Hi people, so after a long search for a 'car' I have come and landed on my 'dream' car: the RX-8. Now, this will be a fun little toy I feel but I have a few questions, and trust me I hav e read up on a lot of things already.

My questions are about the initial "maintenance" i want to do on it. I heard the debate of what kind of oil, but is 5w20 good enough? Also I want to change out the ignition system (which only means plugs, coils and wires right?)

Either way, is there a specific brand I should be looking at for those or are they all basically the same?

 

New Owners thread (see sig) for oil information. You have to make your own decision.

OEM plugs are the best and are $20 from everywhere but the dealer. OEM coils are the cheap option, coil upgrade kits are more expensive but will last far longer. Again, dealer will be the most expensive option all around, so don't go there.

 

I don't ever plan on going to the dealer for easy maintenance though thanks for the advice. I will probably just plop in some OEM parts then to start off.

EDIT: Also a new question, the RX-8 I got was a used '04 and as you mentioned in your guide, it does have the water in the taillights, are gaskets easy to buy / put in to those lights?

 

Tail Light Gasket Repair Kit

 

That only comes with one gasket right?

EDIT: I also have a question about the OEM plugs, coils and wires - should I order them online or is it cheaper to just go to a store and get them? If a store, what store like AutoZone or something similar?

 

Yes, it comes with one, so you need to order it for the left and the right side if you have problems with both of the taillights.

 

OK last spoon feeding cheapest is on ebay for coils plugs and wires...

 

Which particular dealer on ebay?

James - Autozone, etc. have good prices. Best plug price I've seen was on line at Rock Auto. Take a look at the forum vendors...sometimes they have good prices. Just make sure you're dealing with a real entity, not someone selling knockoffs from a PO box.

On the wet taillight thing...there are a lot of threads on that. You might enjoy browsing through them for alternate opinions and fixes.

Ken

 

I just got a 2005 RX-8 yesterday. I am in love.

I bought 5w20 oil because that's what the manual recommends. Some kid of semi- synthetic oil.

Enjoy your 8, i know I am.

 

BHR kit would be the best choice for an upgrade on your ignition system. It's costly, but it will last longer than oem's and other brands combined. I wish I could afford it, but oem is just fine. About the oil, I use 5w 30 or 40. Anyway, congrats with the purchase and post pictures of your new ride will ya.

 

Well here are two shots of my RX-8 - new pics once I dip the rims and clean it up a bit more.