The items in red were confirmed faulty, the items in blue were not confirmed as faulty and the items in green were uncertain as to whether they were faulty or not.

Date:Item:Price:Details:
10/2005 Power steering pump £501.03 +
£108.69 labour		 The PAS pump started to fail, characterised by a loud noise coming from the engine bay, which increased with engine speed. I was relieved to be told that it was only the PAS pump at fault as the noise coming from the engine bay made it sound like the engine was at fault. The PAS pump, belt & gasket cost £501.03, the labour charge was £108.69 and PAS fluid cost £6.15.
12/2006 Heated mirrors button £3.00 The button was temperamental when I first got the car. I disassembled the part and discovered that the microswitch was a bit tired. It would only work if the button was held down. I got a replacement part second hand through eBay which was originally from either a Honda Civic Aerodeck or Honda Accord Aerodeck. The part cost just £3.00 + £2.00 P&P. The Honda part number of the part which comprises of heated mirrors button and mirror angle controller is 35190-SV2-E01 and the 2003 price for the part from Honda would have been £77.15. I have discovered that this is not an uncommon fault on 5th generation Honda Preludes.
02/2007 Cruise control button light bulb £0.49 The small light bulb in the master cruise control button had failed and I fixed it by getting a replacement green 12V subminiature bulb from Maplin and fitting it myself. It cost me just £0.49 + £4.46 P&P. I bought two other bulbs at the same time as I wasn't sure which was the correct bulb to buy. The Maplin part number is PG79L and the equivalent Honda part number is 35850-SZ3-911.
08/2007 Rear near-side brake caliper £72.45 The brake caliper was seizing up. Removing it, cleaning it up and lubricating it only got it working again for a few weeks before it started to seize up again. The 2003 price for a rear caliper from Honda was £229.54, so I was pleased with the saving I made when I purchased a genuine Honda reconditioned part from Car Parts & Accessories in Horsham for £116.51. It had been reconditioned by a company named Brake Engineering and its condition was like brand new. A £44.06 surcharge refund is issued on return of the old brake caliper.
10/2007 Boot lid torsion bar clip £2.30 This is a plastic clip which holds the boot lid torsion bars in place. I accidently broke the original during the summer while removing a bag from the boot. Honda improved the design of the torsion bar clip since the original was fitted. However the updated part should be on all Preludes from 1999 onwards. The updated part is black instead of brown and seems to be made of a more harder plastic. The design seems otherwise identical. The part number of the original part is 74873-S30-003 and the part number of the improved replacement part is 74873-S30-013.
01/2008 Thermostat £39.81 My car's engine seemed to be taking longer than usual to warm up in the morning, so I replaced the thermostat just in case it was that at fault and later replaced the antifreeze / coolant too. I'm not convinced that replacing the thermostat made any difference, maybe I was just being paranoid, so it wasn't definitely proven to be faulty. The Honda part number is 19301-P13-305.
04/2008 VTEC solenoid gasket & filter £22.45 This is the small rubber gasket with metal mesh filter which sits between the VTEC solenoid housing and the side of the cylinder head. It is sometimes referred to has spool valve, rather than VTEC solenoid. There was a minor engine oil ooze / seepage emitting from under the VTEC solenoid housing. After removing the old part I could see that there was nothing much wrong with it so tightening up the bolts would probably have resolved it anyway. The Honda part number is 15825-P13-005.
05/2008 Rear off-side brake caliper £57.47 When I first got the car, all brake calipers were in a bad state and needed removing and cleaning up. The rear near-side brake caliper was replaced nine months ago due to it seizing up so I figured this one probably hasn't got much longer left before it will need replacing too and chose to get it replaced during my car's 72,000 miles service. I was also getting new brake pads & discs fitted too, so wanted my brake calipers to be in optimal condition ready for the upgrade. Afterwards I was told that one of the sliders was starting to seize up so I wasn't wrong. As with the rear near-side brake caliper, this was replaced with a genuine Honda reconditioned part from Brake Engineering, but this time supplied by Jayar Components Ltd in Redhill for £92.72 (£14.98 cheaper than Car Parts & Accessories in Horsham). A £35.25 surcharge refund is issued on return of the old brake caliper.
