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Honda Prelude 1997-2002

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Comments

  • 98lude98lude Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1998 Prelude with 63,000 and just found out yesterday that
    I have the timing belt tensioner problem as well. I was quoted a price from the local Honda dealer of $880 to replace the tensioner along with the timing belt, balance shaft belt and water pump which seems outrageous to me. Plus they charged me $85 just to diagnosis the
    problem. I found a shop that specializes in Honda repair that will do the same work for $650. Is this $200 rebate from Honda of NA available to anyone with this problem? Is it only valid if you have the work done at a Honda dealer?
  • linardlinard Member Posts: 59
    To all Honda owners...
    Honda agreed that the tensioner should not have failed at 50K and that since the new tensioner is different from the one that failed in my 1999 Prelude, there is an internally acknowledged problem. Therefore, they decided to repair the car for free which was about 560 on their end and gave me a rental. But in the end, my out of pocket costs was about 500 since I elected to performed the below-mentioned repairs and replace my weatherstrips which failed as they do in all Preludes and most Hondas.
      
    To 98lude...
    That is outrageous, I went to my local dealer (Norm Reeves Honda of Huntington Beach) and 3 private repair facilities and the dealership was the most expensive at 560 for just the tensioner and timing belt. The private repair shops quoted me about 420-460. But all the service advisors agreed that since I'm already replacing the timing belt, I should also replace the water pump, balancer belts, internal seals, and outside drive belts.

    image
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Hey guys

    Is there any way I can prevent this from happening to my car down the road? Did they change the timing belt tensioner for '00 - '01? I guess I should just have my dealer check it out then next time I bring the car in for an oil change.

    Now I know you're thinking "nyccarguy has got to be off his rocker to bring his car to the dealership for an oil change!" They charge me $18.95 for the labor, I supply my own MObil 1 5w30 (buy it at Target cheap), they give me a loaner car to use, and they know my Prelude better than Jiffy Lube does.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • linardlinard Member Posts: 59
    In a lot of ways, I would agree with you on the oil change. For my service, they threw in an oil change and asked if my car had ever had a Honda oil change, which is hasnt. I guess theres a washer that goes over the plug which had never been replaced. Supposedly, that washer is supposed to be replaced at each oil change and he literally said that the washer was on its last legs. If the oil had been changed again, I would have most likely damaged the oil pan when the bolt was tightened.

    About the tensioner, I'd find out if your car has the updated one. I'll try to see if I can get you the part number of the one they installed.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    with the price of gas through the roof these days, I spent the better part of last week driving my Prelude somewhat on the conservative side to see what kind of mileage I could squeeze out of it. I used the Cruise control when I could on the highway and tried to shift between 2K & 3K. Well besides me not having too much fun driving last week, I only yieled about 1 mpg more than usual (24 & change vs. 23 & change). So after I filled up yesterday, I started ripping it to the redline when I could. I'll take the 1mpg penalty if it means more driving pleasure:)

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • russellchungrussellchung Member Posts: 5
    Hi all,

    I am driving a 86 prelude 2.0 SI 5 speed manual and the car is approaching 260K now, still running very strong. does not burn or leak any engine oil. Rack and pinion is slowly leaking though. I just took it in to a alignment shop for a brake change. The mechanic was very impressed about the front end integrity and the engine of the car. He actually recommended me to keep the car and do a decent job on the brake and replace the caliper on top of the pad and hose. (It will cost me $1600 if I do all that, so I just replace the pad and hoses but they say one of the caliper does seem to be weak and cannot stiffen the pad under pressure. I need to change that myself for financial reason)

    Any opinion in this group about how long this car will last ? Any indicator tht I should look out for as sign of an irrecoverable problem. I went to a local Honda specialist shop to do minor fixes and they told me the record car for them is a 86 Honda accord running at 450K with original transmission.

    Thanks for the input.

    Russell
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well that's hard to answer because at 260K anything can happen. At these miles cars sometimes suffer sudden metallurgy failurese that are not really predictable. Basically you have exceeded the design limits of the car.

