Honda Prelude 1997-2002

cochese

I had a similar issue with my prelude at about 40,000 miles.
The thing would grind going into 5th and was difficult to shift at low rpm in all the gears.

So I checked the recalls and service bulletins, and low and behold there is a service bulletin for the 5spd tranny.

They took apart my tranny (took em 2 times, since I have high mileage it could have been the first repair they did on this tranny) and replace the synchros that were defective.

They did it outside of warranty, for free, and got me a rental!!!

Chk the safety tab on edmunds and it will let you go to the nhsta web site to chk it out.

Happy shifting.

asethi

Thanks! What year is your Prelude? Base/SH?

jkidd2

Just picked up my Prelude @ the dealer.

Was ready when they said it would be, they called me to let me know it was ready and what they had repaired...picked it up and they had washed it and the kid that drove it up to the pick up area even called me "sir"!

They replaced the right rear coil spring under warranty. No knocks heard driving home...

Probably my imagination, but its rear end seems more planted to the road....

I'm happy to have such a good dealer.

cochese

It is a '97 type SH...

only1harry

that's rare.. They should 've replaced both of them though. You don't replace 1 shock, ever. The same with springs.. Well I 'm glad the car feel better and tighter. It's because everything is tightened down back there for now.. It will feel a little more loose again with time as things "settle".

asethi

"You don't replace 1 shock, ever."

This is TRUE!!!

eflcll

Well, I'm still trying to deal with my Dealer (Rushneck, in Westchester N.Y.) on the Shock Knock problem. These people NEVER call me back. They treat me like a 16 year old kid who bought a $500 used car. After 6 calls I found out they finally ordered the damper collars (I hope) several days before. Now I've called about 6 times to see if they've received them. They keep claiming they'll call me tomorrow...no dice...I wait a day and have to call them. They act like my business doesn't matter at all. The last time they had my car for this problem (when they didn't notice the service bulletin), they said they'd call when car was ready. I went to get it at 5:30 before closing and found it had been 'done'(not fixed) since lunchtime - no call! My wife had ordered leather gear shif knob to give me for my birthday; found out a month later when getting oil change that part had been in for weeks - no call! If I treated people like this on my job, I'd be on a breadline! How do places like this stay in business!!!?? Luckily, I learned about Honda service before buying my wife the Accord EX V6 we had planned on. Bought a Maxima GLE instead. Screw these people.

only1harry

I haven't been able to find a good Honda dealer around here yet!
I 've been to Curry Honda where I bought my Civic, in Westchester coutny, and they suck. I 've been to the one in Rockland (forget the name) and they suck. Now I go to Moorehead Honda in Newburgh a town away from where I live and I think they 're the worst. They kept my car 1 week for a stupid little warranty item, a speed sensor that blew! So the 2nd day when I found out they had to order the part and it would be a few more days, I asked for a loaner car (although I didn't need it, I didn't want pile the mileage on the GSR which is my weekend and racing car).
My wife drops me off and I see a old brown (maroon?) Civic running outside the dealer with noone in it. I go in and they tell me my car is warming up outside. I said you gotta be kidding me! That car is over 10yrs old. It's only an '87 is the reply I get! Anyway, I get in it and drive away. It was the worst ride of my life! The wheels shook and rattle violently from lack of wheel balancing and the car would vibrate every time I hit 70mph. So for the 1st time in my life I had to do the speed limit at 65mph. But even that really sucked because the steering vibrated so much I couldn't take it. The brakes barely worked and I could only listen to AM radio!!! I returned the car the next day and yelled at them. They still wouldn't give me another one because they claimed all the "good" ones were gone early and I didn't show up till 8:00 (they open at 7:30). So then I remembered I had an extended warranty which pays for $30/day towards a rental. So when they heard that they were glad and drove me to a rental place where I got a Ford Escort for $25+tax and it was a hair under $30! Luckily the dealer took care of the paperwork and the bill because I had a Honda ext. warranty and not a 3d party one. Too bad they make decent reliable cars but their dealerships and customer service are pretty average or below. They 're just as bad as my old Chevy dealer I used to take my Geo Storm to. They went out of business 6 yrs ago! (Manley Chevrolet in Nyack, NY, it's now a Toyota dealership).

shmang

OK, now the topic should change to : 'Honda Prelude - Affordable Coupe b/c of Honda dealer sucks... Please post your experience with Honda dealers'

I know most dealers sucks when talking about imports (Honda, Toyota, BMW...), But, what can we do other than just complaining here???

