https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN1YD2DP

 

My ‘’S’’ is a MY 1999,so should be good to go.

 

I read it as "A strong return to a solid car line of extremely boring cars ingot awful boring colors"

 

Funny this should come up today. I have owned my 2001 S for 16 1/2 years and put over 144,000 miles on it. Yesterday was the first time I ever had to replace a light bulb. I don't know who their supplier was back then, but they sure sourced bulbs with outstanding longevity!

 

^^^
Had to replace one,last summer,at 132xxx kms,(+/-80,000 miles) and 19 years old.

 

As we all now know Honda made great cars 20 years ago and the S2000 is evidence of that in spades.

 

So, when Dave flags one of his topics with "must read", I must read it.

Very interesting. I think a move to simplify individual model offerings is a good one. Thirteen versions of the Accord? I think three would suffice and six would be PLENTY if manual and automatic transmissions don't count as different versions. Consider Honda's roots in the car business. The first generation Accord came in three flavors, Coupe (hatchback) base, coupe LX (with power steering and A/C standard) and the four door sedan that debuted half way through the model run. Admittedly each was offered in either manual or automatic so maybe you could call it six versions total. One engine across the line-up and everything was standard, with options limited to dealer-installed add-ons like passenger side rear view mirror, audio upgrades, rear hatch louvers, etc. By offering just three basic types and by offering as standard features things that were factory options on most competitors, Accord production was greatly simplified. Production costs were also lower, making the Accord extremely competitive in its segment, and quality could be more tightly controlled.

Of course, changing course in a ship as big as Honda Motor Company is no small feat and will take time. It remains to be seen if the current management can pull it off.

 

I have owned and driven Hondas for the last 37 years. Before that I rode a Honda motorcycle while in college. In that 37 years I owned 11 Honda cars (Accords, Civics and a CR-V) and I own a 35 year old Honda lawn mower that runs like new, a Honda snowblower that has yet to meet a snowdrift that it couldn't handle and a Honda generator that has never failed to start on the first pull. Every Honda I ever bought was better than the one that came before it. Until about 3 years ago I would have bet my life on Honda quality.

My newest Honda, my 2017 Civic Si is a fine car that I'm really enjoying, but for the first time in all of the years I have had to bring it in for quailty problems. Nothing terrible but nothing that I'd expect from a Honda. At 17 months the car wouldn't start. It turned out to be the battery. Not a big deal as it was replaced under warranty, but being used to batteries that have lasted 6 to 9 years, 17 months seemed a bit premature. Last summer the air conditioner wasn't working. It turns out that there was a problem with the compressors that were supplied by Hondas suppliers. Once again, it was replaced under warranty, but I would've thought that Honda's quality control would've caught problems with suppliers before their parts were put into the car. Don't get me wrong, I love the car. It's a fun sedan that I love driving, but I had thought that it would be as bulletproof as all of the Honda's that came before. It's not and I'm a little disappointed.

I understand that the problems that I've had are because of substandard parts from outside suppliers, but when I buy a car from Honda or any other manufacturer, I expect that that manufacturer would demand quality from their suppliers. That Honda didn't make the part is no excuse. If it's in their car, it is their responsibility.

Still, I do find it reassuring that management has recognized their recent failure in quality control. I do have confidence in the company and I'm hoping that they work towards and succeed in solving their problems. I have it on very reliable sources that quality is an issue with Honda.

 

I have one major concern regarding Honda's ability to fix their quality issues now that they have identified and targeted those issues. That concern relates to the kind of corporate culture we have all seen where too many people are in charge. And just like in football where two starting quarterbacks equals no starting quarterbacks, when two or more are running the company, no one is. Think Apple between stints by Jobs as CEO, or since he passed away. Or IBM, post-Watson. Or think of what might happen over at Tesla and SpaceX if something happened to Musk. I experienced this personally at Wang Laboratories, when company founder and chairman Dr. An Wang retired and then pass away soon after. The fortunes of Wang Labs, a dominant player in office automation, quickly deteriorated as its sophisticated and expensive word processing systems and its highly profitable small business mini computers were rendered obsolete by the PC revolution.. Without its visionary and charismatic leader the company simply could not make the changes it needed to make in order to survive.

I'm not predicting the imminent demise of Honda. But they do have a problem and to make the changes that must be made in order to address that problem, the company needs a strong and charismatic leader. And this is a serious problem for Honda, which has always staked its reputation on quality, reliability, and engineering excellence. It's more than just nostalgia to wish Soichiro Honda was still running the show in Minato City, because if the company can not find or produce another leader with Soichiro's skills, and also give that leader complete authority on a long term basis, I fear Honda may follow Nissan and *shudder* Mitsubishi into a long slow decline.

 

Almost everyone on this site naturally has a sweet spot for Honda.

My personal life long respect for Japanese cars began when the price of oil sky rocked in 1973. It was a 1972 Toyota Corona MkII (purchased in Japan and imported); great mileage and oh-so-solidly built. My first Honda was a 1983 Accord built in Marysville, Ohio. It would become the best-selling Japanese car for the next fifteen years. Honda established itself as a builder of high-quality, fun-to-drive, dependable and fuel-stingy little cars. I won’t bore you with the list of Japanese cars that followed.

When I purchased my S2000 on January 31, 2001 I knew it was a racecar for the road built with quality. The wife bought a 2018 Honda CR-V but its Jekyll and Hyde personality due to engine oil diluted with fuel and fears of premature engine wear have tarnished what should have been an enjoyable mating.

As this article summarizes Corporate Honda has seen this and other quality issues hit them were it hurts - in profits and reputation - and they are now trying to take corrective action. Unlike Honda Canada, Honda USA just wanted the problem to go away and stood in the way of any meaningful solution way too long. As for the longevity of the CR-V turbo engines only time will tell but for now the wear issues everyone is concerned about have not surfaced. In July of this year Honda USA extended the warranty for select engine components.

I agree with Mike. Returning to a Keep It Simple strategy with, as Rob suggests, high quality long-term goals will still pay dividends in our high paced techy world.

Wouldn’t it be great if car manufactures re-discovered how easily dash knobs work! Nah, you can’t turn the clock back that far (well you could if it had knobs).