I'm a new RX8 owner as well - just got mine at the end of January - and just LOVE the darn thing -- it's a daily driver -- yep, even in the ol Indiana snow it got driven (slowly and carefully - but it got thru everything just fine!)

I think most of your confusion/frustration may just be based on the switch from common motor over to rotory.... They are just two different creatures and you have to tweek your thinking when it comes to how you 'think' about general maintenance IMO....

DEFF use non-synthetic...deff check the oil at every fill up or once a week...what 'babyhuey' stated about the "start stop" is true true true...and deff use the primo gas, I've got to admit :shhhh: I tested between mid-range and premium -- and the way my car performs is substantialy different between the two - deff go premo on the gas.... lastly, read the manual - especially if you're new to rotory, there are a lot of tidbits in there that make you go "huh - wadda ya know..."

I've not had any problems with mine (outside of tire shock -- those babies dont last all that long and are not cheap to replace!) and it just purrs....
especially once you hit 85 :grin: - it's pure driving enjoyment and once you get use to thinking rotory, before you know it, you realize that maint isnt time consuming or difficult and you can start enjoying just driving

 

Wow...why did you get out of such a new Equinox?? Anyway, I have had my RX 8 for almost 3 years. It just takes some getting used to. It's a tad bit more effort to maintain but if you love this car it will be worth it. It is not for the average person since most don't even like to check the oil let alone warm it up. I just would not shut down the car if the engine is cold....like pulling it in and out of garage and not having driven it all day......the car stays warm most of the time if you have driven it that day. Just in case.... rev it to 3000 RPMs and hold it there a few seconds than shut it off. Unfortunately, this car is not a good impulse buying car....this is one people must really learn about and understand.....I was on the forums long before I decided on actually buying one....I knew everything going in. I check my oil about every 1000 miles and add a little. Also no synthetic oil! Get winter tires if you drive it in a cold climate with snow....it handles great with winter tires. It's a fun, awesome handling and hot looking car! You will get use to it's little quirks, it's just unfortunate you did not get the chance to research it first! Mazda's are great vehicles and I am buying my third one(CX 7) in another month! P.S. I have an automatic and it does get better! Zoom,Zoom!!! Good luck to you!

 

The 2004 Mazda RX8, I knew nothing about mazdas and took a chance on this new rotary engine. I keep telling myself its a great cool car and I should be happy to own one but the truth is this car was the worse decision I ever made and I am deeply regretting it and wish I could take it all back. Ive only owned it 4months now and it constantly goes back to the dealership. twice because the headlights dont seem to be sized right, they keep building up condensation on the inside. And also like many of you THE F***N CAR WONT START!!!!!!!!! Only 4 months I remind you that ive owned it and it has been picked up and towed to the dealership 3 times now cuz it wont start. I can only think of a few things as to why this problem occurs. #1 I only drive it on the weekends and after reading many of these forums Ive learned that you have to start it up for about 5 minutes atleast every other day. #2 When you start it up for quick tasks like to move it from the driveway to the street or out of another cars way. Do not turn your car on and then quickly turn it off. atleast let it run for 5 minutes or drive around your street real quick then park it and turn it off. Ive been told constantly that starting it up and quick shut offs cause the rotary to flood. Im get kinda lazy so I have to say it is a B*** that you have to do this process but atleast you wont feel like a complete idiot when you have a girl over and your brand new hot car she admireswont even start. #3 This is the final tip i can give you. I didnt learn this tip from anyone, and i cant even tell you a good solution for it, All 3 times that my car didnt start was when the wheather got cold. I live in Texas so its generally warm. Everytime we got a cold front was when i had problems. Does anyone have this same problem? and does anyone have a suggestion for it?
Besides all that other problems are Very Low Gas Mileage, my friend has a new V8 GTO and even it gets better mileage than me.When you want to take off and really push down on the peddle the car will pause for a sec and then take off thatskinda annoying and embarrassing when your trying to show it off. Also check your oil every 2 weeks the thing drinks that up quick. Ive also noticed alot of things make rattling sounds when your driving very slow. sad to say while lookin for where the noises are coming from i noticed most of that car is just glued together. I could go on with a few other problems but if you read all of this i think i got the point across that if you bought an RX8 and your having these problems just accept it and come to the realization that you took a chance on this car without really knowing much about this rotary engine, and it was a big mistake. you made a bad purchase!!!
Once this sinks in please join me in one big cry over the whole thing
sux to be us

 

I too bought an Rx8 recently (the end of December). I love the car and did my research before I bought it. The sales person told me that Mazda recommends synthetic oil but the manual says no such thing. The manual only says 5w-20 oil nothing about synthetic or non-synthetic oil. I don't really have any problems with the maintenance. I have not had any problems starting it and I had the oil light come on once shortly after I bought it (apparently the dealership did not top off the oil when I bought it). I have been putting quite a lot of miles on the car and it does have a slight hesitation sometimes when taking off from a stop but I have found at least on the manual I can fix that by adjusting how I release the clutch. Before the Rx8 I had a Mazda 3 and I loved that car too but I wanted an Rx8 and had wrecked the 3 to the point where the insurance decided to fix it but the car was never the same after that so I got rid of it and got an Rx8. The rotary engine does have some problems but that could be because there is only one company that has used them so not as much development has gone into them as the piston engines but the power that it is capable of for the size of the engine is incredible.

 

 

Rx-8 is not for a novis driver. It takes alot of care and attention. If you were not responsable enough to read the operators manual, you might not have the responability needed to keep your RX-8 running good. NO SYN oil

 

hi
im a newby to the forum and also new to the rx8
can any one tell me how long the engines last for compared to a normal engine.
the most i have seen is about 60,000 miles (96,000 kilometres)
hope someone can help
vicki

 

The 8 really isnt that much trouble if you enjoy cars... Checking your oil should be routine, for ANY car.. but especially "sports cars" like ours... and what else do you have to do when you are waiting for that Premium to fill up??? Unless ur engine is REALLY hot, check it... dont wait till the light comes on, cuz who says that the light WILL come on???? Respect ur car, and it will respect you