asethi

Maybe we can start a new thread where we (and owners of other Honda models) can share their good/bad experiences with Honda dealers. We can list all the good bad dealers and this should help all. I'm not sure if folks at edmunds will allow it, though.

jb2irish

HELP?
I've got a '96 Prelude Is, Is there a service bulletin concerning the rear shocks/ springs? I've had some rattling noise coming from the rear for about a year now and just attributed it to age of the vehicle. I've got 43k miles on it and take absolute pristine care of it (or as much as possible).
I'd be interested to know if there are any major bulletins or etch problems with this model. THANKS!

only1harry

Honda dealers are not like Acura ones. At my Acura dealer they roll the red carpet out for you.. they treat me really well and I love their coffee and Dunkin Donuts! They also have really nice loaners. Too bad Honda doesn't require the same high standards of their Honda dealerships. No matter what you go in for, they wash the car for you and you get it back nice and clean. They even vacum the inside!

asethi

Found out there's already a "POST YOUR GOOD DEALERS" topic in "Smart Shopper". I've added the name of the ONLY good honda dealer (for service) that I've come accross. If we're not going to list the BAD ones, we can at least list our GOOD ones there for everybody else's sake.

only1harry: I've also tried an Accura dealership for my prelude's service - it was even worst than the honda guys! They did wash the car, though - but I didn't need a car wash, I needed good service that I didn't get!

911986

I have a 2000 Prelude w/a 5spd. The car now has 10.5k miles on it and if I really get on the car and shift into second quickly I feel as if I am grinding the gears. I had a 97 w/a 5spd and never had a problem. Is anyone else having this problem? Further, I had a red one, and bought a black car after my 97 lost its entire back end when I got hit, and I miss red. My car has more wash scratches and acid rain then I care to recognize.

canadiancl

I had a 2000 SH that had the same 2nd gear grind (also 3rd gear to a lesser extent). Apparently not uncommon with the Lude. Changing tranny fluid may help.

fat_n_ugly

I also have a 2000 prelude. Mine doesn't grind but feels sticky. I've also noticed that it only happens for the first few shifts and it's more noticable on a cold day.

shmang

I have a 99. Although it does not grind, but it feels notchy when I shift from 1st to 2nd, it is kind of it does not want to get out of 1st(even I rev it to 4k rpm, this does not happen if I redline it.) Is this a sign that the Lude is begging to be redlined(at least in 1st.)?

asethi

Just got my 60K service done (finally found a decent honda dealership!). Wow!!! My 98 lude is now a whole new machine! It's got a lot more low-end torque now (valve adjustment + new spark plugs?). Had them use Honda MTF instead of regular oil - love my trany now - silky smoooooth. Gone is all the grinding and notchy feeling.

I'm really amazed at how much of a differece honda MTF has made, I'd highly recommed all those having problems with their trany to get the oil changed to honda MTF. The service people also changed the plugs, even though the manual says to change them at 105K - I don't mind.

Now, I have a few questions for you guys:

1- while cruising at EXACTLY 60 miles/hour in 4th gear, what's the EXACT RPM reading? I'm seeing a significant different after the service - car seems to do 60 miles at a lower RPM than before.

2- It's the second time after an oil change that I've checked oil next morning and found it to be at the minnimum level. In the first instance the service guy swore he'd put in 5 quarts and checked for leakages that he couldn't find. Finally I just put in another quart and it was ok. On this second instance when I called the service guy (different place), he said they only put in 4 quarts cause it won't take any more. I'm wondering what's going on here?

Thanks.

racerzrx7

Did they change oil for the engine only or transmision or both?
Can we purchase the MTF oil and do the oil change or only get it if the dealer does the job? The reason I am asking is because I always to do the oil change myself, this way I can control and verify the amount of oil that the engine uses. Firstable I don't trust the service when they say they put 4 quarts or 5 in there. Second, it depends on whether they took out all of the used oil before filling new oil or not. I experienced a service guy just quickly put on the bolt of the oil pan.

My car has a SS trany and my rpm at 60 miles/hour may not the same as yours.

canadiancl

At 60 mph, it should be turning at approx 3820 rpm in 4th gear, and at approx 3015 rpm in 5th.

asethi

I go both engine and trany oils changed - mobil 1 for the engine and honda MTF for the trany.

I guess you can buy MTF and do it yourself too. If you let the dealer do it, you'd have to make sure they use MTF and not regular oil (that they normally use).

