I had planned to goto Happy Japs. However, they're not operating right now; They have a giant sink hole taking over their entire parking lot, up to their bays.

I've gone through everything trying to repair my 2005 RX8 that wont start (or when it does, it dies below 1.5k, and it's a real struggle to get it up to 6k)

Last time I got it started, the catalytic converter reached a heat brightness close to that of the sun, and started pouring smoke out from every direction, including into the car. I'm not sure I want to, or can, undertake that kind of repair.

Does anyone know of a good Mechanic in the Cary area (obviously not Happy Japs) that would be willing to work on this kind of problem on an RX8?

 

The problem is not specific to an RX-8. What you need is a dealer to replace your catalytic converter. There is a federal warranty on it up to 80,000 miles. If you are past that, then your cheapest option is to either do a cat delete (with a midpipe) or buy a used cat from the forums here.

Normally, the cat fails because of coil/wire/plug failure, and that is an easy replacement with $192-$220 in parts. The ignition typically only lasts about 30,000 miles before it starts to fail, and when it starts to fail the unburnt fuel and unconsumed oxygen dump into the exhaust and ignite there, blowtorching your cat to slag.

Attempting to continue to drive your RX-8 in this condition will continue to do damage to things like your O2 sensors, your engine, and even set fire to the bottom of your car. It is possible that you have already damaged the engine letting it get this bad.

 

I am below 80,000. I'll try calling the dealer. Thanks.