JDM '99 DC2 Integra Type R
Discussion
It's been a while since I've posted in the Reader's Cars section.
Last week I sold my 2013 Suzuki Swift Sport, a great car which I'll definitely miss but I always felt like I wanted something a bit more special. Something that offered a unique and involving driving experience and most importantly, more power. I looked at a long list of cars, but the Integra Type R always came out on top and I'd been considering one for a while anyway. I've wanted one since they were first released and considering their current values, now is the time to buy it seems!
But buying an Integra is not as easy as it seems, especially when you're trying to find a decent, fairly low mileage example. Anyway, to cut a long story short, this rather immaculate DC2 came up for sale on PH classifieds and within an hour of seeing the ad, I had placed a deposit and I scheduled to go and inspect the car the following weekend.
It was a six hour drive from Anglesey to Ipswich, so nothing short of a mean feat to get there and back in a day! It pissed it down all the way and by the time we got there, it was dark. So basically, all the wrong conditions to go and inspect a car. The photos used on the advert did the car no justice, it really is immaculate. It had done just over 85k miles, interior and exterior are pretty much perfect, it was crammed full of Mugen extras and most importantly, the engine felt nice and strong with no smoke. As a bonus, it was a recent import from Torque GT in Devon and it came with a whole load of history. It had a cam belt change, full service and underseal done as soon as it had arrived with them. Oh and another bonus is the fact that it only had a single owner whilst it was in Japan and who coincidentally worked for the PR department at Honda Tokyo!
So I bought it, done. I now own one of my true bucket list cars. . .
A photo of it in it's natural environment on the return journey (brother took over the drive half way):
I spent the majority of today cleaning it up some more and having a really close inspection of the car. Only a couple of niggles that I could find:
I plan to keep this thread updated quite regularly. But it won't be used over the winter anyway, so I don't expect updates to pick up until the new year.
Last week I sold my 2013 Suzuki Swift Sport, a great car which I'll definitely miss but I always felt like I wanted something a bit more special. Something that offered a unique and involving driving experience and most importantly, more power. I looked at a long list of cars, but the Integra Type R always came out on top and I'd been considering one for a while anyway. I've wanted one since they were first released and considering their current values, now is the time to buy it seems!
But buying an Integra is not as easy as it seems, especially when you're trying to find a decent, fairly low mileage example. Anyway, to cut a long story short, this rather immaculate DC2 came up for sale on PH classifieds and within an hour of seeing the ad, I had placed a deposit and I scheduled to go and inspect the car the following weekend.
It was a six hour drive from Anglesey to Ipswich, so nothing short of a mean feat to get there and back in a day! It pissed it down all the way and by the time we got there, it was dark. So basically, all the wrong conditions to go and inspect a car. The photos used on the advert did the car no justice, it really is immaculate. It had done just over 85k miles, interior and exterior are pretty much perfect, it was crammed full of Mugen extras and most importantly, the engine felt nice and strong with no smoke. As a bonus, it was a recent import from Torque GT in Devon and it came with a whole load of history. It had a cam belt change, full service and underseal done as soon as it had arrived with them. Oh and another bonus is the fact that it only had a single owner whilst it was in Japan and who coincidentally worked for the PR department at Honda Tokyo!
So I bought it, done. I now own one of my true bucket list cars. . .
A photo of it in it's natural environment on the return journey (brother took over the drive half way):
I spent the majority of today cleaning it up some more and having a really close inspection of the car. Only a couple of niggles that I could find:
- It looks to have had it's driver side door resprayed at some point, but this doesn't really phase me as it's a near perfect repair. Thankfully there's no more evidence of respraying anywhere else.
- What's more of a concern though, is the fact that it seems to have used some oil on the way home (gulp, I was dreading this bit), however its not showing any smoke at any point during driving. So I'm assuming it may be at an early stage? Unfortunately I can't remember how much oil was in it exactly when I looked at it originally, so I can't work out how much it's used. I know roughly that it really isn't much though. The car had also not been run properly for three months, so I'm going to guess that maybe that fact is contributing to it somewhat. Either way, I'll have to keep an eye on it. It's just surprised me a little, because the engine feels incredible and the service history is superb.
I plan to keep this thread updated quite regularly. But it won't be used over the winter anyway, so I don't expect updates to pick up until the new year.
Edited by WilsonSwift on Sunday 25th October 22:16
samj2014 said:
Very nice, I think I've seen that car around here a few times. Not any more I suppose! Was it owned by a short tattooed guy by any chance?
