Dealership anecdote

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Kerbe

Kerbe

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You know how - no matter how much you plan for a road trip - something always goes wrong? Last week I decided to use some "use'em or lose'em" hotel points by driving to AR and OK from MS. I was about 250 miles from home in AR when the "Fob Battery Low" warning appeared. As I couldn't recall how to replace the fob battery I started looking for a Honda dealership. In the Ozarks. About 60 miles later I saw one zip by on the other side of the interstate so turned around at the next exit - five miles on.

I pulled up in front of the dealership and wandered back to the parts desk where, for $5, I learned how to replace a fob battery by watching it being done.

As was making my way back to the front door I saw that every salesperson in the showroom, the receptionist and two fellows from the Toyota dealership next door were standing at the window, looking out at my 2018 Clarity. First question: "Is this yours?" Second question: "What is it?" Only one of the Honda guys had heard of the Clarity, although he thought they were only ever sold in CA...

Strangely, during the entire 1487 miles of my trip I didn't see a single EV or PHEV on the road or at any of the places I visited - especially odd as AR has such a focus on technology: I even saw an Walmart that offered "Zipline" - delivery-by-drone!
 
Not a lot of PHEVs in AR for sure. I think there may be a Clarity in Jonesboro, AR owned by @Louis Nisenbaum that has posted here. Beyond that, I know of no other Clarity there, though I suspect there are a few maybe in the Little Rock area. We don't have a lot here in Alabama, but there are probably 10-12 in the Birmingham area. I see one occasionally.
 
This illustrates the essential problem opposing the rollout of Electric cars, in all flavors - the buyers know more about the offerings and have enthusiasm for change.
 
I bought my Clarity from a dealership on the NW side of OKC back in March 2019. They had 2 silver base models on the lot, and not a single salesperson knew anything about them. I was able to educate several of them on the advantages of a plug in hybrid over a regular hybrid (like the Insight). The one I picked had sat on the lot over 6 months and had a grand total of 3 miles on the odometer. I think a total of 6 Clarity models were allocated to the 3 dealerships in the metro area. The Clarity is definitely a rare car in Oklahoma. I still get a lot of double takes from pickup drivers (which comprise the majority of vehicles on the road here) at traffic lights.
 
I wish I can say the same for the NE. I am starting to develop charger anxiety, especially for free chargers. People with EV keep hogging up the 'slow' level2 chargers and never leave. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: That leaves people with small batt with no place to charge!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::(:(:(:(:(
Telsa owners are the worst. They prefer level 2 over their own supercharger!
 
megreyhair said:
I wish I can say the same for the NE. I am starting to develop charger anxiety, especially for free chargers. People with EV keep hogging up the 'slow' level2 chargers and never leave. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: That leaves people with small batt with no place to charge!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::(:(:(:(:(
Telsa owners are the worst. They prefer level 2 over their own supercharger!
Click to expand...

Not sure I understand your frustration with other EV owners using Level 2 chargers? You can already 'fast' charge.... put in 7 gallons of gasoline. The pure EV's don't have that option.
 
Are all Teslas still able to use the superchargers for free? If so, I agree that occupying the L2 chargers forever seems a little of a burden to inflict on others when they had that option for free. We don't have the superchargers close to where I live, so I haven't seen this behavior. I tend to try to help the EV owners as I plan to put myself in that group before too long. It is annoying to me, however, if cars are parked at L2 chargers long after they complete charging and no spaces are available.
 
Robert_Alabama said:
Are all Teslas still able to use the superchargers for free?
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My understanding is, no.

Early on they offered “Free Unlimited Supercharging”. Over time it has been modified to one year of free charging, to no free charging, to a limited amount of free charging.

It is likely that almost all Tesla owners are paying to use the Superchargers.
 
In two weeks my clarity will be three years old. I received the key fob battery low warning about two months ago, the same time I got the brake fluid change reminder. I have a 2001 F150, the fob battery has never been changed and it still works to this day. I have a 2011 Honda odyssey and just had to replace the fob battery about a month ago.
 
KClark, I believe those 2 other cars are conventional key….not push button start. Push button start keys eat batteries notably faster than regular fobs.
 
Exactly! My Arkie dealership sold me 2 clarity’s and never had a clue of the capability of the car. On my test drive the drive battery was dead…as we all know that does not even give you a clue about the drivability of the car. The real problem is they really don’t care. On my last service, when I drove up, a salesman asked me what kind of car I had?
 
KClark said:
In two weeks my clarity will be three years old. I received the key fob battery low warning about two months ago, the same time I got the brake fluid change reminder. I have a 2001 F150, the fob battery has never been changed and it still works to this day. I have a 2011 Honda odyssey and just had to replace the fob battery about a month ago.
Click to expand...
maybe I will be jinxed for saying this but our Clarity is now 4 years old and neither my wife's or my fobs have given a sign they are running low
 
C1C I’m sure that’s the reason but it doesn’t change the fact that this car is trying my patience with its nanny reminders. Brake fluid change at 32,000 miles for a car that uses the brakes much less than every other car I’ve owned yet they require it only with far greater mileage? Oil changes on a dumb mileage schedule for a car that may be driven on battery power most of the time? A key fob battery that lasts 33 months? It seems like I can’t drive more than a few months without getting an urgent message on my dashboard that tells me the sky is falling. This car requires more seemingly illogical regular maintenance than any other one I’ve owned.

I feel like Honda promised dealers that even though this is a weird car that few people will want and that is very different from what they currently sell, meaning lots of effort learning about it for little return in sales, they will make up for that in the service department because clarity owners will be perpetually bringing in their cars to appease its nagging.
 
LAF, my battery dying was certainly not from overuse. I just carry the fob in my pocket so I can start the car. I never use it to lock and unlock the doors, I never use it to condition the air inside, I never use it for any kind of charging. I don’t even use it to open the charge lid. I literally just carry it in my pocket.
 
Ignore maintenance minder. Reset the dashboard and drive. Service it once a year, or two, based on calendar date. Skip brake fluid change. That’s my MO. And if the car kinda sucks, replace it.
 
I intend to ignore the maintenance minders once I'm out of warranty. Getting nagged for a month, before maintenance I don't need, is the most aggravating part of the car for me.
 
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