Honda Prelude 1997-2002

nyccarguy

While I did a real good job cutting my thumb, a few doctors have told me that I did not hit any nerve or tendon to do any permanent damage. I've just got some nasty, black stitches that are going to be around until Tuesday or so.

Sphinx99: Isn't it crazy how amazingly well cars in California are kept? That's what happens when you live in a place where the "winter" means the temps fall into the 60's and sunny.

vinu_neuro

I hear the older (92-95) Prelude Si 4WS were kind of unreliable. is this true. Does the 4WS system have reliability trouble over time?

himiler

The later 4WS models were no less reliable than the earlier 4WS cars, even though they used an electronic set-up instead of the earlier (and simpler) mechanical system.

I always thought it was a pity that the USDM market never got the VTEC/4WS model.

In other news, my (formerly) '01 Prelude is kicking major tail in its new home, and my WRX wagon is running like a champ. There's a healthy dose of initial understeer, but that's easily cured with the judicious application of one's right foot. ;^D The darned thing really pulls. HARD.

nyccarguy

definitely give us a write up on your New WRX wagon (and as it compares to our beloved Preludes).

vinu: 4WS is very cool if you've ever driven one. When changing lanes it almost feels like the car moves on a horizontal plane. It also aids in parking (among other things) as it helps the Prelude's wide turning radius. I think it added a tremendous amount of weight to the car (somewhere in the 300Lb neighborhood?). It just never took off here in the US market. 4WS was available in the Japanese market on the 5th gen (with VTEC), but not here.

petquality

Hi all,

I'm new to the list. I have a '95 Prelude SE that's been by far the most reliable car I've ever owned. I'm planning to keep it a bit longer (115k so far, plenty left in it I'm sure). However, the leather covers on my front seats are starting to come apart. I'm in a very hot, dry climate so it's not surprising that after 8 years the leather would be pretty messed up. And I haven't been as meticulous with caring for the leather as I should have been. So it goes...

Anyway, I'm curious if anyone can recommend options to either a) replace the leather 'wrap' and keep the seats, or b) replace the seats altogether. As much as I'd love $1600 Recaros in there, a more realistic budget would be, say $300 per seat or less. I don't mind switching to cloth so long as it's durable.

So - anyone have suggestions of where to look/what to consider?

Thanks!

nyccarguy

you could check are ebay for a new set of seats that somebody else swapped out for some $1600 recaros, some junkyards, I'd also check preludeonline.com's classified section. I don't know how much they'd cost from Honda, but you might want to give Manchester Honda (in CT) (manchesterhonda.com).

elantraman

I am biding my time until I finally get a Prelude. I think I will be looking for a 2001 Electron Blue model! I guess there are no significant changes from 1997 to 2001. Since currently not made I am going to try and get the newest model I can. The last model style took a while to grow on me but I now prefer it to the previous one. Any recommendations to an owner of a 1996 Accord LX and 2000 Odyssey EX?

nyccarguy

well, you already know how well hondas are engineered and screwed together. The first piece of advice I would give to you is buy a Prelude with a 5-Speed manual. You will not regret it!

Make sure the previous owner cared well for the car by performing all required maintenance. See if the person has receipts for oil changes every 3-4K miles. I'd run the VIN number on carfax to check for accidents/odometer fraud. Make sure all the body panels line up and the gaps are even. Body panels should fit tight as the Prelude was built in Japan. Drive the car extensively on city streets as well as the highway. The Prelude is a car that tracks extremely well. The car should not wander. Have a Honda mechanic look at the car on a lift.

Look for a car that is stock and hasn't been modified.

The Prelude is a wonderful car. Handles amazing. They are pretty much bulletproof as far as reliability goes.

Any other questions?

Guys, did I leave anything out?

shmang

As the weather turns cold, the famous shock knock problem comes back again on my Prelude.

As most of you know, this is not a mechanical or safety issue, but it is really annoying for the first few miles you start to drive the vehicle.

Mine is a '99 and have never tried to have the dealer fix it. I guess I have to live with it for some time since everything else works wonderful and I have be very good in keep up on the maintenance.

