Centre Console Backlight Dead

[xxb4xx]

Hi Guys,

Hoping someone else has had this issue and knows how to fix it..

I was using the dimmer on the cluster to brighten the lights a little as it was turned down too far, and when I moved it, the centre console lights died..

- All the stereo / AC unit lights are dead, but only the backlighting.. LCD still works but not really readable as it's too dark..

The dimmer still works on the cluster with the gauges, the hazard button and the seat warmer buttons.. all works fine, except the backlight on the middle unit..

HELP!??

I know there is other threads on this, but nothing with a car that is out of warranty... has anyone fixed this on their own?

[xxb4xx]

Update..

Thank you to the kind peeps in Collins Honda Rockdale,

They checked with Honda H.O and my VIN falls under a range that were known to have this issue.. it's getting replaced for free, hopefully this Friday if the part comes in on Thursday..

[tony1234]

Update..

Thank you to the kind peeps in Collins Honda Rockdale,

They checked with Honda H.O and my VIN falls under a range that were known to have this issue.. it's getting replaced for free, hopefully this Friday if the part comes in on Thursday..
+1 for Collins Honda.Just recently they organised an out of warranty repair for me too.:thumbsup:

[xxb4xx]

what did you have repaired?

How much more can bloody go wrong with this car?? i'm really doubting honda quality to be honest, this car has been a nugget, the worst stuff that should never break, is breaking!

[aaronng]

what did you have repaired?

How much more can bloody go wrong with this car?? i'm really doubting honda quality to be honest, this car has been a nugget, the worst stuff that should never break, is breaking!

Dead backlight is a relatively common issue (not everyone had it, but most would know a friend of a friend who did have this failure) on a certain age range of Euros. Honda supposedly fixed it in the later models.

[xxb4xx]

Well I hope this new unit will be one of the "fixed" ones..

It was so weird when it happened.. I found a guy that repairs them in Sydney and all other tricky electrical work etc, (more in depth than an auto elec) - He's called "Nams Electronics" and is located in Marrickville - 95504144. He said around the $200.00 and he would repair it, and has done a few before...

[aaronng]

Well I hope this new unit will be one of the "fixed" ones..

It was so weird when it happened.. I found a guy that repairs them in Sydney and all other tricky electrical work etc, (more in depth than an auto elec) - He's called "Nams Electronics" and is located in Marrickville - 95504144. He said around the $200.00 and he would repair it, and has done a few before...

I have an 04 which is supposed to be the year that is most affected by this issue. Mine is still alright, but it would be good to know that someone other than the dealer is able to repair/fix this issue.

I do wonder how he is able to, since this is the extent of the damage which causes the backlight to go off:

http://ocbsr.com/pictures/old.jpg
http://ocbsr.com/pictures/under.jpg

[xxb4xx]

That's awesome work there!!

I guess all that banging the dash and the cluster by fist wasn't going to do anything lol,

The marrickville bloke bypasses all the circuits and creates his own board for the backlights, and directly powers all the globes with his own power supplies, including his own dimmers and relays / diodes etc..

The factory circuits won't be fixed or replaced, just bypassed..

Thank god Honda is doing this for me, I'm hearting honda at the moment.. for now.

They better not give me grief over having the Xcarlink installed.. has nothing to do with what happened!!.. stupid OEM outsourced Panasonic equipment is the issue!

[tony1234]

what did you have repaired?

How much more can bloody go wrong with this car?? i'm really doubting honda quality to be honest, this car has been a nugget, the worst stuff that should never break, is breaking!
APP(accelerator pedal position)sensor.Part cost $298.00(HA paid for it)cost me $100.00 to get it fitted.

[xxb4xx]

this like a TPS? similar?

So.. so far the euro has

- Back light issues
- Clutch creaking issues
- Door actuator issues
- Window Module issues
- Keyless entry issues
- Accelerator issues

well on it's way to being a nugget.

[aaronng]

this like a TPS? similar?

