Expensive services on my car, what can I do ?
 

Hi,
I brought my RX8 automatic almost 60k miles to Mazda for a full circle inspection.
There is a few bad things and the total cost would more than $1000.

Coolant light on, need to change the tank - $155 -> Ok I know this one, but I dont feel like buying a new tank now.

Leak on the coolant hose N3H1-15-184D (the hose just below the coolant tank) - $28 for the hose
Coolant liquid dirty, need to purge the coolant system
$25 for the coolant, $145 labor

Both bottom motor mount worn out, need to be changed -> $200/motor mount, $200 labor per mount -> $800 total

Recommend premium major service, no history on file/fluids dirty.


I can't afford to spend $1000 for this.
1) I can buy the coolant hose and change it myself
2) I can try to purge the coolant system and replace the liquid. I found a DIY thread to do it. Should I try to do it myself ?

3) What about the motor mount ? Is there a way to find them cheaper ?
Isn't the labor too expensive ?

4) What is the premium major service recommended ? What liquids could be dirty beside the coolant liquid ?
My car has almost 60k miles, but already changed myself the spark plugs, air filter. The oil is new too.

Thank you for your help

You may be able to do it, you may not, we don't know you so only you can answer that. That is a little high for labor but not crazy. This is all pretty easy stuff to fix (for me anyway) but it will take time and tools. You can always find prices cheaper but finding a competent and honest mechanic may not be so easy.

This is the 60k maintenance list that is the right things to address in my opinion.

30,000:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


60,000:
...all 30k items plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


The coolant tank appears in my 90k list, but if it's failing early, make sure to address it.

You can probably hold off on replacing the motor mounts unless there is severe vibration at idle already. If the only way that you knew the motor mounts were bad was the dealer telling you, then ignore their recommendation for now, and get a second opinion at some later point. You can definitely find a better price for those.

I noticed the car was suddenly vibrating more than usual with some strange noises, so I expected the engine mount before going for the check up.

Those lists look very long, I am not sure I will do all of that, for a car I will probably sell in 1 year.

I will consider changing the transmission and brake fluids then, and I will go to mazda for this.
For ignition coils and plug wire, what are the symptoms if they need to be changed ?

With the right tools in hand, both motor mounts take about 30 minutes to change. There's a DIY in the DIY section. Could easily save money there. With that in mind, $200 in labor PER MOUNT sounds nuts.

For coils, there may be no symptoms until it's too late, so if they're the ones the car got at the factory, it's recommended to change them. Often the first symptom is a dead engine :(

Coils can be had cheaper via places like Mazmart, and are easy to DIY also. 30 minute job, less if you've done it before. Actually you could do the mounts and coils at the same time, they driver's side mount is right by the spark plugs.

$30.00 minutes for both mounts? :lol: Do you have a Nascar pit crew or what?

Reading another thread I found the engine mounts (2) for $250 from rx8performance.com, so it will save me some money from the Mazda parts that costs $200 each.

I changed my spark plugs myself, I will see if I can change the coils

Coolant light on, need to change the tank - $155 -> Ok I know this one, but I dont feel like buying a new tank now.

do it yourself, but not needed at all, ever.

Leak on the coolant hose N3H1-15-184D (the hose just below the coolant tank) - $28 for the hose
do it yourself

Coolant liquid dirty, need to purge the coolant system
$25 for the coolant, $145 labor
do it yourself

Both bottom motor mount worn out, need to be changed -> $200/motor mount, $200 labor per mount -> $800 total
diy


Recommend premium major service, no history on file/fluids dirty.

all in all, maybe 300-400 and 2 to 3 weekends.

I am going to change coils as well. I read in some threads to buy them from BHR.

What is BHR ?

BHR, Black Halo Racing.

Oh I see, they sell coils for $500. I should find them elsewhere I think

If your planning on selling the car soon, then skip the BHR coils. They are upgrades to the stock ones and are supposed to last much longer (the reason for the cost). Really if you were going to keep the car then they are worth the upgrade. If you have average mechanicing skills you should be able to do most of the work yourself, it just may take a couple weekends instead of dropping off the car and picking it up later that day.

You can buy all 4 coils, plugs, and wires from Advance online for $190-220 depending on the current promotion, shipping free to your door.

Just do that if you are planning on selling.

I found NGK wires on mazmart for 25$, and on ebay 4 OEM coils for $75
I changed the plugs last year so I will not change them this time.

Thanks for the information though!

Beware of ebay coils. There are many sellers selling counterfeit coils at those kinds of prices...

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...s-ebay-247265/

You are right, I will stay away from those.
I am having difficulty to find actual OEM coils, or at least under $180

Would those work correctly ?

They say OEM (can't really verify) and lifetime warranty.

There are those in advanced auto parts but they are not OEM
BWD/Intermotor Ignition Coil-E1001 - Advance Auto Parts

Short Answer:
Basically, there are a lot of coil options out there of varying prices. Since you are planning on selling the car... then you should just buy the cheapest ones available that aren't counterfeit.




The BWD Intermotor coils are OEM. They are just the original version of OEM coil, and once Mazda moved on to other higher priced versions and the original contract expired, BWD basically just started selling directly to public parts stores. There are no concerns over the BWD coils beyond that they still need to be changed about every 30,000 miles. The coils from Advance also carry a "lifetime" warranty, so in theory you can replace them periodically for free, though it may not mean much to you if you plan on selling.


The problem with coils sold on ebay is that you generally don't know who you are buying from, and often they don't know what they are selling. Both cause problems for numerous owners. I am inherently more distrustful of a product labeled "Mazda" sold by a random vendor than one labeled by another brand. If the seller is willing to lie about where the coils came from, they are probably willing to cut other corners or ignore you post purchase. And make no mistake, if the coils on ebay are branded as "Mazda" and "brand new", then they won't be able to legitimately beat Mazmart's price. If they are cheaper than either the seller is lying about the coil branding, the coil is counterfeit, or the coils are stolen. Mazmart has hands down the cheapest price available if you buy the coils through Mazda part's channels.


The coils at Mazmart are more expensive because they are the latest Revision C coils. In theory these coils will last longer than the original coil revision (which are the BWD), however there is little data proving that yet. Also probably not a consideration for you.

Mazda has updated motor mounts that tend to reduce the vibrations found on cars with some miles on them, especially automatics. The mounts themselves are expensive but I wouldn't charge more than an hour labor to replace both unless the bolts were seized/stripped. General consensus is to stay away from the dealer and find a rotary specialist.

Mazda also has an updated coil. I get them from Malloy Mazda to ensure I am getting the new ones. I've had too many problems with coils from other sources, even ones labels as OEM