I have just recently bought a 2005 RX-8, 6speed, Grand Touring w/navigation
and loving it. I have been using the search tool but still haven’t found any information on some questions on the car. These are probably just normal quirks but I haven’t had a chance to dive into the information and learn every aspect and configuration of the car as my previous car. Anyways, some quick questions I have for you all, and I do greatly appreciate your advice and answers to them. I do have warranty on the car still and just want to get everything covered that I can before it expires.

1.The heated leather seats work great, however once activated or turned on they seem to only stay on for about 5 minutes then they seem to click off, or don’t stay warm. It seems like I turned the button is turned off but it is not and they only come back on sometimes in 30 minutes of driving. Is this normal?

2.Once the car is started and the engine is still cold, I hear a light squeaking. It sounds like a bearing to an alternator or water pump. The car has 26k miles on it and I looked at the belts but couldn’t find any wear. It has 5w20 fully synthetic in it and the oil is on the full line.

3.It is a 6 speed however; I notice it seems hard to get into reverse sometimes. I feel I really have to hammer it in, especially if I have to back uphill. Also when I come to a stoplight I often take it out of gear when waiting for the light to turn green. Upon putting the gear back into first, no throttle applied the car makes a loud thud. It seems to slide in easy but I can feel that it goes in quite hard.

4.When I have the air conditioner on high on a warm day and turn the car off with the keys pulled the radiator fans kick on. I put the key back and put it on to the ACC position and pull they key back out they turn off. I have had the fans run for up to 5 minutes and then did the key/ACC trick to get them off as I was worried that the Battery would be dead. Should they stay running? Or is this normal. I have had many motorcycles that do this when the ignition is off and key pulled but never seen a car that does this.

5.This may seem a bit odd, but it seems the clutch has lots of vibration in it to many other manuals I have driven, especially when downshifting and the rpm’s are high.

6.I have the navigation, however the disc is from 2004. Would a new disc work in the system or can the dealership get you a new disc? Approximate price?

Many of these things are probably just knickknacks and normal but I figured I’d ask as most of you have probably owned your RX8 since day one and know if a ticking were to appear in the right rear of your car you could explain it. ( I can relate as I’m that way with my Aprilia) Also if there are any club members in the Minneapolis Area I would like to get into one as I have just recently moved from the countryside of Iowa to the big city.
Thanks for all your help.

 

I can answer two of them:

4 - the fan will run up to 10 minutes after you turn the engine off. Don't do the ACC trick: it needs to run to cool things down.

6 - About $200. Check the interior and electronics forum for discussion of the update CD.

Did you get the owner's manual with your car? If not, you can sign on to the owner's section at mazdausa.com and download one.

Ken

 

Thanks Ken, that makes me happy the battery wont go dead. I will look and try to get the updated DVD.

 

The heated seats are like that...u don't want to burn your @$$
I find that they're fine as long as the seats aren't cold. Isn't it bad for you to be sitting on something hot for a long time?

 

That would depend on how hot.

I've had back problems for the past few years. Heat helps. A couple of years ago I went on a road trip with a friend who had a Mini. The seat heaters stayed on, and it was great for my back. Trip was in January, so it was doubly good.

No heated seats in my 8. Good thing I went to a physical therapist and learned to fix my back problem with exercise.

Ken

 

It must just be a RX8 thing then, as other heated seats always seem to stay on unless you turn them off. My seats actually will cool off after the initial warm and I will flick the button on and off as they seem to be almost cool.

One other question I havent posted is if there is a Mazda dealership that everyone seems to trust more than any other in the TwinCities area. I mean a dealership that goes above all others or has a tech guy that really is devoted to these cars. Price is not an option, and preferably a Mazda certified dealership would be good. Is there any dealership to stay away from or anyone has a bad experience with?