So I've had my 2005 RX-8 for almost a year now, and I've begun to notice some odd things going on with it. It has 54,000 miles and recently had a new battery and engine put in(under warranty) and it has brand new tires. I have one major question that's concerning me, but I'll ask the minor ones first.

1) I've read it's normal for the RX8's brakes to squeak/screech sometimes. Is this true? Mine does.
2) I usually take my RX-8 on pretty short trips a day(1 mile one way). I've had problems with the battery dying, even after getting a brand new one. What's wrong?
3) Is the car actually faster using semi-automatic?

Now I'll move to my major question since I'm not sure if I'm losing it, or if something is really wrong with my RX8.

Occasionally when I drive it, the car will absolutely take off when I give it gas, and by that I mean noticeably better acceleration where it feels like I'm driving a true sports car. Normally it drives like I expect, but sometimes it does this and just takes off and I don't know what's going on. It'll do that the duration of the trip until I drive it next and it seems to go back to normal.

On other occasions the brakes seem sharper and the car will come to a stop much quicker than usual.

It seems really strange that sometimes my car performs better than usual, and sometimes it doesn't. I'm not really sure what's going on.

 

?

Moving to Troubleshooting for help.

 

Stickers all the way down? You don't get the full 30 whp I'd they are peeling. But seriously, that's odd. Not sure, but subbed for ideas

 

Since this is your first post and we are getting close to Christmas I will answer some of your questions. However, you need to spend more time on this forum and other automotive forums and learn more about cars in general and rotaries in particular. Start with the "New and Potential Owners" thread. Further, any kind of question you might have, has quite possibly been answered in this forum. So "search" is your friend. You could also use Google and just put at the end of your search phrase :rx8club (I hope I got this part right).

True.


Why you think your battery is dying? You could not start the car? Did you make sure before you turnoff the car, that the engine was warmed up? Rotaries could flood... Or it could be an alternator issue...

You kind of having more control so it might be.

Hard to tell with the info you provide. You need to also tell us what kind of maintenance has been done. It could be your ignition going bad, your cat being clogged, your fuel pump failing....

Have you ever checked your break pads and rotors?

You might find more help if you post some of your questions in the "Dumb question thread-no flaming or sarcasm allowed." This is an actual thread (I am not being offensive).

 

It depends on the brake pad used. There is nothing wrong with them they're just noisy.
It could be you aren't running the engine long enough to get it back up to full charge. Another point, that isn't long enough to even get your car up to temperature. It doesn't matter whether it's a rotary or piston engine. That's hard on an engine.
Not likely. I have a manual and have only driven a automatic once.

Check out your ignition system. Spark plugs, ignition coils and maybe wires.

 

I had the alternator checked a while ago when we got the battery put in, and they said the alternator was good so I'll just assume it's because I'm not leaving the engine running long enough to get it back to full charge.

Right now I'm concerned about the pick up since it might not be running as well as it should.

So what exactly do I need to check, and how will I know if something is wrong with it? I know just about nothing in terms of car parts so sorry if I come across as ignorant. Is this something I'd need to take to the dealership or a mechanic?

 

Changing ignition parts is easy. We have members in the Austin area. Contact them and offer to exchange their services for beer.

 

So how can I determine if something is actually wrong?

 

Either contact another owner or take it to a mechanic to have a look at it. If you can get another owner to take a crack at it, it will be much cheaper.

 

Another thing, since it is an automatic, you may want to look into installing a remote starter. This will allow you to warm up the car and charge the battery before you leave.

 

The fact that your car performs fine one day and not the other is an indicator of something not being right. It could be your ignition as stated from me and alnielsen. When was the last time coils, plugs, and wires were changed? Usually the OEM parts last for about 25k to 30k miles. If you have never changed them it is a good idea to do so. FYI the dealer will charge you a fortune to do a tune up. You are better off buying the parts and installing them your own. If you are not confident though you could buy the parts and have a dealer install them. This way you keep the cost down. I would also have them visually inspect your CAT.

 

Well the thing is it performs fine one day, and occasionally performs amazing. It's the only RX8 I've ever driven and it's basically my first car so have nothing to compare it to.

I'm only the second owner, and I'm not sure about when that stuff was last changed, but I'll see what I can dig up.

I have some premier advantage plan at the Mazda dealer, so I'll see exactly what that covers.

 

You should do what alnielsen suggested. Find another rx8 member from Austin and let him have a look at the car. If you have no clue how old the ignition is, it would not be a bad idea to go ahead and change it. You could take a look at your plugs and see if they look kind of clean. You can also test your coils and see if they still hold up.