El Conquistador

I've been reading up on here and have seen the recommendations to have a compression test done before buying, so I decided that was definitely something I wanted to do before buying. With the car I'm looking at getting, I'm starting to think that may not be such a great idea after all given the circumstances.

Here's the thing. He lives a few hours from me so tomorrow morning, I was going to call up the local dealership, prepay for the test and have him take the car there, and the dealership will e-mail me the results. I'll drive down there tomorrow evening after work and if the car is as described, we'll go to my bank Saturday and finish the deal. I would have preferred to be there in person for the test, but my bank closes early on Saturday and the dealership only has an oil change guy there that day.

Here's the reason I'm having second thoughts. The car is an 09 with 27,000 miles on it. From what I've read on here, the second generation engines are more reliable than the first generation ones so I figure there's little chance that it's bad. It's also my understanding that all of these cars have 8 year warranties, so I should still be covered for about two years. However, he has removed the catalytic converters and done a few minor mods under the hood. If he takes it to the Mazda dealership, they're likely to record that and use it to get out of covering any issues that are remotely related to those mods. In case something did break, he said he still has most of the original parts which I could put back on, though I haven't yet asked about the exhaust specifically. It's also kind of a small city and I don't think they have any non-dealership shops that could do a rotary compression test.

So is it worth it to do the test? The engine is by far the thing I'm most worried about having issues with. Sensors and such are far far cheaper than a rebuild and I can do the work myself. Having the test done will pretty much ensure that the engine won't give me issues in the near future, but not having it done will pretty much ensure that I could have it fixed if it does, albeit after the pain of having to install the original parts. I hate to be impatient, but I'm going to need some advice within the next 12 hours or so. Thanks.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

where are you?

beers

El Conquistador

I'm currently in my living room drinking screwdrivers in the hope that I'll be able to go to sleep soon.

More seriously, I live in Dallas. Why? If you're going to bring up emissions, they only do an OBD-II test here (on cars that have it) and I plan to get a tuner to disable those codes among other things. They're supposed to visually check for cats but I've read that quite often in emissions counties especially in small shops, they just go by what the computer says. If I don't get so lucky, I can get a shell or a high flow cat welded in. After reading all the stories of owners who had their converter clog which then resulted in engine failure, I was looking to get rid of it anyway.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

i asked as you might have someone near you that could help.. always good to know..

with the info given if he has the stock cat in good working order i would go for it. also check the service history..

the motor is fine at 29k miles.. unless abused. a good drive will tell a lot, as will the condition of the car. i am sure that there is a rotary shop somewhere in the area where the two of you could meet if anything odd shows up..

good luck.

beers

El Conquistador

I think he's a fairly young guy and he has done a few mods to the car, so I doubt he drove it like my grandmother, which appears to be a good thing with rotaries. One can only hope he didn't thrash it. The transmission is a manual so I don't see it going out any time soon, and insurance will cover body damage in case of a crash, so again the engine is really my main concern. I am planning on taking some precautions with the engine like putting in a lower temperature thermostat and lowering the temperature at which the fan comes on as well as getting an Ultragauge or something similar to audibly alert me if it starts overheating or if it's too cool to kill the engine without risking a flood.

So one thing I'd like to know, if the compression test is good, can I expect the engine to last at least a few years (I will probably drive less than 10,000 miles a year) assuming I don't do anything stupid like run it without oil? If I can be confident that the engine will last at least several years if the compression test is good, it'll probably be worth screwing up my warranty on other powertrain components.

Excuse any typing mistakes I've made. The screwdrivers are working.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

if you maintain the car you likely will have no issues.. the series 2 is a bit of an unknown. but it will be better than the series 1..

i have ~125k miles on my car. engine was replaced at 55k miles running fine. mazda wanted to look at it..

the second/current engine has 70k miles on it with the last 4 years only getting 2k miles on it.. and the 2k miles were to and from track, and lots of track time. still running.

i dont know if the 8yr 100k mile coverage is for the 09 cars. if it is it is a simple choice. but really having the stock cat is important. they are expensive..

beers

poacherinthezoo

It's always gamble without getting a compression test done, but as you noted it is still under warranty. Still, it's best to consider the worst case scenario - you don't get it tested, the engine dies shortly after you buy the car, and for some reason Mazda denies your warranty - will you be able to handle the cost of replacing the engine? Do you have alternative transport? Just something to chew on.