    I'd say just do whatever you've been doing but don't pour huge amounts of money into the car.

    If you can run it for less per month than car payments, say 1/2 the normal car payment, then I think you are doing great!

    I don't think 450K is a realistic expectation, any more than say living to be 100, even though a few people do.
  • russellchungrussellchung Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the advise. I'll keep this group posted and see how long can this car last.

    Russell
  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    2 years here as well but it was back on Feb 8th. I take my car to the Honda dealer as well. I take my own mobil 1 5w30 and it comes out to 17 or 18 bucks. Great minds think alike nyccarguy! I don't trust my Prelude to the quick lube places, like you mentioned Honda knows our cars better than those places. My wife had a bad experience with jiffy lube. She has a corolla and had her oil changed just before going on a trip home (240 miles). Well when she got to her destination she smelled smoke. So she open the hood and to her HORROR oil was ALL OVER HER ENGINE COMPARTMENT! Jiffy lube had get this, FORGOT to put her oil cap back on!! So she drove all that time with no oil cap. Luckily she didn't blow up her engine. Of course Jiffy lube paid for new cap and engine cleaning and car detail. But that taught her a lesson she only goes to the dealer.
  • nowakj66nowakj66 Member Posts: 709
    Interesting question - what is the design limit of your typical Honda? 250,000 miles?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I would think 250K is not typical but very much to the optimistic end of the bell curve, for ANY gas engine. Certainly do-able but I wouldn't bet on it as a sure thing. That's a lot of miles. Maybe you could overhaul it keep the basic block going much longer, that's possible.

    I think if you averaged out all the engine failures on all modern cars you'd hit something like 175K or so. Probably Japanese averages would be higher, but I'm only guessing.
  • complex1complex1 Member Posts: 13
    Hi!

    How would you estimate this car, if the engine is in good condition, the car was maintained well. Body has some rust. The middle tube of the exhaust system is going to rust out soon, and probably clutch also is gonna be replaced soon.

    Thanks.
  • russellchungrussellchung Member Posts: 5
    I often received comments from mechanics and shops that the 86 prelude I have is not built the same way as the newer prelude. What do they really mean by that ? I realized that for example Ford changed to lot of plastic parts in the up-to-date design to reduce cost. Is that what people really mean ? The mid 80's Honda is well built but what did Honda do differently since then ? You would expect with more advanced technology, car should get better and last longer, not the opposite ? Any thought ?

    Russell
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I don't know what they mean. They might not even know what they mean. Besides you can't compare old and new because age is a factor as much as mileage and also contributes to a car's deterioration.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So I'm driving home from the Yankees game tonight, cruise set at a touch under 70 on the highway. All of the sudden my Check Engine Light goes on followed by the ATTS light. I came home and checked for the obvious.

    Turns out I didn't tighten my gas cap when I filled up last night. Owner's manual says the light will go off in 2 or 3 driving trips.

    It looked like my left front tire was a bit soft (slow leak) which would cause the ATTS light to turn on maybe. Manual says it is OK to drive with the ATTS light on, I just won't have ATTS.

    If it stays on. I'm bringing the car in next week for service.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    I had a similar issue with my prelude. I was driving down the freeway and my check engine light and ATTS light comes on. Of course its fine to drive the car, its just that you won't have ATTS. Well I took the car to the dealer and they found out that my gas cap wasn't sealing well and that caused the check engine and ATTS light to come on. I'm the type to make SURE my gas cap is on tightly. So it wasn't my failure to tighten it, it was just a bad cap. So they replaced it no charge under warranty :) And I've been wearing the crap out of ATTS since then lol!
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I once experienced the same problem - gas cap too.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    mine definitely isn't sealing right. Is there some sort of metal flap that gets pushed back when you fill up? When I take the gas cap off, it looks like I could see right into the tank.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • uwakuuwaku Member Posts: 1
    Hello, all! I'm new to the board (obviously) and wanted to say hi. Also, I have a '99 base 'Lude, 5-speed, Milano Red, about to hit 69k. At 48,153, the car stalled not two blocks from the dealership while on my way to the airport. They replaced the timing belt & tensioner, and because I had a third-party warranty (I bought the car used at 42,687 a few months prior) the dealership took care of it. Total cost was $382.30, but no cost to me.

