Steering Black plastic cover for steering joint.

[Bart]

I don't know what the part is called so I'll try to explain what it is and what the problem is.

What it is: Just behind and slightly above the clutch pedal is a black plastic cover for the steering column.

What the problem is: the bolts that keep this plastic part on the threads that poke out of the bodywork are missing and it started to slip and move around.

Coming home this evening I popped into the dealer to tell him the problem - he said we'll book it in Monday to get that looked at - also the scratched dash is being looked at aswell. It was 5 o'clock and the technicians had gone home so I was disappointed the bolts couldn't be tightened on - 10 minute job I guess.

Coming home the plastic part came away and slipped behind the clutch as I was coming to a stop behind a car at a set of traffic lights - I couldn't change gear as I couldn't fully depress the clutch and the car came to a juddery stalled stop - I crapped myself as I thought I was going togo into the car infront of me.

So, there is no way I'm waiting until Monday - my car is going into the dealers tomorrow morning at 8:30am as soon as the technicians start work. I've sort of clipped it back on as best as I can but it'll come off the threads again

[Bungle]

That's worth a big complaint. That is a serious fault and was extremely dangerous.
Don't take the car back til that problem is sorted, and the dash scratches also.

[basegreen]

Just because a fault is serious and dangerous, don't expect them to deal with it in any special way.

I speak from BITTER experience.

[Bart]

I suppose neither the aftersales manager ormyself really thought it would be a big problem, but with alot of gear changes and my foot clipping the plastic cover when using the "clutch foot rest" it must have totally dislodged it.

The trouble is I don't want to appear to be a nuisance - its ok to vent my problems on a forum but I don't want the dealer to start getting arsey with me.

At the moment I'm the one feeling guilty about going to them in the morning but when I think how I felt when I couldn't depress the brake I get annoyed that it was an oversight.

I'm not perfect and we'reonly human so I guess mistakes are bound to happen

B.

[Hartside]

Bart, don't feel guilty. You have spent a pot load of money with this dealer and Honda for your new car. Insist your car is made safe and to the standard you deserve. The dealer is not doing you a favour sorting out the car, he claims the money back under a warranty repair.

[Bart]

Basegreen,

Have you had problems with your Honda dealer?

I took the car in this morning and told the aftersales manager of the serious problem I had yesterday afternoon. To my complete amazement he wasn't going to do anything about it, he said that his technicians were busy on other cars and it would have to wait until Monday. Well, I went up like a cheap chinese firework - one big bang then started to fizzle out

The conversation went back and forth for about 5 to 10 minutes with him going on about "no time","nothing we can do about it" and me going on about "safety whilst driving" and "its a new car only 1 day old" etc. I asked for the main manager and he looked and sniggered and said "you'll have a long wait - he's not in until 10" (it was now 8:45am), so I said who's next in charge then his smile got bigger and he said "I am"!!

So it was like the "Cuban Missile Crisis Stand-off", neither the after sales manager nor me was going to back down. In the end I raised my voice as if talking to a naughty child and told him that "he had to fix my car and there was no way I was leaving until it was sorted". I think he shat himself at this point because I was calm and placid - he probably thought I'd land one on him - which I wouldn't have done.

He grabbed my keys and he said "I'll do it" - he stormed off and within 10 minutes he was back - "its all done" he said in an abrupt manner. "Is it done properly" I asked - "yes" he said without looking at me. So, I walked out of the showroom, took and look and yep it was done ok.

Why the hell did act the way he did over such a serious safety issue - my car is booked into them on Monday to sort out the dashboard scratches, so I'm sure he's gonna be looking forward to that over the weekend

I really thought that Honda were going to be different, but so far I've been disappointed with their attitude. I think they're all the same - what ever happened to customer satisfaction?

[basegreen]

Contact Honda UK about this. Their phone number (for Cars) is on their website.

If you need any assistance from me, send me a PM.

I haven't had a problem with the dealer (apart from them fitting my Bassworks kit the wrong way round, and giving me a free upgrade to 17" Penta to say sorry!!).

[Bungle]

This is down to individual dealers, not Honda.
My local dealers used to be Whitehouse. They were excellent, when I bought my 04 Civic, they couldn't be more helpful. They bent over backwards for me, even when I had problems with my deposit (my deposit was a 2 year old Clio, who's gearbox exploded - literally- the night before the handover).

Now they are Dutton Forshaw Honda, and everything, especially customer services has gone down hill. Strangly, most of the original staff are there, so it must be a management thing.

Just remember, you are the customer, they owe you. It's not the other way around. Some companies believe customers are a distraction or annoyance of work, rather than the reason for it.

Well, at least your problm is sorted, even if your name is mud there!

[basegreen]

When I say speak to Honda - I mean to tell them about the dealer issues, not the original issue.

[Ancient Nerd]

Bart,

This sounds like a serious safety issue. If there is any suggestion that Honda is not taking it seriously, I would strongly recommend that you write to VOSA giving them details. You've had a near accident as a result of a fault in the car, and it sounds like it could be something that might happen to others.

[Fedorov]

Well Bart, I hope someone at your dealership reads this thread and understands how many potential customers they stand to lose from treating you so badly over a serious safety issue - they SHOULD have gone out of their way to sort that immediately.

