Laundry List of problems for 2004 RX8 NEED HELP!!
 

Okay so Ive been lurking this forum ever since I got my 8 back in '05. I've learned alot about RX8's in general. I even remember buying the sterling silver side mounts one of the users was selling. Btw, those things were really cool, nice quality, I was very happy with them.

Anyway, down to it. I love my RX8, but I swear it's like an evil ex girlfriend. Love hate relationship. Been having problems with it from the get go. Most of them being the cold start bullshit. I have probably towed my RX8 a total of 6-8 times, with every year getting worst. Even as an educated RX8 member (Putting in oil as needed, making the switch from 5W20 to 5w30 etc.) shit seemed to be getting worst.

Here's a picture of my car

Attachment 270447

SO, 3rd time this year I have taken to my car in the dealership. This final time, it came back with a list adding up to about $3,405. I am out of warranty. Here is what they faxed me.

Spark Plugs and Wires - $540
Engine Decarb - $205
Right and Left Engine Mounts - $485
Rear Differential - $700
Oil Nozzle Vacum Leak - $645
Coolant Leak (Thermostat Housing, Upper/Lower Radiator Hoses) - $660

What is covered under the power train warranty? All these times I have taken it in for flooding, is that covered under the power train warranty? I asked that and they told me carb removal was not covered.

I also would like to know what on that list I can just take it in somewhere else so I dont have to get raped by the dealership.

Engine mounts and the differential should be covered under the power-train warranty. The oil nozzle and thermostat housing may be, I'm not sure, and the engine decarb and hoses are definitely not.

You mentioned having a lot of cold start issues; do you have the updated starter?

You probably need plugs wires and coils but that price is ridiculous.

Coils 4*$30 each. 120 (www.finishlineperformance.com)
plugs $80 for the set. 80 (PM charles R. Hill)
Wires ~$100. 100 (www.racingbeat.com)

grand total= $300 plus about 2 hours of your labor if you know how to take out your air intake and driver's front wheel.

The rest has nothing to do with flooding your engine.

And I have no idea what they are talking about with your rear differential. Is it broken?

I was looking at the Hesitation/Idle due to cracked engine mount service bulletin and it says only new vehicle limited warranty is covered, so I dont know...

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...01-09-2062.pdf

I dont understand how the engine mounts would not be covered. Ive been having rough idle a couple months after I bought it and I see engine mount threads here all the time.

I last remember giving me a new starter back in '07. I think they charged me like $650 for it.

I'm calling Mazda USA. See if they can give me a print out of all my services and see what the fuck is going on.

Sorry for being such a car noob. I'm finding out tommorow, but I would guess it's broken looking at the $700 price tag. What else can be wrong with it?

Thanks again for all this help. I greatly appreciate it and it takes a ton of pressure off of me.

I couldn't find it on here, but after some hunting here is the a PDF of the list from Mazda of what is covered under the 5YR/60K Powertrain: http://www.coremazda.com/tsb/rx8/pow...-extension.pdf

Engine Mounts and the Differential are on there. I had them done like a year and a half ago, and same thing I had to remind them. :)

Idk where you are finding drivable, titled 8's for $6k...but if you got the links to the sellers page, give it to me! I'll buy 2!

I have +80,000 miles on it. The only warranty I have is the 8 year/100,000 Miles Engine warranty. I'm a noob, so I probably shouldnt have called it a power train warranty. But that's what I was asking, What that warranty extension covers?

These are the numbers I got from KBB and Auto Trader. If it's true, then it's fuckin depressing. I got my RX8 for 24,000 with 20,000 miles on it.

man you could probably do all that yourself or at least get the parts for WAY cheaper on here or from vendors or used and then if you can for some (coils plugs etc) do it yourself and for others like the differential take it to a shop that you trust or a good friend trusts youll save ALOT and stuff like the engine mounts (if im not mistaken) you can deal with em and drive the car till you have more money later on!

I just had sparkplugs, coolant, diff and trans oil done for $270 tax in at a regular mechanic. The dealership is hosing you, take it to an independent mechanic with a referral from a friend who trusts them.

Most of that you can do your self. Use SeaFoam to decarb the engine yourself for $10. Sparks, wires and coils are all basic do it at home project. The dealer will rape you just because you don't know. They know you don't know because you drag your car to them every time the engine light turn on. If you need help just ask. I got lots of help from this forum. Save me lots of $$$$$. I'm just like you about 2 yrs ago. Good luck and stay calm.

