GORX-8007

Ok, I'm pretty new to this forum and to the RX-8 in general, but not to performance cars. I've owned pretty much every decent performance car out under 40K. My 2 previous cars were 09 BMW 135i with quite a few mods and then a stock 08 STi.
I bought my 09 RX-8 back in Feb and have been daily driving ever since. I knew it wasn't going to get very good gas mileage, but I really wasn't prepared for how terrible it would be. I could be driving a car with 500 hp and get better gas mileage than this car and then there's the oil consumption. I knew from reading on here that the car would burn oil as part of the normal combustion process, but I had no idea I'd have to put in a half a quart or more of synthetic oil every 300 miles. Seriously, if I go more than 300 miles without checking the oil it gets dangerously now. To me that's just ridiculous.
Then I move on to the build quality. Mind you I bought the car used and it only had around 27K on it. I now have just rolled over 31K miles. It seems that all the plastic interior parts are so fragile and scratch up so easily. I'm very easy on my cars and take great care of them. Wash them at least once a week if not more and clean the inside. The car looks like it has way more miles on the inside than 30K. Then there's the exterior. So many little scratches and chips in the paint and I have a 7 minute drive to work. It's like the paint is made of candy coating. This morning I get out of my car at work and look down in front of the read wheel and notice that the clear coat is just starting to flake off in large chunks. Is this normal?
Not to mention recently my remote control keys will not open the doors or pop the trunk any longer. I have to use the button on the door handle and then pop it from inside the car.
Overall, out of all the cars that I've owned Japanese, domestic, German, etc. This car is by far the worst car I've ever had. I'm really considering taking a loss and selling it before it falls apart while I'm driving it. Any thoughts? I know I can't be the only one with these issues.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

half a quart or more in 300 miles is not normal. i burn about half a quart every 1k. did you check the battery in the remote? the paint on these cars is not the best and the silver pieces on the console do get scratched very easily.

jasonrxeight

didnt do your homework who can you blame?
also 300 mile oil gets dangerously low? you been hitting the red line all the time or what? mine burns 0.5 qt every 700 miles, the dangerously low happens after 2500 miles. I think you been reading the dipstick wrong.
never had material issues with mine.
do you buy a wrecker or what?
also change the battery in your key.

also pic of the problem or didnt happen. tired of trolls trolling around on the internet.

Wingznut

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to predict that you are probably not going to get a lot of positive feedback due to so much hyperbole.

Really? That's easily several hundred cars. Very impressive!

So, at 300 miles you need to add 1/2 quart, and anything over that is "dangerously low"?

I have a 2005, and there are very few scratches on the inside. The interior of this car is really no different than any other. If yours is all scratched up, and you didn't do it in the 4000 miles that you've owned it, then who knows what the previous owner did. Perhaps they used it to haul lumber.

Are you sure the issue in front of the rear wheel isn't the clear paint protection film that is installed from the factory?

Key fobs use batteries. This is not unique to the RX-8.

Yes, the RX-8 is totally prone to completely fall apart while driving. It's not uncommon to see a driver skidding down the freeway on only the seat, steering wheel in hand, the rest of the car littering the road behind.

If you are unhappy with the car, sell it. Not sure why you would presume you'd take a loss on it, unless you overpaid when you bought it.

GORX-8007

I'm definitely not a troll. I'm just very surprised at this car for how much it costs. These issues are things I'd expect from a cheap domestic car. I guess I was just expecting much more out of it quality wise.
I may have exaggerated by saying dangerously low. Not dangerously low but definitely low to the point where I need to add oil. Out of all the cars I've owned I've never had to add oil between 3K oil changes let alone keep quarts in my house and add oil weekly, but that's not even the real issue. The real issue is the clear coat is now popping off my car like dandruff at 30K miles. I can deal with adding oil and the super crappy gas mileage, but the paint coming off is too much. Is this really not a known issue? I feel like if my clear coat is coming off at 30K miles someone else has had to have experienced this. And no to the guy above it was not a wrecker. It has a clean carfax and I bought it from a dealership with around 27K miles on it so basically like new.

GORX-8007

Also the battery is fine in the remote. The red light flashes and this is happening all of a sudden on both remotes.

GORX-8007

And it seems like you guys are very defensive about your car. Remember I too own this car, but being a fan boy isn't going to make the car any better. These are real issues. I'm just wondering if anyone else is having them.

