Clarity A/C problem (and warranty extension on pg 10)

All - here is the Clarity Screen doing its job yesterday! For those of you in the Northeast, the below is what I found after driving into a swarm of Cicada's yesterday near Princeton, NJ. It's not just small rocks we have to worry about hitting the A/C condenser....

 

Would appreciate some guidance. I have a 2018 Clarity blowing warm air and will be taking it in the week after next.

1. I understand it would be helpful to gather some data from the OBD2 port while the car is in a low refrigerant state. I don't have any experience here but would be happy to get an OBD2 scanner dongle and app. Recommendations for the dongle, app, and a tutorial?
2. I spoke with Honda service. They are aware of the warranty extension on the Clarity condenser, but they claim that they need to do a $450 evacuate/recharge in order to test for the leak. (Specifically: evacuate, recharge, examine immediately for a leak. If none found, add dye and drive for a week while using the A/C a lot.)

• Does that sound right?

• Before I head in, I understand there is a characteristic spot that should show oil leakage if the recallable defect is at fault. Could someone describe where I should look? (A photo would, of course, be great.)

​

Thanks for your attention and apologies for the beby steps.

 

If you are blowing warm air, your Freon is likely completely gone. The OBD scanner is an effort to learn what 'good' and 'bad' conditions look like in order to perhaps preemptively identify that a problem is coming. I am not sure we are succeeding, but if you are interested in this, all of the details about the dongle and setup are in this thread:
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/budget-battery-capacity-readout.10531/

You probably already saw this related one specifically about gathering data:
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/using-obd2-port-adapter-to-check-air-conditioning.10941/#post-130258

Well, it's probably 'correct'... You can't really find a leak definitively if there is no Freon to sense where it is leaking. This is a kind of catch-22 however. If you lost your Freon because of the known condenser problem, then shouldn't Honda be liable for all costs incurred by the known condenser problem?

I dunno... Maybe you could make an argument that you would pay this cost only if the problem with the A/C is not due to the factory condenser issue?

This post has a photo of what the leak looks like... It may be easier to see in person than on a photo, but it basically looks like an oil stain:
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/poll-clarity-air-conditioning-output-not-cool.10897/#post-133903

Keep in mind that Honda only covers the factory defect with the condenser leak. If yours was hit by a stone (there is a vulneribiity to this) and has evidence of this type of physical damage, then they won't cover it. There is a certain amount of judgement involved.

It is a little hard to see this area... It is right behind the front license plate behind a grate (see post #201 just above this). The area is behind the Cicada !!!. Your car won't have the 'fine' screen (that is an accessory). You will only have the coarse one behind the fine screen.

 

It should cost you nothing. See my post at https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/clarity-ac-not-working.11278/

Both the inspection and repair were covered.

 

I got down and took a picture of my condenser at 34K miles. I see some small dents from rocks, so I got a screen using the link provided above. Thank you Stephen O’Hara for the quick shipping and reasonable price. Here is some images of the condenser damage. The dirt stuck to oil on the bottom right is concerning and could indicate a Freon leak since Freon carries oil for the A/C compressor. Our A/C still blows cold. Honda did at least put a plastic shield for big stones in front, but it doesn’t cover the bottom and the holes are pretty big. You can see the bent fins from stones in the image below.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Here is an image of the Clarity screen installed.
I would think a similar screen for the upper air inlet would be needed, but more rocks will hit the lower air inlet. Upper air let pictured below. You can see some rock damage in this picture too.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I agree that this area is suspicious.
Your eyeball is probably better than the photo conveys, but I don't think this oily area looks like it was caused by a stone.
There may not be anything you can do until it fails to blow cold air, but at least you now have the warranty extension working in your favor.

 

Thank you for the photo!

Does anyone know if the manufacturing defect always shows up in the same place? (Is it always near the bottom where Mad_River saw it, or somewhere else, or might it be anywhere on the condenser?)

 

Very good question !

 

How much were those screens? They look really nice.

I was on a road trip and I hit a fox while driving. At first I thought I destroyed the cover that must've been there... Then I realized that it was as designed. Poor fox.

 

I think $36 delivered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think one prominent location for the condenser leak is the lower driver side corner. That's where mine was if you look at the images I posted.

Oily-looking fins by sabasc posted May 2, 2021 at 4:42 PM

 

I think one prominent location for the condenser leak is the lower driver side corner. That's where mine was if you look at the images I posted.

IMG_20210502_170316 by sabasc posted May 2, 2021 at 6:56 PM

 

Question for someone who bought that screen. Does it also cover the large opening to the extra small radiator (battery or inverter cooling maybe?) that is in front of the driver's side front wheel well?

 

No, it only covers the lower front grille (where the condenser is)...
It is the area identified in this picture...



The other area you identified is probably less vulnerable, and less expensive if damage were to occur. It is quite possible however that the 'voltshelf' guy who makes the screen could also do a smaller one for this other area. The condenser screen is very easily installed with a few zip-ties. I have not looked to see if the other area has readily available attachment points.

 

It does not.

 

Hi fabricated my own screen and had to make a small hole to put a zip tie in to hold it in place. It isn't pretty but it gets the job done. That's plastic welding that you see in various places to reinforce the edges.

 

Attached is the full Service Bulletin on the AC warranty. It provides some details as to how the technician should determine if the repair is under warranty.

 

Anecdotal update:
The local Honda service department went from not knowing about this three weeks ago to taking the car in yesterday and diagnosing the issue with my '18 Clarity as a covered fault in the condenser.
They were polite the entire time and seem to have been getting updated information from Honda about how to approach the matter.
Only downside is that the word is out and the replacement condensers are now hard to get. I'm now confidently expecting a $0 out-of-pocket solution...eventually.

 

After reporting that my AC was not working and being 2 months outside my warranty (but with less than 60km mileage) I asked Honda Canada to consider this for a goodwill warranty repair on 17 May 2021. I received a positive reply on 24 June 2021 and the dealer replaced the (slightly) leaking condenser at no charge, although I had to pay $140 for the initial check and recharge with refrigerant and UV dye by the dealer. AC is now working - anti rock damage grill to be installed soon.