I bought my RX-8 almost two months ago, I love it. However, there are few issues I have and I need to know your opinion:

1. I turn it on, go reverse, then I go into first gear and as soon as I remove the clutch I hear a "cluck" noise from the front area. Probably is normal, maybe ABS?

2. When idle, there is some small vibration at the manual shifter. I though the rotary would be smoother!?

3. When the A/C system is blowing only air through the front exits right above the radio, the passenger side blows air stronger than the drive side, normal?

4. At the junction of the driver door and the body, inserted on the body there are some black plastic pieces, the shape is like to cushion the door, however, this pieces are missing on the passenger side door. Besides, around the same are, the driver side has a black screw (my car is red), and is different at the passenger side.

5. I have a faint squeak when braking. Cheap pads? I thought these pads are ceramic.

6. How come when I turn off the car, I can move the side windows up and down, but the sunroof is not powered.

7. My $20k Mazda Tribute turns off the headlights automatically if I leave them on. How come my $30k RX-8 does not?.

Yes, I’m picky.

 

1. happens when i go straight from neutral to 1st without letting the gears in the tranny spool down.

2. normal

3. no clue

4. sounds like the door seals are missing from the passenger door

5. what year is your car. i know there is a tsb for the 04's concerning this, i just recently had mine taken care of

6. oversight on the engineering i guess

7. same as 6

 

1 maybe
2. it is smoothr but that doesnt mean this tranny is. please also remember that this shifter is directlt connected to this tranny and it is 6 inches from your hand, unlike the FWD vehicle you drove in the past which was isolated from the tranny by much linkage. what you have there is what auto journolists lovingly call feed back.

3yes

4 picplease?
5 its an on going issue some have others dont search brake squeal

6. thats the way they designed it.

7thats the way the designed it. price doesnt equal creature features when comparing sport cars and suv's or minivans.

 

Ok guys, thank you for your fast responces. My car is a 05 Red RX-8 GT made on 11/04. I shouldn't have squeak from the brakes I guess, the squeak is not loud, but still there.

For #4, I mean, that black cushion-round pieces are at the far front corner between the driver door and the body (not the black seal around the door/body junction). they are missing on the passenger side, the holes for that pieces are there but covered.

zoom44: Thank you for your comment about the vibration, I just wanted to confirm that is normal (this is my first rotary car). BTW, before the 8 I was driving a manual 02 Mustang GT, yes it had vibration at the shifter. I'm not a big fan of FWD cars, I always try to get RWD cars (maybe AWD), although I love my FWD Mazda Tribute.

 

There are two clunks you might be hearing:

1) Yes, the ABS self-test will make a clunk when you initially back up I believe. Prob not what you're hearing though, since you're already in first, so...

2) As someone suggested, it'll also clunk when going into first unless you hesitate for a second after pushing the clutch in before pushing the shifter into gear. You'll also notice it at red lights... light turns green, clutch in and shift into first and... CLUNK. Ya gotta clutch in... wait... wait... then ease it into first. No clunk.

 

abs self checks happens after 1st starting the car and then driving over 3 mph whether forward or reverse.

 

This is a timed function. You only have about thirty seconds to close the windows and I believe the sunroof can be closed too. You might have waited too long before trying the sunroof.

 

Try some aggressive braking (in a safe situation, of course). Sometimes people with new cars are too easy on the brakes and the pads become glazed. Doing some heavier braking can help the pads break in and may help your squeaking.

 

Face it ... 04s squeak. It's stupid! But a fact that they are TRYING to remedy.

 

1) I have the same clunk, i back out of my driveway, then put it into 1st, as soon as I start to move (feel like 1 full rotation of the tire forwards, there is a clunk...dealer told me its totaly normal...but couldnt say what it was, just that its nothing to worry about.

2) no matter how smooth there is always gonna be some vibration in a car with a trany such as this, like zoom44 said, the shifter is in direct contact with the trany.

3) mine does this too, its just the way the dash vents are routed from the blower, my 2 center vents (above the radio) blow the most, then is the pass side round vent and last is the drivers side round vent with the least ammount of air. My guess is that this may be left over from the car being RHD, since most cars focus on the driver, it could be that they wanted the vents on both sides of the drivers seat to blow the most air, and forgot about it in the LHD changeover. oh well.

4) if I saw it i would have a better idea, but as someone else said, it sounds like some modling is missing.

5) if its wet out, or my brakes are cold (in the morning) i will head a very faint squeel when i get on the brakes lightly...after using the brakes when they warm up / dry off ... it goes away.

6) I think its also an oversight, both side windows still have power after I turn off the car, but my sunroof doesnt...strange but no biggie.

7) im not sure why mazda didnt put a self shutoff on the lights for this car, or a 'auto' setting on the collum for the light controls...most cars in this price range have 'auto' headlights, more then likely its to save cost, like the reason we dont get the auto AC....i could care less about all the automatic stuff though.

all in all, theres nothing to worry about, sounds like the car is running as it should, so enjoy it and dont worry. I would have the dealer look at the thing on the door when you take it in for its first service at 5k miles!

happy motoring

 

Just for clarification, since everyone's already answered most of these- the clunk you're hearing is the ABS test. It's normal, they all do it.

 

My 8 makes a clunk noise after I back out of the garage, stop, put it in first gear and pull away. The noise occurs the instant the car starts moving forward. My guess is that the brake calipers, having just stopped the car going backwards, are readjusting themselves to the forward movement of the car. I think this is a characteristic of the floating calipers and the slight drag of the pads on the discs. If I don't back up again, the noise doesn't recurr.

Just my 2 cents worth.

1.3L

 

1. Same here but happen when move forward from parking.
2. same
3. Dont know
4. DOnt know
5. A little bit although my car is new april 05
6. duno
7.duno

 

sunroof isn't powered when you turn off the car, you must have the keys turned to the on position to close it when the engine is off. windows will go up and down until you open up the door or wait about 30secs.

everything else is normal except #4. not sure what you mean by that exactly. I'll check out my car when i leave work

MrJynx

 

Thank you, just open the door and check the at the area where the door meets the body and compare it with the passenger side.

 

hmm.. what about when you change from park to reverse, any clunking noise there?

 

VR, honestly I had no idea what in the world you were talking about on #4. Then I went and looked. I think these black thingamabobs are what yer talking about. And yes, if yours matches mine, I'd assume they are correct. Funny I never noticed these things before!!!

 

Isn't a Mazda Tribute really a Ford Escape? You should have bought a Mustang I am sure the headlights would automatically go off

 

My experience with Mustangs has been great, I still miss my 02 Mustang GT. I think the new looks of the 05 is great... but that looks is not for me. I was very close to buying one, but the RX-8 looks so good and is closer to what I like to drive. I fell in love with the RX-8, I knew it wasn't perfect, not a torque monster, not the faster 0-60, I knew about its shortcomming before I bought it, but love is love, and I got the 8 over the G35 and the Mustang GT

Ford Escape=Mazda Tribute... that was the reason I bought it :D

 

Agreed, but there IS a service bulletin for some 04 cars "SNAPPING NOISE WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED - 18" WHEELS"

that COULD apply to some folks reading this thread. The person that posted the question has an 05 so we know it is just the ABS test.

Dennis

 

Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Landrover Freelander...all the same.