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

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by KentuckyKen, Aug 31, 2018.

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

  1. Yes, I’m going to do it now

    37 vote(s)
    64.9%
  2. Yes, I will do it soon

    17 vote(s)
    29.8%
  3. No, I don’t care to help my fellow Clarity owners/it’s not worth my time/don’t think it’s a problem

    3 vote(s)
    5.3%
  1. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    My apologies. It’s hard to find good help these these days. I’ll PM Dominick and see if I can add a new categories.
    Maybe...
    -Yes, if and when I get an unreasonably early oil change alert
    -No, My MM is indications reasonable oil change intervals based on my ICE usage.
    Any better suggestions before I bug Dominick wirh this?
     
    ClarityDoc likes this.
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  3. su_A_ve

    su_A_ve Active Member

    Done. Have about 1100 miles on the car, with 290 HV miles left with the original gas tank. Just lost two miles today when I floored it entering the interstate and ICE kicked in for a couple of minutes.
     
    David A and KentuckyKen like this.
  4. JackH

    JackH Member

    Here is the response I received from Honda

    Dear J H,

    We value you as a customer and appreciate the opportunity to respond to your maintenance inquiry. We offer our most sincere apologies regarding the confusion of this.

    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

    Kind Regards,

    Honda Automobile Customer Service
    Case #08953866



    Here is my response to Honda -

    It is my opinion, as well as many others on the internet, that the Maintenance Minder is improperly calculating the oil change interval. It appears that it is calculating it based on odometer mileage and not on the actual usage of the engine. In my case I have less that 1000 miles of actual engine usage out of 6600 odometer miles.

    The Maintenance Minder programming needs to be corrected since we are incurring unneeded costs for oil changes that are not needed.
     
    David A and KentuckyKen like this.
  5. StickWare

    StickWare Active Member

    I got this reply:


    Thank you for allowing us the opportunity of responding to your message. Your satisfaction is paramount to us and we assure you of our interest in providing the best possible assistance.

    As the manufacturer, our recommendation is to follow your vehicle’s Maintenance Minder feature to eliminate the cost of unnecessary service. Based on engine operating conditions and driving habits, your vehicle’s computer will notify you when maintenance is due. When your vehicle’s engine oil life reaches 15%, the “Service Due Soon” message will appear on the Multi-Information Display. In addition, the maintenance main and sub item codes will be shown. You are able to review Maintenance Minder information at our Honda Owners website: http://owners.honda.com/servicemaintenance/minder/ For more information, please contact the Service Department of your preferred Honda dealership as a Service Technician will be in the best position to provide you further assistance in regards to this matter.

    Kind regards,


    Honda Automobile Customer Service
    Case #08954919
     
  6. ClarityDoc

    ClarityDoc Active Member

    If the goal is to motivate a "Yes", then the poll was well-formed. In the same light, it's clearly biased to "guilt" those who don't think this is necessary or effective - so I don't think it's an informative poll, just good marketing for getting folks to file a complaint. Saying this with all due respect for KK - it's good to get these filed, but I would have been interested in the # of "No" responses (but I don't think we'll get them given how this was crafted).

    That said, I did file (case # 08970050), and here's the message I wrote:
    I'm concerned about the way that the mileage for oil changes is determined, considering that this is a PHEV. This should be based on an assessment of oil quality, and/or internal combustion engine use, rather than total miles driven. In my case, the miles are 90% EV, so the oil is not stressed in the way it would be if I were burning gas.

    One of the selling points of the Clarity was infrequent oil changes due to PHEV technology, but the determination of service reminders seems inconsistent with that sales pitch.
     
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  8. kevosuki

    kevosuki New Member

    Agreed. Perhaps changing the wording of the poll would better reflect the number of individuals who created a ticket with Honda. That being said I have submitted mine.
     
  9. Jordan

    Jordan Member

    I got this response from Honda:

    Thank you for being a Honda customer! We certainly apologize that you are having concerns with the maintenance of your vehicle. Your vehicle is equipped with a maintenance minder system, eliminating the need for a preset maintenance schedule. This intelligent system will provide you with the most accurate information on your vehicles service needs based on driving habits and environmental conditions. If you have concerns with the vehicle we recommend consulting your local authorized dealership as they are more tecnically inclined to review your concerns. We hope the information provided is helpful to you. Our customer service team can be reached at (https://automobiles.honda.com/information/customer-relations) Thank you for reaching out to Honda.

    So nothing helpful...
     
