Ok gang I might be new to this group but not to other Forums ( C3 Vette, C4 Vette, BMW, and Corvette Forum).

Well my wife went out and bought the daughter a 04'RX8 with 46k miles silver with and automatic for her to drive. She had been in a very tragic wreck in Jan 10' and lived (lots of prayers AMEN and GREAT Doc's). I was happy to see all the crash worthieness and AIR BAGS that this car has

Well I need to know some of the ins and outs of this car and look forward to seeing what I can find here.

I have searched alot and just found out about the TSB about letting it idle and to warm up and the dealer said to rev it up over 3grand twice before shutting it off.

Well I was concerned about what would be the best oil but I can see that is across the board so will probaly use MOBIL 1 and but some Marvel Mystery Oil in the tank.

Any more sugesstion would be helpfull. Don't have a real history on the car but the local dealer said it appeared to have all recalls and upgrades done.

We are planning to change the oil this weekend even though the dealer (used) had it changed last month. What about plugs and changing the tranny fluid?

Looking forward to all the help and I will pass in on as I learn.
Hell use to run against these back in the early 70's (SCCA solo 2) and on the track.

Looks to be a nice car and WANT to KEEP it THAT WAY!

Thanks wro87

 

Welcome! Glad your daughter is OK. Good crash ratings convinced my wife to let me buy my 8.

If you did not get an owner's manual and quick tips guide, sign up in the owner's area of mazdausa.com and download the pdfs. Read the "short trips" part of the quick tips guide. It explains about warmup and rev, something that's widely misunderstood. No need to let it idle before driving: just ten seconds, then drive gently til its warm. If it's warm from driving, no need to rev before shutoff.

Don't use Marvel Mystery Oil. It's a solvent. If you want to premix, read the premix thread and use a real two-stroke oil. I'll let others advise you on what kind...there are guys here who really know their stuff.

For crankcase oil, personally I use Castrol GTX, and don't really see the point of using synthetic if you change it every 3000 miles. But, fearing for my life , I won't make an actual recommendation.

See if you can get a better dealer to look up the car's history. They should be able to say more than whether it "appears" to have all the recalls. That dealer's advice about revving does not give me a warm fuzzy.

If you change the plugs, you can get them for about $80 a set from the forum vendors or on-line places like Amazon or sparkplugs.com. Dealers will charge two to three times that.

Your daughter should enjoy the car. The only real quirk is remembering to not turn it off cold. Everything else about it is as sweet as you can get. Zoom!!

Ken

 

Well Ken did an awesome job covering the basics. I've never flooded my 8, never revved it before shutting off. A drive around the block is fine, and if I forget something in the house I just leave it running. I guess I'll risk being flamed, shot, etc by saying what oil I use lol. Castrol GTX 10w40. There are a number of threads covering the facts/theories regarding what oil is the best for the rotary, worth reading through and getting enough of an understanding of to make your own decision on it. Oh, the other thing with the oil is to check its level often. I check my oil level every other time I fill my tank, and I keep a quart in the car. If you have trouble reading the 8's dipstick, rough it up a bit with steel wool. Made it easier for me. Hope that helps!

-Vesper

 

Ken pretty much covered it. Since it's an auto, take care that it gets some high-rev hard driving, they get carbon build-up otherwise. Hard driving is good for a rotary, they don't tear up at high revs like piston engines, it's good for them.

 

Well I drove with her a little tonight and after it starts and she puts it in drive it seems to shutter a bit until you get it rolling is it the tranny or engine? My daughter says her freinds Eclipse does the same thing when she starts off in drive.

Thanks for the help Gang
WRO87

 

Mine does the same thing. I don't remember off the top of my head what it is, I think its the brakes actually. ABS self check.

-Vesper