I wish we could trust honda service :-( I also NEVER trust them and that's GOOD cause otherwise I could have lost my engine with the oil being below the minimum and the car burning oil over time - A whole quart of oil missing!! My tire pressure it also always incorrect after the service. :-(

At 60 mph, it should be turning at approx 3820 rpm in 4th gear, and at approx 3015 rpm in 5th.

canadiancl: Thanks, so I guess it's ok now cause earlier I'd see it do 60 m/h at exactly 4000 rpm. Wonder what could cause this?

only1harry

it seems you misunderstood.. MTF stands for Manual Transmission Fluid. You don't put that in your engine, but in the manual tranny.

canadiancl

Did they adjust the clutch at the 60k service? Perhaps you were experiencing a bit of clutch slippage before the serice which would account for the slightly higher RPM.

qmercury

Well, I found out I can't afford a sports car for almost a year. Sick of my current SUV I am seeking a quick temporary solution.

The car I'm looking at is a 3rd generation 86 2.0 si model with around 150k. My real question is does anyone here own/have had any experience with a car this old with this many miles and reliability? I mean I will probably only keep the car for about 6 months until I can afford a 4th generation VTEC and might but 10k on at at the max. They only want $1500 for it, and could get an '87 or an '88 for that price but I really like the looks of the older 3rd generations better. Anyway, what's the story on these, it's a 5 speed so that's gotta be more reliable, right? And I see rusted, smoking Preludes, Celicas and Accords driving around every day that are in far worse shape, and, owning a Ford SUV for 170k with only minor repairs (2 clutches) makes me believe that Honda should be able to do it. Also, how would this car's reliability compare to a CRX of that same era?

Drop me a line here or at Qmercury@excite.com.

asethi

They should have adjusted the clutch too, but I don't think there was any slippage before that. The clutch has been adjusted a few times before, but there was no difference in RPMs. Maybe they didn't do it right earlier (perfectly understandable from Honda service people ;-) ). Bye the way, how did you come up with those RPM numbers? From experience, or what? Thanks for the input :-)

canadiancl

I had to dig thru my archives of Car & Driver mags to find the full road test they did on a '97
SH. In the data section they always state the mph per 1000 rpm for each gear. So from that it's just some simple high school mathematics!

asethi

Thanks for taking the time to help me find the correct RPM figures!!

eforonda

Sorry about this posting because I know that a check engine light message board exists, but I figured my question will be answered better here rather than anywhere else. My question is in regards to the "Check Engine" light lighting up. I have just hit 24k miles on my '99 Prelude, and my light came on. I believe this is for a tune up right? I bought it off the lot and did all the proper oil changes and services that my car needed (myself), no upgrading (due to my lack of money after buying the car). Is there anyway I could be able to reset the light (if it is just for a tune up) myself. I really dread the thought of going to the dealer because I know they will tell me that it would be better if they do it themselves. I don't have the money to pay what the dealer charges plus it is easy for me to do it myself of course with the help of my father. And if I have to go to the dealer to reset the light, will they charge me? If they do I am guessing a inflated charge. Thanks in advance for all the help and advice.

asethi

If you're talking about the check engine light and not the service indicator that turns yellow and then red, I'd suggest disconnecting the negatives from the battery and leave the car like that overnight (5-10 minutes should be ok too, I'm just superstitious). Connect it back in the morning, start the car BUT DON'T DRIVE FOR A FEW MINUTES. See if the check engine light goes away. If not, than I'd recommend taking it to the dealer, specially since your car's still under factory warranty at 24K miles. I don't believe this light should go on at 24 miles even if you've just been changing oil regularly, so there could be something actaully wrong that should be taken care of. Also look up the Technical service bulletins for any such complaints - there's a link to some websites at edmudns.

Let us know how it goes!

shmang

It might be the O2 sensor or a loose hose. Did you use any kind of those fuel injector cleaner or engine cleaner recently? If you did, that's it. Most cleaners claim they are safe for O2 sensors but really they are not (I learned that by experience....)

Anyway, bring the car back to the dealer is a good idea since you are still covered under warranty.

canadiancl

Your car is still under warranty so you should bring it in to the dealer (before you reset it)so they can scan the code to show what triggered the light. It may be something simple such as loose gas cap or O2 sensor, but you never know. The OBD-II is supposed to retain the code for up to 100 starts or restarts.

vaskelovo

Now how about the maintenance light turning yellow
at 45K and then red at exactly 48K ?
Did you see that in your cars (at this mileage) ?
Is it turned on by reaching a specific mileage,
or does it sense a need for tune-up ?
I did a major service late: at 38K instead of 30K ( I guess: I bought the car with 37K and a red light in the maintenance window ).
An oil change at about 46+ K, that didn't affect
the light.
I leafed through the schedule in the manual:
there's nothing at 45K except an oil change.
What do you think ?

asethi

I believe you're talking about the service INDICATOR and not some LIGHT?