    I've only had two other mechanical issues. One was that I got the infamous P0133 O2 sensor slow bank 1 sensor 1 code when my check engine light came on. The second was a short time when the passenger door lock motor kept cycling. I'd accelerate and the lock kept tripping. Probably a bad motor, but it's only done it a few times, and not lately. Anyone have any info on these issues?

    As for my Prelude, the only two reasons I've ever considered not keeping it are these: it's too short (I bump my head on the roof because I refuse to do a gangsta lean, and I prefer to be as high as possible so I can actually SEE the road), and, like the Accord, the cup holders are placed exactly where my elbow wants to be when shifting. Other than that, it's perfect. The combination of power, comfort, safety, and of course style makes it one of the best sports cars on the road, and yes, I do consider it a sports car (as do the constant line of kids who want to race me at stoplights... must be the paint job).

    I've never really opened her up, but she's hit 105. Not ten minutes later, though, I got tagged by a Florida Trooper in an airplane who said I'd been doing 94. $175 for that ticket, but I was actually happy to get it at that rate... };-)

    Anyway, looking forward to reading all your comments & learning more about my baby.

    image.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Milano Red... Kick [non-permissible content removed] color (same as my '01 Type SH). Your car looks great! Is that a recent photo?

    Maybe my color got me picked out and got me my first ticket ever (in my 10 years of driving) about a year and a half ago. Stupid NYC cop gave me a ticket for going 70 in a 50.

    I guess the cupholders do get in the way, but I never use them. I usually just drink H2O and tighten the cap and throw it on the seat next to me.

    As far as roof height goes, I love the "chopped" look of the Prelude's roof. You don't have to do a gangsta lean to be comfy. Just tilt the seat back a little further then you normally would. Also make sure the bottom of the seat is all the way down.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • kenjabikenjabi Member Posts: 76
    I go out to my Prelude this morning to go to work, and what do I see? My car had been egged! Some punks went around the neighborhood and egged (seemingly) random cars. However, I was fortunate because: A) They only used one egg, B) The egg was mostly on the windshield, with only a little on the paint, and C) It was still "fresh" and hadn't dried yet, so I was able to take it off with some effort and wet rags.

    But man, that's a horrible way to start the day! :(
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    No respect, ludes don't get no respect :(

    I saw a rare sight: two Type SHs following each other on the highway. A silverstone and a black.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So today I'm driving home from work and glance down at my gauge cluster to check my speed and notice that my ATTS light & CEL are no longer illuminated. I'm still going to tell the dealer about it and have them run a diagnostic.

    Well, those of us with a Prelude Type SH love our ATTS and how it enhances the cornering charachteristics of an already brilliant handling car. We all thought that the technology went to waste when our beloved Prelude was cut from Honda's lineup and Acura fitted their CL Type S (and the new TL) with a true LSD. I read a very interesting tidbit on Acura's new AWD system (July 2004 Car and Driver, Page 36) that will debut on the '05 RL. The new nomenclature fro the system will be called SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive, but you figured that out already:). It uses electromagnetic clutches using a variety of inputs and can send power to either or both rear wheels as needed. So in addition to using a front/rear AWD split, the system can transfer power from side to side in the rear. They said they were actually able to make the car rotate around a corner . Check it out, it is quite an interesting little blurb.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    Nope nyccarguy, there is no metal flap like in the older cars.
  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    I was reading the same article, I have to think Honda is in the top group of companies (Porshe, BMW,Audi,MB) when it comes to excellent handling cars. This new system seems to only up the ante. But the handling of my Prelude never ceases to amaze me!
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    I got my car back yesterday and it is tight and good as new thanks to an alignment, tire rotation, & balance The lights on were as suspected: Check engine was on from when I didn't tighten the gas cap and the ATTS light was on because one of my tires was low. I love driving my Prelude!

