StewC625

Driving my -8 this AM, I noticed that I have just over 5500 miles on it now. So, since it seems to be the fashion, here's my 5K report:

1) Gas Mileage: I get 17 mpg on most tanks. My car gets mostly urban driving - a mix of 45-50 mph roads, occasional expressway use, some "stuck in traffic", and plenty of around-town motoring. On the two road trips I've driven it on, I got 19 and 21 mpg. Chicago uses "oxygenated" gas for smog purposes, which is 10% ethanol blend - ethanol blend fuel has fewer BTUs per gallon (less energy content) than plain gasoline, so, my mileage is 10 - 20% lower right out of the gate.

2) Fuel choice: I switched from 93 (mostly Shell VPower) to 87 octane major brand (BP, Shell or Mobil) with no noticable loss in performance and driveability.

3) Maintenance/warranty/repair issues: I did the M-Flash at 1250 miles and an oil change then, and got the oil changed again at 4100 miles when I installed when I installed the new tires (more on that below). Other than that, no visits to the dealership to fix anything.

4) Unfixed problems: My brakes are starting to squeek a bit, and my driver's seat was creaking but seems to have stopped. I have quite a few scratches on the seat, and since there's a TSB on that, I'll have it done next service.

5) Flood/start issues: None whatsoever. Occasionally, I'll get a long crank when the car is half-cold (sat for an hour or so in cold weather after being fully warmed), but it always starts. There seems to be a "dead spot" in the start up map in the ECU when the car has cooled partway that causes the car to crank for 7-10 seconds before starting, but as I said, always starts.

6) Performance: I've had to visit my doctor for persistent cramping in my cheek muscles. His diagnosis was that I've been grinning too much. Nuff said?

7) Breakin procedure: Well, I babied it a bit during the first 600 miles but after that have driven it like I stole it. Sorry, I'm not a good citizen in this regard. Don't buy my car when I turn it back into the leasing company ...

8) Tires: Around Thanksgiving I installed Pirelli PZeroNero M+S tires as a repalcement for the stock Potenzas. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I put them on in size 245/40/18, so they are an inch wider and look sharp as hell as a result. They handle terriffically in dry conditions - I think better than the Potenzas, and give good traction and driveability in snowy conditions. I'm very pleased with this "mod/upgrade" and strongly recommend it to anyone who is in cold climate areas.

9) Overall Enjoyment: 10+ on a scale of 1 to 10!

Love it love it love it.

Stew

RX-Hachi

Thanks for the report. I'm at 5K as well and have similar observations. I've only been to the dealer once in that time, for an oil change and M-flash. Zero problems, still tight and rattle free, but I'm starting to detect some slight noises coming from the dash. I wouldn't call it a rattle yet, just a muffled looseness. I get about 16-17 mpg, but for Honolulu that's good, as it's 100% city driving and all cars in Honolulu get poor mpg compared to the EPA estimate. Plus I've always got my right foot to the ground and redline shifts are just too fun!

Had the car since May '04 and will still think of any excuse to get in and drive, I feel like going on a drive just thinking about it