After a 2 weeks of driving me new 8, here's my impressions on it thus far. ('07 Touring MT)

Coming from a Civic, it's got a good amount of pep. Acceleration is a thrill. You WILL feel the difference between this and a normal piston operated car. How do I describe it... It feels more "electronic".

Handling is freaking superb. There are times I just want to take a corner at full speed, but I'm just breaking the car in (keeping it under 4k rpm) so I need to remind myself....

The interior is pretty neat. Of course, all of you know about the 4 door etc etc. What I didn't expect was the different colors you can choose from the gauges (neato colors), the cupholders for the back seats, etc. Gauges are SHARP. The LCD for the audio I thought could have been worked on. It feels much like the Lancer Evo's: cheap and medicore.

And of course, I love my Xenon lights.

Now, here are some questions and concerns on my vehicle that I hope to get answered:

1) Is there a "easy" way to turn off the Homelink feature instead of turning it off every time I start the car? Just a pet peeve.

2) The car knocks after starting the car up and moving.
Here's an example:
I start the car.
I put it in reverse.
I turn the wheel clockwise while backing out.
After rotating the wheel about 180 degrees or so, I hear and feel a “bump” coming from under the car.

Here’s another example:
I start the car.
I put it in 1st gear.
I drive out (I had a good parking spot)
I rotate the wheel an inch counter-clockwise.
I hear and feel the same effects as when I back out.

The bump feels like I’m driving over a stone, and sounds like I’m going over a speedbump… really weird. But theres nothing under the damn car.

3) When everyone says "flooding the car", they mean starting the ignition and then shutting it off right? Not turning the battery on and then turning it off a couple seconds later...

4) Is it ok to mix gas? I have about half a tank of 93 from Circle K… I want to fill up before I leave on vacation. Safe to throw in lets say… 91+ from Shell?

If that isn’t safe, is it then ok to mix 91+ from Shell one day, and then go back to that same gas station a couple days later and throw in that same fuel?

5) Let’s say the oil that was in the car when I bought it from the dealer was 5w20. If I need to add more oil in, is it ok to go ahead and put in 5w30?

6) If oil keeps burning, and I’m adding it in, what the point of changing the oil at all? - I can hear the laughter already.

7) When I start my car and I hit the clutch. The sound of the engine changes. Once I let go of the clutch, it returns back to normal. Here’s a link to the posted vid. You can hear it go on and off. (29 sec) Sorry for the low quality of the sound though….

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C1OBBlC_62g

Funny… My old FC made the same noise, but more noticeable.

8) This may or may not be correlated with the above problem, but for some reason, it gets pretty hard to shift.

what I mean is that for some reason, lets say I try to go from first to second, or third to fourth, I feel like I have to jam the **** up/down to get it into place.... Really feels bad on the gears.

At some times too, thinking I've already shifted the gear, I would then clutch out and gas, only to find out that it hadn't in fact shifted "fully" and I would end up grinding the gears... I plan on getting this check out.

9) WTH is this? This thing was inside the rear compartment.



Excuse the noob-ishness of the questions guys....

 

i'm headed out so i'll just answer a few of the questions


wish i could help more but am on the way out.

 

1. I don't know as I don't have Homelink

2. I get the same quick knock noise, I believe it is the abs doing a self test.

3. Yes, when starting the car, make sure you warm it up fully. If you don't warm it up to operating temperature then the car can flood (Excess Gas being left behind in the combustion chamber)

4. Yes it is perfectly fine to mix gas, whether it is between octanes (93/91) or between brands.

5. I have no idea

6. While is seems good in theory, the car doesn't burn enough oil in the 3-5000 miles between oil changes where you would be adding 4-5 quarts of oil so there will still be alot of dirty oil in the engine. As a reference my car only burns a quart in about 3000 miles, I don't even add oil, if it gets low where I need to add any then I just change the oil.

7. I beleive what you are hearing is some bearing chatter from the clutch, but the audio isn't that great. It happens sometimes to me, and is much more pronounced if I'm next to a reflective surface like a wall or highway barrier. I would say its normal, but if you are worried I would have it checked out.

