Why is Honda UK so hugely expensive??

[Hagasan]

Just saw these http://shop.wheelsrims.net/search.html?make=acura&model=nsx&year=2004&part_type=

They are about £1300 each + vat in the uk with no likelihood of a discount....

Just considering buying two as spares....

[britlude]

why is HondaUK so expensive??? cos they have been getting away with it for so long!!!

anyway, it wouldn't hurt to mail them and see if they ship internationally.....

[AR]

IIRC those wheels are cast knock offs, like some of the non OEM NSX-R ones doing the rounds on Prime.

[markdas]

Yep agree with Britlude, too many of the things we pay for in Britain are excessively marked up, cars especially. With people now realising that we dont need to change our cars every 2-3 years (like my dad always did before they broke down - good old Triumph, Vauxhall Viva, anything BL) we can keep them and even buy some really good second hand stuff for buttons.

The so-called, credit crisis will actually assist the common man realise that what money he does have, is now more valuable and shop keeper and even more so....car dealers are going to have to work for their money and prices are going to have to drop.

I dare say even for high end cars prices have to fall. I may get slated for this but the older NSX's (like mine 1991-1995 or so) may not be owned by people who can throw 2008 supercar money at them anymore and perhaps shouldnt have too. Honda perhaps need to think about allow us to preserve these cars by actually having reduced prices for wear and tear and service items. Clubs like this could be a good tool to influence this.

I saw in happen a lot with the Audi Quattro Owners Club, when Audi started to forget the importance of the UR Quattro and stop making spares ans putting prices sky high. The owners didn't stand for it and to eveyones amazement Audi backed down and supported its loyal followers by continuing to make parts or allowing the tooling to be sold to manufacturers......

I think I almost started to sound like Arthur Scargill for a moment....Brother Unite....but perhaps we should start making Honda see that the good old days are not so good right now.

Mark

[NoelWatson]

Yep agree with Britlude, too many of the things we pay for in Britain are excessively marked up, cars especially. With people now realising that we dont need to change our cars every 2-3 years (like my dad always did before they broke down - good old Triumph, Vauxhall Viva, anything BL) we can keep them and even buy some really good second hand stuff for buttons.

The so-called, credit crisis will actually assist the common man realise that what money he does have, is now more valuable and shop keeper and even more so....car dealers are going to have to work for their money and prices are going to have to drop.

I dare say even for high end cars prices have to fall. I may get slated for this but the older NSX's (like mine 1991-1995 or so) may not be owned by people who can throw 2008 supercar money at them anymore and perhaps shouldnt have too. Honda perhaps need to think about allow us to preserve these cars by actually having reduced prices for wear and tear and service items. Clubs like this could be a good tool to influence this.

I saw in happen a lot with the Audi Quattro Owners Club, when Audi started to forget the importance of the UR Quattro and stop making spares ans putting prices sky high. The owners didn't stand for it and to eveyones amazement Audi backed down and supported its loyal followers by continuing to make parts or allowing the tooling to be sold to manufacturers......

I think I almost started to sound like Arthur Scargill for a moment....Brother Unite....but perhaps we should start making Honda see that the good old days are not so good right now.

Mark

I like it! Would be good to hear everyone's thoughts....

[Papalazarou]

It's a crazy state of affairs really; £18.00 each for spark plugs! £400.00 for a water pump! It's so offensive it's almost criminal.


Cheers,

James.

[AR]

Mark the problem is that many of us will go an tell HUK FU, but that will leave us with no service center for out cars.

How can they charge £ 700 for a clutch change?

When my wife had a back operation with Bupa the consultant only charged £ 700.00 and he was one of the best in UK.

Sadly there no other mechanics near by that I will trust with the car.

Cheers,

AR

[NoelWatson]

Mark the problem is that many of us will go an tell HUK FU, but that will leave us with no service center for out cars.

How can they charge £ 700 for a clutch change?

When my wife had a back operation with Bupa the consultant only charged £ 700.00 and he was one of the best in UK.

Sadly there no other mechanics near by that I will trust with the car.

Cheers,

AR


I worry that it is going to get harder to maintain the cars as the years go by.

Tyres: With our now "old fashioned" wheel sizes, the range of tyres that fit appears to be getting smaller

Honda future: Whenever I pop into Chiswick, I always get the impression that they are very proud of the NSX, but with no new supercar on the horizon, do Honda need to keep us NSX owners happy, both in terms of wanting us to buy the new one, and providing good service with our current cars?

[markc]

I like it! Would be good to hear everyone's thoughts....

So here come mine...


It's a crazy state of affairs really; £18.00 each for spark plugs! £400.00 for a water pump! It's so offensive it's almost criminal.

