Not all dealers are shite, in fact, some are very good and reasonably priced too.
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True not all Honda dealers are shite, just the errrrm shite ones of whom I have come accross two. parts prices are not just creeping up but tend go up in small leaps like the brake pads last year. Some will let you supply your own fluids etc others refuse.
There aren't as many S2000 specilist Honda trained engineers around as there used to be and as the S gets rarer and older Hondas interest in is certainly waining.
If you cant find a Honda dealer who is keeping up there standard and down their prices then find a trusted indipendent who works with performance cars.

It wasn't my intention to slag off all Honda dealers, but the bad ones do spoil the reputation of the rest.

 

Brake pads reduced in price last year.

FWIW, so did brake disc prices, as well as servicing costs.

 

Was it the year before that the pads went from £35 to £70? Have they come down again?

I'm guessing they were loosing trade so had to do a u-turn, but once a reputation has been lost it's gone for good.

I've had enough bad experences to put me off, not the least taking the wifes Jizz in for service and paying extra to have the tappets adjusted only to have the car come back worse. The only response I got from the service manager was "We don't get asked to do them that often, the lad must be out of practice", I insisted on a refund and never went back.

 

Pad prices went up a lot a few years ago (memory is sketchy on that one), but they definitely reduced again last year. That largely ties in with the fluctuation in UK/Japan exchange rates.

My experiences with independents (whether S2000 specialists or not) are certainly no better than that with the dealers.

Either way, I'd suggest that it's not especially helpful, or indeed, accurate, to say to a new forum member: "And no no no do not go to Honda for anything but an oil filter and transmission oil, they seem to have forgotten everything they ever knew about performance cars."

 

Fair cop LG, should be more like Don't go to dealer unless you have them on reliable recomendation from members on here.......My bad.

 

That's the same for every brand car though so nothing Honda or S2000 specific..

 

That could be right but, I can only base my opinion on the decline in standards I come accross, and thats been with Honda, the cars are still in general the best built and most reliable I've come accross.
I could post up at least half a dozen instances when a Honda dealer/service has let me down or attempted to take my cash for work not done or done badly. I feel like I'm dealing with some kind of dodgy forecourt monkey.
Thats the main reason I found an indipendant that charged half the labour Honda does and didn't try to tell me my tyres are on the way out and give me an outragiously stupid quote for four new tyres (£250+ a corner for Bridgestones) and charge me for a bottle of windscreen washer fluid when you wouldn't be able to get a teaspoon full in as I topped it up that morning.
OK thats two quite seperate dealerships and I know there must be some good ones out there but for me I've found someone who seems honest, reliable and coutious (unless they prove to me to be otherwise) So I'll forgo the luxury of paying through the nose for poor servce just to get a dealer stamp in the book.

Rant over, dut not definative, just glad I didn't buy an exploding '08.

NOTE:-OTHER BRANDS OF DODGY MAIN DEALERS (AND INDEPENDENT FACTORS) ARE AVAILABLE.

 

right guys thanks for all the replies i have just been to look at the car again and have some questions. ill list them so its easy

The Geo on the car is fully unknown im based in peterborough so anywhere local thats good that can do it would be a godsend also how much an i looking at paying?

Had a look at the tyre thread and it seems like mixed opinions on it id like to spend about £100 a corner with some good wet weather tyres that i can feel safe with, had a look at the car again tonight and it has continental tyres on the front with around 5mm and a unknown brand on the back with about 7mm ill get a pic once i pick the car up saturday.

The car has full service history and was serviced about 1k miles ago and was mot'd in October the garage im buying the car from said they would check the car over and get back to me if anything seemed wrong. Well today they got back to me and said that one of the rear brakes has creased and needs a new pin or something? He said he will get this sorted for me and also the front window screen has some stone chips that ill have to 'repair' myself slightly gutted about that but ill have to get the gel thing that just fulls the hole not a whole brand new window. he also told me that the wear on the brakes with 50/70 so how long have i got with them?

so yeah if you could help me with any of that you would make me a less more worried man! oh and i found the secret compartment

 

Geo usually depends on what needs adjusting, look at around £70 ish.

If you look at the poll you'll see the Bridgestons are the perfered option and for a reason.

I'd try and beat them down as you will be able to say all the tyres need replacing as they are not sutable for the car.

chips in the screen mat be covered by your insurence if you can get them filled.

The brake would be seized (not uncommon) and they would be talking about the slider pin, try and get an agreement that if it happens again they will replace the caliper.

 

In my defence I only found one

I'm going to run the risk of getting flamed here... The rear tires are far more important than the fronts. I have Contis on the front of mine and they're ok. In my humble it's far more important to balance across the axle and not the all four corners, so get the rears done as a pair as a priority. As for approx £100 per corner, I had some Falkern 452's; not the most grippy, but very progressive.