The service indicator is, well, just an indicator. If you reset it after the service, it will turn yellow again when it's time for your next service to remind you to make an appointment. Then, it will turn to red warning you that you've crossed (or reached) the scheduled service interval.

NOW, this service indicator is just like a trip meter in that it has to be reset (by inserting the car key into the slot next to the indicator). If you, or the service guys don't reset it, it will keep going on and will ultimately turn to yellow and then red, and will stay red till it's reset. I usually reset mine after i get the service done, service guys sometimes forget about it.

Reading the car manual may give you more info.

only1harry

It comes on by mileage. All Hondas/Acuras have the "service needed" indicator. I just reset it because now that I have 122k on mine it comes on whenever it feels like and the mileage it comes on at, doesn't make any sense. I know what my car need and when I have to do it and don't pay any attention to these lights. The indicator is there to make the dealers money, that's all. You don't have to go to the dealer. I never have. I get my oil changes elsewhere (bring my own Honda filter) and I do the spark plugs, air filter, distributor cap & rotor myself. I lied, I went to the dealer once for the timing belt at 90k mi.
I just can't see paying $300 for the 30k mi. service and $400 for the 60k one, when all they do is change your oil and maybe the radiator fluid and "check" like 30 things.. big deal, not worth $300 of labor and god only knows if they check everything.

racerzrx7

Sometime most of people do not understand what "Tune-up" is and may think that the dealer is going to do a major service. Actually, changing oil/oil filter, spark plug and check air-filter, fluids level and that's all they do. These things can be done by yourself and you save lot of money. $300 or $400 for these thing is really uneccessary. Beside, when you do it your self, you know more about your engine status, what's in what's out.

jk111

that is very true. I am actually trying all these maintenance stuff on my car now.

canadiancl

I've been told that there is really no such thing as a tune-up for the modern auto, at least not the way tune-up used to mean. They don't have to adjust timing, etc. and spark plugs now are commonly good for 100,000 miles and more.

only1harry

The traditional tune-up involved adjusting the carburator, you know 1 screw for air and the 1 for gas, adjusting the idle speed, cleaning the carburator/throttle body (spray stuff in it), plugs, air filter, FUEL filter (which no dealer or shop do anymore because Fuel filters last way over 100k mi. today without clogging) and distributor cap, wires, and usually flushing the radiator. Today most dealers, like racerzrx7 said, and shops change the spark plugs and "ONLY CHECK" the condition of the air filter and they call that a tune-up and charge you $90-150 if they 're a regular garage or $250-400 if they 're a dealer. It's rediculous. It takes between 5-10min. to change the spark plugs and less than 5 to check the air filter, but they charge 1-2hrs labor! I was at the Honda dealer taking advantage of their oil change special ($19.95) and had some new Honda spark plugs in the car that I had ordered from www.hparts.com (lowest prices I 've seen, 30-40% less than dealers). I didn't have a long enough wrench to do it myself and I was going to go to Sears and buy the long socket later that day. I was curious and asked them how much to put in the 4 plugs that are new in a box in my car. They said 1hr labor!! $58! I said forget it, I can do it myself in less than 10. Then the guy comes out to the waiting room and said we can do it for 1/2hr labor. I said forget it, it doesn't take that long. Then he says it takes almost that long if you want it done right.. I said whatever, don't worry about it. He then comes back and said he talked to the service mgr. and they 'll do it for 1/4hr labor and it 'll cost $14.50. I said fine, go ahead and do it. It took the guy about 7-8min. to do all 4 and he was talking to others in between plugs and BSing. I was outside watching them because they had the garage door open. That's how dealerships work. My friend used to be a service advisor. He said they had to charge 2-3 times the actual time spend and for every 8 hrs a mechanic worked they tried to charge back 20hrs to the customers! Most of the time, they go by what the book says as far as labor but many times they overcharge the hek out of people. The book on spark plugs said 1/3hr but their first reply was 1hr.. I was mostly insulted. and I let them know. They think most customers are really stupid and clueless. I told them I 've changed many spark plugs in my life when I owned cars of the 8-plug kind and I 've never heard of such a rediculous labor charge for 4. Enough said, just letting out some steam..

jk111

Well, most of the car owners can't identify from a spark plug to a battery. They just don't want the hassle of doing it themselves. Most of the basic tune ups are really easy. Like changing air filter (they charge 25 bucks to change those? what the?) spark plugs, engine oil..
Real tune ups such as timing belt replacement, tranny oil change, brake pads requires a lot more skill. But 200 bucks for regular maintenance is just ridiculous.

boi17

I am looking to trade in my 1995 Acura Integra GSR for a 1999 Honda Prelude Sh. What would be a fare deal and does anyone know what a good leather interior is to put in. I want to find a red one with around 20,000 miles. What are some opinions on this car?

lefton

My guess is you may get $8.5 to $12k if you sell the GSR, less if you trade. Lude will go for $17 to $19k from private seller, dealer will be more.

shmang

The price sounds good to me.