What is you guys thought on this?

nyccarguy

No shock knock on my '01! 16K+ miles and still kicking!

lakegeneva

considering purchasing a 90 prelude-lots of miles
190,000 five speed, body in great shape the only noisy thing is the antenna going up and down.
It is in the $1300 range and cool enough for a young driver I hope.
Anything I should have a mechanic definitely check out.
Thanks for all advice.
lakegeneva
I

nyccarguy

With that amount of miles, I'd definitely have the suspension checked out. Other than that, try and find a Honda mechanic to check it out for you. Good luck! Is it the S, Si ABS, or Si 4WS model?

bjvjs

The check engine light on my 2000 Prelude, manual, has been on for several thousand miles, since 50,000. Any ideas as to the cause? The car runs well. Thanks.

shmang

It is most probably caused by a slow response of the O2 sensor. You can retrieve the code and post here so someone can tell you what it is - I think it is code 61. I had that twice and each time I just reset it and it will be away until the next time - which is probably a year or so later. I got a new O2 sensor but I did not bother to replace it, since it is still functions but just got false code.

But, hey, let us know what is the code and we can start from there.

sphinx99

It also can come on if you don't seal the gas cap tightly.

nyccarguy

So back over July 4th Weekend, my buddy and I drove to Hilton Head, South Carolina in my Prelude. Today he's driving with his girlfriend from Connectcut to Florida in a Lexus SC430. He called me about 10:00 this morning and told me that the Prelude was much better to drive long distances than his parents' $70K+ Lexus Convertible. The Prelude according to him is more comfortable and holds the road much better.

sphinx99

Woo hoo! Just don't post that on any Lexus or Mercedes board or you'll get cut down in the crossfire!

I have the 30k service coming up - lots of miles lately. Dealership is quoting some $400 which seems outrageously high. Any thoughts or feedback? I've never taken a 5th gen this high on mileage...

The car is doing quite well however. When freshly washed and detailed (getting harder to do as the weather turns cold) I continue to be surprised at the amount of attention it receives here.

lberkoski

Hi,

Can anybody post troubleshooting suggestions regarding the brake sensor light? As I understand it, the light is triggered by two things: 1) the emergency brake being activated, and 2) a fluid sensor. It comes on intermittenly, and does appear to be temperature related (doesn't happen on warm days). Last time I checked, the fluid was fine, so I suspect it's a flaky sensor.

Will wear on the brake pads make a difference? I'm probably due for a brake change, but I'm also thinking of selling the car relatively soon.

Thanks,

Len

nyccarguy

I've been getting some unusually crummy gas mileage lately. My last tank yielded a total of 218 miles which translates into just over 17 mpg. I took a trip 300 mile round trip last week and got about 24 mpg (but was doing between 75 & 85 most of the way) Maybe I'm in need of a new fuel filter. Any thoughts?

I've got about 17,400 miles on the car. I'm going to take it in for an oil change next week or the week after. With an oil change, I always get my tires rotated and have and alignment done. It is going to get Mobil 1 as always, but I've read some really positive things about Castrol Syntec 5w-30 as well.

nyccarguy

I'm going to order my winter wheels/tires sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm going to go with the Michelin Arctic Alpins (Minus 1) because my stockies are slipping on most rainy day starts.

chillenhonda

sphinx99 I remember paying around $400 for the 30K miles service, as well as slightly higher for the 60K mile. Both were quite a bit higher than my 91 Accord coupe. I also had a quote on timing belts/water pump, even though I wasnt having it done, and it was about $650, which was pretty high, I thought. I've had the front brakes done and it was $260, which was also a good chunk. All the dealers tell me the Prelude is just more money to maintain than an Accord, which makes a little sense in the fact that it is a much higher performance engine/vehicle.

shmang

The mileage normally lower when the weather is colder - especially in northern states. I would consider 20/25 will be normal if you are driving very aggresively. So, you mileage is very close to that. The oil change should have nothing to do with your mileage. But, since you are in New York, I would go with 0W-30 for winter and it should improve your gas mileage and at the same time give your engine more protection.

sphinx99

Welcome to my world, I pretty much always get 20mpg, no matter how I drive.

sphinx99

So, who read the Pontiac GTO review?

