Let’s get the oil change interval bug fixed and here’s a poll and a link to do it

Are you going to make a ticket about the oil change interval problem?

  • Yes, I’m going to do it now

    Votes: 37 64.9%

  • Yes, I will do it soon

    Votes: 17 29.8%

  • No, I don’t care to help my fellow Clarity owners/it’s not worth my time/don’t think it’s a problem

    Votes: 3 5.3%
  • Total voters
    57
DaleL said:
Yes, it went from 2 months (aka 9 weeks) to 8 weeks. At least on my Clarity, the maintenance minder seems to be functioning properly. I got the HV range fix today.
Click to expand...
OK. That makes some sense.

I've scheduled the HV Range fix for Monday so before I go, I'll fill the tank for the first time in 10 months just to see how big a number I can get on the HV Range display. It's been showing 68 miles for weeks after showing 69 miles for a few months. There must have been a system check recently, but I never heard the engine and didn't notice the disappearance of the blue segment on the Power/Charge Gauge.
 
Mine went from service due in 10 days to service due now overnight without any ICE miles whatsoever, just a few longer than usual EV trips. Currently just over 7K miles, guessing 1800 or so in HV. I'll be taking it in for all the fixes in any case, but was expecting to wait a couple weeks. Does anyone know how long it takes to go from "service due" to "service overdue"?
 
I don’t know... Only 2,000+ miles on ICE seems like the oil should still be good until you get to 6,000 miles or so.
From all the posts it seems the MM is keying on total miles.
 
Honda's reply to me... Not very inspiring....

"We value you as a customer and appreciate the opportunity to respond to your maintenance inquiry. We offer our most sincere apologies regarding for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Maintenance Minder Display is based on the engine operating conditions and engine oil conditions, the system calculates the remaining days before the next service is to be performed. The information regarding the operation of your maintenance minder is available on your owners manual 475.
http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/ATRW1818OM/enu/ATRW1818OM.PDF

If you feel otherwise, we welcome you to obtain a proper diagnosis by your preferred or local Honda dealership. Their service staff would be in the best position to assist with the diagnosis. If you need assistance locating a Honda dealership, please visit our website, https://automobiles.honda.com/tools/dealership-locator"
 
Mine just reached 6K and the A01 came on the last week or so. I used totally about <30 gals and the rest is on EV. What kind of engine requires an oil change when it runs only 30 gals of gas? My Toyota 4Runner uses more than 30 gals every week, and I have had more than 123K miles on it. I do oil change every 10K for all Toyota cars I have had, and they all last until I get rid of them without any mechanic problems.
This Honda sucks. Yes, Honda sucks.
 
nymphaeles said:
Mine just reached 6K and the A01 came on the last week or so. I used totally about <30 gals and the rest is on EV. What kind of engine requires an oil change when it runs only 30 gals of gas? My Toyota 4Runner uses more than 30 gals every week, and I have had more than 123K miles on it. I do oil change every 10K for all Toyota cars I have had, and they all last until I get rid of them without any mechanic problems.
This Honda sucks. Yes, Honda sucks.
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nymphaeles...many folks agree the MM is total rubbish when it comes to the Honda Clarity and oil change recommendations.

I'm sure you have read the multiple threads on this issue. There is the one with a poll and encouragement to write Honda and let them know your displeasure. Other sites have similar threads. Some have taken the approach to contact some industry folks directly.

One thing I believe is being championed is that Honda should offer a free oil change to all Clarity owners to compensate for this obvious miscalculation. If your dealer gives you a freebie to start with..great...then your second one should be free. Honda is well aware of this issue and I think the lack of communication from Honda America is telling...at the very least they should come out and acknowledge the issue..."we recognize the oil change frequency as indicated by the MM is in question. Honda is actively looking into the matter and hopefully this issue can be rectified shortly" or something to that effect. To me that would be good business. But as of now...crickets.

You also have the option to not change the oil until your records indicate you have sufficient mileage or one year is up...which ever comes first. Keep dam good, accurate records which can prove within reason the EV versus ICE mileage. You have to be willing to stand your ground though if something comes up warranty wise...which is how these companies keep the consumer in line...with the implied threat of voiding the warranty. Honda is not alone...all manufactures use this implied threat.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy the Honda Clarity. This is my first Honda ever and I bought it knowing it is a pilot project. Honda makes dependable vehicles and usually battles Toyota for number 1 in reliability yearly. But that does not mean I will accept an egregious algorithm which is plainly BS and should be rectified sooner than later.

I also own a Toyota Rav 4 hybrid....so I understand...lol
 
Opened a ticket. Reported it in the voting herein. I received the service indicator after 5 months of ownership and 6,400 miles. I estimate 1,500 or less on the ICE. Only a total of 1,200 miles of road trip in hybrid mode, and very rare local use of the ICE due to unknown reasons (with full battery) or in rare circumstances when running out of juice driving around town.
 
That last bubble on the poll was getting lonely and dejected, so I filled it in (and why does this thread even need a poll?). I've only gone a little over 3000 miles in mine, but half of them have been gas on long trips. It says next service will be in four months, which will be about 9 months since I bought it, so it does seem a bit early.
 
Done.

Not nearly there, but I filed--I'd like to be able to see the hours on the ICE, and don't want it coming up too soon. Since my comment on the "Clarity 1 Year / 29,000 Mile Update" thread, I phrased it as concern since a 1 year/13k ICE car had to have 4 oil changes.
 
