I had been leaning towards the S2000 until I read of the engine issues (#4 cylinder, mysterious self-loosening spark plugs) and admit they've got me a bit spooked, especially the cases where Honda thinks the owner had something to do with it.

I was looking at a Boxster as a small maintenance nightmare but at least Porsche doesn't blame their owners for obvious mechanical defects.

Based on reports here, the issue seems pretty rare, but if they are recalling the cars in Holland, it's got to be a reasonably serious known issue (I wonder if the fix has already been applied to in-production engines, as the failures seem to be mostly MY 2001 and earlier...)

Am I just being too paranoid? It almost seems as if Honda has a touch of "God syndrome", aka BMW dealer disease: "We engineer these vehicles so well that if something catastrophic fails it must have been your fault."

Overblown worries or basis in reality?

 

Check out this thread:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=49224

This is a pretty good diagnosis of what seems to be the main problem and the conditions it may occur under. Don't know if it will make you feel better or worse, but the info sems pretty accurate.

JonasM

 

xViper and I checked my plugs after my break in period and they are on tight, so that doesn't concern me.

My question, one that I asked on another related thread is what does the TICK TICK TICK sound related to the #4 dying sound like? Is it a loud sound or slight sound or does it sound like the car needs a valve adjustment

 

I would not worry to much about the reliablitly of the S2000. I had some of your concerns also however I talked to a lot of S2000 owners and not one had any serious problems. This forum is a great place for information but tends to emphasis the bad side of the car. Most contented owners don't post on here. Many of the posters drive there cars very hard and race them at track events. Something I also hope to do but I understand that racing is hard on a car and could void my warranty. It is not hard for Honda to tell if a car is being raced. I suspect but don't know for sure that the engine also keeps a log of many events they can download at the dealer. For what its worth I had a friend destroy the tranny on a Boxster at the track. Porche refused to pay a penny toward the repair. It was not cheap for him to get it done!

 

GeorgeP, there's nothing in the manual that sez racing the car will void the warranty. At least the last time I read it If the tranny or any part of the car get damage through wear and tear because of track uses then obviously it's not fair to demand that Honda replace them. However, if the damage is cause by an obvious mechanical failure or defect then we have every right to demand that Honda replace them. Another thing to consider is the owner, we have to take some responsibility for our actions. If you take good care of the car it'll go a long way to take good care of you.

After all it's a Honda, it can't just die in the middle of the highway like a GM - can it?

 

Oooh, that wasn't even the problem I was talking about, I was talking about the tapping #4 cylinder issue the Holland recall is for:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=67626

and a rash of engine failures like the one reported in this thread:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=67228

I had actually read the tranny thread the first time around and had forgotten about it...

 

I think the part you need to look at is that these problems aren't showing up on MY 2002 cars as far as I know. Honda has mostly scknowledged these problems that early owners had and fixed them. Honda has made many small improvements in this car since it was released almost three years ago and problems like #4 cylinder failure are gone. I'm not worried about my incoming S2000, if it ever gets here!

Mark

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BillK
[B]
Oooh, that wasn't even the problem I was talking about, I was talking about the tapping #4 cylinder issue the Holland recall is for:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=67626

and a rash of engine failures like the one reported in this thread:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=67228

I had actually read the tranny thread the first time around and had forgotten about it...