Any other Ottawa guys around here?

I’m the proud new owner of a early 2004, 6 speed. I have a list below of the issues I’m going to bring up at my first servicing.

Do you guys know of any specific recalls for the issues I’ve listed below? Also, I don’t know if it makes a difference for the recall #’s but I live in Canada.

Thanks,


#1. Gas mileage:

I knew going in that the mileage was bad but this is crazy. I get 300 km to the yellow light.


#2. Acceleration:

The car has lost some pep off the line over the past month. I read something about the CAT being clogged?


#3. Brake Squeak:

The brakes squeak even after being warmed up, and I also hear the squeak during regular slow parking lot driving (no brake being applied).


#4. Shifting into Reverse:

I’d say 30% of the time the car doesn’t go into reverse properly.


#5. Passenger Seat Rattle:

There are lots of rattles in this car but this one drives me crazy, if the seat is unoccupied and in the upright position there is annoying rattle at any speed.


#6. Rough starting:

Sometimes the starter takes awhile to start.


#7. Tail Light Condensation:

Not a big deal, but I find the taillights fog up easily.

 

I have all the problems you have, minus the seat. as for the gas mileage, sounds about right. The pep is prolly you getting used to the car. Same thing happens to ferrari and lambo owners, its just you getting used to the acceleration. Go buy a tercel and you'll see that you haven't lost any pep at all!

 

Congrats on your new purchase. As to your questions, here are some comments:

1) Mileage is not our forte ... people get anywhere between 300 to 400km/50L tank (I've heard *gasp* 450km+). Guess it depends on your driving style and how much stop/go/idling you do.

2) Ask them to definitely check the CAT and also to do the recent voluntary recall (you will get at least a new PCM flash and spark plug) ... they might also do a compression test to see if you are one of the unfortunate that need an engine replacement. May also be the gas you are using (premium vs lower octane and also winterized gas vs regular gas)

3) Brake squeal --> depending on the dealership, they may replace brake pads for you (it is mentioned in the US TSB) but also make sure wheels are torqued correctly (108ft/lb)

4) Not sure about the reverse gear.

5) Seat rattle --> ask them to check all of the bolts ... I had this happen as well but I went in and tightened everything ... not a peep anymore from the seat

6) Rough start --> also related to the flash (assuming the previous owner didn't get all the most recent one). But also, in the winter, the rx8 does tend to need a bit more cranking. OH, get them to check the battery --> the old one may be getting weak.

7) Tail lights --> some people have had that replace under warranty

Good luck and welcome to the club

 

It depends what sort of problems you are having with your reverse gear. If you don't give it a firm enough shove, the gear doesn't engage completely, and it rattles. If you just can't get it into reverse, try knocking it once into first, then second, then reverse, in quick succession - some people report having to 'line up' reverse just right in one of those gears before it'll go.

Most of the other things are covered in TSBs or recalls, so if the work hasn't been done, then it all will get looked at. The tail light issue depends on how much condensation you are experiencing.

 

I had the same problem with the reverse gear 2 summers ago. Never went to get it looked at, because I hate going to the dealer. After about two weeks, it went back to normal, and haven't had that problem again.

As for the seat rattle, it might be some loose bolts and what not. My problem was after I was cleaning the car once, the passenger seat was inclind up vertically and pushed forward a bit. I noticed that the seatbelt would be banging against the side airbag cover when no one was not occupied. So I just pushed the seat all the way back and lowered the backrest a bit down.

 

Thanks for the info guys, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

If it's your first service, they will probably test the cat functioning. Just took mine in for it, and they want to replace the cat even though there is no CEL or any symptoms I can notice.....

S

 

Welcome, I am from Ottawa but my car is tucked away for winter . . .

#1 - That's about right in town, I get a touch better than 15L/100KM on average and it's winter so it will be worse.
#2 - You are probably getting familiar with the car, try driving a different car for comparison . . . The car also likes to be flogged . . . There is a fair amount of drivetrain backlash and when combined with low torque it makes the car less than ideal for commuting at low speeds in winter, it will feel clunky.
#3 - Go to Performance, I trek clear across town to go there, the dealer closest to me are bozos and wouldn't fix the car . . .
#4 - My car is like that, I don't believe there is a reverse synchro in this car based its behaviour. If it doesn't slide in easily, release and depress the clutch again, that's usually enough to line things up, don't force it. I experienced this with other cars in the past, particularly VWs. What I don't like is the poor feel when it does go in, you are never quite sure if it's fully engaged, my Audi has way better feel there.
#5 - No rattles from my seats, had some rails replaced in the sunroof because it rattled when open, there is a TSB and new parts for that. Otherwise the car is quite tight . . .
#6 - Maybe once every month or two there is a random longish start, I think that's normal, the thing has never flooded (I always properly warm it up though). I have the original starter . . .
#7 - Never had any fog in the tail lights . . . With age those clear lenses will likely suck though. Leaking tail lights is almost an inevitable thing over time, I have actually drilled small holes in the base of the housings on a couple of cars to keep water from accumulating. If the car is under warranty, complain to the dealer. Otherwise I stumbled across a pile of them on eBay for about US$40 a set. I imagine that they are a fortune from the dealer . . .

 

Just to add, I had the brake squeal (new pads) and lights (both fogs and a tail) replaced under warranty on my '05. No problems with reverse, but my 3rd to 4th shift grinded and resulted in a new tranny, also under warranty. A squeaky ctutch is my only other problem.

Not happy about any of this, but still love driving it.

Since you noticed a problem with acceleration develop after you bought it, get the recall test as others mentioned. Otherwise, a lighter flywheel like my Mazdaspeed version will do wonders for extra pep.