    While the Prelude was being fixed I got to tool around in an '04 Civic LX for a 2 days. Lots of room on the inside for such a small car. The engine was anemic, but I still got it up to 80 and was cruising...not bad. It seemed soild though. A great starting point for the RSX.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Among the drag racing import crowd, the H22A found in our 5th generation Preludes is the king of Honda VTEC Inline 4s (I guess the 93-96 OBD I is better). There are a few guys that park in the garage where I work with tricked out civics who are always admiring my car. Today they asked for a glimpse under the hood. They marveled at the size of the H22A (almost like a big block Corvette from back in the day). One guy has a '92 Civic Hatchback with an engine from the '99 Civic Si (B16c?) and another has a Civic hatchback with the motor from a 1st generation CR-V (B20) with some modifications. The were telling me how they were racing a '99 Civic Si with an H22A (in the B20 Civic) and they had him by about 4 car lengths in the 1/4 mile, but then the H22A Civic Coupe just pulled away from them and was way ahead by the time a mile came around.

    THey're always telling me that I should do this and that to my car. I just tell them I don't want it to be undrivable for everyday commuting and highway trips (plus I don't want to waste the money). They were shcoked when I told them how well the Prelude cruises on the highway.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • cowboy019cowboy019 Member Posts: 17
    Anyone else experience this? When surpassing ~4500 rpm in third, I can feel the car shudder/hesitate/pull. Not a very pleasant feeling. Other gears seem to be fine, I can go right to redline in 2nd, but in 3rd, the car can't seem to take it.

    Any ideas what's going on???

    ('01 SE)
  • russellchungrussellchung Member Posts: 5
    Hi all,
    Anybody knows about a cheaper source for buying crush washer ? A lot of the seal are made by crushing the washer but the cost is around $2.50 to $3.00 a piece at the dealer. ANy suggestion for a place selling this at a lower cost. I do not use them often, only when I work with brakes and fuel filter. Just curious. Thanks.

    Russell
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So I always thought the imobilizer system in our Preludes was somewhat of a joke. I went to an import night on Thursday and got talking to some really cool people with a vast knowledge of cars. I was talking to a guy who told me that the Imobilizer system in the Prelude is amazingly effective (far superior to the one in the Integra) and that there is no known way around it. Basically if somebody wants to steal the Prelude for its precious H22A motor then they'd have to tow it away.

    The import night was cool. I met a few Prelude drivers from the area. And everyone I spoke to raised an eyebrow at some point in a conversation when I mentioned I had an '01 Type SH. The Prelude commands lots of respect.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    I always wondered whether the Imobilizer unit could live up to what it said it could do. This makes me feel a little better anyway.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I remember once stopping by a Pizza Hut to pick up a pizza, just as a guy and girl were leaving. Thirty seconds later the girl walks back in and says "excuse me sir, is that your car?" and I said "yes" and she left again. Then a minute later she came back into the pizza place (2nd time) and said "I just wanted to say that you have a really cool car!" and left for the third time. I thought it was pretty funny. Discerning eyes do pay attention to Prelude SHs...

    I test drove the MT Acura TL and TSX a week ago. the TL did not impress me - it's a fantastic car, but just felt so heavy, particularly with the manual. I wasn't shifting very cleanly. I wonder about the purpose of a MT in such a refined car.

    The TSX on the other hand really impressed me. It had handling dynamics very, very similar to the Prelude. The motor felt the same, acceleration felt about the same, etc. NVH was the same too--same levels of feedback. Gearbox even had the same shift knob as the S2000. Interior was worlds better, it has real back seats, honestly it struck me as a four-door Prelude. I urge Prelude owners to check out this car if they are looking for more room within the TSX's price range.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So I took my Prelude on a nice road trip these past few days with my newly installed Thule bike rack, 2 bikes, fiancee, and luggage (replacing the one that was stolen last year) from our home in Westchester County, NY to Owings Mills, MD to Leesburgh, VA and back. Every time I take the Prelude on a long trip, I'm amazed at how well it eats up the open road for a car that handles tight curves so well.

    I hit 30,000 miles last night!

