[Lights] My rant letter to HONDA UK!

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by Mr JP

thankyou to all posters from jack the lad onwards, you have made me rest my mind after everyone else said its my fault, its common sense, where in the hand book does it say dont clean car when lights been on? what would happen if i stopped (as many motorists do) at a jet wash in a garage to wash it when i had had lights on? am i supposed to wait half hour then wash it?

thanks again for the sensible replies although I respect the opinion of the others of course

Do you often take your car to the Jetwash when visibility is less than 50 yards?

[Jack The Lad.]

Do you often take your car to a Jetwash even. No No No way.

[NH Dan]

Do you also put the kettle on and pour it over your windscreen when its covered in ice?? No, thought not. Exactly the same principle.

TBH, i've not heard of any heat related issues with the fog lights and having mentioned cold hose etc I dont think it will get very far. Soz

[Mr JP]

thanks alot nh dan, great input, sounds like a typical dealer though im afraid.

alanwalne I dont do that no but in principle if I wanted to I should be able to with no worry. I repeat where is this in the handbook? are you telling me a handbook needs to explain how to use the indicator or open a window, but that im expected to know the molecular properties of glass! thats before I knew it was glass anyway because I could never have imagined the foglights would be glass and the headlights polycarbonate.

So the sarcastic remarks on a forum designed for owners that want help is not constructive is it?

I asked for helpful input did I not.

thanks for trying though

[NEEMSTAR]

good luck

[NH Dan]

Originally Posted by Mr JP

thanks alot nh dan, great input, sounds like a typical dealer though im afraid. - I missed out the sarcastic smiley but tbh, it IS the same principal and to my knowledge, it doesnt tell you in the handbook not to do it either.

alanwalne I dont do that no but in principle if I wanted to I should be able to with no worry. I repeat where is this in the handbook? are you telling me a handbook needs to explain how to use the indicator or open a window, but that im expected to know the molecular properties of glass! thats before I knew it was glass anyway because I could never have imagined the foglights would be glass and the headlights polycarbonate.

So the sarcastic remarks on a forum designed for owners that want help is not constructive is it?

I asked for helpful input did I not.

thanks for trying though

Sorry to hear that we haven't given you the answer that you wanted to hear which I think is the main gist of your post/thread.

Send the letter to the manager of the customer services dept at HUK's Head Office. TBH as with any major corporation, the letter addressed to the MD etc etc wont ever get that far and will be dealt with through the set routes of a complaints team only ever being escalated any higher if needs be. The fact that the cust servs team seem to have drawn a line under it does seem somewhat final though.

As I say, it isnt something i've come across so don't know what elase to suggest to you.

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by Mr JP

thanks alot nh dan, great input, sounds like a typical dealer though im afraid.

alanwalne I dont do that no but in principle if I wanted to I should be able to with no worry. I repeat where is this in the handbook? are you telling me a handbook needs to explain how to use the indicator or open a window, but that im expected to know the molecular properties of glass! thats before I knew it was glass anyway because I could never have imagined the foglights would be glass and the headlights polycarbonate.

So the sarcastic remarks on a forum designed for owners that want help is not constructive is it?

I asked for helpful input did I not.

thanks for trying though

JP

I admit the last comment was a bit of a rant

However I stand by my first comment that if you are going to write to Honda remove the date of the incident from your letter ,I would not recommend lying about the date, but there have been very misty cold mornings recently, last Saturday was not a good example.

In Honda's defence I have had previous cars with front fog lights (mk IV Astra and 2 x 53 plate onwards Renault Scenics and on them the glass is so thick that when it clouds or pits (as they eventually do) then the fog lights are rendered almost useless for their designed purpose. They didn't crack I will admit. So should they fit glass that clouds or thinner glas that works, but is not as tough. I think due to extra heat all cars use glas rather than plastic foglight covers. I am willing to be corrected on that point.

PS I agree that Gary is a great service manager.

[Kremmen]

As I say, it isnt something i've come across so don't know what elase to suggest to you.

I suppose in a sales role you probably don't get to see problems as they would normally go to the service dept ?


I can see an opening for a third party to supply replacement lights here. I would be extremely angry if one of mine went and then went again because of 'accountant' glass specification.

I don't use mine but if one went I would replace both with blanks and be done with it.

[ctrdaveg]

Mr JP

I think there is a serious fault with the fog lights as mentioned on other threads but if i was you i wouldn't send the letter telling them that you chucked cold water on them when they must have been hot.
They'll just laugh.
Just ask them to read the civinfo thread and they might look into the problem.