I would find out exactly what they say they need to do to your differential. $700 actually sounds like too little to replace your diff if it's broken but way to much to replace the fluids.

Not too many people have broken their diff. unless they were drag racing and experienced massive wheel hop.

Motor mounts are a common problem on '04s. They redesigned them in '05. Any compitent mechanic should be able to do this work though. It's pretty standard and you can save a bunch of money by buying the parts from the dealer and bringing it to a mechanic you trust.

If you don't have one you trust check out www.yelp.com and get local recommendations on their site.

yeah bro i think the dealer (stealer) is raping you in the a** just search some prices some more and take it to an independent for the big stuff or do it yourself ... pm me if you need help finding some of the stuff for cheap i always shop around and have found some great prices on stuff vendors on here have awesome prices too so yeah you car will be fine just put the time and effort into searching for the parts and get a good mechanic screw the dealership man

I suggest doing the plugs, coils and decarb your self. reason is, you get to learn more about your car.

here are some diy that i feel should help you on your quest.
Coil and wires change by Dozer https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-mazda-ignition-coils-pics-178515/
Plug change by xsniper https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-spark-plug-change-145045/
Decarb by Nycgps https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-replace-your-radiator-aftermarket-oem-both-same-116729/

good luck.

now i need to find me where i can buy some motor mounts for my self :(

Engine Mounts here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ction=0&page=1

Looks like about $200 for all three.

sweet, awesome price. think i need to change mine out. i want ot say they are cracked, but wont know until i pull the wheel and check.

I see there are 4 mounts (Left, Right, Driver and Passenger), but you said only 3 are needed? Which ones?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you de-carbon the engine by getting it hot and then revving it while spraying water into the intake? Or does that not work on the newer engines?

$540 for spark plugs and wires? I don't know how hard they are to get at, but if the parts cost represents a significant chunk of that price tag, then you got bent over with no lube and they didn't even hold you afterwards.

Can you tell if the vacuum leak is a hose or a hard plastic/metal part? If it's a hose it's not worth more than the cost of new hose to get that fixed.

In my 2009 manual it says if the engine floods, floor the gas and crank the engine for 8 seconds -- the ECU will take that as a signal that the engine is flooded and it won't try to inject any more fuel until you shut it off again and try to start it normally. Does that require a newer firmware than the OP's engine has?

Every rotary since the S5 FC RX-7 has had the "Hold the pedal down to stop the fuel from getting injected" feature. They were sick of people installing Kill Switches on the car, I guess :lol:

Sometimes the plugs could be so fouled that the usual work around just won't work, and taking them out and cleaning them/replace is the only way.

I freakin' hate dealers, which one is it? Go burn the place down!

the new starter was free.

wtf is up with your dealership.

engine decarb is like $20 at my local dealership.

wtf.

and i would contact paul @ mazmart about a new rear diff. although i have no clue why you would need one unless you hit 1. drift professionally or 2. hit something.

seriously.

I don't know... I've gotten my 8 started after three super floods. And all three times I had to remove the fuel pump fuse.

And just to reiterate that- I've never had it towed even though I have super flooded it three times.
FWIW- I was always in a driveway when it happened. (knocks on laminated wood).

Whoa

Your Dealer is basically sticking a gun to your head a robbing you.

As posted above buy the parts discounted/ upgrade and do what you can yourself. DIY threads will help out with any confusion.

I wouldn't think of taking my car back there in the future, not even for a simple tire rotation. They don't deserves your business and your better off going to a private shop.

Do some research and find a private garage that knows something about rotaries. Dealers are good for only one thing------- Re-maned Engines PERIOD..

Good Luck

My dealer covered everything you just said under my powertrain warranty except for the coolant, but under powertrain they covered my plugs, motor mounts, and engine decarb....

Plugs? I'm surprised they covered the plugs since the list does not specifically say that... that's like covering the coils. Actually- that's even better since the spark plugs are shown in the service schedule to replacing every 35k miles or so. The dealer may have given you an AWA (after warranty assistance) based on you being a good customer and/or having many issues with said car. That used to be fairly common when the auto industry was going strong, but not in the last few years.