Bought "as is", is definately working against you. However, they did tell you that they did an inspection and mechanically it was fine (even provided a checklist of what they looked at). If you can prove that they misrepresented the car or did not notice something that a reasonable mechanic should have noticed I would think you would have a case. The trick will be proving this.

I would start by trying to contact the previous owner, if they are honest enough to tell you about issues that existed before they passed it on to the dealer than this could help. What would be even better is if they could tell you that the dealer purchassed the car from them knowing that there were pre-existing issues.

You can't really count on getting anywhere with above, but you may get lucky. So, I would also make it known that you are "aware and paying attention to what is going on with the dealer" (i.e. "I am not going down without a fight"). It seems like you have started this by requesting as much documentation as possible, I would not give up on this and don't take no for an answer. I would also stop by and take photos of each part of the engine as they tear it down, take as many photos as possible. The photos may never tell you a thing, but when the dealer sees you snapping photos of each part and process they are going to get nervous. They have no clue of what information you will gain from all of the information you are gathering or what type of case you can put together, but in their mind, all of the unknowns translates to potential weaknesses in their case, should it come down to it. It is all about perception, if you put the right perception forward (I am serious about having things made right, I am going to put the best case possible together, and if we go to court I am going to come after 10x more than it would cost to fix the car), if you put the right perception out there they will be more likely to not want to take things to court and do whatever they can to keep it from going there.

 

Good idea bgoetz. Since I could not get a technician to come out and look at the car I will be taking a video camera and camera with me tomorrow around 3pm to record/take photos of the entire tear-down of the motor.

Will upload and keep you guys posted. The entire engine is seized - this is an oil problem and obviously the maintenance claimed to have been done was not done properly. Also, they claimed to have the paperwork of the printout from the ECU showing I "over-revved" but upon asking for copies said "it's only a 50/50 chance and we don't have the printout." That's complete garbage. Also, the GM is telling me they are going to remove the oil pan and take a look at the cylinders from below. If there is a thrown rod/any other issues there can a seized motor be the cause?

Thanks everyone for your input, truly appreciated

 

You need to get a mechanic to work FOR YOU. Your lack of engine knowledge hurts my brain to read!!! FYI, the 'holes' are the cylinders!! Stop asking us and guessing!! Get the mechanic, a good attorney and contact Honda of America. You are way out of your depth and WE can't fix your problem.

 

Just be confident, and don't ever hint that you are even slightly desperate or concerned that in the end things won't be made right.

 

Anyone with some mechanical knowledge want to justify a rod thrown in the cylinder based on oil starvation and not over-rev. I have to inspect the car with the confidence that an oil change was not done properly.

 

It is very unlikely that an over-rev will seize this engine. That would damage the valvetrain, but the vehicle will be drivable. I don't like that this is happening at an Acura dealership. They've already drained the oil, so you can't check the level. There's a good chance that what they drained is in a container with a lot of other oil. If they really are tearing the motor apart, you need to look for damaged components; most of the parts have multiples (4 pistons, 16 valves, etc.), compare them to each other (which one does not belong). If the valves and valve seats are in good shape, then an over-rev is even less likely to be the cause of your problems.

Like others have said, learn the actual names of the parts so that you can report to us more accurately. Absolutely get pictures; not only of parts that look damaged, but also parts that are in good shape. You want pictures of everything.

I also like the advice of appearing to be confident that things will go your way.

 

I'm going to video-tape the entire ordeal and take photos of EVERYTHING. I will upload everything once I get the time to do so.

 

Also, is there a "chance" that the ECU will not print a read-out of the engine's activity prior to seizure? I am absolutely sure that there is a 100% chance the ECU will print something out but they are downplaying it that it is by 'chance.' If this is the case then they obviously dumped the ECU.

 

the "chance" is that if it's in their favor, it will exist...if it is in your favor, it will not exist.

 

Ok guys I think I found the culprit here -

They told me at first they added 7 quarts of oil to the car - today they claimed to have put 6 quarts of oil. If I am not mistaken the S2000 holds 5.1 quarts of oil, correct?

Here is a quick research on the damage to a motor given that it has "too" much oil in the car.

"If you put too much oil in any car engine, the crankshaft will whip it into mayonnaise. The foamed up oil will have trouble passing through the oil pump and the the oil passages in the engine, potentially leading to under-lubrication of critical components.
If you've over-filled your crankcase by more than a little, drain out the excess. "


Any input on this?? Although I am unable to get the oil for analysis b/c they drained it they also claimed to have done this. Can this be a significant enough to seize a motor? I need as much facts as I can guys - will check out the engine tomorrow and update with pics/video