Back on Track

[Victorofhavoc]

Lots of little crap. I try not to look too closely at anything for fear of finding something! Lol.
I have the LCM and I think it’s great for hiding panel misalignment.

Yes, the little things I can look past. The fender to cowl alignment hurts my soul. It just really cheapens an otherwise really cool front end.

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[Victorofhavoc]

I bought some clips at the dealer. 8 of them were like 5$ or so...i could have made the dealer pay for them or fix it, but I was in a rush and I'd rather do it all myself so I can felt tape every contact area.

The carbon spoiler fits okay. It needs an 11/32nds drill bit. It flexes quite a bit torsionally but not laterally, so the foam tape is partially exposed on either end. Seems fine otherwise and fits the aggressive valence a bit better than the shiny black one imo.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Found a tlx twin at target. Also I ordered the ti shift knob. Ppf is finally going on tomorrow. I'm debating on doing the roof in smoke. We'll see.

 

[optronix]

I like the OEM titanium knob, but I'm currently exploring alternatives. Somehow I got a scratch on mine and it looks like it's going to be there permanently. Also the shade of the knob wasn't quite what I was expecting and doesn't match the rest of the interior of the car.

I'd actually consider going back to the OEM leather knob but the main reason I moved away from it was the stitching on the seam irritates my hand. Yes, I'm a biggity bitch about it but it also gave me an excuse to try something different. Still looking. None of the aftermarket knobs are jumping out to me but I also haven't really been looking too hard.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I like the OEM titanium knob, but I'm currently exploring alternatives. Somehow I got a scratch on mine and it looks like it's going to be there permanently. Also the shade of the knob wasn't quite what I was expecting and doesn't match the rest of the interior of the car.

I'd actually consider going back to the OEM leather knob but the main reason I moved away from it was the stitching on the seam irritates my hand. Yes, I'm a biggity bitch about it but it also gave me an excuse to try something different. Still looking. None of the aftermarket knobs are jumping out to me but I also haven't really been looking too hard.

Yeah, the leather i find annoying on the stock knob. I'm trying out the oem ti because it's cheap and I think I might like the shape. Plus the metal on the oe leather knob gets obscenely hot.

Check out lathewerks. Chris's knobs are all good and customizable. The oem one based on the sti oem knob is probably my favorite. I was talking to him to do a custom one for the Integra based on the oem knob, but I think weight wouldn't have worked out. Ultimately the convo fell off as he got busy and didn't follow up for a couple weeks, but ordering the options off his site is always consistent. The spoon alternative knob is also good.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Dropped off the car for ppf this morning and somehow between last night and this morning I got two rock chips on the hood. It was entirely down to the metal, which is very surprising. It's pretty clear from the chip area that the paint is just too thick, and it's particularly thick in that area compared to other parts. Thankfully they'll do some fill and correction before the ppf goes down, but still sucks.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Tint is done. Looking forward to getting the ppf on!

 

[ABPDE5]

Yeah, the leather i find annoying on the stock knob. I'm trying out the oem ti because it's cheap and I think I might like the shape. Plus the metal on the oe leather knob gets obscenely hot.

Check out lathewerks. Chris's knobs are all good and customizable. The oem one based on the sti oem knob is probably my favorite. I was talking to him to do a custom one for the Integra based on the oem knob, but I think weight wouldn't have worked out. Ultimately the convo fell off as he got busy and didn't follow up for a couple weeks, but ordering the options off his site is always consistent. The spoon alternative knob is also good.

Lathewerks is great! I got a custom knob from Chris last year, and I can't say enough about working with him. I have since changed to the Science of Speed NSX R replica knob, and I am enjoying its shape, but the finish on the Lathewerks knob is superior. (Both are bead-blasted Ti.)

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Well, my rattle and build quality woes are continuing in the unfunnest of ways...

