Been about 7 months with the clarity now. Still no issues on my part, I still use hv charge mode instead of letting the battery hit 0. The only time my clarity would not start is if it was still plugged and charging. It wont start if your physically in the car trying to start while plugged in. Although you can use the garbage honda link app to do climate control if your plugged into 240v only.
NHTSA : 2018 HONDA CLARITY=54 COMPLAINTS
- Thread starter Teslawannabe
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KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Sorry you’re having so many problems with your Clarity. I know it must be extremely frustrating and the fact that the great majority of us are problem free is not much of a help for an individual case.
I’m a big fan of picking the low hanging fruit first so you might want to check that the dealer made both battery connections nice and tight and that all wiring harness connections are good. Intermittent or low voltage from the 12 Volt battery has been reported as causing a slew of problems. Odds are it’s more than that, but at least you can rule one thing out.
Keep on your dealer to run this down or take it up the corporate latter to Honda. We’re pulling for you.
I’m a big fan of picking the low hanging fruit first so you might want to check that the dealer made both battery connections nice and tight and that all wiring harness connections are good. Intermittent or low voltage from the 12 Volt battery has been reported as causing a slew of problems. Odds are it’s more than that, but at least you can rule one thing out.
Keep on your dealer to run this down or take it up the corporate latter to Honda. We’re pulling for you.
This may not help, but... Is your dealer a Clarity Authorized Dealer? My understanding is that there is a select subset of dealers who are authorized for Clarity repair. If your dealer isn't one, is there one nearby? The only way I know of finding out is using the Hondalink app, selecting service, and selecting the option for authorized dealers. If you are in contact with Honda they should be able to help you find one. If you can find one - if they exist - you may get a better service experience.
I downloaded the Honda Link app but without a VIN (I don't own one yet) it doesn't appear that I can search for authorized dealers.
Can anyone tell me what Honda dealers in Michigan are Clarity Authorized?
When I do Find Dealers on the Hondalink app and select the option to show Clarity Authorized Dealers only - none. I did find a couple in California, so apparently they do exist.
I ended up being able to answer my own question. Your dealer is listed as a Clarity Authorized Dealer.
I’m about as far removed from being a technoweenie as one can get. I won’t bore you with the details. I’ve been driving the car for almost 3 months and over 4000 miles including a one day trip of 700, with absolutely no problems operating the car or understanding how it works, at least on a basic level.
I think your car has problems.
I have another 700 mile trip planned for Saturday which will be made with vastly more knowledge about the car than the first trip, which was made after one week of ownership.
As a technoboob, I use very few, almost none of the vehicles advanced features.
No Hondalink
No scheduled charging
No auto door locks
No LKAS or RDM
I’m about to turn off CMBS
I will use ACC on the open road.
There are probably another dozen features I’m not even aware of and I’d like to keep it that way.
I get in the car, select the mode that is appropriate for the trip, and go. Easy.
Isn’t that the definition of HV mode? Using either batteries, gasoline or both to propel the car is what differentiates a Hybrid vehicle from BEV or ICE.
You are simply observing what the vehicle is doing in HV mode. Why give it another name?
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
I find LKAS really handy when I need to sneeze or find something in my pocket... ACC is a delight on long interstate highway drives, especially when there are trucks and hills... Hondalink is mostly a waste of time - I find the fob offers a much easier and faster way to precondition the cabin. The auto door locks are fun - like a "game of chance" - because you never know if your luck will allow you access to the trunk!
I find HondaLink quite useful to precondition the car. I don’t know when I can leave work to schedule the start of conditioning but can start preconditioning as I am getting ready two head to the car and in five minutes I have a warm car ready to go. It’s not the greatest app but it’s far from useless.I find LKAS really handy when I need to sneeze or find something in my pocket... ACC is a delight on long interstate highway drives, especially when there are trucks and hills... Hondalink is mostly a waste of time - I find the fob offers a much easier and faster way to precondition the cabin. The auto door locks are fun - like a "game of chance" - because you never know if your luck will allow you access to the trunk!
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
Not in my experience - either to cool or heat the cabin: The fob always works - the app works less than half the time. I usually TRY the app but then have to abandon it and use the fob. Plus, when the app DOES work, it takes several minutes to connect - the fob works instantly.
You have to be smart about it. This week, after the app told me it couldn't connect, I tried to use my fob to start preconditioning and was unhappy to find the interior was still cold when I got inside. Then I noticed the info display was warning me that the fuel door was open--I had pressed the wrong button.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
My HondaLink app works every time I use it to precondition the car either by schedule or manually as long as my Clarity AND my phone have a cellular connection. It’s never let me down in almost 2 years except for when Honda’s server was down and that is very rare. It’s so reliable that I haven’t even tried the fob since it doesn’t give me any confirmation.
There are several caveats:
1. There is a lag of a couple of minutes for it to work and you have to be patient while it connects to the server, then the car, and back to the app which will show that it’s working. (I’m assuming that’s because it’s a free service and Honda keeps the bandwidth slow to save money) So you’ll never be surprised by a cold car since it confirms activation. If you keep fiddling with it during those few minutes, it’s possible to mess it up.
2. Both car AND phone must have a decent cellular connection. So underground garages or areas/buildings with spotty signal strength for EITHER can be problematic. I do not know how long the app will keep trying when it initially encounters a problem since mine always works the first time.
You can check the car’s signal strength when exiting by noticing the TCU (Telematics Control Unit) Signal strength bar graph that appears on the DII (behind steering wheel) at shut down.