Good luck with your claim

[mrh339]

MrJP I think you are clutching at straws if you think Honda or any other manufacturer will be prepared to warrant the civic or any other cars against their owners stupidity.

[robbo51]

Originally Posted by ctrdaveg

Mr JP

I think there is a serious fault with the fog lights as mentioned on other threads but if i was you i wouldn't send the letter telling them that you chucked cold water on them when they must have been hot.
They'll just laugh.
Just ask them to read the civinfo thread and they might look into the problem.

Good luck with your claim

I agree.
Hot glass and cold water is a BIG mistake
AND
Telling Honda what you did too...Oh Dear
Good luck with the claim
BTW..Was it foggy at the time?

[Dimplyred]

I sort of agree. But I think they should be able to withstand cold water.

What if you were driving with them on, in fog of course Robbo, on a cold winters day and it started raining, would you be happy if they shattered.

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

I sort of agree. But I think they should be able to withstand cold water.

What if you were driving with them on, in fog of course Robbo, on a cold winters day and it started raining, would you be happy if they shattered.

In fog, the air is damp so there will be a cooling film on the lens. Also IMO rain will be less of a shock to the glass than a hose pipe.

As an aside JP you have been driving the car round for a year in the area around Gravesend, then with all the roadworks on the A2 could stone damage have weakened the glass (not sure about the physics wheather the glass will weaken) so the hose was just the straw that broke the camel's back rather than the whole cause.

[Dimplyred]

Let's face it though, we know that the glass on the fog lights is not up to the job. How many of us have had cars in the past with fog lights and never had any problems.

Let's not try to excuse the fact that they shatter on anything other than poor design.

[shedbuilder]

It seems to me that this is a question of "reasonable use". IMO it's reasonable to wash your vehicle in any of the usual ways that you might wash the vehicle (e.g. using a hosepipe) at pretty much any time without fear of damaging it. Honda should make owners aware (e.g. a note in the handbook) of any usual ways of cleaning which might cause damage to the vehicle. So, on this basis I wish you well with your claim.

However... My dealings with Honda customer services (poor radio reception) were very much less than fruitful. In the end I decided to just live with the awful radio... I decided that if I continued with the claim I'd end up just hating the car. My conclusion was that Honda just couldn't give a toss. On the whole, I think the car's great, but Honda's attitude has certainly lost them a repeat customer in me. There are alternatives in the car market, and I vote with my feet.

I hope you have better luck with them than I did.

[Andy_K]

Originally Posted by alanwalne

Beware about making too much of a fuss about it to Honda stating dates as they may ask why you had your front foglights on during recent weather.

Sorry chav's... if you're gonna look propper cool with you're fog lights on in summer you must be prepared to take the consiquences.

See what you're saying though... Honda are **** once they have your money... What has happened? I had an EP3 trouble free for 2 years...now owning a new Civic EX i would pass it off as just buying a 'lemon' but to be honest... don't the majority of them suffer from the things i have....
Windscreen rattle
Handbrake failure
Front and rear faulty shock absorbers
Petrol cap
Dashboard rattles
i-vtec stutter
condensation in lights

these are just the problems i've had... i realise there's alot more 'fogs' etc... but i guess i've just been 'lucky' with those.

[HappyMan]

Whilst I think you should write and complain I think it should be done carefully and thoughtfully and in stages. I do believe that we should complain about things if we think the product or service we have bought is defective. However, there has to be a plan! Also constructive complaints are much better.

I do believe in this case the fog lights should be able to withstand a 'cold flush' of water - what about standing water on the road?

I do wish you luck with your pursuit but I am not sure it will come to anything!

[Honcho]

There's little doubt that Honda are fully aware of every single deficiency in their car. They may even be aware of those not yet observed by the public.

What conditions their response to complaints is not awareness but resolve.

If the cost of redesign is greater than the cost of warranty claims or possible loss of reputation, then nothing will be done, at least until the facelift.

The task of the Honda Customer Relations team...and that of every other motor manufacturer... is to attempt to ameliorate this inevitable fact of motor marketing life by delay, denial or even prevarication.

[Topcat]

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

I sort of agree. But I think they should be able to withstand cold water.

What if you were driving with them on, in fog of course Robbo, on a cold winters day and it started raining, would you be happy if they shattered.

Exactly what I was thinking, to say that cold against the heat of the glass will shatter them is ridiculous.

Hmmmmmmm so maybe Honda should issue a warning "do not use your fog lights in extremely cold weather as they are prone to shatter" !!

[Kremmen]

do not use your fog lights

is more realistic!