The car is absolutely brilliant. It is whisper quiet and the gear change is smooth and slick, not that I had any complaints about the action. However, it is even sweeter now.
The cost was £270.00 + VAT, for a total of £324.00. For that they have supplied and fitted ALL the bearings and seals, filling the box with Honda MTF. The repair comes with a 12 month, unlimited mileage guarantee
I just checked in so see how it went Jocko, glad to hear it's been a success. Looks like a complete bearing & seal kit has been used, and the bonus of a improved gear change will no doubt be due to the fresh oil. Sounds like a great job done, at a very fair price indeed.
I found some drawings of the gearbox, and it is possible to change the input shaft seal from inside once everything is removed, so it is indeed possible to do the gearbox by splitting it in situ. It's an unorthodox method, potentially fiddly, but it obviously works - and the results speak for themselves.
The only thing to watch out for now is any leaks from the gearbox where it was split, but if everything was cleaned thoroughly before reassembly, there shouldn't be a problem. It sounds like they know what they're doing.