Quite a long post! Allow me a minute to defend the mechanics working on your cars. Squeaks, rattles, clunks, etc are the hardest & most time consuming things to diagnose. Being paid on flat rate time, it's almost impossible to get paid for the time spent on these problems. It isn't that the dealer is disinterested in fixing the problem. It's that the tech is trying to make a pay check, and that is impossible with these kinds of problems. It's one of the reasons I left the dealer for an independent shop.
Anyhow, are the cars having issues all AWD or early production or only CVT models? Any pattern of affected vehicles?
I see a few of you are near Atlanta. I'm in Braselton. Drove to Anderson, SC to buy mine. Best car buying experience I have ever had!
That explains the lack of product support and a system that generates unhappy owners. This was my first and LAST Honda not because of the car but because of dealerships maintenance department.
A warranty is only as good as the maintenance department. They tout the value of the warranty and a CPO when talking price. They will downplay a CARFAX on a vehicle they sell you but on a trade in they will tell you your car is worthless. Then they pay you nothing and sell it for full price.
I’d like to note that my CPO was a joke and never actually done. They just checked the boxes on the form. How I know this is because my ‘16 HRV is a 6-Speed manual transmission which is rare. On the CPO the boxes were checked for CVT automatic transmission components non existent in my car and for the manual transmission / clutch / brake components were labeled n/a and lastly sealing their guilt my previous owner added the OEM accessory upgrade of fog lights to the base LX and noted on CPO N/A.
All of that proved to me that certainly my vehicle and likely every one and East Cost were never put through the so called 120 point inspection. They sold me on the car, with an inflated price, based on a faith and a belief with the confidence that a sound mechanic with expertise of these specific vehicles took the time to inspect the machine. It’s an absolute joke. I am just lucky enough to know or at least assume that no inspection of my car was done. Given the problems I have had and their either unwillingness (often utilize delaying and holding on to your car doing nothing and telling you some store) or also unfortunately when they do try to do the work on a rare occasion you get a good one and the do it right. But most often clear they are inept or are having unqualified people doing the work. It’s like if there is no OBD protocol they can’t even think like a mechanic.
Last year I hit a large rock one day and it damaged the sending unit / fuel pump float for fuel level indicator from the impact. The police officer behind me in his Malibu hit it as well and his car was completely disabled. After the event my fuel gauge went from full to half tank. No leak just incorrect reading. It would only read half when full. Understanding what happened or what likely happened myself, my geico claims adjuster (not mechanics) and the mechanic at Addys Harbor dodge all could intelligently deduce that the problem came from the mechanical part in the gas tank. The float attached to the sending unit fuel pump in the tank that gives the level reading on the gauge. After a week at East Coast Honda Geico asked my permission to have the vehicle towed from East Coast Cars to Addy’s Harbor Dodge. Addy’s had no problem and only took one day to get the part, fix and replace the fuel pump. It took them another day to reinstall the entire dashboard and console that Honda dissembled. Addy’s harbor dodge asked me why they did that to which I was unaware of and we both shared a sad laugh that these fools were looking for the fuel level inaccuracy in the instrument panel. It’s not actually funny, it’s pathetic, sad, and alarmingly scary. Luckily the Honda cars are good enough and the engine/trans rugged enough, so that even with poor service we should get there alive most of the time.
But there is a systematic problem with Honda’s dealerships. It’s not just that they don’t like me , I know that they don’t and that’s fine. Also sadly my Honda dealership is not alone as I read so many posts here that sound all too familiar. I suppose it’s in the mission statement.
Problems like this are a clear example. I don’t understand why they don’t realize that if they actually did the 120 point Certified Pre-Owned inspection they would have less cars coming back to service. They would have people like me who have a “service brake system immediately” light come on one mile after leaving the dealership in my new car and then it take them months to try to find and never fix it. I finally had it fixed at jiffy lube. Honda engines are amazing and lucky for them not a lot of good problems there. Honda customer care for me has been a disappointment.
Back to the warranty/CPO, a warranty is only as good as the service department’s ability and willingness to honor it and a CPO is nothing if never actually inspected. For me CPO is worthless unless you make them do it again (actually do it) and the warranty is flimsy because you may get it fixed or likely not. They like to give you the run around and let your warranty coverage run out and then they will gladly do what should have already been done but with your money.
It really bothers me to hear a a so called mechanic say wait till it gets worse. No good mechanic would ever say that.
Honda also makes corporate jets. I hope to the aviation sector of Honda does maintenance and warranty better for the aircraft. Or do they wait for it to get worse.
Next time I’ll try Toyota or Nissan but only after researching the dealership. So back to the warranty. when they first try to avoid doing the repair, as is their first and favorite tactic
