Discussion
I've never had a rotary engined car before and it seems opinion is mixed to just how reliable they are or can be.
I am considering a R3 version, which most sellers seem to describe as "much improved" over the earlier versions; does anyone have knowledge of why that is?
I'm fully aware they are fuel guzzlers, need regular oil checks and there is a careful procedure for letting it cool before switching it off, none of which bothers me unduly.
It's probably only going to do 5000 miles per year so my major concern realistically is the reliability, with a secondary consideration of how much it's likely to depreciate.
Any advice gratefully received.
I am considering a R3 version, which most sellers seem to describe as "much improved" over the earlier versions; does anyone have knowledge of why that is?
I'm fully aware they are fuel guzzlers, need regular oil checks and there is a careful procedure for letting it cool before switching it off, none of which bothers me unduly.
It's probably only going to do 5000 miles per year so my major concern realistically is the reliability, with a secondary consideration of how much it's likely to depreciate.
Any advice gratefully received.
I have an R3.
The changes made to the R3:
Bilstein dampers
Eibach springs
Lowered by 15mm
Rear spoiler
New exhaust
Urethane filled cross members
Facelift
Recaro seats
19" alloys
25kg less mass
New gearbox with 7-8% shorter gear ratios
Extra oil injector in the engine
Oil at 50% higher pressure
New oil metering system
Oil capacity increased by 1l
Basically improved reliability, better handling and better acceleration (although they never updated the acceleration numbers RX8OC members are getting 5.9s).
What I like:
It is a great car to drive. It feels special.
The engine. It is very lively and will rev very high. It is a lot of fun and every so often backfires when really on it
It looks good and turns heads. It is a rare car.
Lots of specialists you can take the car to and they don't cost much to keep on the road.
What I don't like:
Thirst. I don't really mind this as like you I do 5-6k miles a year. More like 6k this year as I drove to Le Mans. That was ridiculous fun in this car!
Car tax. £500 isn't much in the grand scheme. It is actually an engine that emits no NOx so I feel a little cheated that we have a CO2 system here and the rest of the world uses NOx.
On the shutdown procedure. That is a none issue in the R3. It has lights on the dash that tell you when you can turn it off. There are three lights. Once the first one is out you can turn it off now problem. The last light is to say it is at operating temperature, I would leave it a couple more miles before getting on the beans so the oil is up to temperature.
I really like this car. It has a good boot size (even if the opening is small and high). It has rear seats that an adult can fit in and cool rear doors. It feels like a race car when on it and calm when not. You won't regret this car at all.
The changes made to the R3:
Bilstein dampers
Eibach springs
Lowered by 15mm
Rear spoiler
New exhaust
Urethane filled cross members
Facelift
Recaro seats
19" alloys
25kg less mass
New gearbox with 7-8% shorter gear ratios
Extra oil injector in the engine
Oil at 50% higher pressure
New oil metering system
Oil capacity increased by 1l
Basically improved reliability, better handling and better acceleration (although they never updated the acceleration numbers RX8OC members are getting 5.9s).
What I like:
It is a great car to drive. It feels special.
The engine. It is very lively and will rev very high. It is a lot of fun and every so often backfires when really on it
It looks good and turns heads. It is a rare car.
Lots of specialists you can take the car to and they don't cost much to keep on the road.
What I don't like:
Thirst. I don't really mind this as like you I do 5-6k miles a year. More like 6k this year as I drove to Le Mans. That was ridiculous fun in this car!
Car tax. £500 isn't much in the grand scheme. It is actually an engine that emits no NOx so I feel a little cheated that we have a CO2 system here and the rest of the world uses NOx.
On the shutdown procedure. That is a none issue in the R3. It has lights on the dash that tell you when you can turn it off. There are three lights. Once the first one is out you can turn it off now problem. The last light is to say it is at operating temperature, I would leave it a couple more miles before getting on the beans so the oil is up to temperature.