To date the car has less than 700mi and so far I have:
A window/gasket clicking/ticking that is loudest on the driver door, but now occurs on all doors and seems like the hatch as well
A ticking from the steering column when turning at low speeds
A high pitched buzz when at 4-5k rpm from the driver door
A buzzing from under the dash above 4500rpm
A buzzing from the roof liner when the sunshade is open
The buzzing under the infotainment now comes and goes after dealer Honda tsb fix
The seat belt rattle persists over chipsealed roads
The factory all weather floor mat on the drivers side creaks like a nightmare at the plastic clip
The ppf person documented all the same paint defects I did and two of them are magnified by the ppf - they'll see what they can do, but it's not great


I guess the good news is the dealership got in the plastic fender bit that was peeling off, so I'm looking to make time for that dealer trip.

 

[optronix]

Well, my rattle and build quality woes are continuing in the unfunnest of ways...

To date the car has less than 700mi and so far I have:
A window/gasket clicking/ticking that is loudest on the driver door, but now occurs on all doors and seems like the hatch as well
A ticking from the steering column when turning at low speeds
A high pitched buzz when at 4-5k rpm from the driver door
A buzzing from under the dash above 4500rpm
A buzzing from the roof liner when the sunshade is open
The buzzing under the infotainment now comes and goes after dealer Honda tsb fix
The seat belt rattle persists over chipsealed roads
The factory all weather floor mat on the drivers side creaks like a nightmare at the plastic clip
The ppf person documented all the same paint defects I did and two of them are magnified by the ppf - they'll see what they can do, but it's not great


I guess the good news is the dealership got in the plastic fender bit that was peeling off, so I'm looking to make time for that dealer trip.

So, back when this car was first announced and that it would be built in Ohio, I knew.

Any cars built in the fall/winter months on Monday (or sometimes Tuesday or Friday) after a Bengals OR Browns game (Marysville appears to be equidistant to Cleveland and Cincinnati) may have issues.

Makes you think.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

So, back when this car was first announced and that it would be built in Ohio, I knew.

Any cars built in the fall/winter months on Monday (or sometimes Tuesday or Friday) after a Bengals OR Browns game (Marysville appears to be equidistant to Cleveland and Cincinnati) may have issues.

Makes you think.

They should just move the whole production operation to Mexico. If vw can manage to churn out consistently well put together cars from Mexico, then Honda should too. I mean, like half the parts on the car are already stamped Mexico, so might as well just move it all closer there.

I priced out going to an m3 this morning... The more time I spend driving the its the more I regret not getting the M. Sure it's heavy, fat, and the cup holders are wrong, but at least it doesn't look like it was painted and assembled by a blind guy while having the interior silence of a 90s Chevy van.

However, once I set the car to sport, roll the driver's side windows down (can't do passenger too or the wind buffeting slams the seat belts around and causes the hatch to creak for some reason), and turn up the music the car is actually fun to drive! As long as I'm keeping it under 5k rpm because over that and the loud buzzing under the dash overtakes even the wind noise...

I go back and forth a lot. Driving dynamics are great. Shift engagement is okay. Clutch feel blows. Rev hang is horrendous. Interior quality is Meh. Tech is weak and very old. Exterior quality is definitely Nissan sentra level at best, probably more Chevy sonic. But damn it, it looks so damn good from every angle. The 4 to 3 shift is probably one of the best in any car I've ever driven, and there have been a lot. Pedal placement is honestly superb where it's tight enough for fast movement while also being spaced enough to keep from feeling crammed like recent 911s. Steering is mostly numb, but pretty precise and somewhat communicative (for an electric drive car). Stereo is pretty bad imo. I thought it was good initially but the more time I've spent with it the more I've found it to be too pitchy on the upper end when the volume goes up, especially if the speed volume setting is enabled.

No car is perfect, but this is slowly working it's way out of my garage. I'll be taking a huge loss on it in this case, if I do get rid of it. I rarely keep a car for more than 2 years. My vw lasted 7 for me and I really thought this car was a step up that would keep me interested for another 5 years... Not so right now.

 

[optronix]

They should just move the whole production operation to Mexico. If vw can manage to churn out consistently well put together cars from Mexico, then Honda should too. I mean, like half the parts on the car are already stamped Mexico, so might as well just move it all closer there.

I priced out going to an m3 this morning... The more time I spend driving the its the more I regret not getting the M. Sure it's heavy, fat, and the cup holders are wrong, but at least it doesn't look like it was painted and assembled by a blind guy while having the interior silence of a 90s Chevy van.

