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Had a quote for fitting the Powerflex rear beam bushes from a reputable Indy garage of £375. I hope that includes the dreaded VAT otherwise that's £125 p/h, which is way OTT for an Independent. That's main dealer labour rate.

To replace parts as they wear out, that's why. Rear of my FN2 creaks going over full width traffic calming measures that I can't avoid everyday and also when turning into/out of the drive to the road over angled pavements. So it's beam bushes first(being the PITA that they are both in terms of...

I ordered the Powerflex (Purple) rear beam bushes last week and they arrived within 48hrs. I was surprised at the size of the things, but then you think about the work they've gotta do. Just have to get them fitted now.

Sachs Rear Shocks @ECP at the moment are £153 list, but they have a deal on which makes a pair of Sachs rear shocks £200 +some pennies. Are there any pitfalls buying these from eurocarparts? I don't see any matching part numbers (how do you check?), so I guess I'll just have to go with what...

Was having a look through the above to see the price of FN2 struts front & rear. Should I take the prices with a pinch of salt Wilmo? £121.20 for fronts & rears.... Cox are asking £248 for one rear shock. That's what their website implies because it shows an image of just the shock absorber...

Can't fit me until 19th January 2021 at the earliest and quote was £560+vat at 20%.... Right in the middle of crappy salt season.

Hi. I am thinking about having the full Dinitrol treatment for underneath my FN2. The business in question will want to steam clean everything underneath before starting the treatment. Is this to be advised given all the age of the electrical components in the car? What I mean is are the wiring...

Me too as the NHB paint is suffering from stone chips, swirls and some overspray contamination to both rear threequarterpanels. I've cleaned the car a few times recently and I can see and feel primer overspray stuck to the paint.

They're nice Commander. Can I see two shades of silver on the rim or is it the light? Are you selling the other set of OEM 18's? Mark

Nice positive review Chaz. You had a three hour drive back with the new clutch - any difference to the feel of it? Perhaps the notchy gear changes will get easier after the clutch has bedded in. Those guys do seem to rattle through the jobs, working all hours....

How did you find the Honda HQ experience? Did you provide the exedy clutch kit or is that something they keep on the shelf? I'd like to know because my FN2 will need a clutch and rear beam bushes soon, but I'll be supplying the parts. If they are well versed in both jobs then I'll consider...

Ta Wilmo, I know about the rear beam ones only coming attached to a new beam so I certainly won't be going that route. They'll be getting replaced with Poly's. As for the front, I dont mind paying Honda for the lower arms with the bushes already in. They're only £250 each from Cox and once...

Are replacement OE rubber bushes available separately from Honda, or is it the same case when it comes to needing new rear beam bushes? Otherwise I'll also be looking for some polyurethane replacement bushes. My FN2 will be 11 years old in March and the suspension has to deal with some very bad...

Oh I make sure I'm sat in the car if I'm just leaving it running for 20 mins. Anyway, I took it back in early January, and they had a few hours to look at it and topped up the coolant FOC. It still takes a wee bit longer than it previously did to get the heater up to temp, but on the whole it's...

At long last I bought a replacement leather gaiter for my FN2 before Christmas. Mine though has been made with many pieces of leather that have been sewn together vertically with red stitching, and weirdly, horizontally as well halfway up the gaiter. Don't know if this a new design, and...

I say odd because mine has never got anywhere near that, even doing 60 in 6th on the M4. 15 miles of that though is all I can stand before dropping down to 4th to do some proper driving.

Hi Loxy. Yes taking the car back to the garage is the only option really. I had hoped to sort it myself by running it for 15-20 mins at home with the rad cap off, but this has had only limited success. Spoken to the garage and it's going back in on Thursday morning before I go to work. They...

How the fook do you get that MPG on a 70 mile drive?? That's quite odd.

Hi All. My FN2 had a big service done at an Indi last week. However, since the coolant was drained and refilled with new, the interior heating is nowhere near as it was. I have a 25 mile commute to work and back every day, and although the engine gets a good workout, getting hot air into the...

Thanks for the advice re blending the paint. I've still to get round to having it sorted out. Next time I go in for a chat about the doors, I'll know more about the process and can decide what I'd like done.

