Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
Mazda RX-8 Problems and Solutions
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I suppose you can tell I am not a satisfied RX8 owner and I believe even the die hard supporters will eventually realize they are junk.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sorry to hear you are a dissatisfied RX8 owner.
I have had three RX8's and none could be classified as junk. The handling of the vehicle is excellent, fit and finish of the body and interior IMO are excellent. The two things that I find upsetting is the gas mileage. I average 18 MPG. Not terrible but certainly less than I had hoped based on EPA numbers. I also resent having to spend $1,000 to be able to drive the vehicle on snow. The car is not drive able at least in New england without a good set of snow tires. With snows I have no problems, other than I have to worry about the height of the snow I drive over. I have used mid range gas and found no difference in performance with the gas mileage.
Hopefully as with any new car the glitches will get taken care of and you will be pleased with your car. This car appears to hold its value fairly well. Good luck getting your problems resolved. If you don't get your issues with the car resolved I would try another dealership.
I'm trying to put myself into the shoes of the owners I've seen post here.
If I compared my RX8 to the BMWs regarding my service or alleged issues, I'd say they are about equal regarding their alleged issues or service. The RX8 and the BMWs were "high performance" cars. They are more "on the edge" regarding what they would do from a driving satisfaction perspective. Matter of fact, the RX8 is probably the closest I'll ever come to tasting "exotic car" type of performance (that's not to say the RX8 will compete with a Lambo, but it will offer a "taste" of what that would be like).
I travel a lot. I had a 6 year old Honda Civic which I used to run back and forth to the airport. I didn't even think of that car as having any performance credentials. As long as it started and ran safely, I didn't think about it much more than a transportation module.
The Civic did exactly what I expected it to do. It started and ran, in all types of weather, while giving me good fuel economy.
While I'm certain the RX8 (or my previous BMWs) would certainly be capable of such duty, I had no expectations that they would. I bought the RX8 for it's tremendous capabilities and versatility, not for its fuel economy, not for its winter weather capabilities, etc.
I bought the Civic for its start and go capabilities and for its fuel economy. That's it.
My RX8 (previous to its untimely demise) was subject to the Mazda "buy back" program. I decided to keep it. Glad I did. But, I had the oil pan replaced, the "M" reflash done and "hot" plugs installed, and numerous other TSBs done whenever I had the car in for maintenance.....all under warranty. I'd be hard pressed to get it to flood today. I'd have to try really hard. Since I had the car, I got to know some of the noises it makes (as pathstar has explained). I expect them. I also know that there is nothing "untaward" happening with my car with these "noises". Matter of fact, I likee the "noises" the car made.
MPG isn't a sports car's strong suits. The RX8 is no different. Yes, the engine is tiny. But, it's still a high performance sports car.
So, the Civic did exactly what I expected and what I wanted it to do. The RX8 did exactly what I expected (including service routines) and what I wanted it to do. The Civic can't do what the RX8 can do on the road. Further, the RX8 won't do what the Civic can do.
Both cars met or exceeded expectations.
You can plug any car in to replace either the RX8 or the Civic. The expectations would be similar.
I have a suite pending and will get rid of this junk once the I find out if Mazda has to buy it back or fix it?? but the service manager says it cannot be, I have taken it to three other service centers and all say the computer does not give an error code so there is nothing wrong, even though it is shaking as they tell me that.
Mazda will not give approval to take anything apart on the engine, it must be indicated with an error code!
If it's misfiring, the computer will note it.
When you say it's shaking, in what way? The gear shift will shake a bit. Did your dealer check for a broken motor mount? That will cause it to feel like it's shaking, too. That also won't show up in the computer.
I have no idea if the motor mounts were looked at or not, nor do I care,that is what technicians are for, the car ran so smooth for the first 2000 miles you had to look at the tach to make sure it was running.
This is not my first rotary, I have a 1985 rx7 which I have had since new and it has never acted like the the 8
The bottom line Mazda would not allow any work to be done without a trouble code.
