Whats up everyone. I've owned my s2k for over a year now and it has the older soft top with the plastic rear window. I wanted to get my hands on the newer soft top with the actual glass rear window. I was wondering if it'd be a smart idea to go to actual Honda dealership to get it (along with other OEM parts)?

Also I currently go to a mechanic near my house who does my regular servicing but I also wanted to know if it'd be smarter to do it with the dealership itself?

I'm still new to all this being that it's my first car and i'm a busy college student so i don't have as much time to learn all this so i appreciate any advice you guys could give. thanks!

 

Most dealerships are ignorant when it comes to these cars so it is hit or miss as far as maintenance is concerned. If your mechanic is somewhat knowledgable about the car I would stick with him. Plus, he is probably cheaper. As far as the top goes, I have heard good things about the Robbins top (can't speak from experience, I don't have a softtop). It is cheaper than oem and again, I don't know if the dealership would even know how to install one. Post in your regional forum and find out who people go to for softtop installs.

 

There are a few options besides OEM that work well. Robbins and EZTop are two of the more widely accepted. You may or may not have to buy the hardware separately for those too. OEM will cost you more, but it might make you more 'comfortable' when all is said and done.

As far as the mechanic, if you feel he/she is knowledgeable enough about the S2K, then I would continue to go to them. As stated by dc2, alot of dealerships have little to no experience with the S2K and you take a small risk going there (with the upside that they should honor their works, especially since it is Honda).

Some of the best mechanics are local S owners in your area, so as dc2 suggested, check our your local sub forum and see who is around that can help you out if needed.

Good luck!

 

I would say go with an oem top. When I was searching for an S I was surprised to find that one had its soft top replaced with a cheap aftermarket one. Let’s just say I didn't even want to buy the car. The top was garbage and so were the latches. And it was extremely loud because the top did not seat correctly against the top of the windshield.

 

I wouldn't recommend assuming anything with any dealer simply based on the brand. Dealers vary on pricing, service, etc and you have to assess each dealer individually. I'd also suggest checking your local subforum for threads and recommendations on top replacement. There are a number of online parts suppliers that are recommended such as Majestic but if you're looking for a local B&M then, again, check your local subforum for recommendations.

Which top to use depends on your priorities and budget and there are many threads covering the various options. Aftermarket doesn't automatically mean cheap or poorly made. Some offer reinforcing at the typical wear spots. Some are better made and some are pricier than OEM. Robbins and EZ ON seem to be the most commonly discussed aftermarket tops but they're certainly not the only options. I can recall other makes such Haartz and Electron off the top of my head but I'd have search for others just as you would. If the site's search feature doesn't work for you then don't overlook a site-restricted Google search (sample below -- you can tweak the keywords as needed):
https://www.google.com/search?q=repl...w=1920&bih=995

 

great information, thanks a lot everyone