10/2008 Rear stabiliser links £22.00 +
£40.00 labour		 These are sometimes referred to as rear drop links, rather than rear stabiliser links. For over three years, there was a knocking noise coming from the rear near-side of the car when going over bumps or potholes in the road. This was present before the suspension upgrade, so the problem is not likely to be directly linked to the springs or dampers. The most common cause of this is with rear stabiliser links. The noise was coming from one side only, but I chose to replace the pair for good measure. The pair I purchased were produced by First Line Ltd and their part number is FDL6893. The equivalent Honda part number is 52320-S30-003. The pair were purchased through eBay and at £22.00 + £5.00 P&P they cost less than the price of one single rear stabiliser link if purchased from Honda. Unfortunately, this didn't resolve the issue so the fault must be elsewhere.
01/2009 Clutch master cylinder £155.25 +
£43.13 labour		 On 03/01/2009, my car developed a fault whereby it intermittently would not change gear. The gear stick moved left and right as normal, but refused to go forwards or backwards into gear, as if something solid was in the way. It was like it was locked out. Then all of a sudden, it would start working again, but the first shift was quite stiff and a bit crunchy, then it would be fine, shifting smoothly as ever. On a few occasions on that same day, it had grinded slightly when changing up a gear, as if I had not pressed the clutch pedal down properly (but I am sure I did). I had sometimes been stuck out of gear for about 10 seconds coasting along while trying to entice it into gear. It happened with all gears even when the revs had dropped to idling speed. It wasn't temperature related as it still had the same problem after a journey of 60 miles (mostly motorway). Clutch fluid level was fine. The clutch fluid and MTF were replaced during the previous summer. The clutch master cylinder was suspected and hoped to be at fault. This was replaced on 07/01/2009 at a cost of £155.25 for the part, £43.13 for labour and £4.03 for the clutch hydraulic fluid. The Honda part number is 46920-SM4-A03. Unfortunately the fault persisted, demonstrating that the fault was not with the clutch master cylinder. I later sold my original part on eBay.
02/2009 Clutch £140.00 +
£373.75 labour		 After the clutch master cylinder replacement, I noticed a quiet rattle/rustle noise from the transmission side of the engine bay when parked which stopped when I pushed down the clutch pedal. Also, sometimes the motion of clutch pedal didn't feel normal. Changing gear without the engine running was faultless, with and without the pressing the clutch pedal but the fault was intermittent. To further help diagnose the fault, I drove the car along a quiet dual carriageway, changing gears without the use of the clutch. I was also able to change gear successfully without the clutch through all gears, apart from 5th gear. Maybe the revs were not right when I tried to change up into 5th gear or maybe that's a sign of a warn synchromesh? After considering a gearbox replacement (with the LSD equipped U2Q7 from the Honda Accord Type-R) I decided to replace just the clutch & flywheel during February 2009 instead. The flywheel was not suspected to be at fault, but it would have been beneficial to replace it with an upgrade at the same time as the clutch replacement. An Exedy Standard Clutch Kit was purchased from Tegiwa Imports in January 2009 at a cost of £140. This clutch kit consisted of the following parts: clutch disc (HCD015U), clutch cover (HCC908) and a Nachi-fukikoshi corp clutch bearing (55SCRN41P-6). A lightweight Fidanza aluminium flywheel was purchased from Speed Solution International (Gripforce-Clutches) through eBay at a cost of £97.49 for the part, £59.23 P&P from USA and £16.46 for duties and government surcharge, coming to a total of £173.19. I also chose to have the 6 clutch bolts (90034-689-000) & 8 flywheel bolts (90011-PH3-000) replaced at the same time for good measure, which cost £21.90 & £26.04 respectively from Honda. The labour charge for fitting was £373.75 and I was also charged £19.55 for manual transmission fluid. Upon inspection of the original clutch, the friction surface of the clutch disc wasn't too badly warn, however the metal lips which retain the springs were damaged, causing the springs to be loose and one of them was able to freely come out. Here are some photos showing the damage after 79,445 miles of use.