So.. so far the euro has

- Back light issues
- Clutch creaking issues
- Door actuator issues
- Window Module issues
- Keyless entry issues
- Accelerator issues

well on it's way to being a nugget.

BMWs, Mercs, even Subies have many more problems (some more severe) than you list above. Hardly a nugget. Stuck throttle after using cruise control (Subaru Outback), now that is a nugget!

[kimnkk]

this like a TPS? similar?

So.. so far the euro has

- Back light issues
- Clutch creaking issues
- Door actuator issues
- Window Module issues
- Keyless entry issues
- Accelerator issues

well on it's way to being a nugget.

Never heard of the keyless entry issue. On that note, if my wheel fell off, the euro would now have wheel falling off issues, or would it be a once off? Just because it happened once or twice to a few people doesn't make it a common issue, or even an issue at all.

As aaron said, hardly a nugget mate.

[xxb4xx]

True true... all taken as good points..

But,

I had a suby, the gearbox broke.... twice...

but I knew that was from me boosting it to 21psi and driving it like it was stolen, including heavy dumps on the clutch down the 1/4 mile.

A car that starts breaking things that shouldn't be breaking is a different story.. from what I have seen on these forums, there are alot of issues with the CL9 in particular that are all too common, and you would think someone like Honda which prides themselves on build quality and reliability would iron these issues out within R&D...

Backlights on a stereo unit blowing?? come on! what the hell is that????? and the fact that it's not a one off is garbage.

My parents 1998 model falcon is still running like a dream and all electricals are gun, my euro is 2003 and is plagued with constant garbage happening.

[aaronng]

True true... all taken as good points..

But,

I had a suby, the gearbox broke.... twice...

but I knew that was from me boosting it to 21psi and driving it like it was stolen, including heavy dumps on the clutch down the 1/4 mile.

A car that starts breaking things that shouldn't be breaking is a different story.. from what I have seen on these forums, there are alot of issues with the CL9 in particular that are all too common, and you would think someone like Honda which prides themselves on build quality and reliability would iron these issues out within R&D...

Backlights on a stereo unit blowing?? come on! what the hell is that????? and the fact that it's not a one off is garbage.

My parents 1998 model falcon is still running like a dream and all electricals are gun, my euro is 2003 and is plagued with constant garbage happening.

You're sort of confusing electricals and electronics. Both use electricity but are very different. Your falcon has electrical systems, but much fewer electronic systems compared to the Euro. The more complex things get, the easier it is for things to go wrong. The first generation of E46 with the new whizbang electronics suffered from malfunction when parked under the hot sun in humid conditions. Likewise, the Euro is the first with a heavier reliance on electronics (compared to the previous gen CL1) that there would be teething issues. In this case, the design engineer did not provide adequate heat sinking for the PCB.

The cruise control issue I mentioned was bad enough to warrant a nationwide recall by Subaru Australia. Had to bring our Outback in. On the plus side, at least the fixed it but imagine the first few to find out in horror that they could not slow down from 100km/h. Reminds me of the recent incident with the Ford Explorer in Melbourne where he couldn't slow down and was heading into a jammed Eastern Freeway. http://www.news.com.au/national/driver-taken-to-hospital-in-shock-after-miracle-escape-when-cruise-control-jammed-on-eastern-fwy/story-e6frfkvr-1225810814610

So eventhough your Falcon is running fine, Fords (and any other brand, including Honda) can also get these severe issues.

[xxb4xx]

duly noted dude..

I like having these arguments / conversations.. livens everyone up and gets the mind flowing.

So..

With the stereo, it's the lack of heat sinks / heat removal that caused the PCB to cook and blow?.. why wasn't this then sorted by Panasonic to have all the units recalled? wouldn't it also be a fire hazard?

[dtngo]

Don't forget the moisture in the headlight issue!

No model car is without faults. No manufacturer can make them perfect off the line.

[aaronng]

Because recalls are done only if the driver, passenger or the public are in danger. The PCB burning out is not enough to start a fire.

