Ok i have an 04 Rx8 automatic with 57200 miles on it. I have owned it for it a year, with 47k miles on it. done Oil changes every 2500 miles, changed spark plugs 3 months ago, but didnt change the wires nor the coils. My car this past saturday shut off on me, turened it on again and it would turn on but then turn off again. towed it to mazda, and mazda called me monday saying it was the coils and also that my right engine mount was cracking and that they were going to get it fixed under my warranty, which I bought when I got the car. So today, the service guy from mazda calls me and tells me the great news that I need a new angine..... only with 57k miles on it, and already a new engine. He said my engine has lack of compression, and that he needs recipt of my previous oil changes to get mazda to cover my engine, and if not they would go and try to get my extended warranty to pay for it. Thankfully I have statements from autozone of last years purchases, which he said would be fine. So Im really pissed off, How can mazda sell cars with engines that go out at such an early life. and I know Im not the only one.. And dont get me wrong, I take care of my car, i love my car, I know not to turn it off when cold, i know to rev it daily, good gas, good oil, washed every two weeks.. Everything, and out of a blue moon, Boooomm... Engine is no good.. Mazda better replace my engine with or without no recipt, this is totaly unaceptable, now if I wanna sell my car People are going to wonder, Should i buy a car with a new engine on it, and its going to put quiestions in peoples mind. I also wonder if the dealer maybe mest it up while trying to work on it, I dont know what to think anymore.

 

get it fixed--sell it and take your lumps.
what happened to you has happened to a lot and unless you are an enthusiast it will not be "fixed".
OD

 

i also just got my 8 a couple weeks ago, it only has 34k miles on it. love the car so far but was wondering if the engine does go bad and gets replaced does the new motor also have the 8yr 100,000 mile warranty on it?

 

I believe the new engine is also covered, but not for the full 100,000. For example, if you had an engine put it at 85,000 miles, you'd be covered on the new engine for another 15k miles, until you hit the combined 100,000 mile mark. Could be wrong, but that's what I've gathered from reading here.

 

8 year 100,000 mile engine core warranty is tied to the chassis, not the engine, so all based on odometer readings and original date of sale.

However... SilverRenesis, don't get so mad. If you had tried to sell your 8 just before the engine failed, you would have gotten WAY less than you will now. An 04 with a new engine is much much more appealing than an 04 on it's original engine, since the new owner won't have to worry about how long until the engine fails.

04 automatics had the highest engine failure rate of all of the years/transmissions, so it's something you should have been expecting, and been pleasantly surprised if not (still under half of them needed them prior to 100k, from all appearances and estimates). Each year after 04 Mazda kept adjusting the ECU and other factors which makes the other years much more reliable, and the failure rate dropped sharply for each succeeding year.


Now, if you had to pay for the engine yourself, I would get why you would be mad, but why are you mad at a free engine under warranty? :shrug: It doesn't mean you are a bad person or something...

 

it is a known fact that reliability of the engine is hit or miss,specially so on the 04/05 because the car may or may not got the updates early. reliability apparently is up with 06+

Research before you bought the car would have pointed to this.

 

I did a little research, and Ive know about the floodings since my friend had an RX7. But im not mad about my RX8, or the fact that I have to go though this... Im mad at mazda, for selling a car with such faults and then asking you for oil change records, Come on MAZDA, you know they are faulty, dont bull people. I was waiting for the 2012 for RX9, but man, this has changed my mind...

 

You could have just entered all service records into the owners section of MazdaUSA.com, and when they pull up your car's info at the dealer, it will pull up that info too...

As backup, I also keep every oil filter with the date and mileage written on the box.

 

which I would of known this... i have my last oil filteri used 5w 30.. hope they dont give me bullshit for that too. since they want 5w 20 i belive..

 

so how far back do we need these receipts for?

like lets say in my case, since i bought the car used i didn't get a service history

also the last couple oil changes i threw out the receipts.

i honestly knew about the 100,000 Mi warranty, but i didnt know that Mazda would have been so **** enough to ask for oil change receipts!

 

there are no service records on mazdausa.com for my car

 

Even if they could test the weight with accuracy, and had the time and money to do it, they couldn't deny warranty on it. 5w20 is only recommended, not required. Ash got his hands on a Japanese manual which actually says something along the lines of 'use 5w20 to 20w50 as desired depending on the climate you live in'. However, after the heat and stress of a rotary (and most piston engined cars), you can't accurately pinpoint the original viscosity, because they all break down. By 3,000 miles, most common brand oils are actually more like 5w10 or 5w10. It's not worth the time and cost to test oil samples when they can't use it for a basis anyway.

'Reasonable' distance back really. Legally, Mazda (or any dealer/manufacturer) has to prove a lack of maintenance. The burden of proof is actually on them, not on you. Whatever you can produce though, helps to keep them from fighting you on it. The more the better.

If your 8 has ever been serviced at any dealer, the information shows up in MazdaUSA.com owner's section, and you can add your own. It's the same database that dealers pull up when they check history prior to warranty work (and the same history that is accessible via MNAO. Service at a business other than a dealer won't show up, but if you threw away the receipts, you should be able to go back to the location and get them re-printed.

If you did your own oil changes, it's the roughest of any, because even Autozone receipts for oil doesn't mean you changed it. Hell, it doesn't even mean it was for the 8. Even my oil filters don't mean that I changed the oil, but I can prove that they were in fact from my 8. (Only vehicle I have ever owned that fits them) With any level of record, you are basically just encouraging Mazda to -not- fight you on it.


