slkrug

...and the engine hasn't been replaced.

In order to distingiush this problem from (probably) the countless others who have asked, "Will Mazda give me a new engine", I will list what exactly I've noticed.

Bought it at a used car dealership a couple months ago. Here are the problems I'm having:

1.) It is running through oil very quickly. I've put a quart of oil in once every 4 weeks so far (every 500-1000mi...) Although I have noticed oil on the ground in my driveway occasionally after driving. Which leads me to think there is a leak. Is this common..? Might be the oil pan seal in addition to burning excess oil. Or one or the other.

2.) I really struggle to get better than 20mpg hwy and 12-15mpg city.

3.) Originally when I purchased the car, it would refuse to start very frequently. More than 75% of the time it wouldn't start. I replaced the battery. Now it starts most of the time, but still is and can be quite hesitant.


Now this begs the question, am I in for a horrifying RX8 owner experience if my "spinning dorito" doesn't get replaced soon?
How many people have had their motors last 150K +?
I run the hell out of my RX8. Redline at least once per day (if i'm feeling conservative...) It is run in Minnesota winters and will be treated as a drivers car. It will also be autocrossed.

Right now I'm sensing it's weak and may end up letting it go to get an S4. I do not want to end up forking out 3K to drop in a new motor.

Opinions?

Here are some photos of my 8! (Sorry, they are bad, very bad.)




Here is my old car:

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

comp test. as far as leaking oil check the oil pan and the oil cooler line fittings. winter salt eats them up. the harder you drive the more oil you should go through. i think the omp is based on engine load

tcole6

1. Normal, minus the leak on the ground. A quart a month with aggressive driving is expected. If you weren't burning a quart, then you should be worried.
2. Normal, again it sounds like you might be more of a spirited driver.
3. Doesn't sound like battery. You should replace coils, plugs and make sure your car has the upgraded starter. If its still hard to start, then you may be looking at some compression loss. Maybe you should get a compression test as well.

Wind Dance

iTrader: (7)

Starting issue check if you have the updated starter and your coils. There is alot of over 100K rennys, how long they last your depends on how you treat it. If you need help be sure to include more info like the years, mods etc. Your mpg is fine 15 city AVG is within normal with spirited driving.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

How did you keep the skateboarders away while you were taking the picture?

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Nice Audi. A high mileage RX-8 seems like a downgrade

slkrug

Yeah...The A4 was a tiptronic though and had mechanical problems consistantly. I would drop too much $ into fixing it every month. And plus it's slow and doesn't give you that performance driving experience/feeling that an RX8 does.

But yeah, there is still a chance i'd sell this to get an A4 in manual still. Just not sure if it's worth it now.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah Audi's are not well known for reliability.

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

you've heard of the warranty. Now, read up on it https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/8-years-100-000-mi-extended-warranty-147287/

monchie

They're still in school...lol

slkrug

Lol, I will probably take some Uber high-def photographs of the 8 when weather clears up in the same spot. That actually isn't at all a skateboarding area. I don't know why they decided to spread out an expanse of tarmac in that curvy-like fashion.

ThatNewGuy

iTrader: (2)

There's plenty of us that run around with 150K+ miles.
It just so happens that my engine gave up the ghost at 156k.
It's a crap shoot really.
Get to the dealer ASAP and order a compression test. There's a very good chance that you might have a failing motor.
Change your plugs, wires, and coils before the comp test though, just so they can't give you the run around.

Mrktplayer

I like Audis a lot but they have too many problems. My dad has a repair shop and does not have good things to say about them. Well except for he makes more money off of Audis than he does with BMWs or Mercedes.

Nadrealista

hehe so funny to hear us Rx8 owners talk down on audi for their poor reliability :-)

slkrug

Yeah don't get me wrong though- I think german automobiles when they are sold NEW are fantastic. They usually make it to 50K miles with no problems at all and anything that does go wrong is covered under warranty. (Huge generalization, but I think this stands as truth.) My father has a Mini with 40K miles (purchased new) and he literally hasn't paid a dime in repairs. Mini replaced pads, some sensors, new coils, spark plugs...free of charge.

ANYWAYS, still have some BIG NEWS!

I took my RX-8 into my local dealership this morning. I gave them a really vague description of what is going wrong, minor problems I'm having...etc. I didn't pressure at all an engine replacement.

Just got a call back 15 minutes ago. Guess what guys, I get a new engine! They said compression wasn't adequate and said they will have the car finished with a new engine by next week.

So I think the point of this thread now is, if you are nearing 100,000, bring it in for a compression test! Dealerships make money off of these replacements so they would rather do it than not.

xexok

They didn't even ask you to prove you changed the oil or did any maintenance?

slkrug

Didn't ask a single thing... They went ahead, did a compression test and told me it failed compression test. Makes me happy!

Mrktplayer

Mercedes makes a solid car. They rarely break down. BMW isn't as good but isn't bad. Audi has problems whether its new or used. It's a shame because they make terrific cars but it has too much electrical and mechanical problems.

pistonhater

Quite a risk you took by buying that car a course of months ago with almost 100K miles.

Glad to hear dealer is giving you new engine without drama!!

Nadrealista

I don't think he is even realizes how lucky he is!

slkrug

Yeah after reading more and more on these forums I think I've realized this. My Mazda dealership is full of a bunch of actually pretty good guys. I talked to a mechanic who had previously worked on BMW's in Germany for 10+ years.