Here is a pic of an "updated" PCB board that someone in the US bought:
http://ocbsr.com/pictures/new.jpg

Look the same, except for a thermal pad to conduct the heat away from the affected spot.

[xxb4xx]

hopefully mine will look like that... but it's still a rubbish looking fix..

as for the headlight leaking issue... +1 here also.

[fatboy]

I work for a Holden/Honda dealer and i saw a bullettin come out from Honda Australia that states Panasonic will replace the unit up untill 7 years after the initiall purchase date!

But this does not cover fitting of the unit (this is only $120 where i am but could be more or less else where!)

[xxb4xx]

Well luckyvit happened now! This is my last year!

Honda said no charge at all, not even for labour, I gather they'll claim back the hours from Honda H.O

[BraXta]

sometimes i get in my euro after driving my work yaris around and im like ahhhhh comfy and some guts... then the shit thats faulty pisses me off lol

i got the headlight leaking too... stereo lights out .... mad crazy vibration at 80 - 110 kph, car wont lock on passenger side unless pushed down manually... i think any problem thats happened with the euro i was lucky enough to get lol

but ive noticed it was the 2003 - 2005 (Early) models that had these problems because whenever someone has complained about it it was either a 2003 2004 or early 2005... lol

theres a lesson there... let the car be released for a few years then buy it... lol

[aaronng]

sometimes i get in my euro after driving my work yaris around and im like ahhhhh comfy and some guts... then the shit thats faulty pisses me off lol

i got the headlight leaking too... stereo lights out .... mad crazy vibration at 80 - 110 kph, car wont lock on passenger side unless pushed down manually... i think any problem thats happened with the euro i was lucky enough to get lol

but ive noticed it was the 2003 - 2005 (Early) models that had these problems because whenever someone has complained about it it was either a 2003 2004 or early 2005... lol

theres a lesson there... let the car be released for a few years then buy it... lol
You need to get that vibration fixed. That's mad and undrivable at freeway speeds. Replace the outer and inner driveshafts.

You should also replace the passenger door lock actuator. Part costs $99 off ebay and if you can remove the door trim, you can replace it. My driver's side actuator is a little sticky, so I have the RHD actuator ready at home for replacement when it fails.

[265coupe]

There are always going to be people pissed off with unreliability. Likewise there are always going to be people who consider that some items will fail after reasonable wear and tear (or time). Fair enough.

But I am surprised that there are apoligists for Honda and the build quality of Hondas. You guys own one but you didn't build it. You also didn't design it and probably didn't benefit from the profits made during sale and subsequent servicing. Why defend Honda (Japan and Australia) when someone has a legitimate bitch about their car. No new car should be sold with these amounts of problems. Door actuators- common to many models and doomed to failure, sqeaky clutchs- Euro, Integra, Civic and probably more. These will fail during your ownership and out of warranty cost heaps.

I've previously listed my failed/failing parts. They are many but haven't included Audio unit failure, backlight failure, driveshaft vibration, Seat creaking, lumber support failure, sunroof leaks, sunroof actuation noise, engine pinging, A/C compressor failure, crap fuel economy, premature clutch failure, brake rotor warping etc etc. Does that mean that I'm one of the lucky ones?

Safety items or not they are not of merchandisable quality and should be recalled and replaced with a quality, reliable part.

Good on the owners who have found a reputable dealer who is interested in the customer. My dealer is only interested in the $ and hasn't given a toss about maintaining Honda's reputation for quality and reliabilty. (that's you Bayside Honda and Kia, Brisbane). Kia quality at a Honda price!

And finally put me down as a whinger if you must but I'm left with this overall, enduring impression: Good car to drive (when the wheel alignment and clutch MC was fixed) but a bad car to own.

[xxb4xx]

265coupe... +1,000,000

Well said..

