Using shims means the camshafts may need to come out during valve adjustment or at least loosened to remove and replace with different shims. And there are 4 cams on this car. Modern Porsche with their scream 9000 rpm engines do not need valve adjustments. What's with that?
Serviceability is an input for the design of this car. I'm sure the serviceability requirements were modified for this project. No Hondas I know requires an engine out for a maintenance. For the NSX, they said WTF, the competitor does it and we have 75K mile interval versus a fraction of that for the Italians. They closed their eyes to Porsche. Beside, we farmed the engine to a company that spun out from Ford, so we get what we get.
I've had extended seat time in this car and for all the reasons I want to pull the trigger, I can't get myself to it. I want to be able to work on my cars like the Gen 1 NSX. I did the valve adjustment myself. I had a sore back after I was done but it is still doable.
Between the high maintenance requirements, poor serviceability, 3900 lbs of fat ass, $50K car interior, hit and miss dealership experience, and complex drivetrain with a battery that has a 10 some year life span, I pull myself out, despite the crazy $30K discounts.
What I rather have is a mid-engine sport car with a genuine Honda powerplant that screams, no more than 3500 lbs, around 400 Hp, something I can work on, transverse engine would work to lower cost, and a more upscale interior without the Honda Civic radio. I don't mind a single motor hybrid but nothing like the heavy 3 motor setup. And keep it under $120K, which isn't too far from current pricing once you factor in the $30K discounts.
573 Hp is bullshit. More power is not what this car needs. More power=more mass=more $$=less fun on the street. You read that right. There is more fun to drive a well tuned slow car fast than driving a fast car slow. And for the street, how fast do you want to go without having to arrive in jail.
In addition, buyers looking for $160K cars do not look at Acuras. They want a extravagant nameplate they can brag. Any 600+ Hp variant will drive pricing torwards $200K and result in a death spiral in sales. Honda needs to stop manufacturing engineering wonders that are market disasters. They need to get real with where their segment belongs. Believe it or not, current NSX is a rush job by Honda. This program was so delayed and when they changed to Longitudinal layout with dual turbos, they had to rush it to get it to market. Open the engine cover and see the abundance of wiring and hoses scattered like spaghetti. Which modern Honda do you know route and clips their harness and hoses like this? When did Honda contract out engine manufacturing to another engine company? Its usually the other way around like Sterling and GM SUV using Honda powerplant. And when did Honda maintenance become more elaborate than modern Porsche?