Quite the opposite actually, tall and not tattooed I think it may have been a different car. This was imported by Torque GT for the previous owner. SDavyy said:
Gorgeous. Still never understood why UKDM got the hideous front end.
I do prefer the JDM version, but I do have a soft spot for the UK front end. Mike1990 said:
Look's a really good, clean example, i still regret not scratching the Type R itch when had the chance! oh well. I always under the illusion that these and rest of the Type R's like to use Oil ?
I'm not sure, oil consumption seems to be a grey area. Some use oil, some don't. Some people say that it'll still last another 30K miles even with it using oil and others say that the engine is f
ked. So I'm not really sure! I think I'll just use it moderately and see how it goes.Strange though, there isn't any smoke at all and like i said, it pulls like a train still! I drove it to work this morning and not a drop of oil has been used, which is a good thing I guess.
I'd be very surprised if it turns out to be an oil burner though, given it's meticulous history and the previous owner vouching for it's zero oil consumption and all.
Picked my UKDM up with 81,000 miles,it also used a lot of oil and needed topping up every week or two. I drove it everywhere like I stole it and tracked it regularly and the engine was still as sweet as a nut when I sold it at 121,000 miles.
Having spent quite a bit of time with other owners of JDM and UKDM tegs I can assure you that high oil consumption is nothing to worry about, please don't wrap the engine in cotton wool as they were designed to be used hard and are a glorious thing when approaching 8750 rpm.
Having spent quite a bit of time with other owners of JDM and UKDM tegs I can assure you that high oil consumption is nothing to worry about, please don't wrap the engine in cotton wool as they were designed to be used hard and are a glorious thing when approaching 8750 rpm.
paulw123 said:
most people say they use a bit of oil, Especially in VTEC. That said though neither of my DC2's used much at all though my EP3 gets through a bit
The Dirty Bubble said:
Picked my UKDM up with 81,000 miles,it also used a lot of oil and needed topping up every week or two. I drove it everywhere like I stole it and tracked it regularly and the engine was still as sweet as a nut when I sold it at 121,000 miles.
Having spent quite a bit of time with other owners of JDM and UKDM tegs I can assure you that high oil consumption is nothing to worry about, please don't wrap the engine in cotton wool as they were designed to be used hard and are a glorious thing when approaching 8750 rpm.
That's definitely reassuring to hear. Like I mentioned before, there's not a single hint of smoke at any point and the engine sounds superbly strong. So I'll take the small oil consumption as a perk of ownership Having spent quite a bit of time with other owners of JDM and UKDM tegs I can assure you that high oil consumption is nothing to worry about, please don't wrap the engine in cotton wool as they were designed to be used hard and are a glorious thing when approaching 8750 rpm.
.I drove it to and from work to give it another run today and it felt amazing. I don't know why I didn't buy one earlier to be honest! The current Maxxis tyres aren't particularly great though, so they'll be getting replaced in the new year with a set of R888R's hopefully.
Mega, mega car.
paulw123 said:
Yeas as I said the oil usage is nothing to worry about on VTEC engines. just make sure you routinely check levels and top up if necessary. Enjoy, they are fantastic cars.
Just a quick update to follow up on this oil issue. It turns out that it's a false alarm, well so far anyway. I've done 800 miles in it over the past two weeks, making sure to venture into VTEC a few times and it hasn't used a drop of oil. Pulls well and no smoke what-so-ever, what a relief!However, it's developed a nasty knocking, creaking noise whilst I was using it in Cardiff (Don't drive in Cardiff, so much traffic and potholes!) and a steering wheel vibration at any speed over 70+mph. I've had a quick look at it, and it turns out that the O/S track rod end is fubar. So I've ordered both sides for next week and I'll hopefully get round to fitting them this month, along with getting four wheel alignment done as well. The car is off the road now, so there's no major rush. Valve adjustment is also on the cards too.
As for the creaking over bumps, I'll keep an eye on it after I've changed the track rod ends and see how it fares. I fear that the dampers are giving up on me. Shame, because they're damn good too.
Another small update:
A couple of photos from the Sunday Service last weekend:
I ordered both side track-rod ends on Monday, so I picked them up yesterday. It's forecasting a cold but most importantly, dry weekend so I'll fit them tomorrow and I'll finally be able to have a good look underneath the car at the same time.
I'll book the car into Demon Tweeks in two weeks’ time, to get its alignment done and it's wheels rebalanced, along with a better set of tyres (I don't rate Maxxis MAZ1's very well at all!).
More photos to come over the weekend.