However, once I set the car to sport, roll the driver's side windows down (can't do passenger too or the wind buffeting slams the seat belts around and causes the hatch to creak for some reason), and turn up the music the car is actually fun to drive! As long as I'm keeping it under 5k rpm because over that and the loud buzzing under the dash overtakes even the wind noise...

I go back and forth a lot. Driving dynamics are great. Shift engagement is okay. Clutch feel blows. Rev hang is horrendous. Interior quality is Meh. Tech is weak and very old. Exterior quality is definitely Nissan sentra level at best, probably more Chevy sonic. But damn it, it looks so damn good from every angle. The 4 to 3 shift is probably one of the best in any car I've ever driven, and there have been a lot. Pedal placement is honestly superb where it's tight enough for fast movement while also being spaced enough to keep from feeling crammed like recent 911s. Steering is mostly numb, but pretty precise and somewhat communicative (for an electric drive car). Stereo is pretty bad imo. I thought it was good initially but the more time I've spent with it the more I've found it to be too pitchy on the upper end when the volume goes up, especially if the speed volume setting is enabled.

No car is perfect, but this is slowly working it's way out of my garage. I'll be taking a huge loss on it in this case, if I do get rid of it. I rarely keep a car for more than 2 years. My vw lasted 7 for me and I really thought this car was a step up that would keep me interested for another 5 years... Not so right now.

Part of me feels like you just got the shit end of the stick with your particular car... but it also just might not be a fit for you.

For me, I've probably pissed a lot of people off on these forums with my unbridled passion for this car. This car is borderline spiritual for me. I went through a sequence of incredibly expensive cars and still for whatever reason found something wanting and moved on from them, losing an unimaginable amount of money in the process (enough to buy an ITS and quite a few mods...). I know I'm only 1 year in to ownership of this Type S, but I'm just as thrilled with it as the day I drove it home... and for reference, I only owned my 991.2 Carrera S 7MT for a year, so doing the math, I got tired of it way before that. A B9.5 RS5 only lasted 6 months. 718 GTS 4.0, 9 months. I'm liking my chances with this one.

I'm clearly not saying this car is objectively better than a 991.2 Carrera S, or 718 GTS 4.0 (RS5 is arguable). But it is a better fit for me personally. I honestly don't care if there are a few rattles here and there. My fit and finish does not appear to be nearly as bad as what you're dealing with, but even if it was I don't think it would significantly impact my ownership experience... but also I think from my perspective, my expectations are probably WAY lower than most people on this board. This car is an absolute BARGAIN to me; coming in at literally less than half of most of the previous cars I've had, but providing as much if not more driver engagement as well as track "survivability" if not "prowess"... which ultimately is all I really care about. Fitting my dog and all the gear I want in the back is an added bonus.

If the G80 or G87 was the modern day equivalent of an E46 or E90, I may have chosen differently. It just doesn't do it for me. I honestly would rather have an F80- and honestly while I was going through the dealership hassle trying to find an ITS a little over a year ago, if I would have found a clean one for a reasonable price, I would have bought another F80 (I previously had an F82).

But I'm happy where I landed. I do wish everyone else who had one of these felt the same way about it as I do, but I realize that's ridiculous.

I hope you can find something that works for you, but I won't sit here and try to get you to reconcile your experience if you're already having second thoughts at less than 1000 miles in...

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Part of me feels like you just got the shit end of the stick with your particular car... but it also just might not be a fit for you.

For me, I've probably pissed a lot of people off on these forums with my unbridled passion for this car. This car is borderline spiritual for me. I went through a sequence of incredibly expensive cars and still for whatever reason found something wanting and moved on from them, losing an unimaginable amount of money in the process (enough to buy an ITS and quite a few mods...). I know I'm only 1 year in to ownership of this Type S, but I'm just as thrilled with it as the day I drove it home... and for reference, I only owned my 991.2 Carrera S 7MT for a year, so doing the math, I got tired of it way before that. A B9.5 RS5 only lasted 6 months. 718 GTS 4.0, 9 months. I'm liking my chances with this one.

