boxgranch

A 2009 RX-8 just joined the family. Low miles, but not much in the way of provable service records. Are there any recommended shops for catch up maintenance in Tampa, or even better Brandon? I have a mistrust of the automobile industry in general.We have no clue if the transmission, brake fluid, differential and coolant have ever been changed. We can do oil changes, but things like brake fluid get more complex on modern systems. Failing any recommendations, we will try the local dealer in Brandon. I also want it checked for the airbag recalls. The dealer in the area the seller lived seemed excessive for the compression and general checkup and I suspect the local one will feel that way for the service.

Thanks in advance!

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Avoid the dealerships for maintenance items.
Except for the Renesis engine itself, an RX8's systems are like any other car.
Find a local, reputable mechanic shop for maintenance.
If you know no one who can recommend one, Google search your area, check reviews and Yelp.

boxgranch

Thank you good sir. I did some driving for a car parts biz as a retirement job and decided there are bloody few reputable mechanics or shops in my area. Further, most seem to gladly substitute generic, unsuitable parts the moment your back is turned. I am sure there are exceptions and hope to find one at some point. I do much of the routine maintenance myself, but the braking systems these days have quirks due to ABS. As to the retirement job, I thankfully found something else. Watching markups as high as 500% get passed onto the consumer was a bit discouraging.

JerryLH3

Maztech would have been who you were looking for, but Jeff closed up shop a year or so ago. It's a bit of a hike, but the only other rotary specific place I can think of is Lowe's Automotive in Sarasota. But, as stated, with the exception of the engine, everything else is standard automotive fare, any reputable shop can work on those bits.

boxgranch

Thank you good sir. Most of the fluid stuff we can do, but the brakes concern me. ABS stuff can get confusing when bleeding. I will look for a shop and in the meantime do the rest ourselves. We got a 2009 car with 41,000 miles verified by Carfax with one owner in pretty nice shape. There are a few small dings, but the main concern is getting all the fluids done. The prior owner says they changed the oil avery 3,500 or so and it had a good compression check, but I want to change all the fluids to be sure.

speed7

These cars aren’t complicated with their ABS setups. Bleeding the brakes is super easy on these cars.

boxgranch

Thanks, I will take a look at the manual which is thoughtfully provided in the group. Truthfully, I really hate bleeding brakes, but it can be worth it. The cabin air filters were nasty, but I am pretty sure had been changed at least once or they would have been worse. There was pretty dirty K&N engine air filter. I put in a Wix throwaway, but I am pretty sure the K&N is washable, so it might go back in. Oil, coolant, tranny and diff will get done this week, then brakes.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

more RX7 oriented, but they have a good reputation over on RX7Club

https://www.google.com/search?q=full+detail+automotive
.