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The letter Honda sent for the upgrade did mentioned that the warranty of the IMA battery would prevail regarding you got the update or not.
It has now been two weeks since my new pro bono battery and original software has been installed. I am pleased to report the car is actually running like new. If I were in your shoes I would replace the battery provided the original software is installed along with it. When it comes time to sign off on the payment receipt write on there something to the effect you are paying for the battery under protest and why. I know it is easy for me to say since Honda replaced mine but you need to think about your well being.
If anyone is interested the Chicago Tribune printed an article on this problem, "Civic Hybrid drivers fuming over patch." It is on the front page of there August 18, 2010 Business section. Don't you just love the internet!! Happy hunting.
PS, the dealership told me this was normal for the battery to "recalibrate" which is true but sometimes the bars drop from all 8 full to only 1 full and up to all 8 full again in a matter of a minute or 2. Other times, it takes up to 10 to 15 minutes to fully recharge, so I think there really is a sensor failure here rather than an issue with the battery. Might I add, I just reached the 10,500 mark on the vehicle.
I'm in the same situation of going back and forth with the dealer. (I have an IMA battery discharging at least once a day and the software update has done nothing positive) My plan is to take the dealer to small claims court to force Honda to give me a new IMA battery if nothing happens, but I would prefer to get a non hybrid Civic instead. My view is the Civic hybrid is flawed and I don't really want to deal with it even if I get new IMA batteries. The engine is underpowered, the IMA batteries are prone to fail early, and we are at the mercy of Honda's software updates.
September 29, 2010
Honda Tech:
These are the problems that are occurring with our 08.
1. 2008 HCH batteries charging and discharging erratically
2. Acceleration response is erratic, I either get the assist or I don't regardless of the level of charge on the battery. In a couple cases it seemed as if the car did not want to accelerate from a stopped position. This has put me in a dangerous situation more than once when trying to cross an intersection.
3. How is it that the IMA batteries (@ 40-50 % charge) are assisting with engine acceleration if Assist indicator has no bars? This is telling me either the software patch isn't working or the batteries are failing or both.
4. My fuel efficiency has not improved and instead I am seeing less MPG from 48 mpg to 32 mpg, same as a non-hybrid.
5. Basically, the update has placed more burdens on the very small gas engine to power the vehicle with much less assist from the electric motor than before the update. Battery does not charge as high a level as before and rarely drops the batter below 4 bars. At 4 bars the electric assist is unpredictable, sometime working and sometimes stopping the assist at the worst times, like in the middle of passing or on a highway on ramp. Try getting up to speed on a highway on ramp with the small gas motor. Won't happen without the assist, to me, a safety hazard.
6. My wife is now afraid to drive it, thanks to Hondas battery saving update. Honda has turned my HCH into a standard underpowered Civic. I paid an extra $5000 for the hybrid feature.
Just because a voltage level looks ok does not mean the current output will be Ok.
All we want is the car to drive the same as when we bought it. There are many examples of these problems if you go to the Internet and check (http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/civic-hybrid-battery-ima-problems)
Thanks,
Tim Lake
Ps: please attach this to your work sheet so we will both have same records.
Result No Problem Found from Honda Corp.
A very good synopsis of what a lot of us are experiencing. My view is the software upgrade highlights the serious deficiencies of the Civic hybrid. It has a very small gas engine requiring constant and consistent help from the electric motor but the combination of a small gas engine and small hybrid battery pack are not robust enough to cover all types of driving conditions, such as using AC in start stop driving in hot weather. Furthermore, some of these IMA batteries are deteriorating and are making the Civic even less predictable and safe. And the software upgrade has reduced the consistency and amount of electric power which has made the acceleration more unpredictable and unsafe.
Even before the battery problems and the software upgrade, I had frequent discharges and no electric assistance when I was driving in hot weather with the AC running in start and stop traffic. It didn't bother me at the time but I now think it is unacceptable and unsafe. I mean, Honda should have said the car is only fit for driving in temperate weather conditions and not in start and stop traffic.
Are you nuts? I would not think twice if I found someone willing to give me that money for the car, but hey if you think you can find someone who'll give you $12k then good luck. Maybe I should look into selling my car on eBay/CL next time.
More and more people realize these facts, and don't forget that the HCH is an old design that will not be able to compete with newer hybrid designs. I am glad I got rid of mine when I did. No worries and no regrets.
Because you want to sell it and because you have found someone ill-informed enough to pay more than it is worth. Yeah, I know, well maintained, new battery, and so on, but it's still only worth what it's worth.
I'm not sure that's true, but I know something that is true. Cars that we drive around are NOT an "investment". They only go down in price as the miles pile up and or the years go by. Say the price of gas is higher a year from now. The car is a year older.
(I feel like we're on Deal or No Deal) :P
True, value usually goes down as the car ages and miles add up. However, if gas goes up, the value could be more for a hybrid than it would otherwise be.
In fact, we have seen that in consumer response to the HCH. People are much more likely to buy a Prius if the price of gas goes up. I own / have owned 7 Hondas including a HCH and would pick the Prius over the HCH in a second.
Anyway, I didn't read all the posts and I tried to research any posts about a class action lawsuit(but found only one post) directly addressing the ima battery and how they broke the contract,imo, when the software update was
installed. So I regret to ask a question that has already been addressed here but is there a class action suit in the works to join? Thanks for any info.
Mark
Even if I had confidence that a new IMA battery pack would function well for 100K, my opinion is the Civic hybrid's design is fundamentally flawed - an inadequate gas engine and limited battery capacity means it is really not safe -- you will be deprived of adequate acceleration in some driving conditions, such as running the ac in hot weather in start and stop traffic.
I have not noticed this problem with a good battery. It happened a lot when battery was bad.
mark
One does not by a new car for an investment. It is essentially a tool to take you from A to B. Since the car is running fine, I will keep it indefinately. I find Consumer Reports to be nitpicky. For the longest time they were recommending the car as a best buy, both new and used. Let's not take our eyes off the real problem, the software update. I believe Honda rushed a defective software patch onto us. I don't think they took into consideration individual driving habits or the age/milage of the batteries.