Who would you trust for slave cylinder work?

[derelict]

Sorry in advance for the long-winded post: :redface:

So now that I am a new owner, I've been reading about the best places to take my NSX for mechanical work in SoCal (The closest being Jon Martin at Cerritos Acura, apparently.)

However, I wanted to get some opinions on who you trust for smaller things? There is a small independent Honda shop in Santa Monica where I used to take my Accord all the time... Santa Monica Motors... nice guys, never had any issues.

So I brought my NSX by there the other day to pick up a new air filter for her, and they put it up on the lift to take a look. They pointed out a small leak near the slave cylinder. They offered to replace it, and quoted me around $300 total for parts and labor.

Now, I always trusted these guys with my Accord, but I don't know how much experience they have with an NSX. So my question is, would you trust something like a slave cylinder to a competent mechanic even if they don't have a lot of hours under an NSX? Or should I bite the bullet and drive down to Cerritos? I prefer to stay local for the smaller things so I won't have to take any time off work, but the health of the NSX is most important :wink:

(And yes, before any of you ask, I would love to attempt to do this myself but I simply don't have the time right now... work is crazy. In fact, I'm posting this from work, where I will be all weekend.... booo! )

 

[ChopsJazz]

You may want to post here in the SoCal forum.

 

[derelict]

You may want to post here in the SoCal forum.

I thought about that at first, but really I'm asking more for a general opinion, rather than information about a specific mechanic.

In case I wasn't very clear in my first post, I'll restate the question:

Would you trust a good mechanic to do your slave cylinder, even if they didn't have a lot of NSX-specific experience?

Thanks!

 

[myf16]

Would you trust a good mechanic to do your slave cylinder, even if they didn't have a lot of NSX-specific experience?

Yes, I would, if you buy the part. I'm writing an article right now about how to DIY. The trick is to remove the air cleaner (3 bolts), giving complete access from the top. Free up the hose bracket before you remove the old cylinder. Another trick is to make sure the pin is seated in the socket of the clutch fork before you fasten the new cylinder. A good mechanic should be able to figure all of this out except the air cleaner trick.

 

[ChopsJazz]

IIRC, it's easier and cheaper to simply to a remove/replace of the slave cylinder. I may be wrong.

 

[ediddynsx]

First of all I personally wouldn't trust someone with my nsx if they do not have an nsx experienced tech.....luckily for us socal guys we have many good choices to go to such as jon martin at cerritos acura,autowave, ramon and others.

I have dealt with jon martin before even buying an nsx, he was very gracious to me in helping me out....I have been with jon ever since for my car

Hope that helps.....

 

[NSXclear]

The NSX isn't rocket science, he should be able to do it fairly easily. The clutch slave is not very complicated to put in. Especially with the service manual. Just make sure he as a copy of the service manual or print out the pages for him. There is a couple of DIY guides here. You can print those out also.

You should change out the Master cylinder when you change your slave cylinder. The part cost for the Master is only about $100. Changing only the slave can put more strain on the the master cylinder and causing it to fail prematurely. Do them both.

The installation can be tricky unless your 5'6" 100 lb and have small hands. My large frame couldn't fit under the driver dash and my hands didn't fit while trying to put the cotter pin in.

 

[NSXclear]

Replacing it from the bottom isn't much harder for a mechanic. Especially if he has a lift and air tools. If fact, its easier on your back.

Sometimes the cotter pins can be a pain, but the rest is pretty easy.

 

[enkrypt3d]

RON98 (RON) From speedoracle did mine and he did a great job... he's in Socal

 

[RYU]

Back to your original question...

My answer would be... It depends. I know, I hate those answers also.

If it's a fairly common part shared amongst other cars in the Honda family (say a clutch master cylinder or brake parts) then i'd be comfortable taking it to my *trusted* local mechanic if I really didn't have much of a choice.

Personally, i'd rather do easy jobs myself like the brake MC or upgrading to NA2 brakes. More difficult jobs like the headers and the timing belt, I took it to Jon Martin.

The reality is though that the NSX is a very unique car with many unique qualities. You would want to bring it to someone experienced working on other NSXs often (Acura dealer or not).

Another issue to consider in the future (on the big jobs especially) is if a mechanic does botch an install, for example, f'ed up a TB job... would they pay to get you a new motor? I'd have a hard time believing a small time shop would do that but I guess they're suppose to have insurance for that?....

 

[Racerxjling]

Autowave in Huntington Beach @ 714 841 2433. Many shops can do the job. The difference is while they are doing the job, they nit pick and inspect the car for other issues. These issues can be costly if not repaired ahead of time (torn CV boots, leaking gaskets/seals, etc.). That's the kind of service you get from Shane, Mark and Mike @ Autowave.

Jeff

 

[enkrypt3d]

......These issues can be costly if not repaired ahead of time (torn CV boots, leaking gaskets/seals, etc.). That's the kind of service you get from Shane, Mark and Mike @ Autowave.

Jeff

And from ROB from SpeedOracle (RON98).....