That is why we are in a lemon law litigation.
I'd make a bet it's the motor mounts.
Don't know what stage you're in with the Lemon Law, but if it's already gone to hearing, my guess is the arbitrator will give Mazda one more chance to fix it. If they don't and Mazda service doesn't respond, I would imagine there will be some type of settlement offered.
This is all a guess. I've only done one Lemon Law claim in my many years of car ownership. And I did it several years ago against Honda. They were vehement about not wanting to do anything about what was a fairly serious engine problem (burned about 1 quart of oil every 300 miles). Dealer didn't want to tear the engine down because Honda wouldn't reimburse them to do it.
Honda eventually bought the car back. I blamed both the dealer and Honda coporate. Neither seemed to care one way or the other about the issue.
Good luck and keep us posted on the outcome.
Thanks..
and in no way, shape, or form is my RX8 a piece of 'junk'......best damn car I've owned.
donalds....I was thinking about your dilema last night. If your dealer and other dealer technicians admit there is an issue, why don't they tell you what they think the problem is.
I'm not saying it's a "motor mount" issue as I suspect, but since your car is shaking so bad, what's their diagnosis? It should be fairly simple for them to do some cursory checks and be reimbursed by Mazda for their efforts. IF the computer isn't giving them any codes, then my guess is it's not engine related. It must be something else (like broken motor mounts).
I certianly understand that all you want is a car that is working the way it's supposed to work. I also know that the last thing Mazda wants to do is to become embroiled in a "lemon" law suit. It behooves them to fix it for you rather than to fight about it.
Will an attorney actually take a class action suit from the seven people in the country who bought a rotary without realizing that they get bad mileage? The last RX7 was not known for its reliability or fuel mileage. In fact, rotary mileage has always been pretty miserable. Poor reliability and fuel mileage almost did in the rotary back in the 70s. The reliability has gotten better, but not the fuel mileage. How much of an increase in fuel economy do you expect out of that dirty little power keg of an engine as its output has nearly tripled over the years?
Not to be mean, but maybe you should just suck it up and buy a Civic and get 30mpg. Or you could just realize you have a really cool car and enjoy it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
ALSO, can anyone give some insight into the Yogurt on the dipstick issue? I'm assuming that could be part of the mileage issue. I have 2400 miles on the car in 9 weeks, and I'm not talking air bubbles in the oil, I'm talking YO-GURT! Anyone know anything about the "fix" i mentioned being told by my tech? I appreciate any HELPFUL responses. Sorry if I hit a sensitive nerve with rotary-engine buffs and the gas mileage thing! - Rick
Maybe the engine has to loosen up a little.
TB
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7128017/
See? EVERYONE is complaining about the EPA's testing method. For instance a BMW Z4 has a sticker mileage of 21/29 and a real-world mileage of 14. My suggestion is that you enjoy the car and leave your calculator at home when you go to the gas station!
You just threw alot of people into that group who have been here defending the RX8.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
My RX8 would fluctuate depending on the time of year (gas formulations changed during the winter, and again, during the summer. In the Spring/summer, my RX8 got pretty much what the EPA estimate was. But, during the winter (different gas formulation), it would drop. My MPG also improved as I got more miles on the car. Stop & go driving, idle time, etc. also affected my MPG.
When I put my RX8 on the highway and set the cruise control at a reasonable speed, I would indeed get close, and most times, exactly what the EPA said I should get (right around 24 MPG).
1. The RX-8 mileage will decrease very rapidly if you let it idle a lot. When you start it up I recommend letting it idle no more than 1/2 minute. Just don't use full throttle until you see the temp. gauge start to move up.
2. I've used a "driving computer" which calculates mileage from fuel flow and distance travelled (from sensors placed on the drive shaft and in the fuel system). Mileage is greatly affected by RPM. The lower you can keep the RPM, the better your mileage will be. Of course, if you "lug" the engine, you will shorten its' life, so you have to use reasonable RPM ranges. I suggest normal cruise operation for the RX-8 would be in the 3-5K range, while attempting to keep it in the lower area on long distance cruising. You should also let it rev. up close to redline from time to time to keep it cleaned out. Just don't cruise for long periods above 4,500 RPM if you want to get best mileage.
