S2000 missing service history
Discussion
Hello PHers,
New to the forum. I'm about to buy a Honda approved s2000 - 2009 - it looks great, drives great (heavy steering though) and gearshift is like new. Total run is 11K miles with one owner.
My only concern is that the car doesn't have service history for last three years. Honda tells me that this shouldn't be a problem as the car was driven just 3.5K miles in those three years.
What's your view? Should the missing service history be a big concern? Any specific checks that you would recommend?
Thanks.
New to the forum. I'm about to buy a Honda approved s2000 - 2009 - it looks great, drives great (heavy steering though) and gearshift is like new. Total run is 11K miles with one owner.
My only concern is that the car doesn't have service history for last three years. Honda tells me that this shouldn't be a problem as the car was driven just 3.5K miles in those three years.
What's your view? Should the missing service history be a big concern? Any specific checks that you would recommend?
Thanks.
Wouldn't bother me, if it has only done 3k in 3 years then I would accept that, (as long as everything stacks up)
When I bought my car I had exactly the same issue, bought it, drove home slowly, changed the oil for some semi synth 5/30 to use as a flushing oil for a couple of days, then did a full oil/filter change using fully synthetic 5/40, no problems since (3 years) good as gold.
Cheers.....Tony..
When I bought my car I had exactly the same issue, bought it, drove home slowly, changed the oil for some semi synth 5/30 to use as a flushing oil for a couple of days, then did a full oil/filter change using fully synthetic 5/40, no problems since (3 years) good as gold.
Cheers.....Tony..
You can extend up to a 3 year warranty, but they will only give you a year when buying.
Its a tough one, and generally I'd tread with caution on this one. Does that mean Its not been serviced at all for 3 years, but only driven short bursts.
I'd like to see the MOT history, to get the mileage, and If that works out fine, then It would put my mind at rest.
And dealer too can have the wool pulled over their eyes, with folk clocking cars.
So if MOT shows up last few years with Its mileage, and you can find out If it has at least had a service, by maybe contacting previous owner? Then if money is right, you have a good un. But as long as you keep warranty on this car, due to the mentioned 09 engine issues. Also make sure Honda UK will not knock back a warranty claim because of the missing service history.
Its a tough one, and generally I'd tread with caution on this one. Does that mean Its not been serviced at all for 3 years, but only driven short bursts.
I'd like to see the MOT history, to get the mileage, and If that works out fine, then It would put my mind at rest.
And dealer too can have the wool pulled over their eyes, with folk clocking cars.
So if MOT shows up last few years with Its mileage, and you can find out If it has at least had a service, by maybe contacting previous owner? Then if money is right, you have a good un. But as long as you keep warranty on this car, due to the mentioned 09 engine issues. Also make sure Honda UK will not knock back a warranty claim because of the missing service history.
Be totally sure about the Honda UK attitude to lack of history's , there is the 08 09 engine issue with a quite afew having had one or more new engines of that vintage , have a look and ask on S2ki.com as there is a wealth of information there about the car and this specific issue.
The steering is not normally heavy if any thing it prone to lifelessness due to the nature of the early electronic power assistance .
The steering is not normally heavy if any thing it prone to lifelessness due to the nature of the early electronic power assistance .
Squating Neville said:
I'm sure it will be ok, I doubt it will be a 3 year warranty as dealers only give normally a 1 year extended warranty with the car, and ref the engine there is not many new engines left, and it may have been done already
You can get a Honda backed 3 yr warranty "as good as the original new warranty" from a Honda dealer for approx £750!Far less if you haggle !
In light of this dealer , offering for sale ,a car with dubious service history and therefore an unsubstantiated mileage ,a free 3 warranty is not unreasonable !
The engine may have been done already .
Was the replacement any good though .
And all the suspension bolts will be seized.
Edited by johnS2000 on Thursday 10th July 21:32
johnS2000 said:
And all the suspension bolts will be seized.
Which is often not covered if the geo is within tolerance. If (due to seized bushes) they cannot be adjusted to be in the geo tolerance then the warranty should cover it.The caster/compliance bush is the only one that can result in an MOT failure but unless it's gone then nothing would be done about it.
