mikey k

You're long overdue a from a roadster
Don't forget the "shopping list" when you do get Jenson back

unclefester

Mmmmmm i bet getting back in the Shivic was ..... umm .... like dying by comparison

Bundle of Mayhem

Quick update on mine and the 'noise' + vibration through the clutch.

My stealer spoke to HUK Customer Services last week who finally put him onto Technical at Slough and after chasing yesterday my car is in today. They have pointed him to the look at the crank end.

Hopefully should get some more details later on today about whether or not they've found anything.

Bokkie

I think it's high time I provided a Jenson update, so here goes:

At the end of last year, Honda replaced Jenson's thrustwashers and did some work on the gearbox and clutch. This resolved the issues with my car and I've had a few months of happy vtec motoring.

However my car has developed yet another irritating noise (nothing like the old rattle, this sounds like metal grinding on metal & gets worse the hotter the car gets - at times it can sound like chirping birds!) Steve Dyer of HUK agreed it was time they saw Jenson first-hand to compare my car with a baseline S. Consequently I recently spent an afternoon with Steve & members of HUK's Technical Team.

I was struck by the distress of the Tech Team when we talked about all the trouble I've had with Jenson - they have a deep affinity for the S which was evident throughout the 3 hours I spent with them. The upshot is HUK agree there is an unusual noise which is neither gearbox nor clutch & they are going to investigate further. They collected Jenson this morning to run a series of tests and will pass those results to engineers in Japan for analysis. Fingers crossed: when I get Jenson back, all is resolved. Especially as I'm off on a 2,300 mile Eurohoon on 12 August!

But over & above sorting Jenson, the afternoon was an opportunity to speak firsthand with HUK to voice my frustration at their ongoing silence & to attempt to understand what is going on behind the scenes. I've had a rollercoaster ride of emotions with my car over the past 22 months. In just over 2 years of ownership, Jenson has spent more than 4 months in Honda workshops so you can appreciate my distress.

Anyway, I want this to be a reassuring post so enough on that front.

I was impressed at the behind the scenes analysis & investigation which is taking place across global Honda - yes, Japan are definitely involved - but HUK are leading this given the numbers we've seen locally. There is a lot of hard work going on to collate & analyse data regarding warranty claims, with particular emphasis on the rattle, thrustwashers & engine troubles.

I think it's important to point out that although we've all been concerned about the rattle/pinking/pinging/knocking noises on 08/09 S2000s (I've had engines from both years replaced) it's not yet clear whether this is a pre-cursor to engine trouble or a new characteristic S noise. This is what Honda are working hard to establish.

I understand that only a very small number of cars with the now-familiar "rattle" have presented with swarf in the sump. And it is thus only in these very small number of cases that any deeper engine issue is at present suspected - hence the difficulty in pinning down a root cause to date. But this research is ongoing (hence Jenson's latest trip without me) and I appreciate that until this research & analysis is complete, Honda will not be in a position to make a legal/public statement. That's a bitter pill for us ardent S2k owners & enthusiasts to swallow but is a commercial fact. But for the first time in 2 years, I feel Honda have indeed been listening; they have acknowledged my concerns and I feel reassured at their professionalism.

As things stand Honda are also not in a position to brief the dealer network - given that the analysis has yet to yield definitive results. I argued against this but understand their position. However, Steve assures me that the HUK Customer Service Team has been briefed to ensure a consistent message is issued to dealers in response to their enquiries on behalf of S2k owners with rattling cars.

I should like to thank Steve & his team for their time & for their continued (albeit discrete) efforts on our behalf. Hopefully it won't be too long before all of this is bottomed out so the cause and solution can be made known. And we can move on...preferably vtec'ing all the way!

I appreciate there are many on here who, like me, are concerned about their beloved S but I do believe that I can trust Honda to sort this - after all, it's in the best interests of their customer and their brand.

Many thanks to Ian and S2KUK for picking this up and engaging Honda on behalf of the owners. I look forward to seeing the results of this interaction. However, the one thing I do think we do need to clarify (and make known to all those concerned) is the statutory rights of an owner in the event of a manufacturer fault - this protection should (hopefully) provide some comfort to those who, like me, are worried about their beloved S (cue LL or another s2ki legal fundi for info in this regard).

jsh

Thank's Bokkie for your post

I do feel a little reassurred , especially after the more recent post's on this subject .

John .

GREGSTERWIZ

Are Honda (UK) going to extend your warranty, at no cost to you, in view of the fact that later cars have an "as yet undiagnosed" problem

Seems only fair to me, engines are failing, they have the details and the failure rate is abysmal

It has taken far too long for Honda to address this issue and the "customer service" I have received is shocking

And don't forget, Honda assured owners in 2009 that the matter was being investigated by Honda (Japan)

Clearly, it wasn't, from what you have been told

Or maybe it was and Honda have known of the reasons for the failures for a long time

I suspect the latter

Bundle of Mayhem

Trish I am so pleased that you are getting somewhere at last and I think it is fair to say that if it wasn't for you being so determined with this, S owners wouldn't be anywhere near getting this sorted so on behalf of everyone with a death rattle S, thank you.

I believe you may be the only person that has a good word to say about HUK customer service and the head of the department. I will of course let you know how my dealing with them work out but if you could keep me informed of progress it would be greatly appreciated.

Bokkie

You're welcome John, I just wanted to share the info I gleaned and to pass on the sense of reassurance I now have. I'm glad it's helped.
Trish

Bokkie

Hi G, thanks for your post. It was me that Honda reassured in 2009 about the involvement of Honda Japan and I can, as per my above post, confirm that they are indeed involved. I'm sorry to hear that you've not received good customer service from HUK. I'm not clear on your situation - has your car had an engine/short engine replacement or presented with the rattle? Is that why you were contacting them? Or are you a concerned 09 owner?

As far as warranty goes, I still have just under a year's cover left on my warranty so am not overly concerned at this point. I'm prepared to wait for a time to see what comes of the Honda (UK & Japan) investigations - after all, they are the professionals.

One of the reasons I've asked an S2ki legal eagle to comment on statutory rights around these cases is because it's my understanding (and I am by no stretch of the imagination conversant in legalese) that if a manufacturer were to identify a manufacturing fault, then they are obliged to put it right - at their cost. And if owners have incurred repair costs ahead of this remediation, then the manufacturer would reimburse them. The speed of these repairs would depend on the safety risk of this underlying fault. This is subject to the usual 6 year limit (statute of limitations I suspect). I think that's a fairly accurate description of the protection afforded but would welcome input from a legal eagle as I said in my original post.

TBH I don't see why Honda should be meting out extended warranties across the piece at this juncture when, as my post says, the engines with the swarf in the sump are VERY low volume and Honda have allocated resource and time to bottoming out this issue - hence me being S'less for another 2 weeks! A small sacrifice if this leads to identification of a root cause and a long-term solution.

As my friends on here can attest, I've had extensive trouble with my car but even after all of this, I am prepared to sit back (for a time, let's be clear) and see what conclusions Honda can draw from all their tests. Roll on 12 August!

Bokkie

Thanks CJ I think the issue we've had all along as owners is the silence from HUK. Being honest, I've had my fair share of tantrums in my dealings with them but as I said in my post above, the Technical Team were fantastic when I met with them and I have no doubt as to their commitment in resolving the mystery of the 09 S. I'm conscious that I am in a privileged position in that I was able to attend Slough and just wanted to share what I'd learnt with my fellow owners.