A couple of photos from the Sunday Service last weekend:
I ordered both side track-rod ends on Monday, so I picked them up yesterday. It's forecasting a cold but most importantly, dry weekend so I'll fit them tomorrow and I'll finally be able to have a good look underneath the car at the same time.
I'll book the car into Demon Tweeks in two weeks’ time, to get its alignment done and it's wheels rebalanced, along with a better set of tyres (I don't rate Maxxis MAZ1's very well at all!).
More photos to come over the weekend.
stew-S160 said:
OH man that's gorgeous!
I still miss mine, and want another.
Thank you! I still miss mine, and want another.
Do it, you know it makes sense
Quite a picture heavy update today. I managed to get round to replacing the track rod ends on Saturday, very simple and quick job, which was handy because it was wet, windy and very cold! Sadly, due to the weather, I didn't manage to get many photos.
It was only the O/S that was worn, but I decided to replace both sides along with all relevant nuts and pins to suit. The worn joint was really grotty and the gator was barely holding on, so I'm glad to get it replaced. Minus the toe being out, the front end feels much tighter after replacing the track rod ends. Next job is to get a better set of tyres and to get the alignment done.
All is not well though, now that the knocking and the high speed vibration have been sorted, I've noticed a vibration when the engine is under load. For example, if I'm doing 30 in 4th gear and I apply the throttle quickly, the vibration occurs and it's spread throughout the cabin. Theres no noticeable movement from the engine mounts, but there does seem to be a fair degree of both lateral and vertical play in the N/S CV joint. It's had that very same CV joint replaced by the previous owner, but I'm not sure it looks 100%. Any advice before I go ahead and buy a new OE shaft?
So today, I spent the majority of the day cleaning it in preparation for it's winter hibernation. I was planning on putting it under a car cover, but the sheer frequency of high winds we get on Anglesey puts me off that idea!
(Should have kept the vacuum cleaner...)
I found an old Speedhunters sticker laying around in the house, so I thought I'd pop it on. Marmite, I know!
(Should have kept the dog...)
Cleaned up the engine bay and underneath the bonnet:
Some interior shots, seeing as I haven't posted any yet:
Nice, clean bolsters!
Any ideas what this is? Or a result of?
Solid arches, thankfully. I've also checked them from the inside and they're immaculate. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the thread, the car was imported in July of last year (Car can be found near the middle of this page: Torque GT April Action Report) and was very well undersealed upon arrival.
Some small bits that need some attention:
O/S door:
N/S mirror:
O/S mirror:
N/S guttering:
O/S guttering isn't quite as bad but has started to dry out and crack open:
Nasty stickers and rusty black plugs!:
Bonnet catch spot welds suffering from some minor surface rust:
The exhaust doesn't need any attention , but I took a photo anyway! You can just about see how clean it is underneath as well. It's spotless underneath.
Again, sorry for the sheer quantity of photos!
Edited by WilsonSwift on Tuesday 24th November 23:52
dazzaturbo said:
You need to seal that hole up in the rear arch or it will start to rot from the inside out.
Oh and the tiny cracks at the end of the guttering rubbers can leak aswell yours looks about as bad as mine was and mine leaked quite badly.
Is it not where the two panels meet near the sill box section and the inner arch where the space occurs? Thus allowing water to enter? If so, these have been sealed already. I'll be injecting some seam sealer within the rear quarter to help rust-proof the arches a little better.Oh and the tiny cracks at the end of the guttering rubbers can leak aswell yours looks about as bad as mine was and mine leaked quite badly.
Edited by dazzaturbo on Sunday 22 November 20:10
Interesting that you've had the same issue regarding the roof guttering. I'll be tackling it in a couple of weeks time when I'm back from Cardiff. The car doesn't have a single leak (so far) so it must be doing well up to now! How did you go about repairing the cracks? Is it simply just a case of getting rid of the old sealer, reapplying fresh seam sealer and then painting over it?
Edit - I've just found some white Tiger Seal in the garage. That should take care of the guttering cracks. I'll order some new gutter seals from the local dealership seeing as they look a little tired.
Edited by WilsonSwift on Sunday 22 November 20:45
A very clean example!
I had the creaking sound on mine, started on the drive home from work. The next morning the bottom ball joint snapped in 2!
As for oil usage it's to be expected, iirc I think the acceptable amount from Honda is a Litre per 1000 miles or something in that region but hopefully it's not that dramatic!
I had the creaking sound on mine, started on the drive home from work. The next morning the bottom ball joint snapped in 2!
As for oil usage it's to be expected, iirc I think the acceptable amount from Honda is a Litre per 1000 miles or something in that region but hopefully it's not that dramatic!
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