Great engine + high quality interior (GM?!?!) + plaid looks + great price = very, very attractive coupe.

blacktalon

It looks like a great car for a great price -- but 3725 pounds? That's a little on the heavy side...

mwcarlso

I purchased a black 2001 Honda Prelude SH with 27K miles today. This car is awesome. It is a shame that Honda doesn't make it anymore. The shifter is superb and I think it is the best handling car in its class. The stereo is pretty good too. I can't wait to buff and wax it. I was thinking about getting fog lights but I wanted to get some opinions on their usefullness first. Any other suggestions are welcome.

nyccarguy

Congrats on your Prelude! You're going to love the car! Did you buy the car from a private seller or a dealership? How much did you pay for it?

None of the regulars here have the foglights. I find the Prelude's lights illuminate the road ahead quite well.

Just keep changing the oil (5w30 Synthetic) and using Premium Gasoline!

mwcarlso

I purchased the car at a honda dealership as a certified used car. I also got the full bumper to bumper 100k mile warranty. I paid 18.9K for the car, and with the warranty and taxes the total was 21K. I think I got a decent deal. When I saw it I knew I had to have it because I love Preludes and the SH model is very hard to find. I was looking for a blue one but black is cool too. I drove a 93 Accord EX auto with 160,000 miles before this, and the Prelude is a completely different car obviously.

nyccarguy

The black is hard to keep clean, but when you see it rolling at dusk or at night with some shiny tires, it is the color that fits the car's personality. It is a great color for the Prelude. I've got an '01 Milano Red Type SH. My car's in the mid 17K range as far as miles go.

sphinx99

There's a Suzuka Blue '04 S2000 at the dealership about 30 miles from here with 7 miles on the odo and my name on it but I have to decide by tomorrow. Dealer is offering 17k trade-in on the Prelude, which is deeply, deeply tempting because it's closing in on some expensive service, is rattling a lot more than I expected, and the front end still isn't quite right from last winter's little slip and slide into the rear of a Volvo. (They didn't seem to notice or care.) And that's a lot more than I would have expected to get from a Prelude SH with its miles, even if it still doesn't have swirl marks.

Darn.

Whereas after a weekend with the '04 S and its 2.2L (which drops cabin NVH with the top up to tolerable levels and has more midrange spunk) and revised suspension (which is markedly livable on pothole-ridden Detroit roads) and exterior refinements (which give it a much more drool-inspiring stance) I'm feeling weak.

Offer is $2k off sticker ($31.something + 1600 or so tax), which would be about $14k, but I just got my bonus which would cover the majority of that, and my last several bonuses have wound their way into my girlfriend's car, sister's home downpayment, etc., so, well, you can see where this is going.

Darn it. I hate impulsiveness.

nyccarguy

I thought you had the S2000 out of your system. I guess you just have to ask yourself some questions. Do you need the practicality of the Prelude (as compared to the S2000)? How will the Suzka Blue/Blue leather hold up in your eyes for the next couple of years (can't comment because I haven't see it in person). 17K on your car for a trade in? WOW, that's impressive!

rzarich

Hi Everyone, I'm planning on buying a used vehicle soon and can't decide between a 98 honda prelude and a 00 celica GTS. They both seem like great cars, but i'm torn between the two...I've driven them both, and enjoy the rides in both of them. Any advice on helping me decide? I appreciate it!

nyccarguy

I saw that '04 S2K in C&D's 10 BEst article. Guess which color they pictured? The Blue...pretty sweet. I like the exterior changes. A mild freshening.

nyccarguy

What is the mileage of each car? Are you planning to buy both in Stick or Auto? What will you use the car for? Commuting & Weekend 2 lane bi-way jaunts or will you track the car?