I did the bushes on mine, a pig of a job (cut out using angle grinder etc.) and would cost a small fortune if left to a dealer, still pricey at an indy. That said, other than the bushes issue, mine was pretty much faultless in my 5 years of ownership (besides a minor fixed water leak in roof, not uncommon as they age).
Personally, I'd steer clear if no SH (unless reflected in price and Honda put in writing it won't affect warranty). A minor service is so cheap (£100 or so at my local Honda main dealer) that I am surprised the 1st owner didn't just do these to keep the SH looking good. At 11k mileage, it should look almost brand new. Steering shouldn't be heavy - check tyre pressures else there could be an issue?
Edited by Dracoro on Friday 11th July 09:57
Thanks for all the replies! This is immensely useful info that tells me - never buy a car until you discuss it with PHers.
But I bought the car yesterday anyway after seeing a few early replies. Also because the car drove well and is in "mint condition".
The heavy steering is a bit of a concern though. It's so heavy that turning with one hand at low speeds isn't easy. Is that not very S2000?
Before buying, I took a test drive at the Honda dealership when the engine seemed fine (starting from cold). The next 70 or so miles of drive back to London was also very enjoyable.
I revved the engine in 4th gear between 6K-8K RPM at motorway speeds. It's good (and the sound!) but I noticed as the RPMs keep rising, there's a feeling that one gets in an automatic car of gearshifts in the background as one keeps revving. Slightly unexpected but absolutely nothing unpredictable in terms of acceleration. Any comments on that?
Back in London I did (had to) long stretches of 30mph roads with lots of traffic lights. Here I noticed what some of you may call a 'rattle'. At low revs in 2nd/3rd there's a sound that I don't like BUT until I saw some of the engine problems raised here, I was thinking that the car needed more gas than what I was supplying - because the problem isn't present at higher revs. Even in first gear, I would imagine the car to move off smoothly on flat roads without need to press the accelerator. It can move off but the start isn't smooth without just a little acceleration. I need to test these again carefully and in hot/cold engine conditions.
So I have a steering problem and a possible rattle at low revs (I can avoid the sound by changing my driving style a little). As of now I am not too worried about these because I have the one year warranty from Honda which I hope they will honour. Any experience with Honda on used car warranties?
Once again, thanks a ton for your replies.
But I bought the car yesterday anyway after seeing a few early replies. Also because the car drove well and is in "mint condition".
The heavy steering is a bit of a concern though. It's so heavy that turning with one hand at low speeds isn't easy. Is that not very S2000?
Before buying, I took a test drive at the Honda dealership when the engine seemed fine (starting from cold). The next 70 or so miles of drive back to London was also very enjoyable.
I revved the engine in 4th gear between 6K-8K RPM at motorway speeds. It's good (and the sound!) but I noticed as the RPMs keep rising, there's a feeling that one gets in an automatic car of gearshifts in the background as one keeps revving. Slightly unexpected but absolutely nothing unpredictable in terms of acceleration. Any comments on that?
Back in London I did (had to) long stretches of 30mph roads with lots of traffic lights. Here I noticed what some of you may call a 'rattle'. At low revs in 2nd/3rd there's a sound that I don't like BUT until I saw some of the engine problems raised here, I was thinking that the car needed more gas than what I was supplying - because the problem isn't present at higher revs. Even in first gear, I would imagine the car to move off smoothly on flat roads without need to press the accelerator. It can move off but the start isn't smooth without just a little acceleration. I need to test these again carefully and in hot/cold engine conditions.
So I have a steering problem and a possible rattle at low revs (I can avoid the sound by changing my driving style a little). As of now I am not too worried about these because I have the one year warranty from Honda which I hope they will honour. Any experience with Honda on used car warranties?
Once again, thanks a ton for your replies.
KThe steering should be fairly light and as some one else said easy to palm steer, tyre pressures and geometry will affect this no end. Also the actual tyres will have some effect too.