06/2009 Rear damper collars £9.40 My car was still suffering from the rear knocking noise which I tried to get repaired last October by replacing the rear stabiliser links to no avail. I read the American Honda Service Bulletin 00-090 (dated 28/11/2000) which recommended replacing the rear damper collars with an improved one which was released by Honda in the USA specifically to resolve a specific knocking sound. I ordered the 2 collars at the end of March and was told they would take a few months to arrive, probably because they were designed for the American spec Prelude. The original part number is 52728-SB2-004, the replacement part number is 52728-S30-004 and they cost £4.70 each. While waiting for the parts to arrive, in April, I decided to try the "Shock Knock Washer Fix" which is published on many Prelude internet discussion forums. This is a well known non-official fix which resolves a knocking sound issue which is apparently a common Prelude fault. It involves fitting specific sized washers in the top of the rear suspension. The 4 M16 washers cost me 50p. Unfortunately, this didn't resolve my car's specific issue. The collars arrived earlier than planned on 07/05/2009 and I fitted them at the end of June. They are easy to fit from within the boot of the car so no need to remove the springs to gain access. Unfortunately, the knocking sound persisted.
06/2009 Upper catalytic converter cover N/A Since November 2008, when starting the engine, for less than a second there was a rattle noise coming from under the car, which was originally thought to be coming from the engine bay. From May/June 2009, the noise progressed so it was present while driving and I discovered that the upper catalytic converter cover (18182-PAA-A00) was loose due to the bolts no longer securing the front end. Rust was probably the cause. Instead of replacing it, I fixed it by securing it with a metal CV boot band (similar in effect to a plastic cable tie) and tightened it with a CV boot band tightening tool.
07/2009 Rear near-side suspension top mount £80.02 +
£63.25 labour		 This was to resolve the ongoing rear knocking noise. I had previously had the rear stabiliser links and rear damper collars replaced and the shock knock fix had also been tried, all to no avail. This time, I arranged for Performance Autoworks to replace the rear near-side suspension top mount, which consisted of 3 separate parts: shock absorber mounting base (52675-SS0-014), rubber spring mounting (52686-SS0-004) & rubber shock absorber (52725-SS0-004). I chose Performance Autoworks over more local garages as my car also required a 4 wheel laser alignment suspension geometry check & adjustment carried out due to uneven tyre wear on a set of tyres which had recently been replaced. Performance Autoworks are one of the very few places who own a 4WS locking pin, which is required when carrying out the adjustment on Honda Preludes with 4 wheel steering. The total cost of parts cost £69.05, labour cost was £63.25 and the 4 wheel laser alignment suspension geometry check & adjustment cost £80.50. Additionally, I also had my car's engine valve clearances checked & adjusted too at a cost of £63.25. While discussing the fault with them before booking my car in, I chose not to replace one of the two rubber shock absorber rubber bushes (52725-SS0-004) as I believed it was OK. When I collected my car, I was shown a photo comparing it to a new one which clearly showed that it did need replacing, which I did the following week. The part cost me £10.97 from my local Honda dealer. Unfortunately, the knocking sound persisted, much to my annoyance!
08/2009 Driver's door lock assembly £175.90 The power door lock / actuator in the driver's side door was getting a bit tired whereby sometimes it would not lock the door via the remote control so I would have to lock the door manually with the key instead. During May 2009, in an attempt to fix it, I removed the driver's door lock assembly along with the door lock cylinder and oiled them both to no avail. I replaced the driver's door lock assembly (72110-S30-E01) in August 2009 which cost me £175.90 from my local Honda dealer in June 2009. Replacement of the part is quite a fiddly job as some of the task is done with the use of a mirror otherwise there is no direct vision to all of the part when in-situ.