Good to see that there is someone on my side that isn't a hardcore Honda fanboi taking all comments straight to heart (this isn't at anyone in particular, but more or less the whole accord euro forum)

I'm used to being on forums where constructive criticism was taken and discussed,

but to the credit of a lot of users, especially Aaronng, he can back up his argument well.

[aaronng]

No car is perfect. There are things that fail prematurely (poor assembly, poor design or poor quality) and those are fixed within the 3 year warranty which is there for this reason. Cars are complex machines. They used to be just a vehicle for getting from A to B, but nowadays they have to be everything from direction givers (gps), "home" entertainment systems (audio, TV & DVD), massage lounges (Merc S class). Even Ferrari, who used to build cars to get from A to B as quick as possible with maximum owner satisfaction now has to build cars that are comfortable, have storage space and even a CD-player! And we all want those features for cheaper than ever. Because of inflation and increase in features, complexity and parts, cars should be getting more expensive and not cheaper. But we are demanding (and getting) cheaper and cheaper cars, so manufacturers have to cut down on manufacturing detail that they used to be able to afford. Complex vehicle + cheap and fast manufacturing process & parts = premature failure.

Basically, because we want a jack-of-all-trades out of our car, it becomes a compromise between a true driving machine and your home lounge. Plus we are always pushing for lower fuel consumption, for example the CU2 beats the CL9 for fuel consumption while having a more powerful engine, heavier weight and more tyre contact grip (more rolling resistance). The downside is that by pushing for that fuel economy with a car body that is heavier, you get a quirky engine which pings.

Ferraris are also no exception to the failure issues we see with our mass-produced cars. Eventhough Ferrari builds everything in-house, they still have issues, as highlighted by the old cost of owning a 550 article: http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/939

Basically within 4 years, these parts needed replacement or repair:
- noisy cambelts and bearing (after only doing 17,220 miles!)
- windshield water resevoir (how the hell does this fail on its own?!?!?!)
- ball joints and sway bar bushings (only 18,124 miles!)
- coolant leak! (18,998 miles)
- dashboard instruments such as the speedo & tacho (19,329 miles)
- dashlight failure, radiator leaks (21,358 miles)
- power steering pump failure (23,802 miles)
- steering box, power steering rack, and rear shocks all replaced (25,607 miles)
- engine compression and leakdown failure! (26,236 miles)

Basically, paying over half a million dollars for one of the most meticulously built cars in the world (using quality inhouse parts) doesn't protect you from silly failures that we all have taken for granted not to happen within the first 100,000km (62,500 miles) of ownership.

Things fail. And when they fail and it is already after you have done all the kms and owned the car for a few years (from new), then you should expect for parts to need to be replaced. There used to be some issues back when the 2003 and 2004 Euros were launched. Now it is 6 years after that, so it is normal that parts wear and fail. If they failed too quickly, that would have been fixed by warranty. If they failed after many years, it is just a fact that the part needs to be replaced.

[biee2]

one of my bak light globes has lik mood swings...sometimes it on and sometimes its off, its the top right hand corner buttom on the center console. lately its been in a good mood so its been working for the past few months or so but normally it would be on 1 day and die out the other day....im thinking of pulling out the unit and resolder some new globes on

[xxb4xx]

See..once again, well said Aaronng..

Biee2, I thought I could solder and repair too.. until I saw the pics on the other page of this thread of the PCB... danger.

[biee2]

i have actualli pulled apart my centre console many times now so yeah i guess i sorta blame my self for the centre consoles mood swings...lol.....i dont have much time on hand but i read some where that the globes are 6w i thinkkk, will have to check myself, i tried getting the same globes and look around but no one has them so i might just find some other glode to replace, one of the members on here also changed his center console lights to leds, i also had a crack at this but in the end i went bak to the original globes

[xxb4xx]

fair enough, if it's just globe repair then cool.. but the actual circuitry looks a mess

[265coupe]

Yes, things fail.

My point is that with my Euro things failed from day 1. For the first three years they were mostly repaired under warranty. Some more that once. Some never(faded paint)

Unfortunately there was a pattern developing. That was that every service there was something to fix under warranty.