The car is very sensitive to geo , there are afew specialists around that know how to deal with this properly including getting the best out of it as it stands with one or 2 stuffed bolts. WIM , Centre of Gravity , TGM , not cheap and they do a proper job , unless of course you tackle the bolts yourself , I did ! Huge thread on S2ki about what I did .
Engine rattle , the F20c is not that far removed from a pure racing engine , it has virtually qzip all torque but it does have power above 6k revs. If you read the hand book as I recall I did 14 years ago I think it says some thing about always keep revs above 2k and do not labour the engine , it needs to be revved . I never let's revs in gear drop much below 2k unless coming to a stop . It is easy to make it rattle if it's laboured , avoid. The revvy nature of the engine does need to be appreciated and can take some getting used to . My car has Spent 75k hitting 9k on a regular basis and is fine although as a pre 04 car it likes to drink oil , always has from new , but at any age get used to checking oil and keeping topped up at every fill of fuel . DO NOT LET it run low keep it right up the top of the x,s on the dip stick . Timing chain tensioner is the other major engine rattle but that is an easy fix , although not been a problem for mine.
The car is very sensitive to geo , there are afew specialists around that know how to deal with this properly including getting the best out of it as it stands with one or 2 stuffed bolts. WIM , Centre of Gravity , TGM , not cheap and they do a proper job , unless of course you tackle the bolts yourself , I did ! Huge thread on S2ki about what I did .
Engine rattle , the F20c is not that far removed from a pure racing engine , it has virtually qzip all torque but it does have power above 6k revs. If you read the hand book as I recall I did 14 years ago I think it says some thing about always keep revs above 2k and do not labour the engine , it needs to be revved . I never let's revs in gear drop much below 2k unless coming to a stop . It is easy to make it rattle if it's laboured , avoid. The revvy nature of the engine does need to be appreciated and can take some getting used to . My car has Spent 75k hitting 9k on a regular basis and is fine although as a pre 04 car it likes to drink oil , always has from new , but at any age get used to checking oil and keeping topped up at every fill of fuel . DO NOT LET it run low keep it right up the top of the x,s on the dip stick . Timing chain tensioner is the other major engine rattle but that is an easy fix , although not been a problem for mine.
250GT said:
Thanks for all the replies! This is immensely useful info that tells me - never buy a car until you discuss it with PHers.
But I bought the car yesterday anyway after seeing a few early replies. Also because the car drove well and is in "mint condition".
The heavy steering is a bit of a concern though. It's so heavy that turning with one hand at low speeds isn't easy. Is that not very S2000?
Before buying, I took a test drive at the Honda dealership when the engine seemed fine (starting from cold). The next 70 or so miles of drive back to London was also very enjoyable.
I revved the engine in 4th gear between 6K-8K RPM at motorway speeds. It's good (and the sound!) but I noticed as the RPMs keep rising, there's a feeling that one gets in an automatic car of gearshifts in the background as one keeps revving. Slightly unexpected but absolutely nothing unpredictable in terms of acceleration. Any comments on that?
Back in London I did (had to) long stretches of 30mph roads with lots of traffic lights. Here I noticed what some of you may call a 'rattle'. At low revs in 2nd/3rd there's a sound that I don't like BUT until I saw some of the engine problems raised here, I was thinking that the car needed more gas than what I was supplying - because the problem isn't present at higher revs. Even in first gear, I would imagine the car to move off smoothly on flat roads without need to press the accelerator. It can move off but the start isn't smooth without just a little acceleration. I need to test these again carefully and in hot/cold engine conditions.
So I have a steering problem and a possible rattle at low revs (I can avoid the sound by changing my driving style a little). As of now I am not too worried about these because I have the one year warranty from Honda which I hope they will honour. Any experience with Honda on used car warranties?
Once again, thanks a ton for your replies.