Some cars still have problems with flooding. It may be the car (perhaps a faulty valve or bad injector), or it may be the way the owner operates the car. If your car does not start within four seconds of starting cranking, press the accel. pedal to the floor and continue to crank until it fires up, 10 - 15 seconds of cranking interspersed with 30 seconds of cool down for the starter (keep the pedal to the floor until it starts). This shuts off the injectors and that makes sure the flooding doesn't get worse. My four second figure may not apply to some cars, but in my experience it is a reasonable figure.
The white oil foam seen on dipsticks is unfortunately normal. Be careful with this stuff, it is quite acidic. You can get rid of most of it by removing the oil filler cap when you shut off a hot engine (the moisture is in vapour form and will escape when the engine is hot). Do this once a week. Don't operate the car with the cap removed! Leave the hood open or put the cap on the dash to remind yourself you removed it! The cause is poor "crankcase" venting - a rotary engine "feature".
If you get white foam oil when you drain it, there is a failed coolant seal in the engine. The only way to correct this is to change/rebuild the engine. There are "O" rings between the engine sandwich parts that seal the coolant passages and they can fail or even be faulty from the beginning. It's rare, but there have been a few RX-8s with this problem. It's more common in older rotaries, where the aluminum actually fails and allows the "O" ring to move causing the leak. The failure in older cars is probably caused by the heating/cooling cycle fatiguing the metal. In new cars it's usually either a faulty "O" ring or a faulty casting.
I have had zip, nada, nothing go wrong with my RX8. It has been running like clockwork. I just hope all those considering an RX8 don't get the impression from this board that they are a headache to own. As long as you follow a few simple ground rules they are as reliable as any other Japanese car.
ok, so i just noticed another noise whith my 8
I heard this loud noise...similar to a what POS car whith a bad belts make..you know, a loud screeching noise. I heard it this morning when i first started the car in my garage. and i think i smelled some kinda of burning smell..not oil, but somehting else.
anyways..heard the same noise again after work when i started the car again
the noise starts about .5 - 1 second after i let go of the clutch..continues about 5-7 seconds..and stops..and starts again for another 1-2 seconds..and stops (maybe bad air pump?)
i turned off the engine..and started again..not this time..guess it happens only @ initial cold start up. wtf is this..im scheduled to go into dealer tomorrow morning..and im afraid they cannot catch this noise..cuz it only happends during a cold start up.
-also, noticed slight hissing noise while im speeding up between 2500 - 3000 rpm is this comming from my air intake??...probably it is..but is this normal? i just realized this cuz i decdied to drive with my windows down.
-another noise is that when im backing up..and use the brake..it makes this "pin drop" noise...think its comming from the calipers (this im not too worried about as i can duplicate it whenever i can - taking it to the dealer)
-i also heard from people that this pinging noise comming from the trans @ lower rpm is normal..it just means that the trans wants to be in a lower gear. but i get this although im @ around 2800 rpm range in 2-5th gears...now..is this normal?????,,oh and i was not goin up hill or nething..just on aflat road, it makes pining noise sometimes up until 3500 rpm in 3rd.
-and one more thing..specailly to you pathstar..if u are reading this..
i know u said that slight rough idle and vibration is normal..but i can swear there was not as much vibration for the first few hundred miles..last time i read somthing was that 8s have programs to engine behave like this after certain miles or something
and is it true that 8's computer can "learn" the driver's style and change its settings?
-------------------
oh and for the guy who asked about the tire rubbing noise..i get that also when im making a sharp turn in my cul de sac or where ever i do this.
-
-everytimr i notice a new noise..my hair falls out
-but once i take it upto 9000 rpm..it grows back
2 on both front doors, 1 on consol, and 2 in rear...where are the 8th and 9th speaker??..is it in the front doors??..3 on each doors?
