xviper

I just did a re-check on Hellspire's plug that just got the TSB done:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=76205
In the flesh, the crush ring on the new plug is much thinner than on the old Densos.
Also, this from the other thread:
"dlq04 - The spark plug as I understand it is changing from NGK PFR7G-11 to the same number with a S added at the end, to represent the new stainless steel retaining washer."
----- the plugs taken out of Hellspire's car after the TSB were NOT those with the "s" at the end of the part number.

Matrix, did you notice when you had your plugs out what the exact part number was? If dealers are putting in stock OEM replacement plugs, then this whole recall thing is NOT one for a part replacement but as many of us have suspected all along - get the customer into the dealer ASAP to torque down those plugs before a whole bunch of engine explode. The free plugs is just to make the customer feel good for the time commitment and to hide the now obvious error in the original torque spec.

Has ANYBODY actually taken a note of what the precise part number is on the new plugs that went into your car?????

matrix

xviper, no I did not actually note the plug part numbers...damn, I should have double checked that .

I do recall though that the crush washer was different. The new ones were more silver while the old ones were more bronze. My old plugs only had about 5500km on them so I do not think they should have changed colour that quickly, but I may be wrong. The pic I posted in this thread is not to scale so the washer looks bigger on the new one, but in fact it is about the same size.

Next person to get this tsb done, please try to note the plug P/N please.

F1_Rules

[QUOTE]Originally posted by matrix
[B]xviper, no I did not actually note the plug part numbers...damn, I should have double checked that .

I do recall though that the crush washer was different.

PLYRS 3

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]If dealers are putting in stock OEM replacement plugs, then this whole recall thing is NOT one for a part replacement but as many of us have suspected all along - get the customer into the dealer ASAP to torque down those plugs before a whole bunch of engine explode.

xviper

I think to have a customer come in for a re-torque is: 1) For the customer, a real minor thing to be going through all that trouble (making an app't, leaving the car for sometimes a whole day), 2) For Honda, a really big deal is more engines crap out because the plugs are backing off.
A p/r move? Yes, but this is just my feeling on it. To make up for the customer's inconvenience (as stated above), let's give them free platinum plugs. All the other TSB's so far have been big jobs (the clutch rattle, the gear grind, the window controller, the seat belt thing). These required a lot of work so the customer felt it was "necessary". But to come in to have what amounts to tightening up a few "bolts" (a half hour job that needs my car for a whole day), "There's got to be something else to make it worth my time." And many customer will see it that way.
How hard is it for a customer to check it themselves? Take a look at some of the posts on this very board. We've got people who don't even know how to wash a car let alone take a wrench in hand. And it would be a pretty good guess that most people don't even own a torque wrench. I'd even go so far to say that there are some who have stretched the limit of their mechanical skill at just checking the oil. From Honda's perspective, it's a bit of a reach to tell all their owners to check their oil more than any other car out there. They are not going to expect them to check their spark plugs and certainly don't expect the vast majority of S2000 owners to even know about the problem. (Only a small % of owners actually even see this board.) I worked with a guy who has a new Civic SiR. It has over 8000 km on it and he had never checked the oil because, "But it's a Honda!" When I told him maybe he should, he found it nearly 2 liters down.
About lying and about being caught. This wouldn't be a first for big business and it won't be the last. Ford's been caught, GM's been caught, at one time or another, they've all been caught. But let's give Honda the benefit of the doubt. As I've said before, even spark plug manufacturers don't sit still. They are constantly improving their product all across the board. Even if Honda only uses the "new" product line, they're protected in that they can say it's a different plug even though the number is the same. It doesn't mean the plug was improved to address the S2000's problem, just improved over the normal course of events for the plug maker (in this case, NGK).

As for this "conspiracy" theory, that's your word not mine. "Conspiracy" might be bit too melodramatic. As those involved with the #4 cylinder failure issue, they'll probably tell you that Honda most likely said it was owner abuse right off the bat. It wasn't till after much "fighting" on the part of the owner that a few got warranty coverage for a very expensive claim. Now, for Honda to come out and do this "recall", is kinda admitting that there is definitely a problem for which maybe they shouldn't have given those first few engine grenades such a hard time. Now they have to admit that they were wrong BIG TIME. To save face (remember, we're talking about the oriental mind here), they're going to tone it down as much as possible. So PR? YOU BET!

ewcollins

I received my letter about the spark plug recall from Honda yesterday, almost three weeks after I had already gotten the service completed.

PLYRS 3

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]How hard is it for a customer to check it themselves?

DoGMaN

Geezus its been two months since this already!

Ok so my valve cover (rocker cover) went in today finally for its PC.....or so I thought.

Took it in this morning, gave me a pilot for a couple of days...so I thought.

Got a call this afternoon...the rubber seals for the spark plugs will be ruined when they pull the cover off so they say, they were on order and should have been in today, however they are on backorder. Someone getting their engine rebuilt or something?

Secondly they were going to get the seals from somewhere, but the powder coater had the totally wrong yellow.

Well feck me....I'm waiting again.

PLYRS 3

man....sucks to be you.....

Shvitz2k

sux to be me!!!!!!! did the spark plug recall, delear scratched my car!!!!!!!! dumb dip shits......

also he tells me he didnt scratch it but he will fix it!!!!

Sisley Honda, Richmondhill Honda such $hit!!!!!
TO hell with all the dealerships....... dumb shits all of them.

never had nay problems when i drove a lude.......S2000 and they screw the shit up all the time