And I'm still driving it like that. Doesn't really bother me too much as there aren't many places on the B roads commute to get into Vtec. The suspension wouldn't be able to keep up anyway.

Well that's exactly what they said. I did ask for an estimate to do the bonnet & wings aswell, but as the passenger door has a lot of door marks on it that have removed the Black paint, that is of the utmost urgency because it pains me to look at it now. The rear 3/4's are v.good with no...

How do bodyshops do it these days, is it with two pack paint? I need a door on my FN2 re-painting and having been to one bodyshop for an estimate, they said they would need to blend in on the rear 3/4 panel. I said no, because there's no damage to that part of the car. Anyway, I have a few weeks...

You have spark and fuel, but have you got any air coming through? If the IACV is not operating/stuck closed then you won't start that engine.

I'm considering sending the EP3 to meet its maker come MOT time. I have had the same thoughts for the previous two MOT's but have somehow got round to having the minimum amount of work done to it to see it through. This time is different though. I have been saving money up all year because of...

What a stunning comeback for the CG. It's great to see that some bodyshops can do brilliant jobs when they knuckle down and go all out for the customer. You must be well pleased with the results Dutchy.

Ouch... I feel for you Dutchy. Really nice Cosmic example that you found there. Three lanes into two on motorways don't go. You always have to be on the lookout for these foreign trucks blindly pulling out just because they can go 4mph faster than UK registered trucks. What was the driver...

Probably the fact that general servicing doesn't cover taking the calipers apart and cleaning them thoroughly. In my experience, you have to pay extra for that. The Nissin/Honda calipers are generally fine for 10 years, then they start to play up, stick and eventually seize, unless they are...

Guys at the workshop got the locking nut off by smacking a 19mm socket on it and gently using a breaker bar. Need a new set of alloy locks now..... more chuffin money!

My Enkei's now look awful again. I don't know why the place that did it had to put so much powder coat primer on as when I manage to peel off a flake it's nearly 1mm thick. Technology must have moved on in nine years to get a better job than last time. After all, OE alloys don't suffer from...

Cars eh....who'd have them? Nice looking evening yesterday, so after work I thought I'll take the rear alloys off the EP3 to give the calipers a clean up, and straight away took a chunk off one of the locking nuts.... arrggghhhh. The other one came undone ok, but the damaged one won't shift...

Mine is quite rusty underneath and inside edges the rear wheel arches. Garage quoted me £700 to strip, grind and treat the underneath and behind the rear bumper too as the hanger brackets are have also succumbed, but that's 200K miles in 15 years, and driving in all weathers for you. The...

My Meyle droplinks all came in one box with no instructions on which is left/right. Front/rear is pretty obvious.

Ta Flashy. I was hoping that it didn't have to come off as that's more chuffin labour costs, just to replace a light. Roll on early Springtime and a nice dry, sunny weekend.

Really? I've always gone with anything over the prescribed amount as being too much. I do give my FN2 a good workout but it hasn't started to drink oil yet. So can I explicity state that 4.7 L is the very max that the K20A can take? I know what the manual states and that will be presented as...

Afternoon all. A quick question. Has any Type R petrol engine ever had an oil capacity of 5 Litres? That goes for 2.0, 2.4 and the lump in the S2000. I need to arm myself with the facts before I contradict somebody who believes the FN2 can take 5L. I don't believe the K20 can take any more...

My FN2 has a shattered lens on drivers side front fog light. Do i have to buy a complete new light assembly or can you buy a new piece of glass to replace the broken one? The manual states that just one bolt holds the light in place and doesn't mention removing the bumper to install, unless I've...

2003/53 EP3 207225 miles. Still on original clutch & timing chain. It's a bit of an old dog now though.

Last MOT the emissions read as this. Fast idle test: PASS CO2 (<0.20% vol) 0.04% vol PASS HC (<200ppm) 10ppm vol PASS Lambda (0.970 - 1.030) 1.003 PASS Natural idle test: PASS Engine speed: CO (<0.30% vol) 0.00% vol PASS

Could be a partially blocked cat. Have you a solution, because I'm not paying £1300 for a new one just to see if that is the problem. Car passes MOT emissions test with no problem. I've put another 225 miles on the EP in the last 6 days so it still works despite the snow and cold nights.

