RoadRage - Thanks for the comments. I should hear from the dealer sometime today as to the status of who is going to pay for this. I certainly hope that they have enough sense to either pay it themselves or get HOA to pay under warranty. I won't do it as they sold me the Diff. fluid when I asked for it for the S2000. I'm not sure, however, that the Asst. Service Manger believed me when I told him the VTM was the cause of the failure. So, I might have some "splainin' to do.

xviper, RoadRage - The dealer got back to me and they will pay for the Differential (a replacement, not just a rebuild), they will pay for the clutch TSB and they will pay for the convertible cover strap replacement TSB. No hassle on my part at all. They called and said it would all be covered.

Thanks again for your help and support. You guys are really great. If your ever in my neck of the woods, let me know and I'll buy ya a beer or two.

Amen brother! I simply will not take my car to anyone anymore unless some work requires special tools I don't have and can't get. I'm looking at picking up a hydraulic press when I get back from OTC so I can do my own bearings and bushings. For the $150 it costs for a shop press I can avoid subjecting my car to incompetent wrench monkeys. I can strip bolts as well as anyone. I don't need to pay $75 to have someone else do it for me.

Here is my inventory of disasters:

1. Scratched valve cover
2. Cracked alternator housing
3. Broken ABS cable
4. Engine mount nuts removed and not replaced (why I don't know)
5. Leaking transmission input seal
6. Clutch reassembled incorrectly, release bearing not lubed
7. Prop shaft bolt stripped, another one bent

All this from TSB054 and a CV joint replacement. About 30 days of time in the shop fixing THEIR mistakes. 3.5 f**ckups per service. nice.

:LOL:

are they sure they filled the differential? The VTM-4 doesnt come in quarts but rather gallons, so they would have to know that they need to fill the differential, not just put in however much.

As I've indicated, you don't fill a diff or tranny casing by precise volume. You keep putting it in till it falls out the fill hole. No decent mechanic would just put in xxx cc.

Well if they arent competent enough to know its know the right fluid they might just put in however much they think is ok. Look at the techs who have botched tightening the drain bolts/oil filters, on top of many other simple jobs.

Holy hell....Why did I just find this?? When I purchased my car in May, I took it to Honda to get my tranny and differential fluid changed. When I was there, they could not find the correct differential fluid and said it was special order or something. But, ended up finding some and used it. :rolleyes: I never saw it and the part # was not on my invoice. I have a very uncomfortable feeling that I have VTM-4 in my rear end.

My car has 60k on it.
The woman I bought it from got it serviced there, so either she never had the differential fluid changed, she has always used VTM-4, or Honda had the right fluid in stock.

Question??
Would the differential survive this long without changing the fluid or with using VTM-4?? (considering the car has never been auto-x or hard driven)

I've only put about 2k on it with the newly changed fluid. I will be changing this fluid ASAP just in case.
I just can't bear the thought of my differential going out of something stupid like this.
Please comment. :brokehrt:

Don't panic. Just don't take your car to a dealer you don't trust to do the right thing (I'm still looking for one of those which 100 miles). You can get everything you need from an auto parts store and you get off your but and do it yourself. It takes 10 minutes to drain an fill the tranny and diff.

Tranny oil is just motor oil, 10W30. You can pay more but you get the same thing mainly. Diff oil is called light gear oil and you get it from pep boys or auto zone or what ever. The trick to diff oil is trying to understand which you need from the several kinds, none specicially marked as TLSD. Read the bottle and find the weight, GL5 rating and the part where it says designed for LSD use. I got Mobil 1 last time I think. Get a fluid transfer pump which will be right on the same rack. Make sure the screw top on the pump will screw onto the bottlle, it makes it much easier.

Take you 3/8" drive ratchet and plug the square end to the fill bolt (the one with 4 sides). loosen it but dont remove it. Take you catch can, put it under the drain plug and with your 17mm wrench loosen and remove the bolt. Remove the fill bold by handle completely now. If you have another pan go to step 2
follow the same proceedure. Loosen fill, remove drain, remove fill wait till it drains.

Go back the the tranny. Install and torque to spec the drain bolt, attach the pump to you bottle of smelly goo and insert the tube in the fill hole. Dump until you see yourself pumping it out the hole you atr putting it in. It's gone, Secure the filler cap.

Now go back to the diff and repeat.

Presto magico you are none in less that half the time it would take the dealer to even get you on a lift.

If you buy your Mobil 1 in boxes of 6 like me the question about what it;s for has just been answered.