Spartarus

Most OEM head bolts are torque to yield and not reusable. the F20 is a rare exception.

I wouldnt blame the shop for screwing that up.

F20 OEM head bolts are not that way. They are reusable. If the core hasn't stretched thinner than 11.5mm at the threads, they are good.

Jub

I finally have my car back and running great. After replacing the head gasket, I got a call that the coil pack on #1 was bad and the car was still misfiring. Coil #1 was replaced with an OEM coil. In addition, I now have AP2 valve springs, retainers, and keepers on all valves. This was based on the shop's recommendations and I read up on the pros/cons of doing various combinations of AP1 and AP2 parts. I saw a few conflicting ideas on using heavier AP2 retainers with the original AP1 springs. I also saw debates as to whether or not AP1's were actually susceptible to breaking exhaust valve retainers or not, blah blah. After reading through the speculation and talking to the tech who has changed multiple cars to this combination, I decided to go with AP2 components for intake and exhaust valves. I was more comfortable going with components that Honda designed to work in unison rather than piecing various components together. From my understanding, this basically ensures that I will not break a retainer before dropping a valve and the RPM level that I could potentially drop an exhaust valve is slightly lowered (theoretically 10kish?) due to the heavier AP2 components. I do not see myself as a serious risk to mis-shifting until I can get the car on a track which may be a while. FWIW, none of my retainers were cracked when they pulled them.

The car is running great and the engine definitely makes slightly less noise in the top end. I've only driven it a handful of times but it does seem to run smoother in traffic at low RPM's. I believe some of the hesitation that I have felt in the past is now gone. However, it was most noticeable in summer bumper-to-bumper traffic and seemed sensitive to heat soak. I am glad to have the car back and completed.