Hi there ! I bought my Rx-8 back in April of 2015. It's my first car ! And it's gorgeous !
Granted I know nothing about cars, please excuse my ignorance... I'm finding out now months later, that these cars are meant for more experienced car owners...

My Rx8 was working flawlessly up until about a week ago. When I got inside like I always do to head out for work and it unfortunately didn't start. The starter wouldn't fire... So I got it towed to the Mazda dealership and they deflooded the engine. I picked up the car and suddenly there was a new problem, the car's shifting was all messed up. Which has never happened before... So I took it back. He said the coils were very hot which shouldn't happen because I only drove it 5 mins up the road before i started having issues...

So at first he said I might have to get a completely new engine. But he then proceeded to put in new spark plugs and coils, which seems to have fixed the issue. I've been driving it a couple of days now with luckily no problems...

He told me to do a few things... When starting turn the ignition on, wait a few seconds. Then rev the engine to about 2 and a half thousand rpm. Hold for like 30 seconds, then you're good to go. When turning the engine off rev to three thousand rpm then cut the engine off while revving...

Are these good and safe tips ? I want to do whatever I can to make sure I don't flood the engine again. Any other advice to keep this car going for as long as possible? I was also told to drive the car harder since unfortunately I've been just driving it to work. Tips for this ? I took it out on the high way for a while. But I'm not sure if that's enough..

Any other tips for owning this car ? Again I apologize if my noobiness is making you cringe. I just want to learn as much as possible from trusted sources. Thanks for you're time and consideration !

 

The answers you seek are here and easy to find. I will not flame you, but you really should read and read some more before posting. There is honestly enough information here that"new" buyers, myself included, shouldn't have to ask questions about this car. Chit chat is a different matter, but everything conceivable has been addressed in this 11 year old forum.

 

Read the "new and potential owners" thread in the new members subforum. It is a sticky, which means it will always appear at the top of the forum.

After reading there, should you still have questions, post them here.

I also recommend you read the sticky "congratulations you got an 8". This will recommend the first things you should purchase or have checked when you get an 8

 

Since it's an automatic, your gonna need to rev and redline the thing like crazy.

Get your rpm's up to your redline, 7k (?), at least once every time you drive it.

 

Ahh sorry. Thanks guys.

 

Sometimes I forget any of these cars even have automatic transmissions.

 

Welcome to the club, the car looks pretty nice, how many miles and what year is it?

They're pretty easy just find the maintenance guidelines in the new and potential owners thread, then go to the 100 dollar thread.

Replace or check your ignition system every 30K miles and it's pretty happy. You only have to do the rev up stuff when it is failing. It's alway's best to drive until the engine is up to operation temp. If that's doesn't happen often then check the ignition more often. Reving high gives the engine more oil to drink and keeps it a bit smoother. It's not nearly as bad as a piston. I normally shift around 4-4500 rpm in general driving.

Do your oil changes every 3K miles, if it's anywhere near 100K miles I'd have all the fluids replaced and belts when you get a chance.

 

Seems like the mechanic did the right thing. Nice car, good to see you're asking the right questions.

In case this slips through the cracks, these cars are designed to consume oil, so make sure you keep an eye on the level and add when necessary.