nzarnow

So I was driving home from a movie theater with my friend when my car died! We were going up the freeway on ramp when trouble struck. Shifting from 1st gear at 5k RPM into 2nd gear was fine. Then when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd at 4k RPM the car wouldn't keep accelerating. It reluctantly went into 3rd gear and then the RPM's would not move up nor down. The car was giving off a terrible vibration. It felt as if it wanted to shake itself to death! Trapped on the freeway going about 30-45 mph I pulled over to the shoulder, turned off the car, and flipped on my hazards. I called my dad because that felt like the best thing to do. He drove his chevy over and helped push the car all the way off the road.

I sat in the car with my friend while my dad inspected the car and asked us what happened. We tried starting it a few times and it kicked over, but did not sound good at all. It idled at only 500-600 RPM instead of its normal 1100 RPM. The car wanted to still drive so we drove the 3 miles to our home with the hazards on and going about 25mph. My dad drove the car and I drove his chevy with my friend behind him. It sounded like either a mortorcycle or a very old muscle car. Kind of like a constant clicking noise mixed with a low grunting sound. When we had it in the driveway we popped the hood again and it smelled a little and was very hot. We left it there until the morning.

The next day we called Mazda and had them bring a flat-bed to tow it back to the dealer. The next day they called to tell us what had happened. Turns out the engine had lost compression and one of the rotor-seals had broken. It needs a new engine! So now it is going to take 5-7 days for them to put a new one in.

Now here comes the part that pisses me off:

The car was brand new and we have only had it for about 6 months! Even worse is there are only 5,800 miles on it. When the car was purchased we followed the break in procedure to the spec. Everytime the car is cold we shift before 3k RPM untill the temp is straight up. Oil has been changed twice and quarts have been added to keep the level full. Of course the right kind of oil was used and even premium gas has been used. This should NEVER happen to a brand new car that has been treated as well as this one. To top it all off we received a Chevy Malibu as a loaner car yesterday! However, because I am only 17 I can't drive it! My father is the only one who is able to drive it and I have to drive his car to school now...

As much as I love this car, it really does not make me want to like Mazda. I plan on getting another RX-8 (or new RX-7 if they come out) in about 5-6 years, but things like this really turn myself and my dad off when it comes to the company. Now we have to go through the break in procedure again and do all that stupid **** all over again.

What do you guys think and what would you do?

BRealistic

Well, consider that any new vehicle is an assembly of 20,000 different parts. There are going to be a few issues with every new vehicle, and unfortunately some vehicles will have a part in the engine that causes a failure.

- for example, I know a woman with an Accord she bought new that is on the third factory engine replaced under warranty (but she is nuts- not sure how she did it, but that has to be taken in to account)

The short story version- demand a free loaner vehicle while your RX-8 is being repaired. I wish you luck in this, but also hope you don't get too mad until you give Mazda a fair chance to fix your vehicle.

BoilerX8

Do a search, there have been issues in hot areas with the engines. oh yeah, that isn't the curse. The curse is the bad wrecks of the silvers!!! Glad I have a Brillant Black.

nzarnow

I guess you are right, it just ticks me off that stuff like this happens. Believe me also, the loaner is free. I am giving Mazda a chance to fix it and make it just as much fun as it was the first day. However, it better be flawless...

Search for what? This is a new account and a new event. I just wanted to see some opinions.

buzzardsluck

That really sucks. I was recently w/o my 8 for a month and had a chevy malibu also. it was great on gas, 37.x mixed driving and a/c on max cold. trying to be positive. i just saw you have an AT, did you use the tiptronic alot or let it do the shifting?

nzarnow

I ALWAYS use triptronic. I do it without thinking now. It was a family choice not to get the manual, but my next one will be a stick for sure. I have no regrets though with what I have.

I suppose the Malibu will be okay, but I won't be driving it...

I guess a good thing will be when I get the car back it will feel amazing again. :p

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

Hot areas seem to have revealed catastrophic failure issues with the rotary engine. This is a fact, folks.

I love the 8 and the engine (I own one now!), but for whatever reason, there are buku reports of blown engines in hot climates (Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico).

Although I'm preoccupied with other matters at present, I am very familiar with Magnusson-Moss warranty law, state specific lemon laws (Michigan, in particular), and a variety of other consumer protection statutes that pertain to automotive or marine design/manufaturing defects (I've handled cases against General Motors, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Bombardier/Sea-Doo).

I'd like to see what Mazda's internal technical data (TSBs, warranty claim data, etc.) reveals about this particular issue.

edit - spelling. :p

shahram72

I am watching these reports carefully. I want to get one next year, but definitely an MT. Seems most the failures are with AT's. Still, completely unacceptable. I am seriously considering another car, but nothing else is as exciting and makes me want to pay this much for a car.

280RX-8

Now, my experience around teen drivers and what I know about kids in general makes it hard to believe such, how shall we say, restrained driving habits, especially when someone else is footing the bill for the car, but I don't know you, so I am passing no judgement. But my mechanicing experience tells me that ppl are a little less than honest with themselves when it comes to tearing up their engines. " No I wasn't getting all over the throttle! I just spun a main bearing puttering along! Crazy! " Of course, this doesn't apply to every single teen, present company included. I hope they take care of the problem for you, b/c it will influence my decision to still get an 8.

nzarnow

As far as the hot areas go, it was about 75 degrees at around 9 o'clock when it happened.

