12th Jan 2010, 18:09

I must say, Mazda Corp. has some enemies out there. I bought my 2004 RX8 used from a dealer, off lease in December 2007. The car has performed amazing up to this point. It really is a fun car to drive, but by no means cheap on gas.

I did have the starter replaced by the dealer, even though mine was working fine at 85,000km?? If your engine light comes on, find an honest and experienced mech that you can rely on cause Mazda mechanics and their diagnostics seem to be a 50/50 chance at finding the problem.

They say to use premium gas, but go one step further and use 94 octane if possible. It will make all the difference in the world to the performance and longevity of this vehicle.

Remember, it is a rotary engine in a sports car. Use it, rev it! It needs to be pushed, but take good care of your toy.

12th Jan 2010, 21:13

Just bought a 2004 RX8... have not even picked it up from the dealership yet... based on these comments.. Holy crap... are these cars really that bad or is it just the people who have had a bad experience commenting on this forum?!!

BTW - thanks for the warm up and cool down tip, nobody said anything to me when I bought this car.

Some guy from Southern Alberta.

13th Jan 2010, 15:57

To: Some Guy in Southern Alberta.

I've owned an RX-8 since the summer of 04. It has 130,000 miles on it. Although I admit that I've enjoyed the car most of the time I've had it, I also have to admit that it has often given me trouble, and the engine is now on its last legs.

Last week the dealer told me that it needs a new motor - at a cost of $8,000. My advice to you is to back out of your deal if you can. If you see a white milky substance on the oil dip stick, that means the engine has a fungus in it, which will only get worse, unless you spend $600 on a "kit" to fix it. (But if it has a fresh oil change, you might not see the white substance until it has been driven for a while.)

My engine goes dead on me every time I take my foot off of the accelerator. I've had to quit driving it, because I don't feel safe with it dying frequently in the middle of traffic. Yes, I've gotten a lot of miles out of it, but other Mazdas I have owned lasted well over 200,000 miles, and this one is not living up to my expectations.

I'm disappointed with the Mazda Corp and am not likely to consider buying another Mazda. I've contacted a lawyer to see if I have any options under Tennessee's "Lemon Law". Try to cancel your deal if it isn't too late... Otherwise, good luck.

14th Jan 2010, 10:15

Note that many people who have posted (myself included) have included both rants and raves. So I wouldn't say that this forum is populated by haters. Rather, it's populated by folks who have honest critiques about this car.

Sadly, my RX8 proved to be woefully unreliable, and poorly made.

20th Jan 2010, 13:35

Well I have a 2004 RX8, never problem, then I started it during cold weather, flooded, and here comes the tow... in dealer now... 4K with problems... covered by extended warranty, then they call say thermostat went out, not covered... they fixing called them this am, and a tow truck is on the way to pick up the mechanics test driving it? This is ridiculous... if they can't fix it, they need to buy it back... what rip off... I still have payments on this car...

23rd Mar 2010, 19:16

I bought my RX8 about 8 months ago, and now noticing when I step on it, the exhaust makes a rattling noise at about 6000rpm in 2-6. Any reason why? Or how to fix it?

24th Mar 2010, 14:47

May be a loose heatshield on the catalytic converter or muffler. Tighten it up if it's not rusted through. If it's rusted, it will require replacement. (By rusted I mean it cannot be tightened because it has rusted right off the bolts.)

31st Mar 2010, 14:23

I have had a Mazda RX8 for four years, but too many problems. I go to the dealer, but there's nothing they can really fix on it. I have spent over $1500 to fix it. The problems are...

1. The engine cannot start right away after I turn it off; I have to wait for 15 to 20 minutes. For short distances, for example I fill the gas at a gas station, I cannot start right away. So the RX8 wastes my time. Because of this, sometimes I'm late for work.

2. Too much vibration when I stop at like traffic lights.

3. In the winter cool season, the engine cannot start at all because of flooding engine, and have to go to the dealer again and spend money every year.

There are a lot more problems. Mazda should recall the RX8 engine. So now I`m ready to trade it in and get something better than an RX8..

Thanks.

7th Apr 2010, 03:52

Thanks for all the tips. I was gonna get one this weekend. $12.000 cash on hand, but I think the Mazda is not for me, cos I'm usually late to work, and with warming up the car and all of those problems, I will wait a few more months and I get the Infiniti G35.

8th Apr 2010, 07:05

I have had a RX8 for over one year now, and have had no problems other than the flooding issue, which I was well aware of (my absent mindedness in forgetting things) as I'd done my research on the car before buying, and have taken the time to read the manual.

Warm up and late for work - 10 second warm up before moving, and keep revs below 4,000rpm until engine is warm. You won't be that late.

Need to shut off when cold - Hold engine at 3,000rpm for 10 second to burn off fuel to help prevent flooding. There is a cure to flooding in the manual (depress accelerator etc before starting again), although this is not always a given.

Oil - Don't use 5-30 synthetic as proscribed in the manual, as there is an update stating this can leave carbon deposits and ruin the engine. Use 5-30 mineral instead. It is imperative to check oil frequently, due to the small oil pan and how the rotary uses the oil. No oil = rotor damage and an expensive fix.

Engine revs - It goes all the way up to 10,000prm and needs to be worked hard (only when fully warmed up). No point having a racing horse and taking the kids for a stroll on Blackpool beach with it.

Tires - Throw them Bridgestones away as soon as possible, poor wet grip, frightening in the ice/snow and prone to tram-lining. Check out Vredistein Ultrac Sessanta's instead.

It takes a little more care to look after than your average day car, but then it's not an average car. I would happily update to the new model if I had the funds!