Wingznut

iTrader: (1)

I told you... It's because you severely exaggerated each of your points.

If you truly have issues with your clear coat, oil consumption, and keyless entry... Take it back to the dealer, and inquire into the warranty. If I'm not mistaken, they have a 3yr/36k bumper-to-bumper.

GORX-8007

Really? All your responses are useless and have a condescending tone. I'm asking real questions here and all you are giving me are defensive answers like I'm personally attacking your car. I own the same car.
You are right there are a lot of performance cars out there under 40K and I haven't owned them all, but I have own a whole lot of them and to save time and not list out every freaking car I've bought I used a blanket statement if that's ok with you?
Yes, when you buy a car and then turn around and sell it within a few months you are going to take a loss. It's just how it works especially in this economy.
And yes, I know the difference between the protective film and the actual paint and clear coat. As stated before, I've owned many cars and I've done a lot of the work on my cars myself so I'm not some noob and this isn't the first vehicle I've ever had.

GORX-8007

Already called them and checked on the paint issue. Mazda warranty does not cover paint. They said they can't help me. Again, I'm just looking to see if these are known issues since my car is such low mileage and having these problems. Any just because I used the word dangerously instead of just saying really low doesn't mean you guys all have to jump in and be all defensive. Just makes you seem like a bunch of fan boys. The Mazda RX-8 isn't the best car on the planet. I picked it because it was much cheaper than what I had, but still looked nice. I just wasn't expecting all the issues I'm having within the first 5K miles and was wondering if others were experiencing the same issues as I am. I've been a member of many forums and I've never been assaulted for asking a few simple quests. You guys need to grow up. I guess I'll just not try to get any useful information from this forum and go along on my merry way.

Peekabooo

iTrader: (1)

I don't think paint is a normal issue, nor is the oil consumption that you're reporting. Please take pics of the paint issue and show us so we can help you out.

Also for the oil consumption, can you check if you have any leaks, perhaps there's a leak in the oil line somewhere, check underneath the car, especially at the front, behind the fog lights (that's where the oil coolers are). If there aren't any leaks then please check if plugs/coils are in check.

As for the key issue, have the dealership look at that. I haven't had any issues with my interior, its just like any other interior that has plastic.

tcole6

I can't say I've had any of your particular issues. My paint is a tad thin and therefore on the front and back bumper, if I look at it in the right light, the yellow gets a tiny bit of a green sheen to it (I'm guessing due the thin paint maybe a bit of the underlying color is coming through) though no one seems to notice it but me.

As far as paint quality, mine seems great. Looks new and it's 8 years old, original paint. Other than some road rash on the front plastic bumper, looks showroom.

I have not had the interior issues you mention, though I do have a scratch on the glove box...was there when I bought it.

1/2 quart every 300 miles. I've gotta say wow to that. I like to run it a bit, but I'm not into cruising around at 9k all day. I might bump it once a day. I use around a half quart between oil changes every 3k.

And to say you could be driving 500 horsepower around and getting better mileage, well Yes...yes you could. I could stand a bit more torque in this engine (I think this is actually the first car I've owned where the peak HP is greater than peak TQ (I know they're related but I don't fully get how with values of 238 and 159 respectively).

I personally don't find the car to have been subpar to me at all...but maybe I've only ever owned junk. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.

Good luck. I do think you would be much happier with another vehicle, from the tone of your post.

MariesRX8

While there certainly are common problems many of us have experienced, those that you listed are not typical for the RX-8.

Bladecutter

Okay, let me see if I've got this correct.

You claim to have understood before buying the car that the engine design uses motor oil in order to keep the apex seals lubricated, and that during the period of time that occurs between oil changes you are required to inspect the oil level, and top it up as needed, but yet, when it comes to actually owning and operating the car, the fact that it needs to have its oil level topped up, because it actually uses oil is suddenly a horrible thing?

I just want to make sure I read that correctly.

Don't try to candy coat it, just say yes or know.

Before you bought the car, you learned that the engine oil level needs to be checked, and oil will need to be added, between oil changes? Yes, or no.

As for your paint quality issues, that sucks. Maybe its the environment in which you drive your car. I bought my 2011 Sport brand new March last year, and it doesn't have any paint quality issues at all, and I've put 15k miles on it.

Also, I'm very hard on my cars interior, and its not scratched up at all.
Maybe its all the washing you do, since I don't do any washing at all.
Possibly the chemicals you use aren't the best for the plastics and surfaces of this interior.

