So I've been lusting after an S2000 for what seems like forever now, and I put a deposit on a 02 Berlina with red/black last weekend, with purchase etc. conditional on a good result from the RAC examination that happened today.

The engineer raised these points:

1. It appears that a front panel has been changed, slight colour variation.

The car has had no registered accidents so I don't think this is a big problem, it was annoying not to know before though.

2. Paint chip on one door.

Anyone know rough costs to get this fixed, it's apparently small (I didn't notice it)?

3. Uneven wear on the front tyres, the engineer said that the steering geometry should be checked.

I just phoned Marshalls in Reading to ask about costs for this and they said that it would be

 

You didn't get a good RAC inspection - take your deposit back, and get a decent one!

 

Heh, problem is apart from these issues I'm in love with the car - and of course just a little bit impatient!

 

1. Not uncommon for the front bymper to be resprayed. The car is very prone to stone chips.
2. Depends whether it's down to metal.
3. Uneven tyre ear is normal. The correct suspension geometry will cause a higher rate of wear on the inner edges of the tyres. A lot of folks swap the tyres over halfway through their life.

Full geometry check should set you back between

 

Thanks Beardie.

I wasn't too worried about the panel as I can imagine hundreds of reasons for it being done - mostly not too sinister!

The chip isn't bad, is small, and from what I gather is not down to metal.

Thanks for the info on the geometry, that's good to know. The car should be in good condition as it's just been serviced and MOT'd - I know it felt fantastic to drive!

 

Just buy it my son, as one of the other guys said as long as its HPI clear and your happy get it and enjoy it.

I must be honest i dont rate these inspections with the RAC etc as long as the car is all HPI clear id rather put my money towards extending the warranty then if anything does go wrong 9/10 times your covered.

Enjoy mate

 

with Beardie haggle by all means but if you are happy go for it.

When they say uneven to they mena right compared to left or across both front tyres in the sma pattern on both

Don't get any "cheap" geo done it will cost you more in the long run and may well adversley affect the way it drives!

 

Marshalls will at least do the full 4 wheel geometry with decent equipment and a bit of knowledge about what they're doing (going by past experience).

Check the tech FAQ and take them the figures, they should show you the printout when they're done.

 

Ok, thanks.

Sounds like it might be worth trying to get the cost of the geometry check taken off the car price anyway - just to get it checked for peace of mind.

I won't get the printed report until tomorrow at the earliest, so won't know for sure in what way the tyre wear is uneven until then.

How much does honda charge for an extended warrantee?