Hello guys! My name is Zach and I just bought a 2009 RX8 Sport with 43K miles on it. I traded a 2012 chevy cruze + cash for this car and I already love it. I've read that this is a car that will get its owners emotionally attached and it is very true. I'm not completely a noob when it comes to rotary engines, however, I'm certainly no expert. I'm good at DIY's and that sort of thing. I'm curious about people's experience with Mazda dealerships and the reliability for this car. I don't really have any plans on modifications, however, I will certainly get a stainless steel clutch line and maybe brake lines as well. This car apparently has a BHR ignition system and a k&n air filter. I will eventually be replacing the k&n with a stock one, probably. It has nice red coil wires. What is the easiest way to tell if the car actually has BHR coils on it? And, what should be the first thing I do as far as maintenance and longevity. I did not receive any service records with this vehicle, sadly. And, it was purchased from a dealership who did an oil change on it as soon as they got it and I plan on doing another oil change soon just to be safe. I did get one with a 6spd mt.

 

Welcome! Post pics of the car!

To get a good basic understanding of the car, read the new and potential owners sticky found at the top of the new members forum.

 

I'm reading those now, thank you! My first impressions of the car make it seem like it will be leaps and bounds more reliable than my cruze was.

 

Congrats man, I did the pretty much the same thing. Traded my jeep + cash for a 2009 GT about a year and a half ago.

I have had nothing but a fantastic experience as an owner. Granted my car (like yours) was low mileage, but it's been nothing but reliable thus far. I just recently went on a road trip of over 1000 miles with no problems, even hitting 142 mph on the freeway.

Do your research on the forums, top off your oil, and redline it! My Mazda dealer in Austin TX has been pretty good to me. I have absolutely no regrets buying the RX-8.

 

Take a look at the center of the photo below. If you have BHR coils, the first coil under the airbox will look like mine that has a number 1 drawn on the wire with a Sharpie.



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Welcome aboard Zach - as Steve mentioned read the New Member areas first.

 

I'll check that out when I get a free minute. I'm a college student so I'm a little busy with work and studying and stuff. I don't mind the maintenance on a vehicle. I'm about as adamant and stubborn as they come when it comes to doing maintenance on time. I also like to check and make sure everything has been done correctly. I plan on changing transmission fluid soon, however, I'm in no rush. This is more difficult than it was on my old cruze it seems. Do the engine mounts on these cars have air pockets? If they do I would like to fill them with window weld or something of that nature. I know window weld is harsh, but, I love it. I came from a car that was costing me $200+ a month in repairs (gas and oil changes excluded). So, this car is like a dream to me. Plus, it's actually like 5$/6months cheaper to insure. The shifter seems to shake a little bit at idle. Having the ac on seems to make it shake a tad worse. The car does have a k&n filter on it. Is this normal? I will be cleaning the MAF soon, probably tomorrow. I'll see if that helps any. Sadly I haven't had a ton of time to look at every little details, however, the car seems unusually clean. I also noticed that the shifter squeaks a little. Are these things normal? Sorry I'm being nit-picky. I have never owned a spinning nacho powered car before, however, I have driven an rx7 fc with oodles of modifications and I don't remember them all. The BHR coils make me feel a lot better about the car.I don't expect this car to be the kind you get in, drive, and don't worry about anything. I'm not okay if I just ignorantly drive my car. I'm an enthusiast, I love to tinker and build but I also like to know what I'm doing. I also really like the mindset of all of the RX8 owners/lovers that I've talked to. Charles at BHR seems to have a good sense of humor as well as some of the others who have made posts. I just take maintenance very seriously. I am an engineering student, so, if I decide to modify this car, expect it to be professional and over-engineered. However, the rotary engines and the rx8's have been out for a while so I doubt I'll need to do much of that. The Cruze I had is like a bad ex-girlfriend (or boyfriend) that you fell too hard too fast for. Sure, it gets almost twice the mpg, but, it costs for than a 30 year old BMW just to keep it on the road. (Yes, literally. My dad has an 84 735i that costs him less to drive than my 3 year old cruze).

 

Lol the time it took you to write this post, you could have learned a lot in the new owners thread that was mentioned as a mandatory read.

It's good to see that you are nit-picky! But trust me... TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE NEW OWNERS STICKIES! You and your car will thank you.

Anyways, most of the questions you asked could be found very easily on the is forum. Easier than starting your own thread. Use this method in Google- site:rx8club.com *insert question*