The one thing out of all of your complaints that you didn't mention was how the car drives. I take it you don't have any complaints in that department? Or does how it drive also annoys you in some way?

I'm sorry you're not happy, but I'm glad my car doesn't have the problems your car does.

Also, if my car used that much oil, I would probably look at the way I drive, or get under the car and look for an oil leak. Something's going on with that much consumption. I don't use that much oil on the racetrack. The only explanation would be if you drive from Indianapolis to Denver on I-70 in 2nd gear every day as your normal commute to work. But, that might be a slight exaggeration on my part. You only have 4k miles on your car since February.

Normally I don't even bother with fuel consumption complaints, but just for ***** and grins, how about you share with us what your fuel economy actually is? I average about 16.5 mpg on my current 7 mile each way daily commute. Before Feb, when I had a 30 mile commute each way, I averaged about 18 mpg.

I keep my rpms under control most of the time on my commute, because the engine isn't fully warmed up. Before, I kept my rpms under control because I was driving in heavy traffic. But, at the end of either commute, I always give it a go. Are you just hard on the throttle from the moment you sit in the seat?

I don't know where you call home, but if your driving in heavy traffic, and doing a lot of stop and go traffic driving, and are using every green light as a reason to test your cars acceleration prowess, you're going to get lousy mileage in comparison to someone who has an easy highway commute.

Anyway, you might be better off selling your car and getting something else.
The Scion FR-S or the Subaru BRZ might be right up your alley.
But, then again, if you had to buy the RX-8 used in order to own it, then those cars might be out of your price range for several years, too.

Can't help you then, sorry.

BC.

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

The rx8 is a different bred. if you have had a lot of performance cars I know you can appreciate that.
This car has an oil jection pump--much like a 2 cycle engine. The pump is computer controlled and the amount it allows into the engine varies according to what load and rpm's the engine is seeing. If you drive your car under a heavy load and high rpms--sorta like a track day--then yes you can use that much oil. But during regular driving interstate, around town or so--1/2 quart in 300 miles is quite a bit. Is the car smoking any?
It is possible that a vacuum line is on wrong etc--have the dealer check it out. You have a better engine warrenty than any other engine on the market.
The interior of my 9 year old car is not particullary prone to stracthing--no more than that 135 you where driving. The aluminum strips on the console are in a high wear area and can get marks on them by accident. Its aluminum

The paint problem is definity not normal--the Ga RX8 club memebers and myself have never had a problem like what you are mentioning. Road rash is normal for any car that is driven. I have had BMW's, etc etc and they all get it after a little time.
Hope you can get it cleared up--its a great car for what it is and welcome to the club.
A lot of club members get tired of other people ragging on our cars--so--you can see how some can get very defensive quickly. Welcome to the club--stick with us and we will try to help anyway we can.

New Yorker

Your owner experience is atypical:

• Adding that much oil that often is unusual. Something is wrong with your car and/or the way you drive it. The fact that your RX-8 uses that much oil doesn't mean all 8s do.

• Most RX-8s get somewhere between 15-20 mpg, depending on how one drives. This information is widely known. I'm assuming you researched the car before purchase; why do you sound surprised?

• I wouldn't call the RX-8 a "performance car," (though its handling performance is exemplary, exceeding that of pretty near any car on the highway.) The RX-8 is more properly referred to as a "sports car," a category traditionally associated with outstanding handling. A "performance car" connotes one primarily known for things like HP, torque and quarter-mile times. You know… a Mustang.

• You say you're "just very surprised at this car for how much it costs." Most automotive journalists consider the 8 an absolute bargain; most owners here agree. In terms of looks, handling and driving experience, it competes favorably with cars costing 2 or 3 times its price. In terms of overall quality, I'd say it's about on par with other cars in its price range.

• I agree with you about the paint and the interior plastics, though, as I say, they are about average for a car of this price.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Moderator hat: Keep the tone civil guys.

GORX-8007,

As noted above, the paint issues are not normal at all. Every last one of my issues with my paint is due to road wear and tear at 99,700 miles.

