I've received conflicting advice from several sources:

1. Owner's manual says to do the first rear diff fluid change at 15,000, and every 15,000 thereafter (I believe).

2. Some reputable s2ki members have told me that the first rear diff fluid change should occur between 3,000 - 5,000 miles. They claim that this is needed on the first change because as the rear diff breaks in, there are a lot of metal filings in the rear diff fluid.

3. I just received a voicemail from a service rep/manager at Jim Coleman Honda in MD telling me that the rear diff fluid shouldn't be changed until 30,000 - 50,000 miles.

2 questions:
1. When should an owner have the FIRST rear diff fluid change on a new S2000?
2. What should be the price? (I've had dealers quote me $69.00 - $140.00)

Thanks for the help guys,
Marcus

 

a lot of people on the board did it within the first 10k and change it every year or 15k. The s2k diff doesn't hold a lot of fluid so I would rather change it every year than wait 30-50k miles. I changed mine the first time around the 5k mark. Also, it's very easy to do if you get a pump and the right size tools. I think it's a 23 or 24mm but you can check the under the hood section as there are great write ups from people. Total cost with le fluid and all the tools is less than $20 and about 30mins. Be very careful with taking it to the dealer as the s2k diff doesn't use the crv diff fluid and there have been a lot of reports of people getting the wrong fluid and blowing the diff

 

I agree. ALso be careful of the dealer. They often will use the wrong fluid. Make sure whatever they are using meets the requirements outlined in the owner's manual and don't let them talk you into something different that "their computer specifies for your car".

 

exactly, be extra careful of what the dealer puts in. I've read a lot of threads where people lost their diffs b/c the dealer put in CRV fluid. Mechanics don't think, they just pour stuff in. BTW, it's a quick job. I don't see it taking more than half and hour so that $140 price was a complete rip.

How many miles do you have now? If you're at or around 15k, just go ahead and do it. It won't hurt to change it out early. BTW, LE607 is a good product. I think they sell it on the s2ki marketplace.

 

I stick to the "severe" schedule in the manual (15k miles)

I asked the Honda dealer the price once they said $70

Look up the DIY write up, as easy as an engine oil change, you just need the right tools.

 

15k is all you need. it's not necessary to change out the diff fluid the first 3-5k. you can wait 15k no problem.

also, $70 is what the dealership should charge, and even that's a ripoff. For $7 you can do it yourself if you have the right tools. takes a half hour at most. even faster once you've done it a few times. there is a DIY for it in the Under The Hood FAQ.

 

I changed mine for the first time at 10k and it was definitely due. I changed it again ~15k later and it looked no where near as bad. I do your first somewhere between 5-10k miles then every 1 year/15k thereafter.

 

xviper and I changed my diff fluid at 1,500 KM. It was an interesting excercise just to see how the fluid looked so early on.

But in reality you probably don't need to do it until at least 5,000 to 10,000 miles.

 

Show the service manual to that service rep and never go back to him again.

Next thing they'll want to rotate your tires!!!

 

I'm changing mine with LE607 at my first oil change, which will be around 6k..then every 15k.

DIY write-up: http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=99995