czirrfb3

Truthfully this car is almost 20yrs old and with the miles the value is only going down. I'd be lucky to get 6 grand for it. So I dont wanna dump.more $$$ into it than I need to I dont have track dreams with this car, just a weekend cruiser.

B serious

True, but the usefulness is still there, regardless of resale value. You obviously still own and enjoy it. And its obvious that ownership costs are already low enough for you to keep it.

Just logically, you're saving like $170 over buying a billman one. Not having to question reliability is worth $170 (IMO).

A potential failure that makes the car worth significantly less costs more than $170.

Its your car. But if you're asking an opinion....NO, I wouldn't opt for a duralast chain tensioner.

czirrfb3

So failing OEM over new Duralast? Just wanna confirm thats the better option. So essentially I have a $70 paperweight now?

B serious

I wouldn't say failing OEM is what I'd do. But...sure, its likely a safer bet. I would fix it, however.

Can't you return the Duralast and just park the car until you fix it?

czirrfb3

I just am shocked duralast is THAT bad that people would chose OEM with issues over it, that's crazy. And realistically how much life you think this S has? Do people still drive them with over 200k miles?

And didnt someone just say they have never heard or seen OEM TCT's break earlier in this thread?

Wish there was a sticky saying "only buy these parts"

czirrfb3

Maybe I can return it at my local autozone store but I ordered it online and it's already shipped so I dunno.

edit: called my local autozone the guy says I need to speak to the manager about returning online orders to the store. And he disagrees that Duralast parts are bad.

B serious

Its a Honda. With reasonable maintenance, you shouldn't be surprised if it lasts 300 or 400 or 500K+ miles.

That should be a testament to how good OEM parts are.

Not sure why autozone doesn't allow returns of online orders. And I doubt you'll get an Autozone employee to say "Duralast is bad".

Besides maybe a brake rotor, I don't really trust ANY "OE replacement" part to work at all...let alone be anywhere near as good as OEM. Some parts can be used in a pinch, knowing that they'll fail in a few miles...but the failure is non-conseqential (like a sway bar link or something).

Parts that interact with engine components? No chance.

I don't think a known failing OEM part is necessarily BETTER or safer to use. I'm just saying I wouldn't trust an aftermarket "OE replacement" timing chain tensioner in my Honda.

Deckoz

I don't understand what is so hard to understand. I basically laid out why the Duralast TCT is not good. Of course an AutoZone manager said Duralast parts are good, they are representing a brand.

And yes people still drive 200k+ S's including me(224k here), lol its no where close to its last leg.

I think people on this forum have been more than overly helpful with your posts. Having this back and forth nonsense trying to justify one thing over the next. At the end of the day, it's your car that you've rushed into, without giving yourself time to research and read. We're all spoon feeding all of your answers. But you don't like any of what we have to say.

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xxyion

To be honest it sounds like you're cherry picking and really trying to convince yourself that somehow we are wrong.

Also every thing you say you want this car to be actually completely invalidates your reasoning of buying a known bad part.

You say you dont want to dump money into this car since its a weekend cruiser. So wouldn't you want to put in a part you KNOW will last the rest of the life of the car? Even if its a bit more expensive? Personally spending 250$ vs 3000$ for a new engine is much more desirable for me.

Also worrying about resale value. You do realize these cars are going up in value correct? If you will drive this car as little as you claim, a well maintained S2000 with good quality parts to maintain the life of the car will be worth more in the future. How much did you buy the car for? There are AP1s in peak condition with over 100k miles selling for 16k in my area. And yes they are actually selling. My first S2k I bought had 114k miles and I paid 16k for it. This was 2 years ago.

Also thinking this car is on its last leg? Have you never owned an older Honda? If you look up the definition of reliability you'd basically see a picture of a Honda. As stated, these cars have seen 500k+ miles, and these are people who track their cars and throw all sort s of mods on them. People would be surprised if the car couldn't even make it to 200k miles.

But heres the thing. It wont if you dont just spend the extra little coin to maintain it. I get that you want to save money and not make this car a money pit. But you are doing it backwards. The best way to make a car NOT a money pit, is to spend the money on quality replacement parts, especially if its for preventative maintenance. You ALWAYS spend more money if you go for the cheap replacement option. ALWAYS.

czirrfb3

I traded my 2009 civic Si with 138k miles + $2,000 on top.

You guys got me. I will order the Ballade sports one now and return the Duralast one to Autozone.

Now just to clear up. Is the Ballade sports a direct replacement or do I need to fuss around with other things. I'd like a quick easy install. You guys mentioned one of the two recommended TCT's will need extra work other than the normal install.