If you are actually having to add a half quart every 300 miles, that puts your oil consumption rate at 1 quart per 600 miles. That is not normal. The "high burn" end of acceptable is 1 quart every 1,000 miles. Unfortunately, since the only reason you would be burning more is oil control ring failure inside the engine, if this is actually accurate then you need to get the engine in for a compression test to check it's internal health. However, I suspect that you are over-estimating the rate over burn. From the full line to the minimum line on the dipstick on a series 1 (2004 - 2008) it's about 1 quart, and you can safely drive anywhere within that range. However, you noted a 2009, which is a series 2. Series 2 RX-8s got a several quart capacity increase in their oil pan, partly to minimize consumer complaints about having to regularly check the oil. I expect that this has changed the amount of oil between the min and max lines on the series 2 dipstick.

Can a series 2 owner provide some information as to how much oil they can add to bring it from minimum to full?

I would guess somewhere in the quart and a half range.

This would mean that at the acceptable "high burn" rate of 1 quart every 1,000 miles, you should be able to go about 1,500 miles between topping off the oil, and 300 miles would have dropped only 1/5th of the way down the dipstick. The more usual burn rate is 1 quart every 1,500 miles, which would put you to 2,250 miles between top off needs, and 300 miles should see a dipstick shift of about 14% from the full line.

It's also possible that you aren't checking it with the engine in the same state every time. From cold left sitting overnight to while the engine is hot and running, you can see a swing of about half a quart on the dipstick or more.

Many of us deliberately increase the rate of oil burn (I'm at about 1 quart every 800) to help protect the engine more, as well as adding 2-stroke oil directly to the gas every fillup.



In the end though, you need to drive a car that gives you that joy. If you aren't happy with the 8, then sell it and get something that you will be happy with. Not a flame, not condescending, not bashing you. Just stating a simple fact. Persisting in owning a car you don't enjoy is just not worth it in the long run. This car isn't for everyone after all.



Edit:
If you can confirm that the key fob transmits a signal fine (most locksmiths have a device that will detect the RF signal to verify, don't just go by the red light), then it's possible that one or more of the antenna connectors became fouled, wiggled loose, or disconnected entirely. The range is cut severely if you lose even 1 antenna. Cleaning and reconnecting is usually a chunk of time to fix, but entirely doable. But you should be able to have the warranty cover diagnosis and repair on this as well.

Spin9k

GOORX-8007 I'll chime in to say you seem to have (at least) some problems, if you are describing them correctly, that aren't "the average problem" with the RX-8 of either S1 or S2 versions I've seen here on the forums.

- the oil consumption you are stating is more like one would see when tracking the car and therefore driving at high RPMs constantly. Either you have a serious internal engine problem, such as has been mentioned earlier, or you're reading the dipstick wrong or something weird. Normal driving I check the oil every 1-2K miles and it's rarely down more than 1/2 qt. if even.

- there is a piece of plastic covering the area just ahead of the rear wheel. It's not paint, but adhesive plastic sheet. The edges get turned up and direty looking and I'll agree it's not the prettiest thing, but it keeps the paint from getting dings there.

- After 9 yrs the only thing that's scratched up in my interior is the wife's side where her pocketbook buckles bang around when she in the car. I'd say the interior isn't too hard to scratch, just a tad fragile, but then that's just reason to be careful.

The exterior paint I will agree is fragile. I have lot's on nicks from road debris and it's frustrating. On the bright side, sort of, it's not too noticeable except on the front close up. My windshield is in the same approx shape as the front paint, so I'd say the paint is about as strong as the glass as far as taking abuse. I will say, the paint on my wife's Acura is way better, after 100+K miles there' barely a nick anywhere, even on the front.

- as to the fob, that's another weird one. Mine's 9 yrs old and going strong.

Hope you can get some of them resolved wo/too much cost. Otherwise you may just have a lemon.. sadly.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

Driving a 10 Sport here...

I add maybe half a quart every 1000 - 1500 miles ... sure as hell not at 300 miles.

Cost of ownership of this car regarding maintenance has been zip to none minus oil changes and gas.

paint in my car shows no signs of excessive wear minus the random rock chips from daily driving ... again, I dont care if you drive a Lambo or a Kia, every car's paint will chip from daily road debris.

No issues with key fob here ... range kinda sucks but who cares, I need not unlock my car from 30 feet away.

Interior shows no sign of wear minus whatever marks i put on the silver trim from accidentally banging around a screwdriver while doing an install of some sort, again, nothing noticable, and nothing that stands out beyond the norm of a car that is almost 2 years old.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

July of 2003 build date @ 128,000+ miles, never been in the body shop. The paint and the interior are two things that have not been an issue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5802880026/

Wingznut

iTrader: (1)

While I certainly disagree that my responses were useless, I do agree that my responses were condescending. I was a mechanic for over a decade, and I don't take car issues personally. There are plenty of people who complain about the RX-8 and come here to voice their displeasure. Often times their issues are completely understandable (no mechanical device is perfect), but often they are unfounded. Either way, it doesn't bother me at all.