We're kinda biased towards the Prelude here on the board (gee, wonder why). The GTS will be faster to 60mph. The power of the GTS doesn't peak until 6K RPMs and there's little room to work with thew engine on boil. The Prelude's Double wishbone suspension will ride better and provide crisper handling. The Prelude weighs a good 400lbs more than the GTS, but you'll be able to withstand long drives in the prelude becasue of that extra weight.

nyccarguy

Well, I'm going to buy my winter tires in the next couple of days. I'm trying to decide between the Michelin Arctic Alpin and the Michelin Arctic Alpin PA. The PA is from the "pilot" series and comes with an H rating (up to 130 mph) and the regular Alpins come with a Q rating (up to 99 mph). Any thoughts? I'm going minus 1 using 195/60 15s w/ steel wheels for the winter.

mwcarlso

I just bought a 2001 Prelude SH, which has 28000 miles on it. When I start driving the car in the morning, second gear is very notchy and it is hard to shift into second. This starts to go away after about 15 minutes of driving. All other gears are fine. Would changing the transmission fluid help or could this be a synchro problem? Any ideas are welcome.

nyccarguy

I believe a few of us have the same problem (I know I do). You just learn to live with it as one of the car's faults.

blacktalon

I have Arctic Alpins, and I've been very impressed with their ability to handle both snow and ice. On dry roads, the Alpins seem better than the Blizzaks I had on my old Talon, though slightly worse than the stock RE92s (though the Alpins are much better in rain).

Of course, they're nowhere near as good as my S03 summer tires -- I always miss those in the winter...

I've never driven on the Pilot Alpins, so I can't compare them. But I would guess that they would have improved dry handling, but at the cost of less grip on heavy snow and ice.

nyccarguy

I ordered a set of the PA (Pilot Arctic) Alpins today from tire rack (195/60 HR15). I spoke to a guy there who told me that the snow/ice/slushy traction difference is negligible between the 2 tires. The treadwear rating is similar. The PA Alpins have a stiffer sidewall. The 130 mph speed rating is helpful too. Not that I'm going to drive anywhere near that speed (I actually have only taken the Prelude up past the century mark once or twice maybe to 105 or 110), but I do find myself driving in the 80 range. I'm sure the Q rated tires (99mph rating) would not handle those speeds as well.

Now I also must tell you that we're expecting snow here in NYC tomorrow & through some of the weekend. My tires are coming in on Tuesday:(

blacktalon

I've driven the Arctic Alpins at peak speeds of around 90-95 with no problems, and continuously at 80-85 for 30-45 minutes. If I remember correctly, the speed rating indicates how fast you can drive for three hours continuously without the tire giving out.

I do expect that the Pilot Alpins would be more responsive at those speeds, but I didn't have any problems with the standard Arctic Alpins. (Though of course the SO3s are more fun at high speeds...)

nyccarguy

They'll be here just in time for the 50 degree weather we're going to have on Tuesday! So for now, the Prelude sits in a garage in The Bronx until this snow storm passes.

sphinx99

Smart move

nyccarguy

Well I mounted my snow tires on 15" Black steel wheels. I put my stock Type SH wheels & tires up in storage for the duration of the winter.

As far as looks go, it ain't pretty. It looks like I'm driving a car that somebody stole the hubcaps off of. Function over form works in this case.

As far as drivability in the white stuff, I can't comment too much because my snow tires arrived the day after our big storm here and the roads were pretty much cleared. I did park on a huge heap of solidified slushy muck (technical term) last night and while creeping back and forth noticed the wheels didn't break traction like the Stockies did last year.

The higher sidewalls make the cars road feel completely different. You can definitely feel the bumps are absorbed much better. Not a good thing for real Prelude driving, but It helps to know if you have to crash over a pothole you might come out unscathed.

Took my car in for an oil, filter change, & alignment today. There were actually 2 other Preludes parked by the service bay. At least he has friends to hang out with tonight. One of them was a Balck Beauty. The guy had Black Honda Emblems on the car (looked great).

Sphinx99: They had a Blue '04 S2000 in the showroom...WOW, what a beautiful machine:)

sphinx99

Not sure how I feel about the emblems... I always thought the normal "stock" emblems were just fine, regardless of color! Except, the gold emblems on black definitely have some kind of panache... just not sure if it's the attractive kind.

Good to hear about the snow tires! What brand?