But after 3 years things continued to fail, not wear out, but fail. I was happy to repace worn out parts. Brake pads, rotors, tyres, oil, filters, wiper blabes, bulbs etc.

Honda was still happy to fix them but it wasn't under a no cost warranty arrangement. It was at my expense. When it was pointed out by me that this pattern of failure was apparent and that in my opinion the faults had manifested themselves during the warranty period or where caused by fundamental flawed design or build I was told that Honda would NOT honour warranty. Stiff Sh_t!

Talk to a Camry or Corolla owner. Now that's reliability. Crap cars to drive with the exitement and character of a washing machine but reliable as one too. Just goes to show that it can be done. And even by Australians.

Honda has built a reputation and sells itself as a maker of quality items. Check their stationary engines, personal watercraft, motorcycles, gardening equipment. All marketed as the best and priced accordingly.

Their cars are marketed the same. 'Best in Class' with a price to match.

But my experience has been that mine was built and has performed like some Korean piece of crap.

That's why I am so opinionated and am willing to shout same from the rooftop.

[xxb4xx]

to be honest..

I'm on carsales now, like I have been since march last year LOL, looking for something else.. this car has done it's duties and will have to be someone elses headache.. I don't need another one, the mrs is enough for now.

[265coupe]

Mate, good luck with the sale.

Pity you can't sell it back to Honda and give them the headache.

Then again I s'pose you could. Honda to buy a 2005ish Lux, maybe 11000. And they'd knock you down due to the known faults of the model. Bent over and reemed by Honda, again.

[aaronng]

But after 3 years things continued to fail, not wear out, but fail. I was happy to repace worn out parts. Brake pads, rotors, tyres, oil, filters, wiper blabes, bulbs etc.
Those are wear and tear parts. Different from the parts I am referring to like the lock actuator. Anything that moves will wear. Your door handle might snap off from fatigue, your rear view mirror might fall off the joint because it is adjusted very often, the bonnet hinge might bend and not secure properly because someone slams their bonnet down every day after looking at their spoon socks. Anything that moves will have wear. Those are the parts I am referring to. Of course, this backlight issue is a major c*ckup in my opinion. :)



Talk to a Camry or Corolla owner. Now that's reliability. Crap cars to drive with the exitement and character of a washing machine but reliable as one too. Just goes to show that it can be done. And even by Australians.
I know of Corollas which have parts fail as well. The forums concentrate reports of failures. So to get an equivalent comparison to our complaints here, you have to go to a toyota forum like TOC AU and have a look through their threads complaining about issues. I can talk to a few Honda owners and they all will sing praises about the reliability. But come to a forum where we congregate to report issues, it is a total opposite story.



Honda has built a reputation and sells itself as a maker of quality items. Check their stationary engines, personal watercraft, motorcycles, gardening equipment. All marketed as the best and priced accordingly.

Their cars are marketed the same. 'Best in Class' with a price to match.

"Price to match" is the magic sentence. Cheaper cars with more features and better performance without the expense of fuel economy. It is a fine balance where things can go wrong. This console backlight issue is an example. Instead of putting that thermal interface pad on the back of the circuit board, they chose to save the 50 cents which causes problems with some Euros. 50 cents amounts to a significant amount of savings when looked at a factory viewpoint but to us, we think that they should have spent 50 cents more to avoid the issue in the first place. But companies are like that. If they can save then they will. For example, if 200,000 cars are built for global use, they save $100,000 by omitting the pad. And out of that 200,000 cars, maybe 1000 might be returned with this issue, which they can then fix. So 1000 repairs will still cost them less than $100,000, which is why they might have chose to take this route.



But my experience has been that mine was built and has performed like some Korean piece of crap.
You might have a lemon then. I have driven korean cars (Tucson) on unsealed road flying at 60km/h, with my ski gear bouncing all around the boot/cabin. The car felt like it was going to fall apart. But once I was back on sealed roads, the ride was smooth and quiet without any creaking. I'd say that particular Hyundai was quieter and smoother than my Euro. Can't generalise on what is good and what is crap. There will be cases of good cars where everything has gone wrong during manufacturing and assembly, giving grief to the owner (your car might be one?)