Why did I respond the way I did? Because of your list of over-exaggerations and "blanket statements."
Why were my responses not useless? Because soon after, you clarified (with less hyperbole) your issues and began getting rational responses.

Here is some actual helpful advice:

• Get clarification of your warranty from Mazda. If you are still under the 3-yr/36k Bumper-to-Bumper warranty, the keyless entry and the paint issues will be covered. You should find out exactly why they told you the paint isn't covered. "Mazda warranty does not cover paint" is not true.
• Same with the oil consumption issue, although that it most likely covered by the longer Limited Powertrain Warranty.
• As for your interior scratching, can you show us some pictures of what you mean? There is nothing special about the RX-8's interior that would make it more easily scratched than pretty much any other car. Again, if these scratches occurred during your reign of ownership, then you should be able to figure out what you are doing. If they occurred during the previous owner's time, then there's really no way to determine what happened.
• Pictures of the paint would also help us make suggestions. A local body shop would certainly be able to offer a root cause possibility, as well.

kjb

It really gets embarrassing, walking along the road picking up all the parts.

If the battery in the key fob is weak, it'll act up, even if the red light works. The first time I replaced mine, the battery wasn't good and only lasted a few months. I put another battery in and it's been fine for over a year. I've also replaced the coils, wires and plugs. That's it for things I've had to do to the car (beyond regular maintenance) in two years.

I went from an '08 Audi TT 3.2 to this RX-8. The Audi had a nicer interior, but that's about it. I kept it for a year. It wasn't nearly as entertaining to drive as the RX-8. The gas pedal was typical Audi, like an on/off switch. The clutch was almost as bad...no feel at all. I don't regret the move at all. The Audi was a lot more expensive. For roughly half the price, I got a much better car in the areas that matter to me.

usnidc

My 2008 looks great and people ask me all the time if my car is new. I have 32,000 miles on it. I had to replace the battery in one of the the key fobs at about 15,000 miles, the other one is doing fine. I burn about a quart of oil every 1500 to 2000 miles. I can get almost 300 miles on a tank of gas, if you are putting in a 1/2 quart with every fillup, that is probably too much. If you are seeing gas milage below 15 mpg and burning 1.5 qts if oil in 900 miles, I would say your engine needs to be compression checked.

I just had my transmission replaced under warranty, 4th gear syncho went out. And I replaced the car battery about 6 months ago.

Other than routine maintenance, and the above mentions items, it has been the the most trouble free car I have ever owned. My wife's 2004 BMW Z4 has a more little minor things that need fixing then I would have though for THAT car.

BTW, My wife's Z4 burns about 1 qt of oil every 3000 - 4000 miles and that is in the "normal" usage range for that car according to the manual. And yes, I check the oil in it almost as much as I check it in my RX8.

GORX-8007

Before I bought the car I came on this forum and read posts and issues etc. The car was described as being reliable and I understood that it would burn oil as a normal process and need to be checked every 1000 miles or so. When I first brought it home I went 1000 miles and on start up one morning the oil light came on. I turned the car off immediately and checked the oil. It was at the very low mark. I filled it up and started monitoring it. At about every 300-400 miles it requires oil for sure. There is no smoking or dripping under the car and the car drives fine. It has normal power for a car with 240 hp and I drive it like it's supposed to be driven. I don't red line it everyday or anything like that but I keep it in the 3500-5000 range most of the time. Like I stated before, the oil consumption is really the least of my worries and oil isn't that expensive, but does add to the cost of daily driving on top of premium gas and getting under 17 mpg.

Anyway, here are the pictures I just took in the parking lot of the clear coat chipping away. It's in an area about 4-5 square inches right now, but it just started and I don't want it to get any worse before I decide to get rid of the car or get it fixed. If my car is a 2009 I think that would put me out of the 3yr warranty as well that someone keeps mentioning over and over.
Ok for all you people saying without pictures it doesn't exist, here ya go:


You can see it bubbling up more right above where my figure is so it's spreading and that's just what has happened today.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

FYI, there is a TSB and a fix for excessive oil consumption on the S1's. Maybe talk to your dealer about it?