Turns out it's Millers Trident 5W40 in my FN2, and it is way over filled. I expect it'll be good enough for 6000 miles until the next change. Be interesting to see if the mpg increases a little with this stuff.

If it does come out of a barrel, then I'd expect the receipt to say 4.2 or 4.5 Ltrs at most? I'll check the level in the morning. If it's overfilled with 5Ltrs, then it goes back to have the excess drained off.

Had my FN2 serviced today and it now has Millers 5W40 in it. Exactly what sort of Millers 5w40 is open to question. All the receipt states is 'Millers 5w40 Full Synthetic'. When charged for 5L of oil, I expect the leftovers for top ups, to be left in the car, or presented to me upon paying. How...

Would a thinner grade of oil help at this time of year such as 0W-30, to encourage it to travel to the parts the regular oil cannot reach?

I've pretty much had enough of trying to fix it. Last time it went to the garage to see what was wrong, the garage said it wasn't down to the usual suspect problem area. They took the VTEC solenoid apart and checked the mesh screen gasket - all clean there and it's working properly. Oil and oil...

Are these Meyle HD rear droppers that I bought OK for non lowered EP3?

Are you sourcing all the parts Flashy? (Post Office just delivered the Meyle HD droplinks that I ordered - Flimsy they aint!).

Ha-ha Hazz - I have been sorely tempted at times. Just leave it in a lay-by and turn it into a beacon of light.:twisted:

ABP set up my non-lowered EP3 a few years ago with their FRSU when I had the Eibach rear camber arms and front camber bolts fitted. Unless I dig out the paperwork from that visit, I couldn't tell you what the figures were, but it did improve the handling.

I'm holding fire on the clutch just a little longer.... just until I'm sure.

So do I, but not if it turns out to be a really expensive exercise. I just need a direction to look at before giving the garage carte blanche to do what they like.

Long time since I added to this. EP3 is now on 206,300. Last MOT passed in September but with advisories which now have to be addressed or it's an automatic fail next time, so I understand according to the new rules. Where do I want to go with it though? Before I spend money on new parts for...

Random Dealer price for clutch kit £323. what a joke. That must be some mark-up! Front drop links £60.

Forgot to say thanks for the link. I'm waiting to hear back from a main dealer for a price. Yeah, I've started to use PA for MOT's and servicing for the FN & EP. Had a mate who took an old MR2 in there a few years back for a complete suspension job. Brilliant work but cost him £££££'s! Their...

That's where I'm aiming to go.... and for a few other bits aswell.

Thanks Flashy. I'll keep looking around for an OE clutch in that target price range....don't really want to have to go above £200 for it though.

Where does one go for a decently priced OEM clutch kit for EP3 then?? Stealers want £225, whilst you can get an Exedy kit for £130. Are these definately all the same kits with identical parts included, just in a different box? And if the front ARB has to come off, then is it worth going whole...

You're a braver man than I am to tackle this on your EP, but you're doing a grand job looking at the pics. Mine needs it doing but I don't have the space, or a barn to hand. The rust will finally kill it in a few months.

Thanks Hazz. Deffo a new pair of rear droplinks then. Is there an alternative to OE that are longer lasting and able to put up with more cornering abuse? I might get a new ARB aswell. As for the worn suspension bush, I have Eibach ajdustable rear camber arms fitted, so am now wondering whether...

Callum. Are you parking across a slight slope so that the passenger side of the car is tipping down a bit? I have to park my EP3 like that and after a few days without being used, when I start her up there is a lumpy rattle for a second or two before the oil gets circulating.

Are you saying that it had a previous change of timing chain before you had it changed again? and done by a PSA agent....!

The lastet MOT for my EP3 has advisories listed that will need attention. I'll need some help with understanding the terminology used by the tester. Corrections welcome. As they appear on the MOT paperwork: Item 1. NSR anti-roll bar linkage - link arm slight play. does this mean a new pair...

I don't think the chain on my EP3 has ever been insppected, despite the rocker cover coming off occasionally at service time for valve clearances. At 200K miles though, it, along with the tensioner & guides will have to be replaced soon.

