AC Recall Letter

[BestCarEver]

it crapped out twice for 2 different reasons and then i had a leaking compressor. now they are denying warranty. so all i got are worries. theres still a noise and issue

Are you dealing with the dealer?

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[Kane666]

Are you dealing with the dealer?

the dealer & corporate yes. ive been denied any further repairs

 

[BestCarEver]

the dealer & corporate yes. ive been denied any further repairs

Well I guess you went as far as you could. Depending on where you live, the AC is only a minor nuisance, I barely use mine...

 

[robertofool]

For those who had their A/C condenser covered by the warranty, did you need to provide the letter? I seemed to have misplaced mine after initially being turned away since my car was still (just barely) blowing cold air.

 

[SCOPESYS]

A couple of questions about the Honda A/C Condenser :-

Accepting that the initial issue with these condensers was a manufacturing/design flaw

(1) When did Honda start fitting non-defective Condensers into cars at the factory
(2) Has the new designed condenser got a different part number to the defective ones ?
If not, how does one tell if the Condenser is flawed, or manufactured correctly
(3) Is the problem really corrected -- ie are the new (no flawed) Condensers lasting, or are they failing as well ?
(4) Are Condensers really being damaged by Road Debris, or is that just Dealer BS.
if Road Debris is an issue, is it worth fitting some form of protective mesh ? (The Home Depot Mod !!)

I have a 2018 Si. So far, the A/C is working as well, as well as the day we drove it off the lot.
( I did fit a small, battery powered, digital Temperature gauge , with it's sensor by the center vent, so I can monitor the ventilator air temperature .. we will see this summer, if I am still obtaining the lows I got last year)
The last thing I want to do is to loose refrigerant from a leaking condenser, and risk then damaging the compressor.

My Plan is to hold off as long as possible, or until the current one fails, before deciding if I am going to let the Dealer change the Condenser, under warranty, or use the services of a "Trusted A/C Mechanic", and just eat the cost.
I just don't trust Dealers to do a good job .. based on past experiences ,, together with all the Horror stories told on this forum.
You would have though with the Automatic A/C service equipment that Dealer have (or should have), that A/C servicing should be IDIOT Proof .. but then, doing an Oil change is pretty simple, but Dealers untrained "Techs/Min wage workers" still mess that one up !!

A new Condenser is not that costly, but if the A/C system gets screwed up by the Dealer, a new Compressor is big bucks.
Refrigerant is not that costly either, when you are not paying the Dealer's ridiculous mark up that Refrigerant.

 

[parshisa]

do they cover all civic or just specific years/vins?

 

[BestCarEver]

For those who had their A/C condenser covered by the warranty, did you need to provide the letter? I seemed to have misplaced mine after initially being turned away since my car was still (just barely) blowing cold air.

It is with your VIN, you can always request another copy.

 

[BestCarEver]

A couple of questions about the Honda A/C Condenser :-

Accepting that the initial issue with these condensers was a manufacturing/design flaw

(1) When did Honda start fitting non-defective Condensers into cars at the factory
(2) Has the new designed condenser got a different part number to the defective ones ?
If not, how does one tell if the Condenser is flawed, or manufactured correctly
(3) Is the problem really corrected -- ie are the new (no flawed) Condensers lasting, or are they failing as well ?
(4) Are Condensers really being damaged by Road Debris, or is that just Dealer BS.
if Road Debris is an issue, is it worth fitting some form of protective mesh ? (The Home Depot Mod !!)

I have a 2018 Si. So far, the A/C is working as well, as well as the day we drove it off the lot.
( I did fit a small, battery powered, digital Temperature gauge , with it's sensor by the center vent, so I can monitor the ventilator air temperature .. we will see this summer, if I am still obtaining the lows I got last year)
The last thing I want to do is to loose refrigerant from a leaking condenser, and risk then damaging the compressor.

My Plan is to hold off as long as possible, or until the current one fails, before deciding if I am going to let the Dealer change the Condenser, under warranty, or use the services of a "Trusted A/C Mechanic", and just eat the cost.
I just don't trust Dealers to do a good job .. based on past experiences ,, together with all the Horror stories told on this forum.
You would have though with the Automatic A/C service equipment that Dealer have (or should have), that A/C servicing should be IDIOT Proof .. but then, doing an Oil change is pretty simple, but Dealers untrained "Techs/Min wage workers" still mess that one up !!

A new Condenser is not that costly, but if the A/C system gets screwed up by the Dealer, a new Compressor is big bucks.
Refrigerant is not that costly either, when you are not paying the Dealer's ridiculous mark up that Refrigerant.

I think you are totally in the clear. It was just the first few years. On the trusting the dealer, I would say I would trust them because they had a LOT of practice with this job. I dropped my car off, rented a car based on the estimated shop time required and was called in just a few hours that the job was already done. Based on this experience, I would say they have all the bugs worked out with this procedure and can do it very efficiently and properly. Let the dealer get it done on their dime, but as I said you most likely have nothing to worry about.