I'm clearly not saying this car is objectively better than a 991.2 Carrera S, or 718 GTS 4.0 (RS5 is arguable). But it is a better fit for me personally. I honestly don't care if there are a few rattles here and there. My fit and finish does not appear to be nearly as bad as what you're dealing with, but even if it was I don't think it would significantly impact my ownership experience... but also I think from my perspective, my expectations are probably WAY lower than most people on this board. This car is an absolute BARGAIN to me; coming in at literally less than half of most of the previous cars I've had, but providing as much if not more driver engagement as well as track "survivability" if not "prowess"... ultimately is all I really care about. Fitting my dog and all the gear I want in the back is an added bonus.

If the G80 or G87 was the modern day equivalent of an E46 or E90, I may have chosen differently. It just doesn't do it for me. I honestly would rather have an F80- and honestly while I was going through the dealership hassle trying to find an ITS a little over a year ago, if I would have found a clean one for a reasonable price, I would have bought another F80 (I previously had an F82).

But I'm happy where I landed. I do wish everyone else who had one of these felt the same way about it as I do, but I realize that's ridiculous.

I hope you can find something that works for you, but I won't sit here and try to get you to reconcile your experience if you're already having second thoughts at less than 1000 miles in...

It's definitely a better drivers car than the rs5. Any recent audi is just dull and boring imo. Granted, their tech and quality feel LIGHT YEARS ahead of the its. There's just zero comparison in my experience. Audi = luxury car, acura = American econobox.

I guess what I was looking for was a hot hatch that had a luxury car feel. This is not my dedicated track toy. It's primarily a daily beater for me, but I plan to take it out for the events where I'm either doing 1:1 instruction or not racing and doing instruction. I really just needed a "clubsport" level car and I figured this would fit the bill. Unfortunately it's entirely missing the luxury component and basically it's a tin can.

While I agree this car is "cheap" in the current market, I wouldn't call it a bargain. It's a drop in the bucket for cost for me and less than my last random bonus, but it's certainly not a bargain. If we're comparing, the rs3 or m2 are comparatively the bargain between them. They provide tremendously more value for similar money.

At the end of the day it's not about the money. If it was I would have just bought a corolla or some other pos car. It's about having a fun daily drive experience with some halfway decent track competency where the car won't fall apart or overheat doing some basic lapping for 30-45mins at a time. This car just makes too many "cheap noises" that prevent it from feeling fun on a daily drive. How can it be fun when revving above 3k rpm anywhere produces tons of buzzing, shifting or turning produce clicking and rattling, and any bump on the road causes every rattle to go off.

I'm sure it would be a lot more fun driving on a perfectly smooth road, with no turns, no shifting, and below 3k rpm. At that point, though, who even cares anymore, just get a battery car.

I haven't entirely given up on it. I'll have the dealer fix what they can, but if ALL of the majorly annoying rattles aren't solved in the first 5k miles I'll definitely be getting rid of it and probably go back in time to get an e46 or something.

 

[optronix]

It's definitely a better drivers car than the rs5. Any recent audi is just dull and boring imo. Granted, their tech and quality feel LIGHT YEARS ahead of the its. There's just zero comparison in my experience. Audi = luxury car, acura = American econobox.

I guess what I was looking for was a hot hatch that had a luxury car feel. This is not my dedicated track toy. It's primarily a daily beater for me, but I plan to take it out for the events where I'm either doing 1:1 instruction or not racing and doing instruction. I really just needed a "clubsport" level car and I figured this would fit the bill. Unfortunately it's entirely missing the luxury component and basically it's a tin can.

While I agree this car is "cheap" in the current market, I wouldn't call it a bargain. It's a drop in the bucket for cost for me and less than my last random bonus, but it's certainly not a bargain. If we're comparing, the rs3 or m2 are comparatively the bargain between them. They provide tremendously more value for similar money.

At the end of the day it's not about the money. If it was I would have just bought a corolla or some other pos car. It's about having a fun daily drive experience with some halfway decent track competency where the car won't fall apart or overheat doing some basic lapping for 30-45mins at a time. This car just makes too many "cheap noises" that prevent it from feeling fun on a daily drive. How can it be fun when revving above 3k rpm anywhere produces tons of buzzing, shifting or turning produce clicking and rattling, and any bump on the road causes every rattle to go off.

