Now that the dust has settled so to speak and you guys in the US are in your fall, It would be interested to know just how many RX-8's actually had their engines replaced due to heat damage during summer, particularly those in Vegas and Texas.

Recalling earlier posts suggested that some dealers each had 30 or more RX-8's parked waiting for engines, now many really were changed.

Could you please include the following.....

1. What is your transmission type Auto or Manual.
2. How many miles had the engine done.
3. Who was the repairing Mazda Dealer.
4. How long did the dealer take to renew engine.
5. What type of engine oil did you use at the time Syn/Dino and the grade of oil (5W20)(15w40)

And perhaps are you now satisfied at the outcome.

Thankz

 

1. They were all autos with only 1 oil coiler the mitigating factor if I remember correctly

 

Thanks Truemagellen..

Could be, but, in Australia all our 8s have only one oil cooler. MAN/AUTO.

I think it would be interesting to hear from RX-8 owners who have actually had engines renewed and the stats that I mentioned in my post.

Perhaps the 'number' of replacements were originally grossly over stated.

 

only one????

Are you sure or have you only seen the 5speed manual (only one cooler and 4port engine) and the auto (only one cooler and 4port engine) vs the 6speed manual which has two coolers and is a 6port engine?

 

Yes Mate....

Mazda Australia only import the...

1. 6 Speed Manual 6 port with ONE oil cooler.
2. Auto with 4 port engine and ONE oil cooler.

Thats it, you then have the "leather" pack, fully optioned.
or cloth trim or poverty pack... we call it here.

Oh, and some Limited, you call them Shinka (Cherry Black) with creamy leather.
We have them also, plus its was available with Titanium Grey mica,
something you US guys did not have...I think?

Englands oil cooler specs are the same also as our I think.

 

Hi Abbid, how u going mate...
Without starting another oil debate thread here
Does the US have a different oil advice for your Auto's as they only have one oil cooler?, compared to the manual tranny with 2 coolers?

 

going back to the original question, it was primarily the auto's that needed new engines, but there were a handful of 6MTs that got new engines.

Also, most of the replacements were in/around Las Vegas, but i think there were about 6 or so replaced in the north eastern coastal states.

and as for the last question, the same oil (5w-20) is recommended for AT and MT in all regions of the country.

 

I got a new engine. Went out in July. 6spd M/T - 13k mi. - Chicago
Took a month to get the new engine.

 

Does anyone have a definitive answer if the Renesis failure rate is statistically higher than average for new vehicles?

And when I say "failure," I mean catastrophic failure, as in the only solution is to replace the engine.

I love my new RX-8, and I want to know if I can reasonably expect to keep this car for a good, long while, with proper maintenance.

It is rare that I find a car that I intend/hope to keep for a long time. I am fickle, and need to change cars frequently, usually. But this is not the case with the 8.

 

How is this for ****?

1.) Tranny - 4sp Auto
2.) Miles Before Blowing - 5,780 (no I am not missing a digit)
3.) Heritage Mazda of Huntington Beach, California
4.) Took 1 day to take engine out. Waited 4 days for engine to come from japan. Took 5 days to put new one in. Tested it and got it back. Total days = 11
5.) Always used 5W-20 because that is what the manual said to use...
Diagnosis was that a rotor seal broke and the engine lost compression. The engine ran, it just idled at 400-500 RPM instead of normal 1000-1100. Sounded terrible.

I have had the car back for 2 days now, but have only driven about 60 miles in that time. The engine feels just as great as it did the first day I had it. I am just getting crappy 16-20 mpg again...

However, I drove my Dad's Suburban for those 11 days so going from that back into the RX-8 made it feel incredible! Like buying the car all over again. The SUV was nine stories in the air and the 8 was like driving UNDER the ground. SO awesome.

Hopefully we have no more issues with the car because if we do, we will kill everything. Brand new cars and this serious of an issue, bad taste in our mouths, but it is slowly going away after driving it again.

Hope that helped a little.

 

Sorry you had to go through that experience but glad to hear that the magic of the RX is still there for you. Wishing you a better experience with this engine.

 

nzarnow: bummer you had to go through that ordeal. Oh oh, back to the engine-break in. aka Driving slow enough to drive Ms. Daisy!

how was the service @ Heritage Mazda? (used to take my 626 there a while back)

sorry for thread hijack.

I'd be pretty interested in seeing the results of this thread.

 

What is the norm for other cars?

How many civics, mazda6s, camrys.....and on, need new engines?

Maybe the few engines that blew is not that uncommon for a mass produced car like ours.

 

I remeber when FD's were eating up engines.