280RX-8: I don't floor it everywhere I go and I was not jumping all over the throttle. Believe what you will, but I doubt it was my driving habits that killed the car. I agree that a lot of teenagers mis-treat their car, but there is no way this was done due to abuse.

Hey, Shahram72, don't let one case spoil your attitude towards the car. There is truly nothing else like it on the road.

I will be calling my dealer tomorrow to see about an update. Stay tuned.

shahram72

I also think I will have better luck since I know I'll be easier than most on here, and would never even shift the car too quickly and risk grinding a synchro on a missed shift, but there will be occaisions when I'll want to "get on it" and I expect the car to stay in one piece. I used to have a 1991 Dodge Stealth non-turbo and I was quite hard on it from time to time and that car lasted 180K miles and was still running. It's now not, but the engine and tranny are still good after two tough owners. I doubt this car as as durable from what I am reading here. Very disappointing. I know there is nothing else like it, but if it does not have normal average car durability (and I expect better than average), then that's no good either. Will see over the next several months if this gets corrected in future models. I can't afford one now anyway. In any case, resale value will be hurt. I really can't find an alternative I like other than the new Mustang, but that's a completely different animal and I don't think I like it enough to spend $25K on it.

Still trying to figure out if this is an AT issue. I know MT's have had it, but could be for other reasons. On the other hand. I really flogged that 3.0L Mitsu engine and it always asked for more. Hard driving should not kill an engine for many many tens of thousands of miles. Tranny, yes, but engine, not unless it's way overrevved often.

280RX-8

Hey, man i was just checking. Some teens are fanatical about taking care of their cars, ESPECIALLY since they are lucky enough to have someone provide them with an awesome ride. You sound like your dad's taught you to appreciate what you've got. That's rare, especially among young ppl, in this "Age of Entitlement," where everyone believes they deserve to be in the same place as ppl who've worked hard to get where they are. That's what I believe. You have my respect. Now make sure you get a 6-spd next time. I had almost decided NOT to get an 8, b/c while I love almost everything a/b the car, I expected something that uses as much gas as it does to be faster. Then I thought about it," I don't street'race anyway' so what's it matter?"

nzarnow

Thanks 280RX-8, that means a lot. I thank my father every day for this car and I will never be able to really pay him back for all he has done for me. I still have a an eternity of years left to get a manual RX-16 or whatever they have out then.

5 years 50,000 miles is a pretty good warrenty so I don't think you should worry Shahram. This is a pretty rare case considering how many RX-8's are out there. Just go in to a dealer just before or just after the next years models come to the dealers. You can get a brand new one that is technically a year older for an amazing price. Example: a 2005 right now can be had for around 4k - 9k off of MSRP.

280RX-8

I think that it is just a defective part sort of issue(i.e. faulty apex seals, maybe the parts supplier had a bad run?) more than a durability issue. From my experience, rotaries are nearly impossible to blow up, (excepting the previous examples) as long as you don't run them out of oil. The apex seals wear out sort of quickly, (I've heard 60k or so), then the motor will need to be rebuilt, but it's only like 10 or 12 parts. Compared to a piston engine rotary rebuilds are simple, provided you have a rotary mechanic.

spieder

It was probably just a defective seal or it could be the "hot climate" problem. Remember, these are brand new cars fromt eh ground up. Occasionally some will have catastrophic problems. I remember when I bought my Mazda Protoge that I compared it to the Honda civic. The Honda civic and Protoge had around 6 engine problems per 100 cars, which was pretty damn good. So I figure 3 or 4 out of 100 cars just have problems. If any one is familiar with manufacturing, then they'll remember the bucket failure rate charactistic of new products. There are always a certain number of anything produced that fail relatively quick. They call it infant mortality. Now, if your second engine dies, theres a problem.

I honestly don't think that the hot climates are damaging the engines directly. I am more inclined to think that there is a malfunction with another component. Maybe a sensor or the computer itself is misreading/processing data at high, prolonged temperatures due to defects. Then, it's telling the oil metering pump to incorrectly put out the wrong amount of lubricant.

One of the changes that I don't like about the RX8 was that the oil metering pump's output is completely controlled by the computer and the sensors that feed it data. The older rotary's didn't use a closed loop system. Rather, they varied the oil based on throttle position.

Another thread mentioned that the dealers were replacing the engines and ltetting the cars sit with word from Mazda. This also supports the guess that it's another component that's malfunctioning since they think the engines are ok.

It may not be a wear related problem at all. The apex seals themselves are pressed against the housing using a heat treated spring. It's possible that the springs were not annealed properly and are either cracking or bending. There may even be a rpoblem with the main journal bearings. If the housings are bored out of round, the eccentric shaft may very well be oscillating and the rotars are getting too far/too close the the wall.

I'm sure once they have isolated the problem they will take care of us.

280RX-8

You know your rotaries, man. Your explanations also detail just how near-impossible it is to diagnose a problem w/out hands-on contact. You just never know for sure until you look inside.

nzarnow

So I called the dealer and they said that they had a new engine on order. The busted engine is completly dropped out of the engine bay and there is just a huge hole now!

I guess I am just going to wait until they say they are done to get all the information on what happened.