And they are asking for them due to the economy, operating at a loss for quite a while now, these warranty replacements hurt, so the dealers are encouraged to ask for them to weed out some if they can.


Although, keep in mind, that the dealer isn't the one that absorbs the cost of warranty replacements. The dealer makes just as much money on any warranty replacement (including engine), as they do if they charged the customer instead of MNAO. Engine replacements generate alot of money for dealers, they just generate frowns from MNAO as well

 

knock on wood mine is still running 04 with just under 100k original engine ... hey does anyone know if mazda charges to do the compression tests?

 

^^^ yes I believe so

 

Update...

Went today to the dealer and turned in my statements of my purchases at the autozones. Although they dont prove oil changes, I dont care. I stay on my car, people make fun of me cuz of it.. all they have to do is open the hood and see how I take care of the car... Just the fact that an engine can go out at 57k, is unecaptable. And I ve heard of other peoples RX8 engines going out at 11k... WOW.. IF you ask me, thats bad buisness, Just Like Xbox 360s, They sell them knowing they overheat, and yet they still sell them... Mazda better replace everything at no charge, I will love to take this to court if it allowed me too. Im waiting for a rental, again covered by mazda, cuz I aint paying squat.. Anybody wants an rx8 with a new engine hit me up...

 

you should be ok, other people here do the same thing you do and they've also just given the autozone receipts.

 

Boy for someone that's getting a big part of their car replaced NEW (and most likely under warranty) AND in a 6 yr old car - you sure as hell are hostile. If Mazda hadn't continued with the rotary and made the RENESIS engine starting in '03, you wouldn't have a car and engine like this in the 1st place. Any company trying new technology will have problems along the way perfecting it until they give up or get it right.

Failure to produce a perfect rotary engine is unfortunate yes, but geeez - Mazda isn't perfect, but they're standup at least and they're taking their lumps by paying for all the new engines and labor and informing owners AHEAD of time with an extended warranty to mitagate customer concerns. You should be thanking them, not bitching at them - they didn't do something to YOU on purpose - you bought the car - they're trying to keep owners happy and proud to own a rotary even with it's known faults

Would you feel better if they stiffed you with NO extended warranty and NO new engine replacement?

 

Would I feel better, yes, So I can take them to court for denying covarage of their "Faulty Engines" and second, for selling a car that has had so many problems and yet they ask for recipts. come one now. I dont know about you, But I take pride in my work, maybe some people like you or mazda dont. And yes I did buy the car, and yes I took on the responsibilities that came with it, But if it was me or some other people that had faulty engines then yea, Ill pay for a new engine myself, But is not, There are countless people whos engine have gone out, even at 11k miles.. Is that acceptable to you... maybe we share different opinions...

 

Did you premix? What oil were you using? Under what grounds are you going to take them court? I mean, you bought a car that requires special care. . . oil changes alone won't cut it, as you're learning the hard way. . .

And lastly, what type of Honda are you thinking about? (I would say toyota also, but they're having some issues as of late)

 

What I bought is a disabled car. "special Care" Had a camaro for 12 years, ran strong, engine still ran like a horse... my moms nissan sentra, 1995, 185k miles on it, still runs flawlessly... and u tell me "Speacial care" ... yea ok.. And Did I premix? no I didnt, Does it say in the manual, Not that I know off. I was using 5w-30 .. changed every 2500 miles, oil/gas filter changed, spark plugs, is not like i just put gas and drove.. I spent countless weekends working on my car. . .

 

Why are you so mad your going to have a new engine put in your car. Im already on my second one. The rotary is a high maintenence engine.

 

Ohh, you were running 5w-30? Don't tell mazda that... the manual recommends 5w-20.

On the weekends you were working on the car, what mods and such did you do?

Still curious on if you're going to take them to court. I'd like in on that class action lawsuit if there is one. I've owned two RX8s and the one has never run right and given me nothing but problems from day 1. . . . I also bought it after a serious front end accident.

 

the manual recommends, but its not requierd, and as long as I have done my part on maintaining my car and keeping it in a good conidtion, they are requierd to replace the engine. On the weekends when I would work on my car, I would wash it,wax it, take the tires out and clean the inside of the rims, change oils and filters when I did the oil change, clean the inside of my hood, make sure all fluids were ok, checked tire preassure, and mods, well I did the lights in the front, and some small skirts on the sides, thats about it. I wanted to invest more, But i was afraid because simply because Ive read and I ve seen peoples engine go out, and I didnt want to loose money... I was going to put a racing beat air intake, but Ive read mazda does not like when you do that, and so I left it alone... And im not so upset about getting a new engine, But I am upset of how mazda could advertise and sell this car... when so many of Rx8 have had nothing but problems... Dont get me wrong, They are beautiful machines, but what good is it do if its not a funtuional machine. And another thing, I have to take time off work for this mess, with the way the economy is, I cant afford that.

 

mazda goofed up on the engine and they know it. The extended warrenty they gave is more than some companies would have done. Mazda is doing what they can to back their product. i will have to give them credit for that.
But the thing that hurts the most is something that Mazda cant fix---its the resale value.
OD

 

oh ffs, you got a new engine what can be better?
so you like some 5 year old probably leaking and knocking engines sitting in your shinny new sports car that cant be replaced?
get it replaced and enjoy the car again.

remember, everybody can get V8's V6's, not every car has rotaries.

and whats the point for telling us rx-8's engines are not reliable, we all know that, and we are ready for getting a replacement cuz we love our cars.
if you cant live with it, sell it. I strongly suggest u to get a honda or something.