markymarks2k

If anyone can help me or has any advice please pm me or post in this thread.

Okay you want to hear a very tragic story?

Here it goes...


Back in November of 2007 I was looking for a new car to purchase. I have always loved honda or anything JDM so I was searching around for the best possible option. 2 good friends of mine have S2000's and were talking to me about purchasing one (on s2ki.com they are LBP AP2 and AP2 S2K). I have always loved the car from the first time i have seen it so i was thinking it is a possiblility.

I was searching around autotrader, craigslist, and cars.com to check out average prices of AP1 model S2000 and i come across this Berlina Black 2001 AP1 for $14,500.00. Everything seemed normal about this car, all the basic amenities, 70k miles, and came with a car cover (LOL i know car cover is only like $200.00 and when am I ever going to use it? But still...). I just got a new job and was building up my credit so i was really considering buying this car. I went to Desert Schools (without a co-signer) and they basically said, "here is 15,000.00, have fun...", what a stupid move. I was so excited that the next day I went to take a look at this S2000. The owner was chill and obviously was a fan of honda (2 CBR 600 RR's: 1 track and 1 daily driver...pretty much a ton of honda ish in his garage). I took my buddies to come with me and look at the car (I know some things about cars...but I am still learning...ALOT). We noticed right from the start that the back plastic window was baked and starting to crack, top was major faded, and there was a couple nicks and dents in it (nothing too obvious). My buddies droped him down to $13,500.00 and I was pretty much sold. I asked the owner at the time if I could take it out for a test drive just to see if it runs smooth and handles well, it was my first manual car so I wasnt the greatest driver in the world, but I did test drive it that day and a couple days after, everything seemed to be fine...but i was WRONG.

I bought the car the next week thinking what a great decision i had made. I did drive it a bit crazy and out of control for the first couple weeks (Who doesn't?), but nothing too crazy. I drove it to and from work and nothing too serious. Then around January I was driving it to work and I hear this loud noise, almost sounded like a clanking noise like something rattling around. After i heard it i come to a complete stop at a red light and my car just shuts down, all my emergency lights pop on and my car wont start back up, I FREAK out. My dad has a friend who owns a car repair shop (Pretty ghetto shop, not gonna lie.), but he insisted that i take it there and see what was wrong, so I called a tow truck and hauled it over there. The next day I go back to the shop and they said that my coil, spark plug, and whatever else is around that part of the engine (Told you I don't know much...) was burnt black and that oil was leaking into my ignition coil. I told them to fix the problem, plus my car was due for an oil change so i bought oil and a filter, told them to just give me an oil change too. They said okay come back in 4 days and we will have it done.

4 days later i go back to the shop and I see that the oil I had bought is still sitting in my trunk. I told the shop about doing the oil change and they said not to worry they will do it the next day for free. I payed them $450.00 for labor and parts and started to drive to work. I got to my first stoplight and i notice that even though the car was stopped, the engine was still idling very high, almost sounding like I was revving when my foot wasn't on the gas. I didn't think anything of it at first so I kept on driving to work. When I was about 3 miles from the shop I just tryed to give it a little bit of gas to see what it would do, it reaches around 6k rpm but it wasnt giving me any feed back or kick, then I realized that there something had to be wrong. I noticed it a second time at my next red light but this time i was too late. My engine shut off AGAIN but this time on a more serious level. It was loud, all my lights were on, and when i tried to start it, the starter wouldnt even budge. I pushed it to a parking lot and opened the hood. Everything looked okay untill i see a bolt in the front/middle of my engine was popping out, smoking. I go to grab it and it was HOT, so hot that i couldnt hold it in my hand i droped it right on the ground. My dad came to look at it before the tow truck hauled it away and told me that this is a serious problem...no shit .

Note: This is not my engine (Wish it was ), but it is the best frontside picture i can show you of the bolt that popped out.



I didn't go to work that day, I just had a tow truck, tow the car to a Honda dealership to look at and see what there options are to fix whatever it is that is broken. 4 days after that Honda tells me that the engine is finished and that they will charge me $7000.00+ to buy a new F20C engine and more for labor. No, I do not have that kind of money yet but I just wanted them to see what the damage was. I know that dealerships over price but it was a start to see what needed to be done. After that, I towed the car to my house where it is now sitting in my garage. Have not drove it for about a month now...

I am looking at the engine and the damage almost looks fixable. I am not a genius when it comes to engines, but when you look at it, it almost looks like if you take the top half of the engine off, rebuild it, you can just put it back on and it will run just as fine.


Please, if you have any advice or options for me (Buying a new engine, rebuild, new parts, suing the shop, suing the seller, pretty much ANYTHING), please post it in this thread or pm me.

BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP

P.S.
Yes I did rush into buying this car, and yes I did make a mistake. I am going to take the best of it and move on. All I can do is just keep breathing and fix this problem.


Pics of my engine will be posted within a couple days, so ill keep you guys updated.

AP2 S2K

come on, i know someone has some input for my bro


BUMP!

CypherAZ

So let me see if I understand this correctly. You bought a used car without first having it inspected? Then when it had problems you took it to a shop that you called "ghetto." How exactly are you getting the shaft?

Did you get a carfax? Did the previous owner have any maintance records?

shotgunjimmy

if it were me, i would go after the shop that did the work the first time. they should refund you at least the money you paid them if not more. as far as going after the seller, im almost positive that you cant. unless you signed some written statment with him that the car was in perfect running condition or that he would pay for any repairs with in a certain time limit.


as far as sourcing another engine or rebuilding yours, i have no idea. have a repuatble shop other than the dealer look at it for a second opinion if possible.


Best of luck!




where are you located, btw?

Ubetit

I don't think we are getting the whole story. You drove it around for at least a month with no problems (you admitted to driving it out of control and crazy). At some point your engine grenades itself. Are you sure you didn't over rev your engine with the 4-2 money shift?

I don't understand how that bolt could be loose. Did it break? Are there threads and an O ring on it? That bolt is a very important bolt. It holds your cam and idler gears.

ace123

you can get an F20C/F22C used for $4000 or less, or at worst you can send it out to King motorsports or an engine builder for $4k. and if you get it built, you'll have a faster car/higher redline/etc and effectively upgrade, so its not as hard to take.

http://www.kingmotorsports.com/category.aspx?cat=67

Sorry to hear though. and if honda looks at it and finds the ghetto shop did it you could take them to court, but that takes time and money to fight and you arent guaranteed anything.

good luck though, and sorry.

darkwatch

if it comes down to new motor, i would try a new head first then if its still hooped buy a short block... then youll be ready... or find a totalled AP1 and pull the motor for cheap

AP2 S2K

hmmmmm, did you?

alSpeed2k

I feel sorry for ya bud. I guess you learned a lesson the hard way. Your buddies must've thought the car was in good condition, or else they wouldn't have recommended you to buy it right? Did they drive the car? Have you driven their cars before? Did it feel the same? What the heck did the ghetto shop do to the car anyways?

Like other posters have mentioned, you could probably get the engine rebuilt for less than what the dealer quoted, just call around.

chino101

Sorry to hear about what your going through. What exactly did the "ghetto" shop perform on the car? Blown coil, spark plug, and oil leaking into the spark plug well? I would wonder if the spark plug came loose?

Also, how in the world did the bolt which hold the idler gear come loose? Has your dad's friend ever worked on a S2000 before?