Having pulled out the MOT paperwork from last year, I see it has an advisory for corrosion on the brake pipes. Closer inspection reveals this to be within the engine bay, particularly where they exit the ABS box, and along the pipework where they pass close to engine before disappearing down the...

nearly filled the tank with V-Power this morning at a Shell garage, until I saw how much they were charging per litre over regular unleaded. I managed to stop at £20.02, paid up and drove off. Their prices were; Regular Unleaded 115.9 V-Power Unleaded 134.9 I sent an email to Shell when I got...

How do Honda inspect it during a service? remove the rocker cover? Doesn't mean to say that it is inspected at every service.

just catching up with this again - I've not heard of Dream Automotive Loxy. I'll look them up and see where they are. EP3 now on 200,030 miles.. It'll be getting re-insured.

I bought some Poor Boys 'Black Hole Glaze' for my NHB FN2. Thing is, when do I use it? Straight after washing, or after I've polished the car before high definition waxing?

I was just trying to approach thie VTEC problem from a different angle Ep3steve, to perhaps a new audience that hadn't come across the specific problem before. Loxy, hi, I'm based down south in Wiltshire. TGM are 65 miles away but are very busy. Eurospec are even further away. ABP are close to...

It still has the 'original clutch' & 'original timing chain' fitted. There has been no rebuild of the engine, yet. Just this persistent problem of not being able to get VTEC, which dents the performance. As long as I don't need to go faster than 70mph or require rapid acceleration, then its...

Yep. Only 500 miles to go to 200K. Then, well....... I don't know if I'll re-insure it, leave it, or break it up for spares. MOT & Tax both due in September.

I'd had my EP3 for nearly 10 years when that thing smashed the front out of it. I now drive below the speed limit at night during the summer months where high populations of deer live. Sometimes you just can't see them until the last second. All I knew was the RED 'H' and I'd got so used to the...

I bought an FN2 because a deer tried to jump over my EP3 one night........ but got it very wrong!

BUMP

Engine now coming out of car. Various winter issues have raised their heads so may as well do all the jobs with the engine out. It's easier with more room. EDIT: 29 MAY 2017 Engine still in car.... it has been running just ok without doing anything to it, however power is now starting to fall...

Most certainly a repair blog now... Had all the rear braking system replaced two weeks ago to get through the MOT. Both rear discs & original calipers only fit for the bin. Braking system also fully bled with new fluid. As I was driving it out of the bay at the garage, it sprang an oil leak...

I know Dooksy....which is why I'm umming & ahhhing whether to have the brand spanking new calipers fitted instead of constantly repairing the originals. With only two months MOT left, I'm wondering if it's really worth it.

Still to do the VTEC solenoid gasket. I've managed to get the socket onto two of the three bolts but the bottom one is a right pain. At least the other two did undo without much fuss. More importantly though is the near side rear caliper, which has seized up again. Exactly a month after having...

Cheers Dooksy, I've already got the calipers.

I believe that the left rear caliper on my EP3 has finally seized up after 12 years. It has had attention three times now but keeps on seizing up again, which means chucking the pads away everytime and now the discs will have to go aswell. Now maybe the time to replace both with new ones? Any...

Thanks Dooksy

How do I find my previous posts on this forum please? I would like to follow up a post that I started but I can't even find the OP, nor can I remember which section I posted it. It'll be from March/April this year I think. I've tried the search facility and put in my forum name to start with...

Haven't had time to do this yet. Had a look and I can't see enough room to my hand in there let alone a 1/4 ratchet.

Thanks Hamza. That is round the back of the engine then. There's not a lot of room round there and the engine won't be coming out.

I watched that YouTube thingy. Very informative, but it doesn't really relate to my ep3. Firstly, I can't even see where the VTEC solenoid is let alone take it off and take it apart. Much more importantly, I now have a really hot rear wheel on the passenger side after five to ten miles of...

Bulb hasn't been removed as it lights up with ignition turned on, as all the other dash indicators do. Have to try and find a garage with a code reader then.

Hi all, I'm fairly new on here so thought I'd post a hello message. Ignore the title - it's wrong and I can't change it! I have a 2003 EP3 that I purchased in 2005 when it only had 18,000 miles on it. Over the years it has been my reliable, fun workhorse daily motor. Plenty of miles on it now...