THSCC Forums

Highly recommended!

As some of you know, the Integra suffered a clutch issue on my 3rd run during Sunday's event and I was lucky enough to limp it home. I am attending the Pro Solo event in Lincoln, NE with the car this weekend so, needless to say, I was under a bit of pressure to get the car fixed.

I knew if I attempted the repair myself, the chances of making the trip would be greatly minimized so I thought I'd see if my mechanic friend in Chapel Hill (owner of Automotive Solutions and a great guy!) could fix it. It turns out he was out of town so I was left scrambling around trying to find somebody else to fix it. David Spratte mentioned Happy Japs in Cary and I remember a bunch of other people mentioning them in the past so I figured I'd give them a call. I haven't used a repair shop in over 10 years so I was a little apprehensive about the entire thing.

Rex, the owner and former (current?) Tarheel member, told me to bring the car in and he would squeeze me in knowing that I needed the car back by today. They did an awesome job and communicated with me during the entire process and the car is back at 100%. While I suspected the throwout bearing was toast, it turned out that the clutch disc was in the process of self-destructing. There was a small chunk of metal missing from the area holding one of the springs in and it was only a matter of time before the whole thing let go. The throwout bearing wasn't in the best shape but we suspect that wasn't what was causing the ugly mechanical noises on Sunday.

Anyway, their prices were very reasonable and the service was outstanding. If you have a Japanese car and are looking for an honest independent repair shop, give them a call.

Jim

That's great news that you got it put together in time for Lincoln!

Happy Jap's has been highly regarded for years now, it seems. Nice to know they're still a good place to work with.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

I haven't used the shop but I know Rex's son and can only speak positively about them.

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1997 BMW M3 Sedan

Rex helped me out during my 240Z resto, and is a top-shelf mechanic. No hesitations in taking a car there for honest quality work!

Reviving and old thread based on a recent experience with Happy Jap's, which was extremely positive.

After recent failed attempts at removing the crank pulley bolt on my Honda Pilot in order to change the timing belt, I requested and received quotes from 5 local shops, including the two local Honda dealerships and three independents specializing in imports. All except Happy Jap's quoted a package deal of some sort - some included the water pump, some the hydraulic tensioner, some both, etc. Happy Jap's was the only place that provided a tiered quote based on which components turned out to be in need of replacement after teardown/analysis. It also helped that Happy Jap's pricing was essentially the same as the other lowest quote. Add in Happy Jap's strong reputation amongst THSCC, the choice was a no-brainer.

As promised, Rex at Happy Jap's provided a detailed final quote the morning I dropped it off, and it turned out the water pump looked good as new, the hydraulic tensioner was leaking, and a couple guide rollers, which no one included in quotes, were in need of replacement. They were able to get all OEM Honda parts and finished the job the next day, just in time for the weekend.

And Happy Jap's left no doubt that they replaced exactly the parts they quoted - they left a small box in the car containing all the old/replaced parts inside the packaging each new part came in.

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Keith Q.
2008 Top Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmX8XuZ_DCo&NR=1