I'd write a letter of complaint to his boss and his boss's boss and to Honda.

Slightly off-topic... Good few years ago I had a Phillips 32"widescreen tv and every now and again the picture would do something really weird, it got checked out under warranty as it was still very new - eventually one night I managed to record it doing it on my camcorder - I gave the BIG retail store the footage so they could see how bad it was but because it never did it for them back at the store this jumped up sales guy would not accept me standing in the store demanding a replacement set, I eventually shouted at him as loud as possible in front of lots of customers and he basically told me "which part of the word NO do you not understand" - that was it, email/letter/fax to the north-east head office, I got an instant apology from head office and was told to go in the store and choose my replacement set (Sony). Funniest part was that he had to serve me, let's just say I had a smile on my face the whole time

...a well known north-east dealership who I wish I'd never bought my wife's Punto from were ALWAYS calling us at home on an evening trying to get us to part-ex it in for a newer model (we were still paying for it!) - each time they called I would interrupt their sales pitch and strongly suggest they remove my ex-directory phone number from their database. One night while feeding the baby some milk they interrupt me yet again - this time I tell them that I've had enough and from now on for every call they make to my house I will throw a brick through a car on their forecourt... NEVER had a phone call since.

Don't put up with crap from these people...

[WoolyCiv]

Originally Posted by basegreen

When I say speak to Honda - I mean to tell them about the dealer issues, not the original issue.

Follow the phone call up with a letter, it seems that the written word is harder to ignore than verbals by the big companies.

[Bart]

I just find myself between a rock and a hard place - a part of me wants to write a vociferous letter to Honda Customer Care to inform them of the attitude of my dealer so that it (hopefully) doesn't happen to another customer.

But, because Honda dealers where I live are few and far between I just don't want to become the customer from hell and get the looks of "here he comes again - what now, the cigarette lighter is too hot"!!?

The aftersales manager eventually copitulated but only after I put him under duress - which I shouldn't have had to do You know, he should have thought "oh s**t, I told him to go away and we'll take a look at it on Monday and now this has happened!!". I don't want to be the customer from hell, all I want it a quality car with quality service - is that too much to ask from Honda?

On the positive side the sales manager who sold me the car overheard the conversation, when the aftersales manager left to sort out my car he called me over to ask what was wrong and was everything alright - which was decent of him as he could have kept his head down and said nothing. I just downloaded on him about what had happened and he just looked shocked and said is it being sorted - then his phone rang and I walked away to the "customer lounge" and had a cup of coffee.

I forgot to mention they had an EX in the showroom, so I quickly took a look at the black plastic cover behind the clutch pedal - I was shocked to notice that this didn't have any nuts to keep the cover in place either. So, it started me wondering - should it have nuts and if so there maybe many Civic's that haven't had them fitted, or are the bolt threads mean't to keep the cover in place and mine came off and is potentially a design fault?

Come Monday they'll be sick of seeing me

[WoolyCiv]

Remember you are the customer who has bought a product from them that should be fit for purpose and if not they should (If they want to keep customers) do all within their power to correct whatever the problem may be. You are right to expect better service.

[elfa7]

Bart, imagine if you'd been travelling on the motorway at 70 mph, and tried to brake in an emergency. You wouldn't have stood a chance. This appears to be a serious design fault. Take it to the top.

[basegreen]

Originally Posted by elfa7

Bart, imagine if you'd been travelling on the motorway at 70 mph, and tried to brake in an emergency. You wouldn't have stood a chance. This appears to be a serious design fault. Take it to the top.

My engine died at 70mph joining from a sliproad in my first Civic in March -- they acted as though it was a cosmetic issue or something.

[elfa7]

Yes, I remember your problem very well. I think most Manufacturers, and Dealers, have this built in " ignore them, show total disinterest, and the majority will get fed up, and go away".

If only they would approach US when a problem arises, instead of us having to chase them all the time --- show a bit of interest in our probs.

As Hartside says, we've spent many thousands of pounds on their products, its not a lot to ask .

[Pottsy]

I presume this is the thingy in question:

thingy.jpg

And if you look closely at the bolts, in fact there shouldn't be a nut. The plastic cover has those spring clips that should slide stiffly down the threaded part to help keep it in place:

thingy2.jpg

[Bart]

Yes, that's the part - the bolts didn't have any nuts on the model in the showroom. Which led me to think that it might not have any (see comments above), but mine came off so, is it a design fault that did it, or my part might not have been fitted securely - in either case its very remiss.

Becareful guys, if this part isn't mean't to have any nuts fitted to the bolts then please make sure that yours is fitted securely. The first thing you'll know something isn't right is when the clutch pedal keeps clipping it (when depressed).

B.

[basegreen]

Originally Posted by Bart

Yes, that's the part - the bolts didn't have any nuts on the model in the showroom. Which led me to think that it might not have any (see comments above), but mine came off so, is it a design fault that did it, or my part might not have been fitted securely - in either case its very remiss.

Becareful guys, if this part isn't mean't to have any nuts fitted to the bolts then please make sure that yours is fitted securely. The first thing you'll know something isn't right is when the clutch pedal keeps clipping it (when depressed).

B.

I'm going to check mine. Something keeps doing that on my clutch, but I think its probably the mat edge.