timmyla90

Hi fellow RX-8 owners,

I just recently bought a 2004 RX-8 Grand Touring Package for $12,300 and people said it was a bargain (lol), and the next day I brought it to the nearest Mazda dealership and they gave me a list of "maintenance" that has to be done to the car with a total of 1,800 based on their ridiculously expensive labor and parts. For some reason, I am rolling with 12mpg, but I really want to at least change some of the parts to higher my mpg. Can someone please assist me with what to do?

Here is the list that they given me:

Replace spark plugs (done)
Change transmission oil (done)
Replace ignition coil
Replace starter (for some reason they crossed this out)
Cabin air filter
Fuel injector flush
Coolant flush
Replace driver sunvisor
Front wiper

The obvious problems that I find from the car are:
1. Really slow to start the car
2. Everytime I step through water, the breaks make ridiculously loud squeaky sound..

Being honest with you this is my first car and the first time I ever get into cars. I am really "noob" about everything. Advises from the pros will be appreciated!

Regards,

Tim

alz0rz

iTrader: (41)

how many miles on the car? .. 12mpg is not uncalled for with this car.. i average 12-13mpg in city driving.

timmyla90

Sorry I forgot to mention the mileage, it has a total of 57,000 miles.

ken-x8

If your car is still within the bumper-to-bumper warranty, then the starter should be free. There's a TSB on that, and your slow starting symptom should qualify you for that.

No wonder they crossed it off!

All the TSBs are at:

http://finishlineperformance.com/sto....php?pageid=11

Worth browsing through them.

Sun visor is also a known issue, eligible for free replacement under B to B.

You don't need a fuel injector flush. Nobody ever needs a fuel injector flush.

If the coils really are bad, you can buy them for $100 and put them on yourself. Check the vendors on this forum for the parts. I believe there's a DIY for how to do it.

Cabin air filter will cost about $25 over the counter at a dealer, and there's a DIY on installing it. Dealer will charge you $100 for the job.

Wiper blade will cost you a few dollars, and you can put that in yourself. If you own a car, you *have* to learn how to do that. There are discussions here about which brand of blades to use. For every car I've owned, I've always been happy buying OEM refills from the dealer.

If you think the coolant is original, and/or it looks grungy, changing it is a good idea. That's also something you can do yourself for the cost of new coolant. I believe there's a DIY on that. If your car has an "FL-22" sticker on the radiator cap, it's got Mazda's ten year stuff in it and you're OK as is.

Squeaky brakes are something that happens with disk brakes. Better nowadays than it used to be. There's a known issue, and a TSB, for the RX-8. You're not likely to get a free fix for that on an '04, but it's worth reading the TSB for info. Also browse/search this site for discussions on what people have done to attack it.

BTW - dealers read trade magazines with articles that tell them that they should never let a customer go without proposing at least $700 to $800 worth of stuff.

Ken

ken-x8

Ah - no bumper-to-bumper.

On the slow starting, if you mean it cranks slowly, check the battery cables and the battery. Connections should all be clean. If it's the original battery, four years is kind of the lifetime for them. Find an honest place to test it.

Ken

timmyla90

Thank you so much for your reply guys. Although it will take time to learn, I will definitely try my best to know my engine.

For problems and solving, I do have an itemized list from Best Mazda Hyundai:

LABOR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J# 2 50MAZ03 NO CRANK UNITS: TECH(S): 997471
CUSTOMER STATES THE VEHICLE IS SLOW TO START
RECOMMEND IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS. CUSTOMER DECLINED REPAIRS (They charge $500 for this)

LABOR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J# 3 51MAZ01 BODY ELECT CONSERN UNITS: TECH(S) 997471
CUSTOMER STATES RECALL MSP16-LACK OF POWER
PROGRAMMED PCM PER RECALL MSP16 XX682XRX-0.2

What do you guys think I should do as of right now? I am a slow learner, but I want to learn new stuff for the best of my RX8.

By the way. What I get from this, after reading the list of maintenance they gave and comments from fellow RX-8 owners, they tried to rip me off by changing whole lot of useless stuff to keep their company going. Shame on them.

Regards,

Tim

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

^^ this isn't just an RX-8 problem.....almost every dealership does stuff like this...it's where they make most of there money.

