I just hit 10,000 miles on my first reman' engine. 2,000 more miles and two months left on my warranty

 

I am at just over 170,000km now on original engine. 2007 model.

 

102,000 miles - '06 shinka - original engine

 

'04 GT
107,000 miles
Original engine

 

Not 100k yet but 90k miles. bought it with only 15k on it. Original engine. Oil changes every 3k with Defy oil, Trans and diff every 10-12k with Redline Heavy shockproof, Coolant was changed out to Be-Cool coolant when i bought her. Pre-mix with every tank with 6oz of Amsoil full syn 2stroke oil. Had both rotors scoped and almost no carbon at all still shiny and smooth. Also do a sea foam treatment every 30k. (note: scope was done before the seafoam not after.)

 

My sweetheart is at 142 XXX, running strong. Always taken care of at the Mazda shop. Keeping her clean and happy.

 

Got an '04 GT, just hit 175k on my original engine. Only ever had to swap out the starter on it.

 

Scuba Steve - what maintenance routines do you perform? Sea foam? Etc...
I am original owner of '05 with 120k... I've never done the sea foam treatment... I drive her like a demon and redline numerous times a day... I'm a bit nervous about doing it now.
I'm at a crossroad... She is terrific shape... Do I keep her? Buy some new rims... Maybe replace headlights? Or do I cut and run now?
Should I do the sea foam burnout now? Or will that adversely affect the seal?
I don't know what else to buy! I can't believe I missed buying another new one before the end...
I noticed fluid specifics in a post above, what changes are recommended at this point?
Besides rims, new headlights... What upgrades to my Pearl White baby?
Advice??

 

I have an '05 6MT, also, but with fewer miles than you. My 8 has been as close to trouble free as any other vehicle I've owned, tied with a 1994 Honda Civic EX with a manual transmission I drove in college.

After driving approx 15 new cars over the last 2 1/2 years, I ultimately came to the conclusion I would keep the 8 for as long as possible, since many of the new cars are worse than the "old" cars they replaced (never more true than with Acura, BMW and VW).

I've pretty much followed the book in terms of maintenance, but I do focus on the following:

1) 3k conventional oil changes with Purolator Pureone Filters (the taller ones that still fit).

2) 30,000 mile coolant flushes and re-fills. I also plan on regular hose replacements every 60k miles (the coolant system is critical in these cars, IMO, since the temp gauge is a dummy gauge, the motor is aluminum intensive in terms of content - and aluminum intensive motors are particularly susceptible to damage from even one overheating event; the Caddy 4.6 liter Northstar is a prime example of this).

3) Making sure to flog it at least a few times daily, provided safe road and traffic conditions. Lagging the rotary on a constant basis is, based on all evidence I've been able to glean, likely to lead to more carbon build-up than running it hard and in the 5k+ portion of the tachometer.

Regarding item 1 above, I also have a feeling keeping the oil at or slightly above the full line possibly is one of those things that helps increase the odds of a happy and long life.

I love this car, haven't driven a potential new replacement that drives as straight and true, nor possessing the steering feel the 8 does, nor having as magical a combination of excellent handling yet comfortable and compliant enough ride to use a daily driver even over rough patches of road, at even 2x the price I paid for my 8 (the Audi A4 was probably the car I would go with if I were to replace the 8, but the price climbs rapidly on it with even minimal options, which Audi of course bundles as expensive "packages").

Fun fact: The RX-8 has torsional rigidity that few production cars can match, and that even equals or bests many exotics, coming in at 30,000 Nm/deg. You can really feel this when traversing things like train tracks at highway speeds.

Also, my 8 has now been driven in 7 winters on dedicated snow shoes in the great white north, yet I have NO rust anywhere (not even the wheel wells). I added a preventative measure of coating the inside of the wheel wells as well as much of the undercarriage with Fluid Film just this past winter, precisely because I'll be keeping this car for a loooong time, and am most impressed with the ability of Fluid Film to adhere to all surfaces even when exposed to the nastiest elements winter throws at it, road salt included.

 

Thanks RotoRocket!
I concur with your feelings. I keep looking but unless I take a HUGE step up (Like the Carrera), there is nothing that catches my eye or turns my head...

 

I joined the 100k club today I plan to be buried in this car!

 

just ticked over to 112,000 today engine runs good but every now and then it has hard starts when i shut her off too quickly. stars fine if you let it idle for a bit before shutting off. and my second gear makes a loud noise when cold. but, knock on wood, this is the most reliable car ive had so far. even better than my jeep cherokee. just add a dash of 2-cycle to your tank and she will run forever.

 

Uh, an RX-8 can't go 100,000 miles, or even 50,000 miles. Don't you know? The Renesis engine has a fatal design flaw that makes that impossible. It must be true; I read it on the internet.

; )

 

whose doing ls1-ls7 swaps when your engine dies out? i know i am!

 

Just hit 100k on my original engine this morning!

05 6MT with no mods, weekend auto crosser and daily school runs and commuting sprinkled with many redline upshifts!

 

Jesus.... how many miles do you drive a day? I feel like last time I saw you it was a good ways away from 100k?

 

Yeah I've but 53k on it in just the last 2 years, lots of commuting and driving out a long way to get to autocross.

It must be said that apart from checking my oil level every other fill up, I do NOTHING out of the ordinary for this car, I just follow the maintenance schedule and drive it like an ordinary car, no revving before shut down, no 2-cycle oil in the gasoline, no shaman mystical dance before I autocross it. I just treat it like a car.

Surly it is DOOMED!

 

Don't worry, I know some good Shaman dances. I'll bring my rain stick and dream catcher to the next AutoX.

 

Haha ok good thanks

We'll see if I make it there, many people will suggest that I won't make it that far if I don't rev to 3.5k for 10 seconds before switching off with my right foot planted to the floor, then exit the car and walk around it counterclockwise unless in the Southern Hemisphere and don't forget to wipe down the reticulating splines at every fill up or every 50 miles, whichever comes first.

Man I hope none of this is news to any of you!

 

lmfao!!! rofl!!! on the last 3 posts...

 

Almost 130k on my '04 (owned since 94k), still on original motor. Probably mostly due to dumb luck at this point.

 

Not at all. It's the handful of owners who needed engine replacements who had dumb luck.

 

Yes, Mazda built and staffed a reman plant and rebuild thousands of engines just for the handful that had dumb luck. How many miles are on your RX-8 again?

 

Hahah, I get what you're saying, but I had such a small window ('04 purchased used in August '11, hit 100k in October '11) for the motor to let go, that I'm not sure a motor replacement a month or so into ownership could really be considered a good thing.

I'm hoping to get to 200k, but that's probably crazy. I gave up on my previous DD (which was my winter car, now is just sitting broken), an '01 Protege MP3, over the rust getting out of control, and that was at 181k or so.

 

I am at 179,000km and still going strong on original engine, 2007 model.