prohibitive parts prices ?

[richkaz]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum and I hope I can get some guidance regarding NSX running costs.
My previous toys in the last 20 years include Lambo's, Lotus, Alfa's and classic 911's so I know running decent classics can cause plastic card meltdown but -----
In trying to research NSX parts prices, one item made my stomach churn :eek: ------ the electric power steering rack.
Can someone please advise how much they estimate a correct Honda replacement would be ?
I know many owners revert to manual racks and only early auto's had PAS, but contemporary road tests were impressed with the steering.
Also if a V8 Lambo or early 911 engine let go, you could expect a bill for £ 7- 12k.
I was interested to hear a few years back that the Chairman of Honda made this claim
' A correctly maintained Honda VTEC engine has never been known to break ' ?????????
Er --- well if it did, are we talking similar repair costs to Lambo and 911 ?

Thanks in advance

Richard

[goldnsx]

It's not the part prices but the chance and frequency things break down. If you don't have two left hands and can do some serious DIY you save a lot on the called out prices. I'm not saying an NSX is cheap to run like any Honda but it seriously can be run at lower costs than another exotic car.

[L696ULO]

Electric power steering was standard on all autos and standard on manuals from 1995 so only pre 1995 cars were non EPS.
A good start for information is under prospective buyers, in the forum tab at the top the page most of your questions would have already been asked (it will keep you occupied over Christmas).

Enjoy

[britlude]

i can't see anything wrong with the EPS pricing, buy an early auto and get pretty much the rest of the car free!

as always Honda UK is not often the cheapest place to get Honda spares, and not necessarily the quickest either!

i investigated prices earlier in the year when i was tracking down a 'knock' coming from the steering... fortunately i tracked it to the steering knuckle on the input side rather than the rack itself, so i took the £88 option...

there is a NSXPrime thread linking to an EPS repair/upgrade service as an alternative!

So go on, have a wild guess how much hondaUK (Lings price) want for a eps rack....

[Nick Graves]

Either secondhand or Acura prats wherever possible.

Due to the abject failure of Honda to get it to sell & the resultant low volumes, prats prices are eye-watering.

When the car came out, it did beat the c rap out of Ferrari on every level, including repair costs. The flip side is that the car doesn't need that many new parts. Usually...

It IS something to bear in mind when running one.

[richkaz]

So go on, have a wild guess how much hondaUK (Lings price) want for a eps rack....

I think £ 8,000 + vat and fitting has been mentioned ?

[Senninha]

Hi Richard,

I'd heard slightly lower at £6k all in ... but on the flip side I've not heard of one failing in the UK ...

Good luck in the hunt and welcome to NSXCB

regards, Paul

[duncan]

Hi Richard,
I wouldn't get too upset with components that don't have a particular history of failure. Whilst a new rack may be £6k, currently on e-bay 2 second hand ones are for sale at about £1k; every time a car gets wrecked some stuff may come on the market. If you're particularly fixated about the EPS system, a more probable worry would be the 'brain' itself. Dig down and the probable cause of failure are the power relays, 2 number at £6 each. Be aware but not frightened.
For costs after purchase I'd suggest you concentrate on the service regime, where in the pattern of service requirements is a particular car, and what would be needed to reset the pattern. i.e if you need a TB style service everything else [plugs, WP, pulleys, filters, valves etc] should be subsumed within it, if that work and that service was done "x" years ago, count the remaining years down, likewise for brakes, tyres and clutch. Failures will happen, for the majority of the likely ones, others have been there before and the work-rounds are known.
BUT, BUT, remember just because someone has a particular problem at a point in time it, it does not mean that all cars are similarly affected. Put in context, the bulk of the posts should be ones that say "got in and drove it".
All that aside, mentally work out potential service cost regimes; set of tyres, set of brakes & rotors, WP & TB, whatever, so that you can add them where appropriate to the sale cost of any car to give a proper on the road cost.
If you decide to jump our way, happy hunting.

[Lowndes]

Hi Richard

The car referred to by Kaz in this blog is mine. It is 2000 NA2, 6MT with 35k miles and full specialist NSX Main Dealer service history.

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/entry.php?657-Health-Check-01

The car is currently back with Kaz for an engine refresh, see his latest blog.

I am not able to do this sort of work myself and not everyone would want the same meticulous attention to detail that Kaz delivers. However, if you are serious about an NSX and want it in first class condition this maybe the sort of work needed to deliver those requirements.

Good luck

Nick

[richkaz]

Many thanks for all the very helpful tips and advice. Looks like the best advice is to have any prospective purchase properly checked by by an NSX expert before jumping in.

Richard