My car also has that rattle and has done for as long as I've owned it (10 months). It is only there at low revs, and also I can't hear it with the roof down even at low speeds where the wind noise isn't there to drown it out. Therefore I've always put it down to some kind of resonance playing games with the roof. This also improves if the car is really warmed up, everything sounds a lot smoother after 30-45 minutes. When the carpet on the transmission tunnel is warm, you know everything is nice and hot But I bought the car yesterday anyway after seeing a few early replies. Also because the car drove well and is in "mint condition".
The heavy steering is a bit of a concern though. It's so heavy that turning with one hand at low speeds isn't easy. Is that not very S2000?
Before buying, I took a test drive at the Honda dealership when the engine seemed fine (starting from cold). The next 70 or so miles of drive back to London was also very enjoyable.
I revved the engine in 4th gear between 6K-8K RPM at motorway speeds. It's good (and the sound!) but I noticed as the RPMs keep rising, there's a feeling that one gets in an automatic car of gearshifts in the background as one keeps revving. Slightly unexpected but absolutely nothing unpredictable in terms of acceleration. Any comments on that?
Back in London I did (had to) long stretches of 30mph roads with lots of traffic lights. Here I noticed what some of you may call a 'rattle'. At low revs in 2nd/3rd there's a sound that I don't like BUT until I saw some of the engine problems raised here, I was thinking that the car needed more gas than what I was supplying - because the problem isn't present at higher revs. Even in first gear, I would imagine the car to move off smoothly on flat roads without need to press the accelerator. It can move off but the start isn't smooth without just a little acceleration. I need to test these again carefully and in hot/cold engine conditions.
So I have a steering problem and a possible rattle at low revs (I can avoid the sound by changing my driving style a little). As of now I am not too worried about these because I have the one year warranty from Honda which I hope they will honour. Any experience with Honda on used car warranties?
Once again, thanks a ton for your replies.
As for heavy steering, I drove a 2009 car before buying my 2005 (no reason to go for the latter other than price), and I think I know what you mean. Unless you are finding it difficult to turn the wheel I don't think there is a problem. There was a weight to the 2009 car I drove, however the steering was so direct (much more direct than my car now) I put it down to that. That 2009 car was a dream to drive, but also £14000.
My car has been serviced by TGM in Fleet who know them inside/out, and they said it was fine.
I have to say, no service in 3 years worries me a bit regardless of the mileage. Oil degrades, and 3000 miles on old oil is risky. If you asked that question on S2ki you would have had very different answers to what you're getting here I think.
250GT said:
I revved the engine in 4th gear between 6K-8K RPM at motorway speeds. It's good (and the sound!) but I noticed as the RPMs keep rising, there's a feeling that one gets in an automatic car of gearshifts in the background as one keeps revving. Slightly unexpected but absolutely nothing unpredictable in terms of acceleration. Any comments on that?
So is it misfiring in vtec? does it do this in other gears?I have a Civic type r and had a 1 year full Honda dealership warentee with the purchase just over 18 months ago.
Rear caliper seized
Primary oxygen sensor failed.
They said because it was older than 3 years old then the parts were not covered!
He said that parts go wrong with old cars and Honda Uk main office wouldnt agree to fix under the warentee!
That Honda paperwork was a complete waste of time and just a sales ploy to up the price!
Rear caliper seized
Primary oxygen sensor failed.
They said because it was older than 3 years old then the parts were not covered!
He said that parts go wrong with old cars and Honda Uk main office wouldnt agree to fix under the warentee!
That Honda paperwork was a complete waste of time and just a sales ploy to up the price!
I have a Civic type r and had a 1 year full Honda dealership warentee with the purchase just over 18 months ago.
Rear caliper seized
Primary oxygen sensor failed.
They said because it was older than 3 years old then the parts were not covered!
He said that parts go wrong with old cars and Honda Uk main office wouldnt agree to fix under the warentee!
That Honda paperwork was a complete waste of time and just a sales ploy to up the price!
Rear caliper seized
Primary oxygen sensor failed.
They said because it was older than 3 years old then the parts were not covered!
He said that parts go wrong with old cars and Honda Uk main office wouldnt agree to fix under the warentee!
That Honda paperwork was a complete waste of time and just a sales ploy to up the price!
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