To add, the indicator came up again after only about 3800 miles (mostly gas), so it seems like it can come on much quicker than expected too, so this will be 5th oil change if I go by indicator by 30,000. It really doesn't need that many, I would send it in for analysis, but an oil change isn't much more expensive. Maybe I will anyway just to see how worn the oil really is.
 
I am due for my first oil change vary soon. I am going to be sending my oil in for analysis before the change. At below 17 gallons of gas burned there is no way I can need an oil change. If the results show I don't need an oil change, I can ask honda to repay it or start gathering data showing it dosen't work for a small claims court case. Ultimately, this feature not working affects the value of the car and the cost of maintaining it and it also affects the warranties on Hondas side. This is something that can be easily proved to be not functioning as advertised and they base warranty work on it. So this affects the value of the warranty.
 
JustAnotherPoorDriver said:
Done.

Not nearly there, but I filed--I'd like to be able to see the hours on the ICE, and don't want it coming up too soon. Since my comment on the "Clarity 1 Year / 29,000 Mile Update" thread, I phrased it as concern since a 1 year/13k ICE car had to have 4 oil changes.
Click to expand...
Most cars now do 7500-10000 mile oil change intervals.
 
The maintenance minder may work fine for ICE cars...it is a total POS for the Clarity.

My stance is simple...I will change the oil in my Clarity at 15,000 miles on ODO or 12 months...which ever comes first. Why 15K? Because if I figure 40% ICE usage that equates to 6,000 miles on ICE at 15k ODO. Pretty simple.

My spreadsheet indicates I use ICE less than 30% of the time but I choose 40% since it is defensible if it comes down to that.

As a owner of the Clarity...you can choose to follow the MM to the "T" or you can choose to change oil based on your documentation of ICE miles. Take your pick. Again pretty simple.

We all know the thinly veiled threats Honda USA makes with regard to voiding the warranty. If you are afraid that Honda USA will void the warranty because you do not follow the MM...then by all means follow it. More power to you.

If you choose to follow a logical, documented schedule..great. However...in the highly unlikely event something goes wrong with the supposedly impeccable Honda engine...I have no doubt Honda USA will spend thousands upon thousands of $$$ on lawyers to defeat you in court just because they can.

Yes I know its only $50 or whatever...but at the end of the day it comes down to principle. I am sick and tired of the bullshit American Car companies pull on the consumer. Most dealerships are shady to down right liars...take your pick. To the few good ones..my apologies.

This isn't news to anyone...this warranty scare tactic is employed by all car manufactures and most people are scared to death their going to get screwed over if they "piss off" the dealer. This can be changed only by the masses in the village...not just the few village idiots who stand up.

No ill will toward anyone on this forum or otherwise. Just the facts.
 
It's synthetic oil like my 2012 Prius Plugin where the oil change interval was every 10,000 miles. The ICE ran much more on the Prius because the EV range was so small and the heater ran off the ICE.
 
Clarity_Newbie said:
This isn't news to anyone...this warranty scare tactic is employed by all car manufactures and most people are scared to death their going to get screwed over if they "piss off" the dealer. This can be changed only by the masses in the village...not just the few village idiots who stand up.
Click to expand...
I don't consider myself "scared to death". I have done what I consider to be a logical cost/benefit analysis, and based on that I will do the maintenance as dictated by the broken function in the car. I realize that the probability of the dealer screwing me on a warranty claim is small but the cost of doing the unnecessary maintenance is small enough that I will take that route. I don't like it, but as you said, it's the choice I've made.

Yes, it's against my principles. My dealer pressures me to get the oil changed for my CRV based on what they were recommending before the advent of synthetic oil and a computer in the car that can provide a reasonable estimate. In this case I can tell my dealer that I will use what the car says, and they won't have any grounds to deny a warranty claim. Having a maintenance minder that requires unnecessary trips to the service department is the same technique, automated, and the cynic in me wonders if it's a feature not a bug. Car dealers are a sorry lot, and I also apologize to the few good ones.

I think that the root problem here is that Honda really doesn't have a clue when it comes to PHEVs, and this ignorance extends to the local dealers. Many reports in this forum reinforce the lack of knowledge and experience at the local dealerships, plus no desire to serve the customer by educating themselves. Or maybe the desire is there but the information simply is not available to the people in the field who need it. Whatever the cause, we Clarity owners are serving as the educators of Honda, from the local mechanic all the way to the executives who set the course of the company. One of my goals when I purchased the Clarity was to evangelize the advantages of the EV concept. I'm perfectly willing to educate my friends and neighbors about the car, but I'd really prefer not to have to do the same for my local dealer.
 
This whole situation really shows how ignorant and stupid the dealers are. They should be trying hard to sell this car. It still needs oil changes and so brings in service revenue like a gas only car. And it's such a unique car for Honda (PHEV and low volume) they can correctly say that not many independent mechanics will have experience with it. This car is great for dealer service departments.

But what do they do instead? Let the battery die before test drives, give out wrong information, and try to push customers to buy traditional gas cars. They are so set in their ways, they can't even see how this is an opportunity for them.
 
I have called them and they are a lot more helpful. I am going to call them again after the new year.
 
I finally heard back from Honda. This was their (rather unhelpful) response:

Thank you for writing to us. We apologize for our delayed response and hope this message finds you well. The engine oil will need to be changed when the Maintenance Minder indicates A1 service regardless of how many miles are driven while the vehicle is fully electric.
 
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