3. The car’s inside AND outside temperatures BOTH must be within the ranges set by Honda for it to work (see graph I posted above, thanks to @jdonalds for sharing it). Then the algorithm decides what to turn on and we don’t get to choose AC or heat or seat heat thanks to Honda once again not taking the time/effort/cost to give us some choices in software.
4. There are “preconditions” for the preconditioning to start and these will also stop it. Note that I could find no documentation on using the HL app to precondition other than what’s in the manual for using the fob. (Anybody?)
-Doors and hood closed*(see below)
-Power Mode off
-Brake pedal not pushed
-High Voltage battery not low
-Doors locked (assumed since you have to press the lock button on the fob to start that process) Has anybody tested this?
-stops after 30 minutes
5. Preconditioning on a Level 1 EVSE can be done but has some disadvantages.
-will not start until charging is completed/stopped (not powerful enough to do both at the same time)
-heating is very weak, so depending on how cold it is, it may not be able to keep up within the 30 minute time limit.
Some final notes:
1. On my Charge Point Home Level 2 EVSE, preconditioning uses the battery even when plugged in if a scheduled charge has time ended beforehand. As long a charging event is ongoing or has finished adding charge and the app shows a flat line of 0 kWs, preconditioning draws from the EVSE and keeps the battery full.
2. *Some have reported being able to keep preconditioning going by getting in the car by opening other than the driver’s door. (Haven’t tried it)
3. 20-25 min or so preconditioning in a garage at 50 F gave me a toasty warm car and used 1.03 kWhs grid power as shown on the right of this graph.
Hope this helps explain why some are having trouble w HL preconditioning while some if us are not. It’s not well explained or documented my Honda, so there is a learning curve.
@Domenick, is there a prize for the biggest thread drift? I think I just won it.
There are several caveats:
1. There is a lag of a couple of minutes for it to work and you have to be patient while it connects to the server, then the car, and back to the app which will show that it’s working. (I’m assuming that’s because it’s a free service and Honda keeps the bandwidth slow to save money) So you’ll never be surprised by a cold car since it confirms activation. If you keep fiddling with it during those few minutes, it’s possible to mess it up.
2. Both car AND phone must have a decent cellular connection. So underground garages or areas/buildings with spotty signal strength for EITHER can be problematic. I do not know how long the app will keep trying when it initially encounters a problem since mine always works the first time.
You can check the car’s signal strength when exiting by noticing the TCU (Telematics Control Unit) Signal strength bar graph that appears on the DII (behind steering wheel) at shut down.
3. The car’s inside AND outside temperatures BOTH must be within the ranges set by Honda for it to work (see graph I posted above, thanks to @jdonalds for sharing it). Then the algorithm decides what to turn on and we don’t get to choose AC or heat or seat heat thanks to Honda once again not taking the time/effort/cost to give us some choices in software.
4. There are “preconditions” for the preconditioning to start and these will also stop it. Note that I could find no documentation on using the HL app to precondition other than what’s in the manual for using the fob. (Anybody?)
-Doors and hood closed*(see below)
-Power Mode off
-Brake pedal not pushed
-High Voltage battery not low
-Doors locked (assumed since you have to press the lock button on the fob to start that process) Has anybody tested this?
-stops after 30 minutes
5. Preconditioning on a Level 1 EVSE can be done but has some disadvantages.
-will not start until charging is completed/stopped (not powerful enough to do both at the same time)
-heating is very weak, so depending on how cold it is, it may not be able to keep up within the 30 minute time limit.
Some final notes:
1. On my Charge Point Home Level 2 EVSE, preconditioning uses the battery even when plugged in if a scheduled charge has time ended beforehand. As long a charging event is ongoing or has finished adding charge and the app shows a flat line of 0 kWs, preconditioning draws from the EVSE and keeps the battery full.
2. *Some have reported being able to keep preconditioning going by getting in the car by opening other than the driver’s door. (Haven’t tried it)
3. 20-25 min or so preconditioning in a garage at 50 F gave me a toasty warm car and used 1.03 kWhs grid power as shown on the right of this graph.
Hope this helps explain why some are having trouble w HL preconditioning while some if us are not. It’s not well explained or documented my Honda, so there is a learning curve.
@Domenick, is there a prize for the biggest thread drift? I think I just won it.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
I’m one year into solar PV with enough capacity for all housing and transportation needs, even taking into account the small but unavoidable degradation of the panels over the years. There are a few of us who are environmentally conscious enough to put our money where our mouth is here in Kentucky coal country. Solar and electric cars pair very well both for the environment and the wallet if you take a long term view. (And yes, I am aware of sourcing, production, and life cycle environmental impacts which still are better than the same with gasmobiles and fossil fuel electric generation.)
And while you may out drift me in a car, nobody hijacks and drifts threads better (or is that worse) than I do. No brag, just sad fact.
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
What network does Honda use? The app usually fails when my phone is connected to WiFi - which is it most of the time, and always when I'm at home. My car is in an attached garage and is always plugged into a Level 2 EVSE when I attempt to precondition. The car is also linked to my home WiFi network. Instruct me, master!
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
Not the problem - most frequently attempt to use the app when the car is plugged into a Level 2 EVSE in my garage and always watch the fob to be certain the light blinks!
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Sadly, I have no idea. All I know for sure is that it works every time and the Honda Link app shows the process of connecting to the car and so confirms that it is working and then gives the temperature of the cabin.
I have been able to determine that this is all by cellular data packet and not by my home WiFi since it worked when my WiFi was down and works when either the car or my phone is out of WiFi range.