08/2009 Rear off-side suspension top mount £80.02 +
£60.38 labour		 Ever since Performance Autoworks carried out the work on my car during July, a rattle noise could be heard coming from the rear off-side suspension, which was not present beforehand. Tightening the bolts at the top of the suspension didn't resolve it. To resolve this, I took my car to my usual garage (Frank G Wickenden Ltd) and had the rear off-side suspension top mounts replaced. I wasn't certain that those parts were at fault, but I thought they should be replaced anyway for symmetry as the other side had been replaced the month beforehand. The four parts replaced consisted of: 1x shock absorber mounting base (52675-SS0-014), 1x rubber spring mounting (52686-SS0-004) & 2x rubber shock absorbers (52725-SS0-004) which cost a total of £80.02 from my local Honda dealer. The labour cost was £60.38. Fortunately, this did successfully resolve the rear off-side rattle noise, but the ongoing rear near-side knocking noise was still present (which this specific repair was not intended to resolve anyway). I am not convinced that these parts were actually faulty as the fault only occurred after the work was carried out by Performance Autoworks. Instead, I believe something wasn't fully tightened or fitted correctly.
10/2009 Battery £46.00 Over a period of a week or two, the starter motor sounded like it was struggling. On the morning of 01/10/2009, the car failed to start and there was a clicking noise coming from the starter motor. Recharging the battery didn't solve the issue. A replacement battery was ordered from Honda and it arrived the following day and cost only £46.00. The original Honda battery was manufactured by Furukawa and its part number is 31500-SS0-G83. It has been superseded by 31500-SP0-010HE which is labelled as a Honda battery. It is of the same dimensions, but weighs lighter at 17.5 kg compared to 18.0 kg of the original battery. The original battery was sold for scrap for £2.40.
01/2010 Rear upper suspension arms £253.00 +
labour		 I chose to have both rear upper suspension arms replaced during my car's 90,000 miles service to hopefully resolve the ongoing knocking sound from the rear. Original Honda parts were very expensive so I chose to buy a pair manufactured by Blue Print instead. The Blue Print part numbers are ADH28648 & ADH28649 and they cost me £126.50 each in December 2009 from Lethal Auto Design in Crawley. The parts were fitted on 15/01/2010 by Frank G Wickenden Ltd in Hove and I was extremely disappointed to learn that the knocking issue was still present afterwards. I have spent hundreds of pounds trying to get this fixed to no avail!
05/2010 - £5.00 During 05/2010 I believe I finally localised the source of the ongoing rear clunking noise which I had spent lots of money trying to resolve. It seems to be coming from within the cavity above the near-side rear wheel arch where there is a strengthening strut. It isn't easily accessible as the metal panels of the cavity are welded in place, so to access it, I would have to cut a hole through the metal panels, which I would rather not do, as it would compromise structural integrity. To finally lay this matter to rest, I have completed a workaround which involved packing the area with the contents of a couple of cushions. I also insulated both rear interior panels (with integrated arm rests) with a sheet of foam purchased for £5.00 from the Direct Foam Supply Company. The foam sheet dimensions were 25" x 31" x 1" (x2). By insulating the area, I have quietened down the clunk noise and reduced road noise too.

9 of the above 19 items were not proven to be definitely faulty (thermostat, VTEC solenoid gasket & filter, rear stabiliser links, clutch master cylinder, rear damper collars, rear suspension top mounts, rear upper suspension arms & the unidentified rear body part), so they're not classed as part failures.

Additionally I have had to replace a couple of brake lights bulbs and a headlight bulb, which are expected. Also, some sort of component inside the Clifford Concept 650 alarm & immobiliser control unit failed which controls the remote boot release and that needed attention during 2007. I think it was something small like a transistor or resistor that needed replacing.