Steering Wheel/Alignment and Maintenance Minder

EvilStryke17

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Origin: New Civic Coupe LX-P purchased with 5 miles on 9/5/16.

Issue #1: Noticed on 9/6/16, vehicle would veer left when the Steering Wheel was centered. Vehicle was taken to the Honda Service Center on 9/21/16 and a 4-Wheel Alignment was performed with the Front and Rear Toes adjusted to manufacturer specifications.

Issue #2: Noticed on 9/21/16 later in the day, vehicle would veer right when the Steering Wheel was centered. Vehicle was taken to the Honda Service Center on 9/26/16, the Service Manager test drove the vehicle with me, reproduced the issue, 4-Wheel Alignment performed again with the Steering Wheel measured to be aligned within "tolerance levels", Rear Toe adjusted to manufacturer specifications (again), and Front Driver and Passenger tires switched for troubleshooting and purposes. Test drove the vehicle with the Service Manager and when the Steering Wheel was centered, the vehicle still veered slightly right. Service Manager advised me that Honda would consider such behavior "within normal tolerance ranges since the Steering Wheel system is built with springs that cannot be truly perfectly aligned". The Service Manager also explained road crowning and that a true tire pull would occur within 3-4 seconds after letting go of the Steering Wheel. The Service Manager went on to explain that Honda considers a vehicle that drifts either left or right within a 7-second period normal due to varying road conditions.

Issue #3: Noticed on 9/26/16 later in the day, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Light illuminated on the freeway at 65MPH. Read the Owner's Manual and started the recalibration system since the Front Driver and Passenger tires were switched, as mentioned above. Now, Maintenance Minder has illuminated Main Code 'A' with Oil Life of 90% and 840 miles. Left the Service Manager a voicemail regarding this new-found issue and awaiting a callback some time tomorrow or Wednesday.

I have searched far and wide to understand why my Maintenance Minder now illuminates 'A' when it did not before I took in my vehicle to the Honda Service Center this morning. From the forum threads I've read all over the internet, it is a mixture between "resolved by Honda with a software update with models with Infotainment Systems earlier this year" and to "don't worry about it, Maintenance Minder is showing that service is due in the near future".

I would appreciate your time and consideration to explain the issue with my Maintenance Minder, whether it is a normal behavior or something to report to Honda Customer Relations at this point. Thank you!
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inv4zn

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What is an LX-P? Is it a california only thing?

Anyway, what the dealer told you about the wheel veering may or may not be true. If your alignment was done correctly, then it may just be the road. Best place to test it out would be a parking lot, where there is not as much crowning. Concrete would be better as well.

As for the maintenance minder, just clear it. Or get the dealer to.

I donno what calling Honda customer relations is going to do for you, they'll just tell you take it to the dealer.
 

hunter44102

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Did you drive on completely flat pavement? In my area the roads are designed to drain water so they are sloped. Cars will veer to the direction of the slope. this is normal and has nothing to do with alignment.

why does it bother you that the minder shows an 'A'? its telling you what will be due when the oil goes to 0%, which is a tire rotation and oil change. . you would rather wait until you reach 0% to know the service? that makes no sense because some people want to know sooner like 30%.

its possible that it wont show it until below 50% since it wouldn't make sense to do it beforehand
 

Kokuryu2016

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What is an LX-P? Is it a california only thing?

Anyway, what the dealer told you about the wheel veering may or may not be true. If your alignment was done correctly, then it may just be the road. Best place to test it out would be a parking lot, where there is not as much crowning. Concrete would be better as well.

As for the maintenance minder, just clear it. Or get the dealer to.

I donno what calling Honda customer relations is going to do for you, they'll just tell you take it to the dealer.
LX-P is the coupe equivalent of an Ex. For some reason Honda felt it necessary not to have an Ex coupe.
 
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EvilStryke17

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Thank you inv4zn and hunter44102 for your replies.

It seemed very odd to me that the Maintenance Minder would illuminate such code so early into purchasing and driving the vehicle. With that, I looked at a family member's 2014 Accord and friend's 2016 Accord Maintenance Minder and both at 40% Oil Life, there were no Main or Sub Codes illuminated. The bothersome situation is that there is no consistency with this feature.

I visited the Honda Service Center this morning and the issued was checked by both the Service Advisor and Service Technician. I was advised that the 'A' was indicating what type of service will be due with the next service. It still remains quite odd to me that not all Honda vehicles with this Maintenance Minder feature performs the same. I still feel mine is plagued by a software bug or is actually defective.
 


hunter44102

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maybe they changed and improved the MM based on customer feedback.

I do the maintenance at 20-30% and I like to know ahead of time. Mine is at 50% now and showing B1. (I did A1 last time)
 

inv4zn

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I'm just working off of memory for my old car, a 2007 Accord which had the basic MM as well.

If I "cycle" through the options in the small panel, I get things like Trip A, Trip B, Total KM, Outside Temp, and MM.
MM would usually be out of the scene until I hit 15% or 10% or something, at which point it would start nagging me.

Can't you just cycle out of the MM to a different "screen", and then it's out of your way? Is that not how it works with the LX's?
 
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EvilStryke17

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hunter44102: A Maintenance Minder improvement might be a possibility. I was searching some other Civic forums and Honda apparently released a software update to resolve premature service warnings with models with the Touchscreen Infotainment System. The a few Service Advisors told me to wait until 15% Oil Life because that's when Dealerships will perform the service. The Service Advisor I spoke to this morning said that Honda actually deems it fine to perform an oil change at 5% to maximize cost-efficiency.

inv4zn: I tend to cycle through the various on-screen information to get an idea of how my Average MPG is. The last information screen is the Maintenance Minder, and I am the type of person that searches for a firm answer when I see new/odd things that happen. I do leave my screen on "Trip A" though. I personally just don't find it too helpful to display such an early service warning 3 weeks into driving the vehicle and only 850 miles. To some degree, it baffles me that you cannot get a clear answer from the Honda Service Center or information from the Owner's Manual about such feature. The vague descriptions and explanations of how it's supposed to work is a face-palm.
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