8. I have no idea. Sorry

9. That is a little bracket that goes under your drivers seat and helps the floor mat from sliding forward. look under the seat with it pushed all the way back and you will see where it attaches to the floor and to your mat.

Hope some of this helps, enjoy your new car!

 

I can give you some straight up answers

3) yes

4) yes it's fine to mix fuel grades, a lot of people run 87 octane in their car, some only during winter and then switch to supreme or premium in the hotter months, some all year round.

5) It's generally considered wrong to mix oils, but I can't see any valid reason why it would make a huge difference, you can run 5w30 in the 8 if you want. you might hold off on other answers for that

6) because it doesn't burn oil fast enough and your oil filter might eventually clog from all the crap in it anyway. And oil becomes more acidic the longer you leave it in there running which then starts to damage your engine after a while. it also starts to break down the molecules and it becomes less viscous and thus less lubricating.

7) I was going to say that's a normal sound, but it's not the one I was thinking of, no idea what that is.

this is more of an iffy answer but it's my 2 cents..

2) I had a thunderbird that did something like that, in the end it had some torn up bearings in some of it's steering joints at the wheel, or it might be a bad wheel bearing, but I'm no expert mechanic so I can only talk about past experience.

 

That bracket is the thing that goes under your sit to secure your Driver side floor mat. To install it, you HAVE TO take your front seat out, well not really whole thing out, just loose all 4 bolts. move it around, then u will see the hole, just take the plastic bolt out and u can install it. Careful tho, dont trigger the airbag. (or take the battery out b4 u do it)

 

i think i have something similar. it started with the cold weather. whenever i move the car after its been sitting awhile it seems like the axle has frozen stuck and takes a bit (just a little bit, but you notice it) to unstick it.

any ideas on this?

 

I know a lot of people have been responding and you might not have a chance to read all the replies even though a lot of them are good. But here is my 2 cents for some of your questions.

4) Yes shouldn't be a problem for awhile i was cheap and put 89 in since the manual says it can run with 87, I realized that i was only saving like $2 decided to switch back to the 93 we have in Ohio and never noticed a difference in my car. I'd say your fine.

5) I had 5w20 and always added 5w20 I got an oil change 2 weeks ago and my Mazda dealership put 5w30 and didn't tell me i noticed on the window sticker. I'd say your fine to use 5w30, maybe they gave me it because it's winter time?

6)Yes the car burns oil and yes you replace it and that is why our car can go 7500 miles without a change according to the manual. However think of it mathmatically, lets say you burn 50% of your original oil, and you add some more you still have that old oil in there. Lets say you burn another 50% of this new and old oil you'd still have 25% Old Old Oil 25% Old oil and then the new 50% you add in. Basically yes you will cut down on it but that old oil will always still be in there and it doesn't burn oil quick enough that you can completely go without oil change, you'll maybe need to top it off every 4 fill ups.

7)It sounds normal to me, I wouldn't worry about it sounds like your car is just ready to be put in gear whenever you put the clutch in. I thought it was interesting your idle was at 2000, mine is always at 1000 , but i have a 2005, i wonder if something is wrong with mine now, or maybe yours just makes the noise cause of the high idle.

8) I think i know your grinding problem kinda feels like you don't have the clutch in all the way but you do so you can't figure out why? That grinding nasty feel went away at around 2000 miles i think it's just the fact that your car is new. Actually come to think of it mine still feels nasty when i try for 2nd gear but all around it's better then before it seems to get better the more i drive it. I only have 4000 miles even though its and 05 so I get the new car problems still.

 

i work for an oil company and i would say its ok to mix the 5w30 but try to keep it the same grade...putting in a different grade is better than driving low on oil

 

5w20, 5w30, 10w30....all will do just fine. Warm vs. cold weather determines which goes in my 8, but all are fine.

 

gopherage.......his idle is high because his car was cold.........when you do a cold start the engine increases the idle till it hits a certain temp the lowers to 820rpms