Particularly important if you're pre-paying for a compression test at a dealer several hours away from you, is to make sure it gets done CORRECTLY: 6 compression numbers and 2 RPMs. Anything less and you're up the proverbial creek. It may also be nice to know the state of the engine when you obtained it, for comparison down the line.

Regardless of if you decide to get it tested or not, make sure you do get all the maintenance records, as they will likely be needed if you do ever run into engine issues (under warranty).

Quoted because it's worth reiterating. The owner may have gone with a cheap midpipe that is loud and sounds terrible (or will become loud and raspy in the near future). If you can get away without the cat you can always sell it at a later time.



Best of luck, and happy motoring.

bishop1950

Welcome
I traded my 04 Chevy Trailblazer for my 04 RX8. I started reading here and I had many fitful nights worrying about compression test . Mine has 85000 miles on org engine as far as I can tell . I did a redneck compression test (85psi all lobes) , but not the same as one done with dealer equipment !
DO NOT buy that with out a proper compression test !!!! I can share that having bought one with out haveing a proper text done !

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the compression test before hand, especially if he can give you records of maintenance. It is still under warranty and low mileage on the engine. I WOULD still take it for a compression test once I had it in hand, though more to get a baseline of where the engine is at vs any worry that the engine would have a problem.

Yes, Series2 has the warranty.

MazdaUSA > MyMazda > Warranty

gwilliams6

Even a 09 with 27000miles on it could have been abused or neglected and have engine problems. Is it likely ,no. but possible yes! If the mods he did void the warranty you could be faced with paying for an engine yourself. If the dealer sees he has removed the cat and other mods they could label the car as unwarrantable . Unless the owner returns the car to full original equipment, consider that warranty void in a pinch. So buy it as is and hope the engine and all else is fine, or get the compression test done (which I would do, but with the cat and all original parts put back on the car before the test).

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

i'd risk it with an 09 and sub 30k miles. price would play a role too

El Conquistador

Well I arranged to have a compression test done on it Friday. The owner took the car there but the shop called me and told me they wouldn't do it because the car was too low to get on the lift. Oh well... I decided to take a chance and buy the car anyway. The owner had most of the original parts including the exhaust system so it would be a pain in the *** but not impossible to throw it all back on the car and take it up there if I ever need to.

The exhaust is a bit louder than I would prefer as I like to avoid attention rather than attract it, but I've read the horror stories of dead cats taking out engines. I'm wondering if a high-flow cat would quiet it a little and help me pass visual inspection but not be a risk to the engine.

gwilliams6

Never heard of a car too low to get on the lift, unless some serious mods were made. Sounds like the owner got together with the mechanic NOT to do the compression test before the sale. . Oh well, now YOU own the car. I would still get that compression test done to know what condition car you bought, and I bet you now that you have bought it, it will now magically fit on a lift for a compression test. You just cant ignore this vital info for any used rotary engine, it can indicate other problems . I have owned seven rotaries and I would not go forward without knowing the health of the engine. no matter how young and nice the car looks and feels.

The RX8 club's maintenance schedule. much more comprehensive than Mazda's schedule.
30,000 miles :
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.
__________________

El Conquistador

The car has aftermarket shocks and springs and sits pretty low to the ground. I could see some shops being hesitant to pull it on the lift. Plus I chose the shop myself and the guy there was cautioning me about the check engine light being on, something I expected due to the removal of the cats. I don't think they were conspiring against me.

I'll add a compression test to the list of things to do to the car though.

Steve Dallas

Rotary Performance in Garland can help you with most things RX-8 and do it off the dealership books. If I were you, I would have taken it there for a compression test and pre-purchase inspection before buying it. A car with that few miles should be OK, but a lot of stupid people do a lot of stupid things to these cars.

J8635621

iTrader: (10)

Rotary performance is a good place. So is Steve kan but he is more on the Fort Worth side I think and I can't remember the name of his place.

El Conquistador

The car was in Tyler so I wouldn't have been able to take it there. I will keep them in mind though if I ever need something complicated done to it. It may have been them I saw offering engine rebuilds on Craigslist.

J8635621

iTrader: (10)

You're luckier than most. DFW has some very rotary knowledgeable shops while many areas have to drive hours and hours to find someone that isn't a moron.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

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