I really like this car. It has a good boot size (even if the opening is small and high). It has rear seats that an adult can fit in and cool rear doors. It feels like a race car when on it and calm when not. You won't regret this car at all.
A encyclopaedic reply, thank you so much. It certainly reassures me that someone regards one they have so well. My only other issue is I haven't a rotary specialist nearby, but I do have a Mazda main dealer. My only concern is with it being a few years old now I'm guessing they don't see many, are they any more difficult to service than a "regular" engine?
Gmlgml said:
A encyclopaedic reply, thank you so much. It certainly reassures me that someone regards one they have so well. My only other issue is I haven't a rotary specialist nearby, but I do have a Mazda main dealer. My only concern is with it being a few years old now I'm guessing they don't see many, are they any more difficult to service than a "regular" engine?
Make sure it has new coils. Rotary revs or BHR set (can get these from Essex rotary). A good set of coils will last 100k miles.If it hasn't had its coils done and it is running on the originals then it may need a new catalytic converter. Carbon builds up with bad coils and kills the cat.
Most have had their coils done but worth checking.
The other thing that many owners find is that the drivers side engine mount wears out. It is near the exhaust and that accelerates its demise. Again this is one of those things that many owners repair quite early in the cars life.
Finally make sure any car you go for comes with a compression test from a reputable supplier. You are looking for numbers of at least 6.8 normalised at 250 rpm. An R3 should be in the 7s really.
Servicing is:
Oil filter
Oil
Spark plugs
Air filter
Just like a normal car with one exception. The type of oil you use. Use only semi synthetic or if you would like to use fully synthetic (I do) then Idemitsu fully synthetic is the only one you can use in a rotary engine.
A small amount of oil needs to be injected into the engine. The R3 has a better metering system and is more able to spread the oil across the engine with the extra injector. It does use less oil than the series 1. Some owners also add around 150ml of 2T oil into the fuel which will keep the engine clean and give a bit more lubrication.
Edited by delta0 on Saturday 12th August 21:51
Gmlgml said:
Cheers, that's all great advice and really helpful. Is there any way of accessing the digital service record of any prospective purchase other than going via Mazda themselves? Are Mazda dealers generally happy to just disclose this info?
Can always ask the seller to provide the record. I can access mine from my phone. Gmlgml said:
Cheers, that's all great advice and really helpful. Is there any way of accessing the digital service record of any prospective purchase other than going via Mazda themselves? Are Mazda dealers generally happy to just disclose this info?
I'm aware that Mazda will provide the DSR for any car if you provide the reg number.Thanks, I was more thinking of if there was a possibility of using it before contacting sellers as a way of discounting viewing cars that have a patchy history.
It doesn't make a huge amount of difference due to my mileage cost wise but is it recommended to use super unleaded?
Also I'm a mechanical luddite, where is the oil/lubricant that goes in the petrol available from and does that have a brand name etc?
It doesn't make a huge amount of difference due to my mileage cost wise but is it recommended to use super unleaded?
Also I'm a mechanical luddite, where is the oil/lubricant that goes in the petrol available from and does that have a brand name etc?
Gmlgml said:
Thanks, I was more thinking of if there was a possibility of using it before contacting sellers as a way of discounting viewing cars that have a patchy history.
It doesn't make a huge amount of difference due to my mileage cost wise but is it recommended to use super unleaded?
Also I'm a mechanical luddite, where is the oil/lubricant that goes in the petrol available from and does that have a brand name etc?
Just contact the dealer with the number plate and they should be able to get the service history for you.It doesn't make a huge amount of difference due to my mileage cost wise but is it recommended to use super unleaded?
Also I'm a mechanical luddite, where is the oil/lubricant that goes in the petrol available from and does that have a brand name etc?
The rotary runs fine on unleaded or super. I use super for the extra cleaning capability.
I use Castrol Power 1 Racing 2T or Idemitsu Racing Premix. Castrol is very easy to get hold of. About 150ml into an empty tank and fill up on top.
Edited by delta0 on Sunday 13th August 10:21
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