Owning a Rotary Engine
 

I've never owned a Rotary Engine before, so I was curious for those who decide to keep the 8 for a while...

1. Does it mean you have to always take it to the dealership if there are any issues with the rotary engine (after warranty expires)?

I assume that there aren't many mechanics outside of a Mazda dealership who are able to work on a rotary

2. Is repairing a rotary much more expensive than a typical engine?


Thanks for the help

I can't speak to the latter as did not owne before. I know I don't plan on having my car serviced anywhere except a Mazda dealer even after warranty. I'm only driving my RX-8 April - October, so I plan to keep for a while.

The rotary has less moving parts and when it does go up it could mean a big bill or another engine. I have no idea how far one can go. I hope 300,000!! The things that will need mechanics attention and expertise is all the computer controls, gadgets, electrical components, relays and such. A garage would need a computer scanner to read the fault codes. Some scanners will tell you where the defective part is and what color of wire is hooked to it and other location details. I would be concerned taking it to another shop that is not rotary certified outside of Mazda. If I did then I would want a written confirmation they can repair a rotary. Yeah, until these are produced more Mazda has kind of a sole-source on these for repairs outside warranty. Right now I don't think an independent shop would take the training for a rotary as there is not enough business out there for him to repair the rotary. Brakes and tranny you might get away with a cheaper repair cost but for the rotary and its computer controls I certainly would think Mazda will be the only place you could take it to get it fixed. An independent repair could also farm the work out to Mazda and mark up the Mazda repair cost making it more expensive then if you took it to a Mazda repair shop.

Very durable engines as long as you care for them properly. And no, you are not confined to going to the dealership. In my experience, and many others, after the warranty is up, the independent shops are generally much better. There are several very good rotary mechanics throughout North America that will run circles around just about any Mazda Service tech.

Rx-8 is my third rotary - in short, let it warm up, keep the oil level full and change ever 3000-5000 miles (depends on who you ask), and drive the heck out of it once it's warm, and you should easily get 200,000 miles.
There are rotary shops out there - the only major thing that seems to go wrong are blown apex seals - the Rx8 seals are supposed to be more durable than previous years, anyhow an engine rebuild (what's needed when a seal goes) - costs around 3000-4000 from rotary shops - not sure how much mazda charges.
Typically turbos can reduce seal life - keep that in mind, and our tranny is not the strongest thing in the world too - I believe the redline is more indicative of what the flywheel/clutch/tranny can handle than it is of the engine.

I've owned 5 rotaries.

1. Not necessarily. While rotary experts aren't as common as general import mechanics, when you find one they usually really are experts. With the popularity of the 8 there should be a reasonable amount of independent mechanics in 5 years.

2. Depends on what you mean by typical. If you mean a typical american product, yes parts will be more expensive. If you mean typical import, most parts will be comparable in cost but rotary specific parts will be higher in cost. I've owned 7 Mazdas and their reliaiblity is comparable to Toyota and Honda so you probably won't be spending much on fixing it after the warranty is up.

Blown Apex Seals
 

Are a result of pinging... and were exacerbated by turbocharging the engine.

The Renesis isn't turbocharged. So I don't think blown apex seals will be among the problems of the RX-8.

The naturally aspirated RX-7s of yore were notoriously reliable.

That is all.

Too much heat.

If you engine ever does give up it's ghost after the warranty, this forum will be HUGE, and the amount of data collected will be incredible. I think you will be very happy with your car's life expectancy. The key is to let it warm up before you drive it, and keep a quart of oil in the trunk for when you need it.

Oh, and don't forget to look for the long and winding road! Zoom Zoom

I owned two naturally aspirated RX-7's. Zero problems with either engine and I put 100K+ on each one. There's just not that much to go wrong.

The first one I wrapped around a guardrail while learning why you never come off the throttle in a turn when driving a RWD sports car. Ouch!

The second one was stolen and stripped. OUCH!

I could have gotten 200K out of either engine, maybe more. Between the two of them I replaced one water pump. Cost me $92 installed.

Maintain it properly, ie, check the oil
Don't drive like a madman until the engine's fully warmed through
Then drive like a madman! :D

good stuff guys, thanks for the replies.