makemydayle

I took my s2k and had it inspected at the dealership because I couldn't get to the bottom of this clicking noise that sounds like something is caught in my tire and is hitting my fender on the rear end of my car which also included this crazy wobbly bumper steer feeling in the rear whenever I drove over bumps on the road.

I took the wheels off and checked for any of the control arm parts but still nothing. My initial guess was that it was either the bushing or he rear toe arms and at one point I thought it was my axle nut that needed re-torquing. I checked my tire pressure to see if that had anything to do with the rear shimmy and I have it all at 32 PSI but I still have not been able to figure out what it is..


After taking it to the dealership they had inspected my s2k and recommended the following repairs/replacements:

NOTE: I have some aftermarket rear toe arms. I am replacing them with OEM toe arms because my s2k isn't lowered and I have no plans on lowering I at all.

- replace both rear control A arms
- rear shock/struts are worn
- perform 4 wheel alignment due to pulling/drifting
(I just had the car re-aligned a couple of months ago at a Firestone so I'm a bit confused to as why they would advise this)

So I have a few questions to anyone who has been through this:
How would you go about seeing if anything is wrong with the rear control (a) arms?
What difference would replacing the rear toe arms make?
Those of you that have this issue how did you diagnose/resolve the problem?

B serious

I'd opt for the factory toe arms. Aftermarket chassis parts should really just be your last resort.

The dealer probably wants to replace them because they think that's what's causing your issue. It may not be. But they're probably of much lesser quality that OEM, and the dealer likely prefers to align the car using OEM parts.

How did they quantify that the shocks are worn?

Truthfully, the car probably just needs an alignment and maybe tires -- you didn't mention what tires you have on there currently.

Without more details, it's hard to guess what's wrong with your car.

The dealer is recommending fresh stock parts and an alignment, which is a good place to start. Plus, they have inspected the car and we haven't.

You're probably paying a MASSIVE amount for those parts, however. You can get them at an online dealer like bernardiparts for a lot less. Or buy good used ones.

makemydayle

Sorry I forgot to include some additional information
I currently have Toyo T1 Proxes. They're relatively knew. Only broke in about less than 700 miles since I got them.
Not sure if the condition or the type of tires I have could possibly be a factor.

The dealership is telling me that the rear end 1/4 panel and suspension was repaired with used / aftermarket parts from an accident in the vehicle had been in from the previous owner and recommended I replace both rear (A) arms which kind of makes sense to me know the you mention that dealerships would prefer to align with OEM parts that are of better quality..

Of all the places I've had this car inspected this was probably the first where the dealer recommended I replace these parts.

I've been looking into replacement parts online and found some much cheaper ones than what the dealership had quoted which is kind of a given so I'm learning towards that route.

s2000Junky

Toyo proxes tires handle like shit on this car, weak sidewalls and cause the rear of car to sway all over the place when making even simple lane changes on the freeway. Return them or sell off asap for starts.

rpg51

Ultimately you are going to have to trust someone local. My local honda service department is good. There is a good experienced s2k guy working there. However, I think most honda dealers have little or no experience with the s2k. Still, the advice to replace those parts and get back to oem sounds like good advice to me. If you have the $ its hard to go wrong getting oem parts on there. As far as the alignment goes, my experience is that a good alignment is very important and can make a world of difference. The key is to get a good alignment, not a lousy alignment. I would ask around and try to find the best alignment guy in your area and bring it to him after you have the oem stuff installed.

Still, I would have a higher comfort level if the mechanic could tell me what is causing the symptoms. You might get all done and still have the problem if you have not made a good diagnosis. Did the problem first appear when you installed the tires?

Car Analogy

What I would do:

Replace aftermarket toe arms with new oem bought online

Get a good alignment

If there was still issue, next step would be to replace the knuckle on the side that had the accident with a good used one. Control arms on our cars usually don't bend in a crash. But knuckles do.

For the cost for dealership to replace those rear shocks, You could pickup a very high quality set of coilovers. Then instead of new on rear and old on front, you'd have a new set of better performing suspension all around. So definitely don't have them do the shocks.

B serious

Where are you shopping online, OP?

Don't buy aftermarket "OE REPLACEMENT" junk.

Buy the parts from an online Honda dealer or buy used Honda genuine arms.

makemydayle

Nope I haven't.
Do you recommend I should?

I was thinking the same. Im ordering some new toe arms with OEM toe arms.
I have a gut feeling a really bad alignment has a major factor in this but I'll also check out the buckles for replacing as well.

Yeah with how much stock suspensions are going for I might as well just get a set of coilovers. Currently browsing some high quality one's.
Any suggestions?

This is going to be one of those trial and error things but I'm going to see if getting the toe arms replaced the car re-aligned will make a difference.
I really do feel like it's the toe arm making that noise or contributing to it.



This is where I'm ordering the OEM toe arms.

Left
https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com...ZC1tYW51YWw%3D

Right
https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com...ZC1tYW51YWw%3D


Let me know what you think.

Car Analogy

For good street coilovers, any of the following would be a good upgrade:

Bilstein PSS
Bilstein PSS9 (adds damping adjustability)
H&R coilovers (Bilstein PSS with different springs)
KW (they have different versions which add increasing levels of adjustability, along with cost)
Ohlins DFV

The above are all around $1k-$2k range. All are more than enough for street and occasional autocross or track day.

If on a budget, just look for low miles used stock suspension. Around $100-$200.

B serious

You're good. That's a Honda dealer.

Was the dealer confident they found the issue? Are they fine with installing parts that weren't bought there? And what type of labour warranty do they offer? Like..if your issue still persists after you followed their advice on what to replace...do they do something for you?

Ask if they will match the online dealer's price on the control arms. That way, you have them commited to some sort of warranty on the repair.