[xxb4xx]

Oooh this thread has become heated, but intelligently heated :)

265coupe, to be honest dude I could never sell a headache to someone, hence why I'm fixing the stereo properly, as for trade in, most dealers would gladly reem you good and proper..

I'm kinda spewing though, cause I genuinely liked the shape and design of the euro cl9.. Didn't expect Honda to be so rubbish (in my opinion-sorry fanboi's)

I can see this car and all other euros never seeing the 200,000км mark.. They'll all die before then, or owners will be locked out of their cars due to actuators failing.. Or maybe they all died of heat exhaustion from the ac pumps constantly dieing lol!

[aaronng]

I can see this car and all other euros never seeing the 200,000км mark.. They'll all die before then, or owners will be locked out of their cars due to actuators failing.. Or maybe they all died of heat exhaustion from the ac pumps constantly dieing lol!

At least you can use the key to unlock the door without setting the alarm off. :)

The worst A/C lemon is our Holden Astra (2002 model). This range has almost 50% A/C failure rate after 7-8 years. They underspec'd the thermal fuse in the A/C clutch so it fails when the weather is hot and you are running A/C. I called up A/C repair places and they confirmed that it was common and they also carried aftermarket compressors for the Astra in stock because of this! Anyway, I fixed it by replacing that thermal fuse for $4 and a lot of labour. LOL. Saved myself $1000 anyway by not going for the compressor replacement (thermal fuse built into the compressor pulley section and shop reckon it could not be replaced).

You can name any car brand and we'll always be able to find a string of common repeat problems on the respective forums, no matter how expensive or cheap the car is. :)

[xxb4xx]

Our Holden Astra is Opel though?

I gather the specs would have been left as is for the european / english market and weather variances, and not for our 45 degree summers..

One thing about the Euro I would love is if the alarm / central gave an audible beep when arming and disarming the car..

On a different note, the owner of my ex car (Liberty B4) sms'd me yesterday, the car made 185kw at all 4 wheels on the dyno! yearhh! thats 245hp in the old money! (this is including the 30% loss of power through an AWD drive-train..

Here's a pic of the ex-Wife...

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g27/XXB4XX/IMG_0051.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g27/XXB4XX/IMG_0065.jpg

[aaronng]

Our Holden Astra is Opel though?

I gather the specs would have been left as is for the european / english market and weather variances, and not for our 45 degree summers..
That's right. Holden forgot to do some homework on the weather before deciding to bring it in from Opel. Same mistake that BMW did when they first decided to sell the E46 into south east asian countries. hehe.



One thing about the Euro I would love is if the alarm / central gave an audible beep when arming and disarming the car..
Yeah, but it is to save cost (again!). The alarm is based on the stock horn. So the only beep you could get would be a short honk when you locked/unlocked the car, which I guess was not what Honda wanted for their image. Even the current commodores don't beep when you lock/unlock because the alarm system is also based around the horn.

My dad's '94 Accord has a separate beeper unit, so that gives the beeping sound when he locks/unlocks the car. But then again his car cost $36,300 in 1994, which would be worth $48,500 in 2008's money for only 2.2L SOHC non-VTEC EXi cloth trim. So Honda has cut out $12,200, given us a much more advanced and powerful engine, more features, better handling, heck better everything except for these failures that we report.

[xxb4xx]

I was looking at doing an upgrade alarm kit from either Ryda Audio, or biting the bullet and getting another Autowatch alarm installed with the upgrade option..

Either that or i'll go a complete new unit in the car.. but I like the use of the standard factory buttons on the remote..

Have you upgraded?

[265coupe]

xxb4xx, you've raised an interesting point regarding the longevity of our Euros.
I agree with you that they won't be good car to own at 200,000km. But the euro isn't alone on that point.