I'm sure it would be a lot more fun driving on a perfectly smooth road, with no turns, no shifting, and below 3k rpm. At that point, though, who even cares anymore, just get a battery car.

I haven't entirely given up on it. I'll have the dealer fix what they can, but if ALL of the majorly annoying rattles aren't solved in the first 5k miles I'll definitely be getting rid of it and probably go back in time to get an e46 or something.

Re-read this post as if you're reading it for the first time, and ask yourself what you would tell the person who wrote this?

You clearly hate the car. Maybe you're just frustrated at this point in time, I've probably been there with a few cars... but man. This is some true grievance shit!

And yeah you made the wrong choice. Money no object, you definitely should have gotten an RS3 for the kind of use case you're describing, manual be damned. For me I've just done the Audi thing already, money was a factor, but the RS3 is pretty much categorically better (besides steering- the ITS does steering very, very well IMO).

I had zero expectations of luxury, it had nothing to do with money. It's actually fine from a luxury standpoint for me because as far as I'm concerned none of that shit matters. I've never given two shits about parts of the interior I don't really even look at, or touch- my wife does, and that's why the MSRP of that Macan was over $108K. Embossed logos on the headrests, seatbelt colors and contrast stitching adds up. For me though? Give me all your plastic dashes and door cards... the ITS interior is still better than the F87 M2 IMHO.

It just never was an illusion I had, that this car was anything more than a gussied up Civic. That part doesn't bother me- because I was also looking at the Type R. Which as we all should know, is actually a Civic.

Mine doesn't sound like it's falling apart though, which apparently yours does... that sucks, but I don't think you should waste any more time on it. There's emotion attached now, and not the good kind. If money isn't an issue, you really should probably move on... and yeah, probably to an RS3.

 

[egxflash]

It's definitely a better drivers car than the rs5. Any recent audi is just dull and boring imo. Granted, their tech and quality feel LIGHT YEARS ahead of the its. There's just zero comparison in my experience. Audi = luxury car, acura = American econobox.

I guess what I was looking for was a hot hatch that had a luxury car feel. This is not my dedicated track toy. It's primarily a daily beater for me, but I plan to take it out for the events where I'm either doing 1:1 instruction or not racing and doing instruction. I really just needed a "clubsport" level car and I figured this would fit the bill. Unfortunately it's entirely missing the luxury component and basically it's a tin can.

While I agree this car is "cheap" in the current market, I wouldn't call it a bargain. It's a drop in the bucket for cost for me and less than my last random bonus, but it's certainly not a bargain. If we're comparing, the rs3 or m2 are comparatively the bargain between them. They provide tremendously more value for similar money.

At the end of the day it's not about the money. If it was I would have just bought a corolla or some other pos car. It's about having a fun daily drive experience with some halfway decent track competency where the car won't fall apart or overheat doing some basic lapping for 30-45mins at a time. This car just makes too many "cheap noises" that prevent it from feeling fun on a daily drive. How can it be fun when revving above 3k rpm anywhere produces tons of buzzing, shifting or turning produce clicking and rattling, and any bump on the road causes every rattle to go off.

I'm sure it would be a lot more fun driving on a perfectly smooth road, with no turns, no shifting, and below 3k rpm. At that point, though, who even cares anymore, just get a battery car.

I haven't entirely given up on it. I'll have the dealer fix what they can, but if ALL of the majorly annoying rattles aren't solved in the first 5k miles I'll definitely be getting rid of it and probably go back in time to get an e46 or something.

Mine certainly has its share of noises and although I try not to let it ruin for me, I can empathize and sympathize with some of what you've mentioned.

That said, I don't have it nearly as bad and the noises I do have, I have learned to tolerate. Fortunately some go away when I push on various panels to "seat" it properly so I think I'll just have to spend some time putting foam in certain spots . It's still not something I think we should have to do for ANY new car that isn't a Kia Forte or some POS like that. The build quality in this car sort of makes some Chevies and Nissans I've owned in the past feel like a Mercedes.

Honestly though, it doesn't sound like it's going to work out for you. There just seems to be too many problems with your specific car and I don't blame you for being sour about it.

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