Thumped into a curb last night ... sigh ... I'll post another message to discuss my stupidity in all its gory details ... but in the meantime if anyone can recommend good shops to go to I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm in the DC / Northern VA area out near Sterling/Herndon.

The main issue right now is that I need a mechanic I can trust to diagnose any not-so-obvious damage to the suspension ... without 'finding' any non-existent damage. There is definite damage to the suspension ... the two tires (front and rear on passenger side) that hit the curb are visually out of alignment with their counterparts and the car now has a severe pull.

There's also some minor bodywork to be done (scruffs under front bumper, dimple above front passenger wheel well from tire hitting the wheel well) ... but I am much more confident in my ability to find that and tell if it is being fixed right.

I've had very good experiences with the AutoHaus in Herndon and Fairfax Imports in Arlington for work on my German cars ... dunno how experienced they are with Honda's though ... my gut feeling now is that at this point a dealer is best ... too bad all I've heard is negatives about the dealers in the area.

Any suggestions appreciated ... especially ...

1. Any good shops in the area.
2. Any shops to avoid.
3. Any thoughts on the service departments at the closest dealers (Rosenthal in Tyson's, Fairfax Honda, Leesburg Honda, and Koons Honda in Manassas) ...
4. Any advice on how I might further diagnose the suspension problems myself before taking the car in.
5. Any speculation as to whether the anti-slip diff. may be damaged ...
6. Any speculation as to whether I should have the car towed to a repair shop because driving the car with such obvious suspension damage may cause further damage ... I did drive it about 1 mile home after hitting the curb.

5 and 6 could probably be better answered after I give a detailed description of what happened and what I can see right now ... but that's going to have to wait until I stop kicking myself ...

Have fun ... but not too much
Hmmm ... perhaps I shouldn't have added the NoVa part to my sig yesterday.

 

Sorry to here that bud. I myself am located in the reston herdon area. Right next to herdon highschool.

First of all the dealer most likly won't approach the body work they will outsource that. I have had no luck with any of the local bodyshops myself, but I have heard very good stories about the shop that pokhanta Lexus/Acura uses. Not sure of the name of the body shop.

Now on to your other questions..

2)Precision Collision sucks, don't use them. They did a very bad job on my body work. I am still awaiting to have it redone elsewhere.

3)What ever you do, do not go to fairfax, they are crooks and horrible mechanics. I have had very good luck with Koons in manassas, but they have not worked on a lot of s2000's so they might not know where to look the best. My roomie just had some major motor work done on his 2001 s2000 at leesburg honda. They did a wonderful job, and they have worked on quite a few stooks.

4)Even though the stook has a very nice suspension it is not that machanically complicated. They will just need to be very accurate on judging if any of the swingarms, etc.. got bent.

5)If your car drove then the diff is probably fine. I think that a side impact would have to break a lot more stuff before I would worry about the diff.

6)I would flat bed it to the shop. If your alignment is visually out of wack, driving it would shred your soft S02's.

Well good luck. We should get together for a spin some time. I've got a 2000 silver/red and my rommie has a 2001 blk/blk.

9kredln

 

Is running on to a curb really that bad? I've been run up onto a curb twice now and there appears to be no damage. Did it mess up your alignment or do anything noticable or are you just being cautious? I'd like to know because I'm wondering if I should be worried also.

 

nova s2k,

Sorry to hear about your mishap.

I have a friend that has a shop in Rockville, MD (near White Flint Mall). The shop's name is Pro Imports and his
phone number is 301-881-2220. If you call, ask for Pat and tell him that "Donnie" told you to call. He is an awesome tech (Honda specialist) with a lot of suspension (diagnosis and repair) experience and he won't screw you over.

-Donnie

 

Thanks for the replies and helpful info ...

9kredln - we're just about neighbors ... I live right off Drainsville Rd. over by Drainsville Elementary. Saw your stook in the Giant parking lot this weekend. Believe me, nothing would make me happier then to go for a spin right now!

Acceleratrix - as with anything ... it depends. I slid into the curb pretty hard ... I would estimate 30 MPH at impact. I was sliding sideways so the wheels got wacked pretty hard at an odd angle ... the rear wheel is visually 'toed in' ... like this picture, but not quite as bad of an angle ... http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1177...0935&p=37766074 ... plus there is a little bit of body work (scruffs on the bumper and under the sill in front of the rear wheel) ... so I'm not not just being cautious. That being said, any whack to the suspension ... even from a pothole ... can cause damage to the suspension ... as a general rule I tend to have the mechanics take a look at my suspension any time the car is on the lift (if I'm at a shop I know and trust).

Have fun ... but not too much,
Derek

 

Gotcha, thanks.

 

Funny, I live near Herndon High also, in Hidden Brook. While I didn't buy my car there, Fairfax Honda has been awesome!

Ask for Scott, he's my mechanic. He recently changed every fluid, lowered my car using the KG/MM springs I recently bought, and put new rear tires on that I had shipped to him from Tire Rack.

The Svc Mgr got my car inspected also, gave me a S2000 promotional poster, and gave me Silverstone touch up paint for cost. They're both into Honda racing.

If your still unsure, I heard Hersons Honda(sp?) in MD has one of the best Honda techs in the country according to Honda.

Good luck!

John

 

I was actually looking for Scott today but he wasn't in. It's cool to see that you guys live in the area. I talked to a few ppl at Fairfax Honda about some strange noises coming from the s2k and I was told that Scott knew the most about the car. I guess I'll have to switch service teams as I normally deal with Jeff and Scott works on Amanda's team.

Anyway, as far as the bodywork, I have had LOTS of work done on my Hondas at Brownings Autobody which is in Manassas Park. It's a right turn off 28 at the Kline's Freeze, back behind it. You should get in there and talk to Bob Kidwell about fixing your car, they do a great job. He repainted my whole Prelude (97 SH, green) after hail damage and it looked NEW. I mean, unless you knew what to look for, you couldn't tell it was painted. He just fixed a scratch in my paint on my s2k, too (there when I took delivery, it's silver). They ended up clearing the whole panel and it matches GREAT, flake and everything. They recently got a new mixing machine in there that measures paint by the gram and does something to account for variations.. whatever. It just looked great. I noticed a little haze near the bottom of the panel a day later, took it back, and he just buffed it out. Perfect.

I also have experience with Herson's, in fact I know Jerry Herson personally. I know their service department it top notch, I can second the thumbs up from S TWO K.

 

Tony on the Red Team in Tysons is a good guy.

I live on the corner of Sterling Blvd and Route 7, right down the street from you guys.

 

Hey do you have a phone number for Brownings? I have been trying to find their number with no success.

My front bumper was violated in the Giant parking lot this morning.

9kredln