RX-8 is in the shop...
 

So a few weeks back I made a thread on here talking about some questions I had that pertained to my Mazda RX-8. Glass breaking under my car, changing the date & name, alignment, etc. Anyways I called the dealership and they told me to bring it in and they'll run an inspection on my car and see whats wrong and that the glass breaking was most likely the catalytic converter that needs to be replaced.

I took the car in about a week and a half ago, and they told me my car failed the compression test and they were ordering me a new engine & that my catalytic converter was going to be replaced. He told me that my spark plugs needed changing as well as the wires & I needed motor mounts.

So far he said the motor mounts was $165 for the front and $175 for the back, the spark plugs were $160 around there and the wires were around the same price as well. I got off the phone with him today and now my new engine is in and my catalytic converter was replaced, I should have no issues whatsoever and he also told me he got me the spark plugs as well, so pretty much all I need are the motor mounts.

So this is great news to me! I just figured I post this up on here to ask some questions and see what you guys think, and if I should ask anything else to him now that my car is there.

How long could I go with my current motor mounts? He told me I was to expect a bit of vibrations, but I figured later on in a month or two I'll change them. Any other place to find them cheaper as well?

He also told me that I shouldn't have to change the oil until 5,000 miles, I figured with the rate of the rotary, I'd stick with 3,000 just in case and check it regularly. He said that I needed to break the car in which I figured due to new engine, and that a check engine light may come on due to it being new and all from the o2 sensor, is that true?

Lastly, does the odometer get reset to 0 then instead of from what it originally had?

A) $160 for plugs is twice the standard price of $80 for all 4 ($20 each from Amazon, nearly all autoparts stores, and forum vendors). Easy simple to replace.

B) $160 for wires is nearly 4 times the normal price from autoparts stores, about $35 for the set of 4. EVEN EASIER to replace than plugs.

C) Motor mounts are 2 total. One left, one right. If he charged you for front and rear, you are getting scammed. Unless he meant rear diff bushings, but those are completely different from the motor mounts.

D) That price for a set of motor mounts is actually pretty good. Best alternative is BHR's new release of their motor mounts that allows you to pick the stiffness/vibration isolation level you want, but you will pay more for them.

E) You can go for a while on bad motor mounts. Increased vibrations is the only initial problem, with possible problems shifting as they deteriorate completely. The vibration may cause long term problems if ignored completely with frame degradation from the constant vibration (theory, not really tested or confirmed)

F) Yes, stick to 3,000 mile oil changes. Oil viscosity and additive packages have been proven to break down under the rotary's heat, and leave the oil largely ineffective after about 2,500 miles (plus or minus, depending on how hard you drive on average, and what you top off with, how much oil you replace by topping off, etc...)

G) No, if you get a CEL from a new engine, they did something wrong. Getting a CEL "from a new engine" is complete BS. Everything should be working properly at this point, so either something didn't get addressed that needed to (like the ignition coils) or they screwed up something on the install. Get the code read for free at a parts store in case it's a cheap or free fix before returning to Mazda to have them figure out what they did wrong.

H) No, your odometer remains where it was. The warranty keeps ticking from the original date of purchase. The warranty on the engine is NOT reset. I know of only 1 case of Mazda resetting the engine warranty, however it was verbal only after an insurance company paid replacement and the owner never came back to mention if he got it in writing. Without it in writing it would be ignored, so I suspect that even that case is still a 'no'.

My mazda dealer had me change my first oil at either 500 or 1000 miles.

Also one other consideration.... Put in a new clutch. It should cost around 500 for parts, but the labor will be free since the clutch is removed anyways.