Regarding the leather. If you want to put it in yourself, it would be aroun $800-1000, but, you can find one that already had leather put in, then, you might need only to pay $400 extra for the leather since it is used.

Good luck!

racerzrx7

Are all of you on vacation? No post for a whole week.

jkidd2

This post disappeared for a week or so. It was archived for some unknown reason. I sent a request to the hosts asking why it had been archived...not sure what happened, but its back!

racerzrx7

I consider lowering my Lude with a Coil-overs set (Huricane Gen2 type). Wondering if you guys have any experience about handling and comfortability. How is it feel compare to the stock suspension? How deep is enough 2", 3"? And with the coil-overs, user can adjust how low the car can drop, but how can we ensure to drop all the wheel equally? And if desired to drop max, then how can user stick his/her hand in there to adjust the coil.
What exactly can I expect the car to handle after suspension replacement? What is the trade off?
Cause I don't want to put anything bad to the car.
Thank You

asethi

My car's check engine light just came on - 400 miles after the 60K service. I checked the ECU code, it's 61 - "Primary Heated Oxygen Circuit
Slow response. Cause: Primary HO2S sensor Exhaust System". The RPMs are also very inconsistent and sometimes drop real low. I'm going to have the local dealership check it soon. I was wondering if anyone has an idea about this cause I don't have any faith in honda service.

eforonda

Hello,
Well thanks for all the advice fortunatly after about 400 miles with the engine light on , becuase I never had the time to take it to the dealer, the light went out. Well I was just speaking with my friend, who owns an Accord V6, about the check engine light problem and he said that I have to take my car into the dealer so they are able to perform a service on the car. He also stated that if I don't do this that it will void my warranty with the manufacturer I am not sure if this is typical I have never heard of this but if it is please don't reem me about the mistake. All this information he got was from the dealer that is why I am alittle bit skeptical about taking my car into the dealer becuase I know they charge inflated prices on any service.

asethi

Just came back from the dealership. Had to pay them $70 for diagnostics!! It took me literally 2 minutes to read the ECU code myself and they charged me $70 for this 2 minute's job!!!! I have extended warranty from Honda and the dealership told me I'll still have to pay the diagnostics fee!!!! I'm going to check with Honda Care, has anyone been thru this? The results were the same as what I read, they'll now replace the HO2 Sensor.

only1harry

You have an extended warranty and you paid $70 for them to diagnose a warranty problem??? why? get your money back and call Honda to complain!!
The 02 sensor is a warranty item and you don't have to pay for diagnosing or anything. You did the right thing. Your check engine light came on and you took it in exercising your extended warranty. You shouldn't have to pay a dime unless you have a deductible with your ext. warranty. They ripped you off. Unfortunately they try this with most people hoping to get extra money out of it. They get their money from Honda anyway because they charge them back for labor and parts. Go scream and yell at the dealer. Well first talk to the service mgr. and if he doesn't give your money back, talk to the General manager. If you don't get anywhere with him, ask to speak to the owner.
I had a bad speed sensor at 80k mi. and it was covered under my Honda Extended Warranty. I didn't pay a dime, although they started their crap like they 're not sure if labor is covered, or if the part was covered, etc. etc. I said yes it is, and you show me where a speed sensor is excluded from the extended warranty. I had the contract with me. They guy said, hmm, thought for 2 seconds and said yeah no problem it should be covered, I don't think you have to pay anything. I said I KNOW I don't have to pay anything. Don't let them rip you off or intimidate you. You don't pay for labor, diagnostics or anything if you have bad part that's covered under the ext. warranty. I wish they had pulled that crap with me. Next time tell them to get Honda on the phone while you wait because you 're not paying a dime for warranty repair. They avoid talking to Honda customer reps like the plague especially when they know you 're right.

asethi

Thanks for the advice. I do not have any deductible on my honda care extended warranty. I did talk to the service manager and told him I'm pretty sure I don't have to pay for diags. Their attitude is like they don't care. I guess I'll have to talk to the owner now, I'll go thru my honda care docs too.