New 8 Owner with some General Maintenance Questions
 

Hey All! I'm fairly new to the site. Came through here a while back askin' some questions and lookin' for a used 8. Well, I found one...'04 Black 6-speed...black and red leather interior...and ALL options (except NAV). I couldn't be happier with my purchase, and look forward to spending some time getting to know other 8 owners on this forum and in the MW.

My questions are about regular maintenance. The manual lists scheduled replacements such as spark plugs at 35,000-37,500 miles. But I've heard people say this is too late/early...and that it's pricey. Since the vehicle is still under warranty I've been hesitant to work on it myself...but should I?

What has everybody been doing to make sure they're 8 runs forever...like I hope mine will! Should I be forking over the cash to Mazda just to be on the safe side? Thanks for your suggestions...I'll try to get some pics up on here ASAP too.

for somepeople, the plugs last ~40k miles, and for others, they only last ~20k miles or less.

and the plugs are expensive. ~$130 for a set of 4. plug wires are around $70 i think. if you go to a dealer to have them change it out, it'll probably end up running you ~230, depending on how much they charge per hour.

also, i'm not sure if the wires need to be replaced at the same time, but i would imagine some of the less honest dealers would say that they do, just to get a bit more money.

and i think the biggest thing most people are doing to keep their cars in peak condition is monitoring oil levels and changing the oil on a regular basic. many have adopted a 3k mile schedule instead of the 7.5k mile schedule listed in the manual.

I am one who has adopted the 3,000 mile schedule. I am more concerned with larger scale maintenance issues. (spark plugs, brake pads, coolant, trans. oil, etc.)

after 1000 miles change your tranny and differential fluids to redline or royal purple.

Mazda maintenance
 

Get onto Racing Beat (www.racingbeat.com) and order the very good stainless steel mesh screens that cover the engine oil coolers and AC condensor. Without these, you will gradually accumulate stone and debris impact damage causing the performance of these heat exchangers to drop off. This is an important mod if you want your car to last up into high mileage. The screens are dead easy to install and they come with excellent instructions for front bumper removal. Sounds a bit intimidating - but its really easy. There may also be a few threads on the issue. Many RX8 owners incl myself did this mod asap. Its well worth it. As usual, if you go to your dealer to complain about the damaged coolers, they just shrug their shoulders and tell you Mazda won`t cover them under warranty.

Good luck

Tom

Thanks for the advice, TC

Would grille inserts serve the same purpose?