 

[bishamonite]

My 2016 Honda Civic-EX started blowing hot air. I bought this used car from the Honda Dealership last year March 2019. A little over 1 year later, the A/C is out. Getting the letter from Honda about the A/C not working as intended extending the warranty 10 years and reading this forum, I thought the fix would be covered. NOPE, the other part that apparently has a high chance of leaking freon is the "Compressor". Dealership said my warranty just expired 2 months ago 1 year from when I bought the used car from them. $$$ So now, the place I just bought the used car from 1 year+ ago, are now charging me $2,200 to get and install a new "Compressor" (not the condenser which is covered under the extended 10 year warranty). Not the expense I was expecting for an oil change and what I thought would be a simple enough freon recharge ($400+ from dealership because Honda Civic 2016+ now use Y-1234yf NOT the common 134a refrigerant most people can do themselves)

 

[BestCarEver]

My 2016 Honda Civic-EX started blowing hot air. I bought this used car from the Honda Dealership last year March 2019. A little over 1 year later, the A/C is out. Getting the letter from Honda about the A/C not working as intended extending the warranty 10 years and reading this forum, I thought the fix would be covered. NOPE, the other part that apparently has a high chance of leaking freon is the "Compressor". Dealership said my warranty just expired 2 months ago 1 year from when I bought the used car from them. $$$ So now, the place I just bought the used car from 1 year+ ago, are now charging me $2,200 to get and install a new "Compressor" (not the condenser which is covered under the extended 10 year warranty). Not the expense I was expecting for an oil change and what I thought would be a simple enough freon recharge ($400+ from dealership because Honda Civic 2016+ now use Y-1234yf NOT the common 134a refrigerant most people can do themselves)

You can buy a used compressor from a large wrecker like LKQ on eBay or from Rock Auto for about $400 new. The gases are compatible, I was thinking about getting a fitting and using the old gas. They should cover the recharge either way as the condenser would leak out the gas. My dealer wanted over 3G till I contacted Honda directly.

 

[jhaze84]

I just paid $1900 to have my compressor/clutch/coil replaced out of warranty. I did get the letter about the AC condenser, so I was hoping it would be that. However 2 different dealers confirmed that the compressor was my problem and that it was not covered under the 10-year warranty. And that it was just leaking, no rock damage.

I think its ridiculous that Honda identified one defective part of the AC system but is refusing to cover other parts. To have an AC compressor fail after 35,000 miles is not normal, especially when it is so widespread. I can only hope that Honda is forced through lawsuits to extend the warranty on the compressor as well, so I and others can get reimbursed.

 

[zspeed]

I just paid $1900 to have my compressor/clutch/coil replaced out of warranty. I did get the letter about the AC condenser, so I was hoping it would be that. However 2 different dealers confirmed that the compressor was my problem and that it was not covered under the 10-year warranty. And that it was just leaking, no rock damage.

I think its ridiculous that Honda identified one defective part of the AC system but is refusing to cover other parts. To have an AC compressor fail after 35,000 miles is not normal, especially when it is so widespread. I can only hope that Honda is forced through lawsuits to extend the warranty on the compressor as well, so I and others can get reimbursed.

Mine which is a 2017 Sport hatch got also busted that both condenser and compressor needs to be replaced at 40,211 miles. They are back ordered and I needed to wait for about a week which is a bummer. Another thing is that I am already out of the 3 year/36k mile warranty which is a total bust.

This, together with the other issues that are coming out of different 10th gen Civics are totally unacceptable. I lost my confidence with Honda considering I owned a 6th gen Civic in the past.

 

[sillyrabbit]

I took my car in for this recall last week and the service department told me directly that the replacement unit is the exact same as the original, meaning it is just as likely to develop a leak as the original was.

They said that Honda is working on manufacturing one that doesn't leak, but they don't know when/if they will be successful.

Where are people getting information about this issue being resolved in the replacement units or in newer vehicles?

 

[kcao888]

Good luck getting the Honda to accept your recall. I took my 2016 civic to the dealership for the AC recall. My civic is currently blowing cold on the passenger side and warm on the driver side vents so i know its leaking freon. The dealership charged me a 159.00 diagnose fee and if they find the fault to be the AC condenser then it will be warranty but of course they found a small leak near the AC compressor... At the end of the day, I paid 1,200 to replace the AC compressor and tensioner. Unfortunately outside shops don't have the correct equipment to recharge the freon. What a recall scam to bring loyal customers into the dealership to be up-sold.

 

[BestCarEver]

Good luck getting the Honda to accept your recall. I took my 2016 civic to the dealership for the AC recall. My civic is currently blowing cold on the passenger side and warm on the driver side vents so i know its leaking freon. The dealership charged me a 159.00 diagnose fee and if they find the fault to be the AC condenser then it will be warranty but of course they found a small leak near the AC compressor... At the end of the day, I paid 1,200 to replace the AC compressor and tensioner. Unfortunately outside shops don't have the correct equipment to recharge the freon. What a recall scam to bring loyal customers into the dealership to be up-sold.

Sorry to hear you did not get looked after. The new gas is a bit of a problem, but there are shops that can refill the system but I world have it done at the dealer given the choice.

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