Hi all. This message board is great. I have been lurking for the 2 weeks since we got our 8 and have learned a lot about owning and maintaining the car.

Our story: I had a 99 Miata that i took in for an oil change and tire alignment/rotation since i had put new rims on it. my wife went with me to my dealer (Tom Roush in Westfield Indiana) and while waiting on the service to be completed looked around the showroom. There was the car. A beautiful '04 Brillant black RX-8 6 speed m/t, with gt and appearance package, and nav. I had always wanted a SLK because it had the salsa interior and the 8 looked so much better with it. I told my wife to go for a test drive, because I knew I'd like the car, so she took an 05 out and came back and said they are waiting for you out front. I took it out and couldn't believe the car. 1 word: awesome! We end up swapping out the miata for the 8 and i have had a smile on my face ever since.

Now for the psycho part, after reading these boards I have put the following rules in place which my wife thinks are nuts.

Must let car warm up for 5 minutes before leaving if the car is cold.

Not above 4000 rpm for 1st 1000 miles, not above 6k for next 1000, not above 8k for next 1000.

Check oil once a week.

My wife thinks I am crazy, but I want this car to last and not have any of the problems that have been discussed. I will post some pictures once it gets a little nicer here. We have had crappy weather recently. Thanks for a great website. I already have a ton of stuff I want to do the car thanks to everyone on here, clear corners, paint the calipers (red or gold). It does have the fender strakes on it.

 

That doesn't seem psycho at all, just another happy rotary owner who loves their car. Also congrats on the new 8.

 

WELCOME ABOARD !

the 8 makes you crazy

 

Seems excessive but at least that can't do harm...

welcome

 

Congrats on the new 8! It's going to keep that smile burned on your face for quite a while...Anyway, with the rule to check the oil once a week, I'd say it's easier to just say "check the oil when you get gas." You're already stopped and "working" on the car, so why not run around to the hood before you leave real fast? That's what I do and I've found it's a pretty good routine. Good luck with it! :D

 

Paying attention to your new ride is but dont overlook the wife it could turn out to be expensive

cheers
michael

 

Congrats, BoilerX8 on getting your 8. Although I think a few of things you mentioned are excessive (5-min warm-up, and not over 8k until over 2,000 miles) it is good to see you plan on taking care of your car.

I think some better measures to insure that your car lasts would be to follow some of the recommendations in the Show & Shine section to make sure your car's finish will last, and change the oil every 3,000 miles. Not driving the car in inclement weather will also help you preserve the beauty of your vehicle.

I've been revving freely since 600 miles per manufacturer's recommendation and I am glad that I did. But if you wait that long you will be missing out on a lot of fun!!!

 

BoilerX8,
I agree with your wife :D. 5 minutes is excessive. One or two should be fine, then just don't drive the car hard until the engine has warmed up completely.

Oil consumption depends on how hard your drive. I use about 1/2 qt per 1200 miles. Once you learn how long you can drive before needing to add 1/2 qt, then you can cut down your frequency of oil checking to 1/3 of that duration. Do carry a quart of oil in your RX-8 at all times.

Racing Beat's break-in recommendations: http://www.racingbeat.com/RX8%20Break%20in.htm

I recommend this immediately: http://www.racingbeat.com/resultset....r=screen%20set

RBs RX-8 page: http://www.racingbeat.com/FRmazda4.htm

Enjoy your car.
rx8cited

 

Which is going to be sooner than once a week. Be prepared.

Congrats and you'll love it!!

 

Only one problem with RB's break in recs. Under 4K RPM for 1000 miles? That would be like dating Angelina Jolie and keeping your pants zipped up for 3 months. Right.

 

And it's just as hard.

 

under 4k seems kinda excessive, I limited myself to 7k.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. We just went over 600 miles, so I am getting rid of the rules. Still really love the car and am finding more things to add. Has anybody put in the diamond plate floormats? I have seen a couple of sets on ebay, and with the black with the red/black interior, I think it would be really sharp.

 

That's not psycho, BoilerX8, that's just the love an RX-8 needs.

Wait until she sees you cleaning the inside of the exhaust tips.

And congrats!

 

Nomore,

That is one of my goals for this weekend. Gotta keep those clean.

The funny thing is that it was her idea to get the car.