  10. Ken7

    Ken7 Active Member

    It is clear from Honda’s responses that they have no clue what we’re suggesting. There seems to be zero understanding that for many people the ICE rarely comes on. We’ve got about 10,000 miles on ours and I believe we’ve filled the tank 6 times. If they don’t understand the implications implied in our complaints, how will there ever be a fix?

    With that said I will file a complaint once my reminder comes on the next time.
     
    David A likes this.
  11. ClarityDoc

    ClarityDoc Active Member

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  13. lanb

    lanb Active Member

    Filed my concern

    Hello,

    As a new owner of the 2018 Clarity PHEV, I was disappointed to learn that the Maintenance Minder recommends an oil change at the 6000 mile interval irrespective of the amount of miles driven via the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE).

    As a clean green car, I would expect the Clarity MM to recommend oil changes based on the ICE mileage rather than the total mileage especially since the idea behind a PHEV is to drive the majority of the miles using the Electric Motor.

    It is just a waste of resources and also environmentally unfriendly, to need premature oil changes.

    I hope Honda takes a look at the concerns filed by multiple owners regarding this and takes the right steps to fix the Maintenance Minder.

    Thank you !

    Feel free to cut / edit and paste for your ticket :)
     
  14. AlanSqB

    AlanSqB Active Member

    The responses to this are right in line with the first responses on HV range so it seems like this is on a goo trajectory to get resolved. :). Have faith. Once some of these get past the admin assistant type folks they have answering them something will happen.
     
  15. lanb

    lanb Active Member

    Someone save that promotional material from Honda touting 1-year oil changes, just in case this needs a legal push :)
     
  16. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    This may be starting to happen.
    This is the second message I got after the initial lame, canned response. It also shows even corporate Honda doesn’t know how the MM works in our Claritys, but at least they are trying. Mine doesn’t give a % oil life like my old CR-V. Ignorance or another software bug?

    “Thank you for contacting Honda Automobile Customer Service, we appreciate the opportunity of responding to your message. We apologize for the issues you have encountered with the maintenance minder system. Review for the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug in Hybrid does not show for this to be a known concern.

    Our team would like to gather additional details regarding your experience with this issue. At your convenience please reply with additional details of this concern. What oil life % have you received the remainder for an oil change at and has this already been evaluated by your Honda dealership. If you have not already done so it would be recommended that you contact your preferred Honda dealership to have this documented by the service technicians at your service department. We welcome you to contact us with any additional comments or questions.

    Kind regards,

    Honda Automobile Customer Service
    Case # 08954236
     
    Pegsie, Kailani and ClarityDoc like this.
  17. AlanSqB

    AlanSqB Active Member

    They need to send you a check for your consulting fee @KentuckyKen

    Good work!
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  18. su_A_ve

    su_A_ve Active Member

    Well,

    This is the reply I got. Clearly they did not read my message:

    The vehicle owners manual does indicate to use only Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3. This is also a recommendation for the newer model vehicles. Such information is found on page 371 of the owners manual, http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/AT5A1919OM/enu/AT5A1919OM.PDF

    If the dealership does not have this fluid available, we encourage you to contact a different dealership in the area. If you need assistance locating a Honda dealership, please visit our website, https://automobiles.honda.com/tools/dealership-locator
     
    David A likes this.
  19. Clarity Dave

    Clarity Dave Member

    I also see that one of the admins of the Honda Clarity PHEV Facebook group has made progress on this issue too; apparently it has been escalated to the folks in Japan who reportedly are working on it, so here's hoping it's resolved soon!
     
    ClarityDoc, AlanSqB and David A like this.
  20. Carro con enchufe

    Carro con enchufe Active Member

    Submitted my message too
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  21. DaleL

    DaleL Active Member

    My Clarity was manufactured in March 2018. I bought my car in May. At that time the Maintenance Minder (Wrench) indicated service was due in 10 months. I drove almost entirely on electric. In June it changed to 9 months. Late June I took a 2,000 mile trip. Almost all of the trip was highway miles on hybrid mode. When I got back, the Wrench indicated service was due in 2 months. In July, service was indicated as due in 2 months. In August, again service was due in 2 months. In September, after a bit of driving on the ICE in hybrid mode, service is now due in 8 weeks.

    At least on my Clarity, the oil change interval/service due appears to be based on the miles/hours in which the ICE has run.
     
  22. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    It went from 2 months to 8 weeks?
     
  23. DaleL

    DaleL Active Member

    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.
     

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