rust free (again, up here that is like finding a Unicorn).
I will get some pics later with my sons in it (11,8,and 4). They know dad likes to drive, and they really enjoy driving with me. Everything I own is a manual transmission (including my daily 4-banger Ford Escape), and I try to share my love of driving with my sons. We have three Go Karts, three VW Bugs, 4 kick-butt RC Cars, and now 1 RX-8.
The gameplan from here is to put it on my mini-lift (quickjack 3500) and basically give it a full going over- wires, plugs, coils, fluids, etc. I haven't looked at a compression test, because honestly, I haven't fully looked at any remedial steps that aren't an engine rebuild, if the compression is low. It seems like low compression= engine rebuild. So for now, I will get it all refreshed, start gas treatments, and have a good look at the starter, catalytic, and the cooling systems to make sure everything looks good.
Honestly, if I get a couple of years of summer driving out of it just by doing maintenance, I will feel like I won the lottery. It is hard to find a car that performs like this for such a low price, and extending that as long as I can is the gameplan. The car won't see any sort of weather, as I have a space in my "shed" (24x36 finished/insulated detached building) to park it for those days I need to keep the salt off of it.
Welcome and no the smile never goes away. I'm into 4 years of owner ship and 3 years the car had no motor in it lol. But I was still smiling the whole time while working on it. And now that I'm driving it again my cheeks hurt sometimes from smiling to hard for to long hahaha
I mean, you are a VW guy. Isn't CEL just normal for you guys?
Joking aside, I would have the code read by an OBD2 reader. You can purchase a Bluetooth unit on Amazon for $20 or under. If you are in a pinch, you can also visit your local Autozone and they will have your code read for free. Good to have an OBD2 reader in your toolbox for a modern car, though.
I mean, you are a VW guy. Isn't CEL just normal for you guys?
Joking aside, I would have the code read by an OBD2 reader. You can purchase a Bluetooth unit on Amazon for $20 or under. If you are in a pinch, you can also visit your local Autozone and they will have your code read for free. Good to have an OBD2 reader in your toolbox for a modern car, though.
Report back with your code.
No CEL yet, so far so good. I have been using a Bluetooth code reader and the torque app for about 5 years now.
Luckily, the VWs I collect don't have any computers.... Heck they don't even have those pesky radiators either!
Need advice on whether or not I should visit the Doctor....... Picked up my first RX8 on Saturday (2004 /MT), and simply cannot remove the smile from my face no matter how hard I try..... I am assuming when the first CEL lights up, the smile may go away, but I am not so sure, this thing is just so damn fun. I have been an aircooled VW guy my whole life (still have three bugs right now), so I sort of have a thing for cars that like to be worked on regularly.
My daily drive to work is 12 miles of country winding road, and honestly, I cannot believe how fun this car is going in and out of turns.
I completely understand the love for this car!
Should I make the appointment, or will everything go back to normal after a period of time?
-Tim
wait till ya get your doors blown off by a base model honda or yota or when your motor ***** the bed lol
No CEL yet, so far so good. I have been using a Bluetooth code reader and the torque app for about 5 years now.
Luckily, the VWs I collect don't have any computers.... Heck they don't even have those pesky radiators either!
My reading comprehension fails me again. I thought you said you have a CEL already, LOL.
I definitely hope you don't get any anytime soon. The only time I had a CEL is from hot plugging and unplugging the OBD2 reader and triggering the instrument gauge connection CEL, which is not a real CEL.
Well the smile isn't wearing off... I might be stuck with a rotary the rest of my life...
After a couple of weeks of casual driving (maybe 200 miles), I finally threw it on the quickjack and went to town. I haven't searched the forums to see if others use the quickjack, but I have had mine for a couple of years, and absolutely love it.
This weekend's work- New plugs, coils, wires, filters (air/cabin/oil), oil change, new starter, headlight treatment, tailight seal, rear seat buckle latch replaced, and thorough cleaning inside and out. I will get some pics up shortly, but you guys know what an RX8 looks like....
Make sure you put some UV protection of some kind on the housings now.
The plastic originally had a UV protection layer. This was eroded away over time and then you completely removed it by polishing them up. The housings will turn yellow and/or cloud up more quickly now if you don't.
There are some plastic films and/or coatings that should keep things looking nice for longer.
07-24-2019, 09:29 AM