Not sure if this supports you theory of motor mounts or not.
On my way home last week I was sitting with my right front tire on a speed bump and the left side not on the bump and the car started running so smooth I thought it had died.
And by the way just got word that the judge has ordered Mazda to fix not buy back.
good luck and keep us informed if this happens again!
If you want to see real problems, check out a GM or Ford board.
Fuel consumption is not an issue with me. Is there a way to prevent the oil foam situation? When you use the word "crankcase", is that when a person trys to turn the car on with the key? I apologize for asking these simple questions. I don't know all the car terms that is being used on these forums.
And what about the cover that goes over the engine, I've read around here that you're supposed to remove it every night or something. What does that help prevent?
The oil foam can be delt with as I have posted on these forums a few times:
Remove the oil filler cap once a week when you return for the night (warm engine) and make sure you set it up so you will not drive without the cap on - leave the hood open if you park in a garage, or put the cap on the dash to remind yourself to put it back on before driving.
The "crankcase" name refers to the part of the engine that the crankshaft turns in and usually the oil is stored in (oilpan covers the bottom of it). In the case of the rotary, the two are separate, in that the crankshaft (actually called the eccentric shaft on a rotary engine) is in the centre of the engine, not below the pistons as in a piston engine. So the oil is stored at the bottom of the engine, again above an "oil pan".
The engine cover is supposed to enhance the cooling/airflow over the engine and should be left on. It is quick and easy to remove it - it just pulls off. Removing it every night wouldn't do anything I can think of, other than over excersizing the hood release.
What about revving the engine before I shot off the car? On an automatic, would that mean I set the car on park and rev the engine to a certain RPM and shut off once it reaches that number? Or simply rev it to that number and let it go down before turning the car off?
I'm sorry if you've already answered these questions numerous amounts of time. I've tried searching for the answer but there are way too many posts to look through. Thanks again!
It's not clear if reving the engine before shutting it off actually clears out excess fuel, but that is the idea. I rev. it to 3K or so and shut off the ignition switch, allowing the engine to coast down to 0. You would do this in park or neutral with an automatic. When you shut off the ignition switch it shuts off the injectors, and the engine still turning over might pump out any fuel still inside the combustion chambers. I only do this if shutting off a cold engine. I've never had a flooding problem in my 3rd gen, but the RX-8 has flooded several times. Each time it was cold (once it flooded when we tried to start it at -30C. We didn't get it started again until it warmed up close to freezing - two weeks). We didn't want to tow it to a warm garage. It was just too cold to drive it anyway. We do use it all winter - and to do that in snow you will need different tires. The tires it comes with are summer performance tires - useless in ice and snow.
The 3rd gen RX-7 hibernates all winter, and that may be the main reason it's never flooded.
Are there any other routines I should familiarize myself with in regards to the RX-8 and its quirks?
Well, there is one other thing. The car is sneaky. You will find yourself attaining very high speeds without noticing how high the speed is getting. The local constabulary will not take pity on you just because your car is sneaky if they catch you at high speed. ;-)
For example, let's say I came home from a long day of driving, I shut the car off but parked in the wrong spot. Would I be able to turn the car back on, re-park my car and shut it off again without the car flooding; or would I still have to wait a few minutes before doing so?
More information - the early cars flooded very easily because the PCM began injecting lots of fuel as soon as the engine was turned over (or perhaps as soon as the starter was disengaged). If the engine didn't really start (for many reasons such as fouled plugs, too cold to vapourize the fuel etc) you would end up with too much liquid fuel in the combustion chambers when you again tried to start it - the fuel would soak the plugs - and you would have a flooded car. The "M" flash (which all cars got starting in June or earlier last year) delayed the choke mode for a second or two and went a long way to preventing flooding.
I'm told we got a new flash in January of this year - "N" flash. It doesn't change the air/fuel this time, it fixes a few "bugs" that were found in the "M" flash. Not sure exactly what they were that they fixed.