With the increasing complexity of modern cars and cost of replacement parts when a vehicle model is still current what will they be like at 15years, 200000km.

Will they be like a VN commodore with waterpumps at $39.95 and ig coils at $65 and a good second hand T700 at $200. I don't think so. About the only thing they'll have in common will be a value of less than $1000 at 20years of age.

The japs invented 'built in obsolesance' and have since perfected it. Their domestic market supports it with taxing cars off the road from 4-6 years of age. There are NO old cars on jap roads (unless an owner wishes to buck the system by paying exhorbitant taxes). They used to dump them in the Sea of Japan but woke up to recycling and second hand exports.

But thats why they should perform at near to perfection intially and then for a good period of time. They should go off and become a pain in the arse progressively as they age (and wear out) so that at 20years old no one wants one.

That's probably the way of the future. Incredible complexity, performance and reliabilty but limited usable life. Like a PC I s'pose. And microwaves, phones, Televisions. They used to fix them but not anymore.

But I don't take my PC in for repairs every month.

Maybe there's one idea that Honda have keep from the past. Henry Ford's theory of 'giving away every new car for free BUT keeping the servicing for life.

[xxb4xx]

Very true comments there, but this does also raise a question..

With today's society all being based around image, wouldn't you think that a big car manufacturer like honda would be very careful in protecting it's forward thinking and reliable build brand name?

Word of mouth has always been poison for any company,

Me and you alone for instance, if we were asked about buying a Honda, i'd pretty much upfront say "they are nice to drive, but plagued with issues and nuisances" all the person on the other end will hear is "car is garbage and breaks down".. that's 1 person alone that won't buy one, then that person will pass on that info further down the line.

Fair enough, there have been some great comments from Aaronng in this thread giving +'s to the Euro, but there are a lot of - comments too.

When someone buys a holden (as been used in examples in this thread), you know you are buying AUS built cars, and you already know they aren't the most reliable or the best build, but you get what you pay for.

Although, when a waterpump dies in a commo (as stated already) it will only cost $40.00 as it's interchangeable with every other model for the past 10 years, where the Honda will be $400.00

This is what burns me about Jap cars (except Toyota as they are just as cheap to fix in most circumstances).

[aaronng]

This is what burns me about Jap cars (except Toyota as they are just as cheap to fix in most circumstances).

All about volume. Toyotas are sold as fleet and rental cars too, a market which Honda does not play in (I see the Civic Hybrid as a lease option with a leasing company but that's small compared to other companies who make Commodores or Toyotas their standard company car). So with big volume, aftermarket parts manufacturers will make third party equivalent parts for that car. Until Honda decides to sell into the fleet market at low cost, we will be hit by expensive parts prices.

BTW, cost to repair a Toyota and Honda are similar as both require similar amounts of labour. It is the cost of the parts that makes the difference.

[xxb4xx]

I got a good example for you though..

Subaru NGK Iridium plug - RRP $22.00 each
Honda NGK Iridium plug - RRP $32.00 each

Honda fail again... what's your take on this Aaronng? :)

[kimnkk]

I got a good example for you though..

Subaru NGK Iridium plug - RRP $22.00 each
Honda NGK Iridium plug - RRP $32.00 each

Honda fail again... what's your take on this Aaronng? :)

Cool thanks, next time i want to save $10 i will buy a Subaru :)

[xxb4xx]

Cool thanks, next time i want to save $10 i will buy a Subaru :)

Nope.. $40 as it's $10 each.

[aaronng]

I got a good example for you though..

Subaru NGK Iridium plug - RRP $22.00 each
Honda NGK Iridium plug - RRP $32.00 each

Honda fail again... what's your take on this Aaronng? :)
Isn't that NGK's pricing? And, what are the part numbers? Different plugs have different pricing. If they were both the exact same part numbers and Honda was selling it for $10 more, then yes, Honda fails. But from what I see, WRX 2.5L WRX uses ILFR6B, while CL9 uses IZFR6K11. Totally different part numbers which means they are different families and hence there is something different in the design and manufacture that causes the IZFR6K11 to be $10 more than ILFR6B. Sounds like something for NGK to explain.