    MY Check engine light and ATTS light went on again a day before my trip. I thought they'd reset themselves like they did last time, but they didn't. I dropped the car off at my dealer and had them change the oil as well.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So I guess it was a combination of the bikes on the roof (extra weight + poor aerodynamics), my AC, and Check engine light, but I got just awful gas mileage on the aforementioned road trip.

    22 mpg on the trip down and 18 on the way back up.

    I was driving all highway with the A/C on (raining), the bike rack, 2 bikes, between 70 & 80 mph.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • kenjabikenjabi Member Posts: 76
    Yikes, that is pretty bad. I get better than 22 mpg when all I do on a tank is commute (suburban driving). I hope it was just because of the weight and everything, and not something more serious.

    And speaking of rain, I live in MD (sounds like you drove through my neck of the woods), and we've had some horrendous rain the last couple days. One thing I've noticed is that, after some rain, water starts to puddle on the black plastic piece on the bottom of the door jambs. Since it's not exposed to the air when the door is shut, it stays wet for a long time. Is this normal, or is it a sign that the door is maybe not closing tightly enough? I have a 99 with ~66K miles.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    The problem with my ATTS light and Check Engine Light were due to my oil fill cap that was not sealing correctly. They replaced my oil fill cap under warranty.

    The owner's manual also suggested that I replace the AC Micron filter. So I had that done in addition to the oil change.

    So I'm switching to Castrol Syntec permanently. After running Mobil 1 Synthetic for the entire life of the car, last fill up I decided to switch. The Castrol didn't seem to burn any over the past 4K miles or so. It still looked like it had some life left in it , but it was time for an oil change anyway.

    Prelude drives great! 30,200 smiles and still going strong!

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    I got an interesting letter from my dealer the other day. It said that they are looking to aquire several 01 Honda Preludes to fulfill special used vehicle requests. They'll either buy my car outright or take it as a trade-in.

    So I called the dealership up just to see if this was a ploy to get people into new cars. He said yes and no. Obviously they'd like nothing more than to sell new Hondas to their customers. He also told me that they are opening up a pre-owned (read: used) car center adjacent to the current dealership.

    I'm going to bring my car by to them to see what they'd give me for it.

    I can't sell it though. There really is nothing out there right now that I "gotta have" priced within reason (for me). I do own the Prelude and love the fact that all I need to pay for is gas and maintenance is attractive. BMW is offering 1.9% financing for 60 months on 3ers right now. I know the 3 series is going to be redone next year with more powerful engines. Rules out the 325for me and if I'm opting for a 330, then I have to get the Performance Package! What's a car nut to do?

    There is nothing in the current Honda lineup that interests me.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    Aw c'mon, get a S2000 :)

    Seriously, I would be interested to know what they offer you...
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    worth a car wash and a ride over there after work on Saturday to find out.

    I did a search on Honda's site for Certified Preludes with Manual transmissions within a 250 mile radius of my zip code. There are 3 (I'm sure there are others, just not registered on the Honda site), 2 base models & 1 Type SH. Now obvoiusly the dealer has got lots of wiggel room with these cars as they make a bigger markup on used cars, but not too shabby:

    '01 Silver Prelude 27,500 miles $16,995
    '01 Black Prelude 33,900 miles $20,995
    '01 Blue Type SH 56,156 miles $19,999

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Funny you should mention the S2000. My fiancee and I have been talking lately that when her school loan is paid off and her car is paid off within the next year and a half that we'd try to keep our cars (my Prelude and her Protege) for a while and buy a convertible for a 3rd car to always have. We were thinking along the lines of a leftover Z4 3.0i or Boxster.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I think that is a great idea. I truly believe that everyone should own a convertible at least once in their life. Doing so is one of the best decisions I ever made. As a "first convertible" in my family (immediate and extended) it is sort of a novelty.

    We are looking to get a sedan this fall and an Acura TSX is at the top of the list.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    we want to get it BEFORE we have children and keep it to always have so we can still have time to ourselves.

    The TSX is a fine car. You're a Honda/Acura fan as much as I am, but don't overlook the new Legacy 2.5GT. 250hp/250lb ft of turbo charged boxer torque!

