My 2005 S2000 is due for its first service appointment soon. It has 3200 miles on it in about 6 months of fairly gentle driving. I am planning on taking it to a local Honda dealership (we have several around here). My question is this: how much guidance should I give the service appointment advisors about what needs to be done? Should I just tell them that I need warranty service done? Or should I give them specific instructions vis-a-vis the type of oil and oil filter?

Or should I trust the dealership and keep my mouth shut ?

 

Depends on whether losing some extra time waiting for them to fix a mistake is worth it... If you have the time, let them do what they do and make sure you check the receipt. My first time in, they used the wrong oil filter, and they rotated my tires... I think every time I brought her in after that, they only let one particular mechanic who knew what he was doing work on my car.

 

Ugh, see that is what scares me

I don't want anyone trying to rotate my tires and I'm afraid that I will have to deal with "technicians" who don't know that they don't have to. I really wish I knew how much direction I had to give my Honda dealer without pissing them off.

 

call ahead and ask if they have a service tech who specializes in s2000s...

meet with him when you take the car in. and you still gotta ask that they dont wash the car (i forgot once and man did they mess up the paint)- i do my oil myself (very easy to do- i now have a fumoto valve and that makes it even easier), so the car doesnt see the dealer very often...

 

The first service is pretty simple. It's an oil change, nothing else. If you can do it yourself, then do it. There's a DIY thread in the FAQs at the top of Under the Hood to show you step by step how to do it.
If you must take it to the dealer, then tell them you want an oil change with 10W30 oil (or they could give you 0W20 ) and a PCX filter (so they don't give you the one meant for Civics). Tell them to do NOTHING else - no courtesy tire rotations, washing, absolutely nothing else but the oil and filter change. Then, when you go pick up the car, look underneath to make sure the oil drain plug is present and there isn't a huge puddle of oil under there. Double check to make sure the filter can't be unscrewed by hand. Remove the oil fill cap and check to make sure the little plastic ring is present and seated in its groove. Check the work order to see that the proper oil and filte has been documented. All of these things have been known to go wrong when getting a simple oil change at a dealer.

 

There are actually some pro's to building a decent relationship with your dealer's service department. In fact, the first few oil changes are usually free. You can (and they will) expect them to get plenty of $ out you later though if you continue to have them service your vehicle. When you take the car in, ask the service adviser what all is included on the 3750 mile service. While he reads off the menu (it may or may not agree with what your owners manual says), tell him whether you want that service performed or not. When he says oil change, ask what oil and filter he will use. If he doesn't know, that will be your first clue that he has no oversight experience with S2K's. Ask him to go find out if he doesn't mind (remember, you're trying to build a decent relationship just in case he has to make a warranty decision call for you some day). If he comes back with the wrong answer, ask him if he could use 10W30 oil and the PCX004 filter which is specifically designed for the S2K (remember this part of this bonding experience may require you to do some training). While you are waiting for your car, buy a PCX004 filter so you know what it looks like and you will have it for when you start DIY changes. As far as the car wash goes, I never turn down a free hand wash. I would even ask for wax too if I ever went to a dealer! Ask that service adviser what the technicians name is and whether he owns an S. I think this is good for two reasons: it clues the adviser in that you want somebody who is intimately familiar with the car working on it, and whether they have an S enthusiast working there that you might be able to befriend for future maintenance oversight on your car as it may require real repairs some day.
Lastly, do everything Xviper said to check when they bring your car back to you.
Good rule of thumb..."Trust, but verify!"

 

Just oversee everything that is done. Most dealers do not see s2000's very often. If possible, make a post in you're local forum and see if any local members can recommend a dealership. I know in South Florida we have a few that have awesome s2k specialists, and dealers that don't even realize its RWD.

I've had honda of america themselves tell me that I should always ask the dealer if they have a person who specializes in s2ks. You want to be nice in case you ever need a real warranty repair, but you also want to make sure they dont CAUSE the need for the repair.

 

With all these troubles, why not just do it yourself to save money, time and headache ?
Unless they do free oil change

 

Some owner's just don't have the space to do such things or they don't feel comfortable doing it themselves. They may lack the tools or the stuff necessary to collect, store and dispose of used oil and filters.
As for myself, my car has never seen the inside of any dealer service bay after the day I brought it home. Over 5 years and haven't regretted that choice ever.

 

Or, as espoused by others, "Be very, very suspicious and verify anyway."

One clue about a dealer is how many Ss they have on the lot. If it's more than two, then maybe they sell enough of them to have some service experience. At that point, you can ask to talk with the S2000 specialist on the technician staff. HPH