The S2000 has now returned from the paint shop. The right front fender was repainted, the front bumper cover was replaced and painted, and the right front fender liner was replaced with a new one. The tab was just shy of $900, of which we paid $100 (since it was covered under our comprehensive, with the lower deductible).

The paintwork is lovely, and I cannot see any difference between it and the original paint. There were a couple issues, however. First, they washed the car by hand and put swirl marks all over it. I'll take it back next week and get them removed (assuming anyone there actually knows how to remove them).

Second, my new horns (installed by moi) stopped working. At first I assumed the painters had taken some wires off and reconnected them wrong, but after checking everything out with an indicator light I could not find any mistakes. It finally came down to a dead relay. Susquehanna Motorsports (where I got the horns) was kind enough to send me a replacement for free, and the replacement did the job.

I had mounted the original relay against the right fender with the pins up, so I could see it. When I took it apart, it was heavily corroded inside. Apparently the paint shop wet sanded the fender and soaked the relay, which was not waterproof. Since this was the only problem under the hood, I have to take responsibility for it, I think. I mounted the new relay pins down.

Lessons learned:

1. Horn relays are not waterproof.
2. Honda Silverstone paint can be matched perfectly by a good painter.
3. Even if you tell a shop not to put swirl marks on your car, they probably will.
4. The S2000 is pretty vulnerable. A small boxer was bad enough; don't even think about hitting a deer.

Not a bad outcome. The shop is being very responsive about the swirling, and the only question is if they can remove it. So far, I'd recommend them (as long as you give them detailed instructions about hand washing the car).

 

Tox: i'd check the miles before handing the car over for repair. 2weeks.. i'd be worried about them joy riding.

 

They didn't have the car that long -- it just took that long to get an appointment. Since it was driveable, and the damage was nearly invisible, this was not a problem for us.

They had the car only 2 days, and put no miles on it.