[xxb4xx]

Isn't that NGK's pricing? And, what are the part numbers? Different plugs have different pricing. If they were both the exact same part numbers and Honda was selling it for $10 more, then yes, Honda fails. But from what I see, WRX 2.5L WRX uses ILFR6B, while CL9 uses IZFR6K11. Totally different part numbers which means they are different families and hence there is something different in the design and manufacture that causes the IZFR6K11 to be $10 more than ILFR6B. Sounds like something for NGK to explain.

BS!!! A plug is a plug, you know and I know there is little difference apart from gapping and maybe thread size :)

[aaronng]

BS!!! A plug is a plug, you know and I know there is little difference apart from gapping and maybe thread size :)
There are also:
- the length of the plug (changing material costs)
- the impedance (might change parts cost)
- heat rating (changes the amount of insulating material required)
- the material of the tip and electrode (heavily changes material and assembly costs)

That's why there are $4 copper plugs, $15 platinum plugs, $32 iridium plugs and even those newfangled multiprong torture-device JDM spark plugs out there.

[xxb4xx]

Yep nah.. They will all cost NGK 0.80c to make.. LOL, I just being ignorant,

but you can see my train of thought here,

even though this is being replaced by Honda, I still have the feeling that something is going to go wrong there tomorrow.

[aaronng]

even though this is being replaced by Honda, I still have the feeling that something is going to go wrong there tomorrow.

Well, if it is any consolation, I had my radio trim replaced in 2007 because of a stuff up during servicing where it was damaged. They replaced it with a part from a demo car, and I suspect that they just swapped the whole fascia + PCB over because mine has not failed even being a 2004 model. So if they replace yours with a 2008 board, it should survive as long as mine has.

[xxb4xx]

car is in at Honda.. let's see what happens..

[biee2]

aaronng...im realli amazed at how much knowledge you kno about cars and how you always have info to bak up your story :thumbsup:

[BraXta]

i went to collins honda today and i gotto take my car in to have a look at it. they seemed nice and wanting to help =D

with the spark plug thing tho... how much does honda charge for their Honda Specialiased parts bin ...?? i would be sure its more or close to the NGKs and not even be anything special but the simple ol sparky...

Look i see the cl9 a nice car... i love it ... it great and comfortable and all that.. the problems .. they do suck. But i know that there are worse brands out there. and worse problems.... Imagine buying a renault... you got all the mags braggin OMG THE Clio RENAULT SPORT R!%$@!JSDGnmasfhlnasd Edition is the best Better than a Golf GTI anyday ra ra ra... i drove the new golf GTI and was thinking of getting rid of the honda for it... its nice... and smooth and gutsy as hell ... but then i thought... its new..... will probably have a new list of problems.... got a turbo... theres one problem =P hehe.

The problems are problems the only solution is to fix it by not just replacing the part and saying she'll be right like lots of honda dealers do... I bet 100 bucks that if you went to honda japan direct and said this car keeps breaking im not happy fix it they would ... and make it stronger... they would want to keep the name strong. But alot of the car dealerships dont give a rats ass.. they got your money and want more...they dont give a shit about the company name they just want your money to buy another house or something like that.. to find a dealership to actually give a rats ass is hard... i get my car serviced away from a dealership then they use the classic line. "We dont know if it will be under warrenty because we dont service it so we are not sure if it has had the proper service and the right Honda certified parts are used".

I have an issue now with Sydney city Toyota with my work yaris... fan belt squeels and brakes are noise... after 2 time checked.. and Supposable tightened belts... and Changed brakes... so yeh... dealerships are crap.. sometimes its good to actually contact Honda Australia and tell them whats been happening and they will get on it better than the dealer.

just my 2cents =D