I finally bought my dream car, a 2005 White RX-8. I have heard so many random bits of information about maintaining an RX-8; however I don't know what is true.

My question; is there any tips or things I should know about owning an RX-8?

I have heard to check the oil frequently and to change it ever 3,000 miles. An to rev it up to 9,000 RPM every now and then to burn off the carbon deposits.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

dont turn off cold
check oil
drive it to 9000rpm not to rev it up
and have fun

 

Take a driving course, that is the best advice.

Other than above posts...... make sure it was tuned up before you bought it or save up for a tune.

 

Jason's got the basics. I'd add wait til it's warm before running hard or revving high. There are also a couple of knowledgable folks here who say that revving to 8000 is enough to blow out the carbon...and that 9000 is not that great for the engine. But 9000 sure sounds sweet.

For deeper info...read the FAQs on this site. Read the owner's manual and Quick Tips guide. Sign up in the owner's section at mazdausa.com to get electronic copies of the OM and QT.

Follow Mazda's maintenance schedule, with the exception of changing oil every 3000 miles instead of what they say. Don't let the over-maintainers here panic you into thinking you need to do much more than that.

Have fun with it!

Ken

 

Thank you! This all seems very helpful but I have a few concerns about what has been said.

What does "don't turn off cold" mean? I feel dumb for asking this but I'm not 100% sure what it means exactly.

On the rev it up till 8,000-9,000 RPM, is that while driving it on the road? I doubt 8,000 in neutral would have an effect.

What is a "tune-up"?

I apologize for any inconvenience. I'm just trying to learn.

 

If your engine isn't warmed up yet, you must not turn the car off, instead go inside and get a hair dryer and an extension cord. Fire up the hairdryer and gently heat up the entire front half of the car... Once it's all nice and toasty, then you can turn your car off..

 

Always let the car warm up for a good minute - 5 minutes on cold starts, or else you can flood your engine.
Rev it up to 9,000 rpms to get rid of the carbon build up at least once a week.
Every 2 times you fill your tank, tap off your oil.
Make sure you use 5w-20 NONE Synthetic oil.
Every 3,000 miles get an oil change, again 5w-20 none synthetic.
Check your sparkplugs, wires etc also, since you bought it used, you don't know the last time you had a tune-up, unless they provided all the paperwork.

Most importantly, love your rx8.

 

It means don't turn it off before the temperature gauge reaches its normal position. See the short trip procedure in the Quick Tips guide for details if you need to just move your car a short distance.

Right. Do it while driving.

In days of yore a tune up was the annual replacement of spark plugs, breaker points and condensor, plus adjusting the timing and (possibly) adjusting the carburetor's idle mixture.

These days it usually means a random list of items designed to enrich a dealer or repair shop.

It's much more meaningful to follow the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual, and not think "tune up."

Ken