The only cure to stuff like this is education...learn as much as you can, and once they figure out you aren't a stupid sucker they clue in and stop most of it

BlueRenesis82

If there are still the original plugs in it it could use a new set, personally I would get the coolant changed as well, unless it does have the better stuff in it. Personally I wouldn't let anyone do maintenance on my car other than me, especially someone at a dealership who has to get it done in a certain amount of time, and really couldn't care less about getting it done right.

ken-x8

I'd replace the plugs. If that doesn't perk it up, then change the coils. The dealer's parts department will charge $250 or so for a set of plugs. You can get a set for $80 from several of the forum vendors or from sparkplugs.com. A set of coils will cost about $100. It's not $320 worth of labor to install them. Check the DIY section here for how to do it.

Good project for a beginner. If you haven't messed with cars before, you must have a friend who does and has tools.

Changing coolant is also a good beginner project, but that wouldn't affect how the car runs.

Ken

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Solution :

Buy a set of coils & new plugs then go replace it yourself. if you cant/dont want to do it yourself. Have a local garage do it for you, I will say about 50 bux tops for the job. Coils could be found online for around 110 bux shipped. Plus around 85 bux shipped.

Bring the receipt and a copy of the "Engine No-Start" Technical Service Bulletin and go back to the dealership said "YOU did the proper maintenance, Now I have the Exact problem in the TSB, replace the starter before I call Mazda. They will have no choice.

timmyla90

Haha is this true? I don't know much about the Mazda problem and warranties, but if this is really true I will actually do it!

Tim

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Well, Im telling you that because, it sounds like the dealership you've been to trying to rip you off. So you can actually do what I told u above to shut them up and fix your Starter. Or you can first try visit another dealership and see what happens.

oh btw, dont change parts because you want "Better MPG" . Try to find out why your MPG gone so low. You can tell them to check your CAT first see if its blocked or anything. If its above 4.60 : 1 , its bad.

timmyla90

I already changed the plugs. It still doesn't fix the no crank problem. Paid $85 for the plugs from o'reilly and $35 for the labor. I am planning to change the ignition coils on Tuesday and pray to fix the problem. Are you guys sure this problem is caused by spark plugs and ignition coils?

Tim

Flashwing

Hey Tim,

Well, we can narrow down the scope of your problem pretty easily. A car needs fuel, air and spark to run. If you can crank the motor but it won't start normally it's going to be fuel or spark. Since coils or fouled plugs tend to be a common issue and also rather inexpensive to fix it's a good place to start.

I'd say 80% of what the dealer suggested would be a good idea but the cost is pretty extreme considering the work is pretty easy. Wiper changes are cake, the coils are attached by a couple bots and an electrical connector and your coolant can be changed by removing 2 drain plugs easily accessed.

I agree that your fuel injectors do not need a flush. If you're concerned about them, just run a bottle of injector cleaner.

timmyla90

Okay. Based on the knowledge I observed from reading everyone's replies, I am able to update the list:

Replace spark plugs (done) - $85 for parts and $35 labor.

Change transmission oil (done) - Parts were bought by my parents and $15 labor.

Replace ignition coil (on Tuesday) - Estimated cost: $150 including labor.

Replace starter (for some reason they crossed this out) - Open on further discussion whether or not I should do it.

Cabin air filter - My dad mentioned he changed the air filter. Are they the same? If not, do I have to replace this?

Fuel injector flush (ken-x8 and Flashwing suggested to ignore this)

Coolant flush - Do I need this?

Replace driver sunvisor (Useless)

Front wiper (Might as well ignore this)

Money spent: $135
Estimated total: $300

Please inform if I missed any important maintenance needed for the car. You guys have helped a lot. I truly appreciate all the help!

Tim

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Brake fluid and check the brake pads..... lube the calipers

Differential fluid

Cabin air filter is in the interior....up above the glove box...it is cheap and easy to DIY, Just be careful when you remove the door/cover...the clips break easily

timmyla90

I have spent approximately two hours digging through the whole forum and confirmed that the break squeaking is a known problem to Mazda North American Operations.

Since it has 57k miles, my car has missed the chance to get a free of charge replacement brake pad. https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=253

Responding to Gamera's post, do you guys know where to get this new front brake pad, F1Y23323Z?

Tim

ken-x8

If the problem is that it cranks a while before starting, it could be the problem. Also could be the cause of the poor mileage. I think we're all going on the assumption that the dealer knew what he was talking about when he said you needed new plugs and coils.

If the problem is that the starter cranks slowly, then no. For that, first check the battery connections and the battery itself. It could even be the starter.

Ken