Just giving a hello to the members of these forums. So far I've been learning a lot from your newbie threads and I want to come in and say that it's amazing all the dedication and hard work this community has put into pushing new Rx8 owners, as well as existing, on the right path to keeping an amazing car going.
I just purchased a 2005 Rx8 Shinka (Quick edit: 51k miles on original engine, fully maintained, taken to dealership twice a year, clean CarFax). I only discovered this section after purchasing the car, so I haven't done any pressure testing but so far from driving it around some it's been running spectacular. I'm going to go through a majority of what's been written up and check up on my engine and car to keep it up to standards. I'll be reading through all the newbie threads word for word, follow links, and make my best effort to research and maintain my car to the best of my abilities. I moved from a 1998 Lincoln Navigator, so it's so much different.
The vehicle has a few minor common issues, like one of the rear lights taking in a bit of water, the window grinds and gets a little stuck, and a few switches are wonky. Nothing I haven't found online to fix so I'm getting to that as soon as I can. As I went to fix the light today, one of the bolts broke without even tightening it very much so it looks like I'll have to purchase a new rear light.
I do have a couple questions that I can't seem to find answers to here that maybe someone might have advice on. They're a bit of a long shot but I appreciate any help in advance.
Firstly, my A/C switch works, as does the A/C itself. The only issue with it though is that sometimes the lights on the actual switch get a little weird, and they don't quite tell me what's going on with it. They will not light up the defrost sometimes, others nothing will light up and sometimes some will light up. I figure it just needs a switch replacement which isn't a big issue but maybe someone knows what's going on more specifically.
Another question I have has to do with the steering wheel. Now, I'm not looking to race this car, but I am 6'7" and though driving the car is easy even as tall as I am, I'd like to heel-toe the break and the gas for hills so I don't have any roll back or have to mess with the handbrake. I saw that some folk like to use specific other Mazda wheels in their vehicle and my question is this: Does anyone know if there are smaller wheels than the standard 2005 RX8 with a functional airbag that works well with the Rx8 or would I pretty much have to lose that feature for the expense of having a smaller wheel? I know it's a strange question, so I appreciate any input.
Lastly, this is something I'm going to research further on my own but since I'm starting a tread, I'd like to see if anybody has aftermarket stereos they really enjoy or prefer. I mostly want it for an audio jack. I know that there is the GTA plug that hooks up but to be honest (and I know I'm going to probably receive a little flak for this) I'm not too fond of the stock stereo. Don't like how it looks so much and I figure it won't cost much to purchase a new one. Just wondering. If nobody would like to input here, that's perfectly fine, I'm going to look into it further as it is.
I think that's about it. I do a lot of electronic installs in other vehicles at work.... including breathalyzers, complete police and K9 vehicle installations, 2-way radio installations, and worked on a Fire Truck today so I'm not too worried about replacing switches, mounting a radio or any other work in the vehicle. Again, I love what's been done with these boards and the collaborative effort put into them has really put a great knowledge base with some great discussions from what I've seen so far. Thanks everyone for their part in it and for taking a moment to read my wall of text.
-Much love, Tenfootgiant