I'm quite in love with the S! The '04 is much easier to live with. Whereas the 2.0L didn't feel like it had that much more punch than the Prelude in the lower RPM range, the new 2.2L finally does. It's also quieter. Lastly the 17" rims really have changed the look of the car, I can't really go anywhere without it turning heads. The only downside are the tires, now Potenza RE050s which are not only worse than the S02s in the snow, they're even worse than the Prelude's RE92s

As I think I posted elsewhere dig this: 1000rpm, 2mph per hour, 1 inch of light fluffy snow and the rear and was spinning all over the place. Useless.

Blizzak LM22s in the stock '04 size are about $600 but I'm hoping to score a few 16" OEM S2000 tires used and wrap winter rubber around them. AFAIK, Prelude rims don't work which is too bad 'cuz I still have those three Type SH rims sitting in my closet. Thinking about selling 'em on eBay or something, they have curb rash but otherwise are in pretty good shape.

I'm missing the Prelude's stereo which didn't have a ton of juice but at least had "fidelity" and "soundstage" of sorts. The S2000's stock speakers start giving out at about 1/2 max volume.

sphinx99

Oh, lastly, you know the carbon fiber dash kit that's available for the Prelude? I got it at some point from handaaccessories.com but only installed the center console pieces but not the door pieces. (These required disassembling the door, which I didn't want to do!) Anyway, should you (or others?) have the interest or werewithal to install the door panels which I still have tucked away in a bag, I'd be happy to ship 'em to NY as a holiday gift

Of course, they're not real carbon fiber

nyccarguy

SO you did buy the S! Congrats! The blue is awesome (as I stated before).

the snows I got are Michelin Pilot Arctic Alpin. They've got a 130mph speed rating and supposedly give nothing up to the standard Michelin Arctic Alpin as far as bad weather performance.

Neither tire is as good as Bilzzaks in Snow & ice, but are much easier to live with. Blizzaks are very tempermental. The multicell compound that makes them stick to snow and ice so well wears when the weather starts hitting the 50 degree mark. They make noise on the highway, after I believe about 40% or their treadlife, the multicell compund wears away and you're driving a regular all season tire.

I've never been a fan of gold emblems.

I'd love to run the Prelude as log as possible and pick up an E36 M3 as a weekend car in a few years:)

sphinx99

Yup, I switched a few weeks ago - check the S2000 thread for some observations. The '04 is a nicely refreshed version of the S2000 although some feel that it is a step backwards ("dumbed down") due to the engine change.

Good feedback on the Blizzaks... hmm.

nyccarguy

Well I picked up my car today with some fresh Mobil 1 and new door hinges. They squeaked during my last visit. I complained to the service manager that the grease they sprayed didn't help, so she ordered and installed new hinges for me (under warranty of course).

Getting back in my car was nothing short of wonderful after driving that rolling death trap of an '01 Accord DX (Auto, no ABS, no power accessories, no power, HELLO!) they gave me as a loaner car. I feel like Michael Knight driving a car that's not KITT when I drive the loaner. It was pretty slick out tonight after it rained most of the day here. The Pilot Alpins didn't slide through turns & corners like the RE92s do (a good thing). We're supposed to get snow this weekend so I'll give a full report.

I had the pleasure of meeting the guy who worked on my car. He seemed maybe in his early to mid 20's. He asked me a bunch of questions about it and told me how much he really loves Preludes. He seemed to think my car is in good shape and was shocked that I park it on the street every night in the city.

SPhinx99: I went back to the showroom to check out that Blue '04 S2K! That thing is really sweet. If you're still thinking of getting winter tires for it, definitely go with 4 tires and not just 2 on the rears. Your front tires still have to grip when the roads get slick. The S2K is light and needs all the help it can get.

sphinx99

Have any of you tried Zaino? I'm thinking of putting my first Zaino order at some point in the near future.

nyccarguy

I haven't tried it, but there are guys all over TH that swear by it. From what I understand (from reading) it is a very difficult product to work with. It takes a while to dry, but you can't let it dry too long otherwise it is a real pain to remove.

What'd you use on your Prelude & your '02 S2K? If what you used on the Silver was good, then use it on your Blue S2K. Why make extra work for yourself?