Monday, June 17, 2013

Long Term Test: 2007 Honda S2000 post #2

Second Update
Current Miles: 60,000

When I first purchased my S2000 back in 2010, I knew it was not going to be the most fuel efficient vehicle I could have picked. My other choice of vehicle, a 2010 Honda Civic Si sedan, would have been far more fuel efficient than the S2000, but due to a temporary production halt on the Civic in 2010, I could not find one for sale at the time. Considering the EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 18mpg city/ 24mpg highway/20mpg combined for the 2007 S2000, I think I'm doing reasonably well. My current combined average is around 20.5mpg, just a little over the EPA combined rating. Prior to installing the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec tires, this average was actually a bit higher. Since the Dunlop tires are stickier than the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 tires that come standard with the car, I expected a small decrease in my fuel economy. The trade off though is a tire with a higher treadwear rating that will last longer. You can view my fuel economy results here.

Maintenance
How expensive is maintenance on the S2000? Unfortunately, maintaining an S2000 is going to cost more than your average Honda. I tell people it is the price one has to pay for driving a performance vehicle. Luckily, newer S2000s are equipped with the maintenance minder, which lets you know when the car is due in for service. Here is a breakdown of the maintenance minder codes:

A - Oil Change
B - Oil and Filter Change, Multi-Point Inspection
1 - Check Tire Inflation and Condtion
2 - Replace Air Cleaner and Cabin Filter, Inspect Drive Belt
3 - Replace Transmission Fluid, Replace Transfer Fluid
4 - Replace Spark Plugs, Inspect Valve Clearance
5 - Inspect Engine Coolant
6 - Replace Rear Differential Fluid

The maintenance minder works by combining A or B with one of the numbers. For example, an A1 service, which entails an oil change and tire check, would be the equivalent of a basic oil change. A maintenance minder code always starts with A or B and can end in any combination of numbers. My most recent scheduled service, for example, was an A126. This service entailed an oil change, tire check, changing of the engine and cabin air filters, and replacing the rear differential fluid. This service cost me $230.26 at my local Honda dealer.

While it may seem like the maintenance minder is Honda's way of gouging the owner for maintenance, I have found that it has actually saved me a bit of money and time. Newer S2000s are supposed to be free of major services and tune-ups for about 100,000 miles. The reason this is possible is because the maintenance minder spreads out the usual 30K interval tune-ups amongst schedule services. This means that I will not need to bring my car into a shop or dealer for expensive 30K interval tune-ups.

In my next update, I will of course talk about any notable happenings with my car, as well as any possible plans relating to further modifications.

To read post #1, click here.

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