I'm looking at a 2005 S2000 that is in near Huntington Beach. Car is in excellent shape, original owner and 100% dealer maintained from new. Everything dealer recommended has been done with no concern for cost. The only issue is that it recently threw a CEL with misfire. After all the usual stuff has been done by the dealer (plugs, coils, etc.) they said it must be bad gas. CEL cleared, fresh gas put in the tank but after about 3 weeks of driving the CEL came back o with the same issue. Now the dealer is saying bent valve and wants $3K to diagnose things. Engine has 176,000 miles on it, so might make for a great project. I just can't take advantage of the seller, so I'd like to get a second opinion to see if the dealer is just trying to screw her over. Is there an honest mechanic out there who could really get to the bottom of this? If the engine is trashed I'll buy it, but if it is something simple I can't take advantage of the situation given that the current owner really doesn't want to sell.

Anything close to HB would be great. I've searched through all the threads and the it seems that most recommend the shop in LaHabra, but that's a haul and logistically challenging given the situation. Apologies from this newbie if I missed a good answer from the past. But anything pre-pandemic seems a bit outdated these days.

Thanks in advance,
Rob

 

Hey Rob,
There is a recent post similar to yours. I hope this helps.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/californ...-work-1211317/

 

Thanks for the link. I did see that thread, but the two guys referenced are a bit far away (LaHabra and Canoga Park) and seem like more than just mechanics. I took a good look at the car today, Norm Reeves said it failed a leak down test, but didn't include the numbers. They want big $$ just to pull the heads and send them to a shop. The car doesn't smoke, sounds very smooth, no knocks or ticks of any kind. I'm trying to get the service records - want to see if this could be something simple like plugs, coils or if it is just due for a valve adjustment. I pulled the codes, it is just a misfire on cylinder 1. Long term fuel trim was at -14% which seems high (short term matched this), but the car was idling for about 20 minutes so maybe that doesn't mean much. I don't recall how much time it takes to move the LTFT. Dealer implied owner may have over-revved the motor, so it sure seems like this thing has been poorly diagnosed. I cleared the CEL and it did not come back on, but I suspect it will in the next few days. Trying to find someone who will know how to really figure this out. This car belongs to a very good friend and as much as I'd like to buy this for a project car, I'd rather it not need an overhaul at 176K so she can keep it.

 

I have had good experiences with Autowave in Huntington Beach.

https://autowaveinc.com/

 

I have a hard time trusting most dealerships from past experiences.

As for pulling the codes, how did you do it? OBDII reader or paper clip and jumped the pins?

LaHabra is not super close, but it's not that far either. It's on the 5 freeway side of Beach Blvd. It is worth the drive to go to Formula S. They are knowledgable, honest, and fair.

 

I used a cheap Blue Driver OBD device. It's got a decent amount of capability, so I was able to clear the code. It's been a few days and it hasn't come back. I assume it will in due time, but if there were really "bent valves" I would assume it would come right back. If serious work is needed, I agree heading to LaHabra makes sense. Thanks so much for the reply.

 

Unfortunately, you need to be willing to drive a little bit to find someone to work on this car. The extra time spent on the road to get it in the right hands is well worth it.

Formula-S
https://formula-s.net/

Or Rockstar Garage
https://rockstargarage.net/

These are currently the only places that I will take my S2k. I live in Fountain Valley, and I will do that drive. Prior to me finding Formula-S, I would drive out to Ontario to get the car worked on at Rockstar Garage.

Btw, you might find yourself tempted to go to Ballade Sports since they're close by in Garden Grove. Don't do it...

 

Autowave is in Huntington as stated above. As far as I have seen they are good. They are also expensive. I have seen the bills from the previous owner of my NSX and they are higher than dealership prices. Whatever you do, avoid Ballade. They are less trustworthy than the dealer with a proven track record of swindling s2k owners. Farther away are Mid-Valley, Chewerks, and Rockstar. I prefer them in that order.