    My Dad has a '66 427 Corvette Roadster sitting in his garage. I've always wanted a convertible too.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So I brought the car into the dealership today to see if they would buy it from me. I told the guy that I really didn't want to sell my car, but that I would for the right price. The salesman was very complimentary of my car and said that it was in really good shape. The Used car manager said he'd give me $14K for it. That's well below blue book, NADA, and Edmunds trade in value, not the number I was looking for.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    So we got hit with the reminants of Hurricane Frances yesterday here in the NYC area. It poured for hours on end yesterday which made for quite the hellacious commuter home. Many of the parkways I drive on are very old and are subject to flooding and closures. Normally my commute takes me 30 minutes, yesterday was over 2 hours!

    So the parkway I was on got shut down. It went from 3 lanes all the way to a short exit ramp with a long light at the end of it (and of course no sight of the police to direct traffic). Except in order to get the Prelude to the exit ramp, I had to drive through 20-25' of water which was up to the bottoms of my doors! This wouldn't be so much of a problem except that I was literally feathering my clutch crawling through this puddle (read: lake). I didn't think I was going to make it! First stopped in the water with the cat converter, bottom of the muffler, brakes, and bottom of the engine submerged. Huge clouds of white smoke started gushing up from underneath and in front of my car. Then if that isn't bad enough, As I'm giving the car gas, I hear a bubbling noise as the throttle opens and closes (sounding like the air intake might have been sucking in some h2o). I made it though. I got to the nearest highway that I could find and opened the car up to about 80 mph. The Prelude's OK for now! I need to keep it around for a long time:)

    I'd like my next car to be the last year ('06?) of the current E46 M3.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • snukesnuke Member Posts: 81
    My daughter has a 98 and the paint on the hood, top and spoiler is turning white. Someone told her the clear coat has come off. I saw another red Prelude with the same problem. Do you know if this is common with 98 Preludes?
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    Well, it looks as if I'm still going to have the Prelude for the next few years (this is a good thing). So sometime late next year I'm going to get SIRIUS Satellite Radio installed in my car (and maybe some new speakers while I'm at it). Why you ask? Because my man Howard Stern is moving to SIRIUS starting January 1, 2006!

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • timothyawtimothyaw Member Posts: 148
    I see you're still strong with your SH glad to hear. I had mine in storage for a couple of months and when I got it out the blower was making a funny noise and not blowing any faster in REC mode. Maybe something got in there?? I'm going to take it to the dealer I guess, its still under warranty.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    too long. In the owners manual it says to use the AC compressor at least once a month to keep the seals lubed up so they don't dry out.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • chronochrono Member Posts: 149
    I really miss my prelude sometimes. I use to have a 2001 Black 5speed. The thing was always glued to the road and super reliable. Nothing wrong up to 36K. Unfortunately I needed to make room for jr. I wish I could have kept my baby.
    Oh well, I wish there were a 4 door version Honda offered in some form but it didn't really exist. I had to move up to a ZHP. I do miss the feeling of the lude. Maybe I'll pick up a used one in a couple years ...
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    The ZHP is a sweet ride! I love BMWs and I think that's the only way I'd get the combination of the Prelude's sweet ride and great handling balance.

    I just hit 35,000 miles yesterday. Took a 260 mile trip one way to Syracuse, NY for a wedding. Left yesterday AM and came back this AM. The drive took me excactly 3.5 hours (average a bit more than 74 mph) and I had the cruise set at 80mph for most of the way and still got a little over 26 mpg. Unless there is something that I truly love (like I lusted after a Prelude for years) like the new E90 3er, M2, or next gen Lexus IS, I'm going to have a hard time getting rid of my Prelude. Plus it is paid for and I like having ZERO car paytments!

    Kids? No problem! The other day I took my friend's 9 year old daughter to her friend's house and she fits perfectly back there. A few months ago I actually picked up three 7 year olds from a bowling party. It does everything the regualr minivan or SUV does, but cooler and lower to the ground
    :)

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

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