Cheers,

James.

Good examples of Honda UK quite clearly taking p1$$. It's easy enough to get the very same spark plugs from a motor factor for a few £'s but vehicle specific items like the waterpump are more problematic.


Mark the problem is that many of us will go an tell HUK FU, but that will leave us with no service center for out cars.

How can they charge £ 700 for a clutch change?

Sadly there no other mechanics near by that I will trust with the car.

Cheers,

AR

Actually AR that's not the best/worst example. That £700 is just for labour and based on 10hrs of it. I did my clutch myself and it took a fair bit longer than 10hrs I can tell you. Granted it was my first NSX clutch change and experienced NSX mechanics can get it down to 4-5hrs IF everything goes smoothly. Perhaps they (HUK) should be clear that £700 is a probable worst case estimate and it may be less? Of course it may be even more if things go wrong ie badly seized bolts, bearings etc.

W.R.T letting others ie non HUK NSX trained mechanics work on the our cars, I guess we'd better get used to it. Primarily because HUK are not going to train any new ones but also the existing ones will probably move on to other jobs and other brands/manufacturers. Maybe a few NSX qualified technicians will setup as independant specialists in NSX's but there's such a small pool of cars spread so widely (geographically) it may not be a viable business for them.

The good news is that NSX isn't THAT complicated or difficult to work on, certainly not when compared to current new cars. A competant mechanic armed with a workshop manual and the right tools (not necessarily special Honda ones) will be able to do almost all jobs. The problem is likely to be they take longer to complete the job because they're not familiar with it.


I worry that it is going to get harder to maintain the cars as the years go by.

Tyres: With our now "old fashioned" wheel sizes, the range of tyres that fit appears to be getting smaller

Harder to maintain? Maybe, maybe not. Potentially Honda could either do what Audi did and actively try to help NSX owners keep the cars in good fettle by reducing parts cost and/or labour rates for them OR sell the parts stock and tooling to produce them to a 3rd party who'll peoduce "continuation" parts at competitive prices. This happens a lot with old MGs, Alfas etc. Even BMW have their "Four Plus" scheme that reduces labour rates for vehicles (any BMW) over 4 years old.

Tyres aren't THAT much of a probelm really, you just have to move away from the OE makes and specific models.
Try getting metric tyres for a Citroen CX like mine. Actually getting them isn't difficult but the price is shocking, £180+vat for puny little 190x65x390!!!

Honda future: Whenever I pop into Chiswick, I always get the impression that they are very proud of the NSX, but with no new supercar on the horizon, do Honda need to keep us NSX owners happy, both in terms of wanting us to buy the new one, and providing good service with our current cars?

The Honda corporation long since lost interest in the NSX as a showcase or halo model. Individual employees and enthusiasts like/love the car and/or attribute significance to it's role in upping the establishment's (Porsche, Ferrari etc) game. I think Honda's eyes are firmly on alternative and future fuels, specifically hydrogen fuel cell but also hybrid and pure electric. Anything powerd by petrol, or even diesel, is soooo last century.

There may well be a role for this club to play but it'll take time and effort to campaign HUK into seeing our side of the story. Maybe that campaign starts here :)

Cheers

Mark

[NSXGB]

Things NSX specific I can understand will be a higher price due to their much lower production volumes, but spark plugs etc. is taking the pith.




The good news is that NSX isn't THAT complicated or difficult to work on, certainly not when compared to current new cars. A competant mechanic armed with a workshop manual and the right tools (not necessarily special Honda ones) will be able to do almost all jobs. The problem is likely to be they take longer to complete the job because they're not familiar with it.


Agree with that, some people seem to think that you need special powers to work on an NSX...:)

[Kevin]

Things NSX specific I can understand will be a higher price due to their much lower production volumes, but spark plugs etc. is taking the pith.




Agree with that, some people seem to think that you need special powers to work on an NSX...:)

NSXs are easier to work on than other cars. It's all ali so rarely is anything rusted up and seized on. Ok so welding and chassis/body repairs need some speciality but the mechanics are simple enough.

I got spark plugs from an ordinary motor factor. They were still £12 each though. Even they couldn't believe when they sold them to me.

[simonprelude]

I got spark plugs from an ordinary motor factor. They were still £12 each though. Even they couldn't believe when they sold them to me.

From memory the plugs are the same as the S2000 and I usually pay £36 for a set of 4

I am still debating getting a 4 post lift in the garage and offering services to members, will ponder that one for a while before deciding for definite.

[Silver Surfer]

I am still debating getting a 4 post lift in the garage and offering services to members, will ponder that one for a while before deciding for definite.

When you do Simon....Can you also move to around London? ;)

SS