Handbrake handbrake self release (inc recall letter)

[TruckerEm]

Originally Posted by jazzman

You`re winding us up you naughty thing

I'd agree

[Accord Owner wants Civic]

Mine failed today.

First time ever and I was in the car when it happened. The brake lever just 'pinged' and jumped down and off. The car was stationary and on the flat, thank goodness.

This IS a serious problem.

[eyemdee]

Originally Posted by Accord Owner wants Civic

Mine failed today.

First time ever and I was in the car when it happened. The brake lever just 'pinged' and jumped down and off. The car was stationary and on the flat, thank goodness.

This IS a serious problem.

2 questions - 1 flippant and 1 serious.

Could it be cigarette ash bunging up the mechanism?! (Sorry, couldn't resist that when I read your sig!)

Seriously, did you press the button when applying the handbrake. If not then Honda say this cannot happen.

[Jack The Lad.]

Not had a problem yet, but I have always left my cars in gear when parked.
I wonder what Honda would have to say, if when I receive a letter from the Dealer asking me to take the car in for the fix, I told them that I don't want it done.
Just don't need the hassle of scratches and dings.
O.K., its down to the dealer to replace any parts that they damage, but you wouldn't believe the trouble I had, when a Volvo I owned needed to have the entire dash removed for a fault fix. Modern cars, using robots to build, are designed to be made and not taken apart, by some poor guy, given some daft time limit dictated by Honda.

[TruckerEm]

[quote=Jack The Lad.;129087]Not had a problem yet, but I have always left my cars in gear when parked.
quote]


Have to say this comment is starting to drive me nuts!!!!! No offence ment Jack.

Yes I do leave my car in gear when I park it and leave it unattended its also locked. But as in my case it was parked on a private drive as I jumped out to shut my gate behind me when it rolled away. Also like to point out several have had the handbrake fail at juctions/traffic lights so as not to kill the cluch most would have the car out of gear with the handbrake applied. I for one since mine failed triple check that the handbrake is on as tightly as i can get it
I am using both hands now!! If for a scond I think i may of touched the button I take it off and reapply it.

[Jack The Lad.]

No offence meant mate, I know the problems that you have had and I really feel for you. Really hope that Honda end up paying for it all. (Had a 3 month fight with Honda myself, a few years back).
I am only stating my own case.
I have a steep drive down to my place and I wouldn't trust the handbrake, now I know that there is a problem for some.

[HappyMan]

I spoke to my dealer about this problem the day i picked up my car and he honestly said that they had had no problems reported to them about the handbrake over the last 2 years. It maybe because a lot of poles don't use the handbrake and simply leave it in gear, as I do now.

Let's see if I get a letter from Honda about it.

[Brodick]

It should only be a serious problem if somone doesn't follow the instructions in the manual (which when you get the car you are meant to read) or hasn't read the manual and not got the letter from Honda

Not had any issues with our cars handbrake and don't expect to

[Kremmen]

Now you say that................

I have always pressed the button to apply the handbrake and I continue to do so, purely out of habit and how I was taught many many moons ago.

The only thing I now do though, again out of habit, is press down on the lever. If it not latched, which has never happened to me, then it's going to drop at that point ?

[civicfan]

The handbrake issue shows how bad today's production cost cutting is getting - the prototype had an automatic handbrake, keeping it in mass production would cost maybe 10 euros per unit, as would the parking camera, the servo door locking etc.etc. In the end, the car would be perhaps 300 euros more expensive to build but a whole class better _but_ Honda's profit figure would drop by a fraction of a percent - I mean if they would forsake profiting on the few extras to push the image of the car.

Instead, the company has chosen to invest in advertising, a good decision for today's profits but what if the customer is dissatisfied with the car and never buys the same brand again? Perhaps then the management guys responsible for this will be working for someone else. Globalization...

[Pottsy]

£150 extra may well translate to £1000 or more on the selling price, so it is significant. I don't know what the UMC is on a Civic (anyone?) but would guess at between £1800 and £3500.

Again I don't know, but very strongly suspect that something like the handbrake lever assembly would be bought in assembled from a subcontractor. If the unit has been made incorrectly (the spring the wrong way round or whatever) then you'd imagine that Honda will be back-charging a lot of the cost of this error onto the subcontractor.

But yes, it remains costly for Honda. These things do happen to manufacturers occasionally, sometimes a lot worse, but they still can't be enjoying it much.

[Topcat]

Originally Posted by Petedefeet

Sooo tempted to explain whats going on behind the scenes but professionalism prevents me..

That either means you dont actually have a clue but like to look big my pretending you do or you are totally ignorant to the fact that many people are extremely upset by what has happened to their cars and comments like yours really do not help them !!!

If you were that professional you would not have made that statement in the first place.

[civicfan]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

£150 extra may well translate to £1000 or more on the selling price

Honda are not compelled to make the same amount of profit with every part of the car are they? Many manufacturers do this, it does not mean that they should subsidize the car - they might just add a little extras that make the difference between fine and crude. This is sadly less and less popular these days, since the big companies all cater to stockholders who want _money_ and not much else.

[HappyMan]

Originally Posted by civicfan

I think that is slightly unfair on Honda(and business as a whole) shareholders invest money into a company trusting the management of that company to make a profit and rightly expect a return on that trust. Shareholders apply pressure to return a profit each years which in turn should make the management of that company do the cost cutting or cost analysis etc. In fact, the management should be blamed not the shareholder for cost cutting disasters.

However, I would like to see this penchant for cost cutting at the expense of quality changed but that would mean we would have to pay a little extra for our cars. Personally if it meant having a higher quality car I would have no problem paying a little extra. Many people wouldn't though!

[Pottsy]

Originally Posted by Topcat

That either means you dont actually have a clue but like to look big ...

Petedefeet works at Honda. I think he means "I wish I could tell you what's going on".

[civicfan]

Originally Posted by HappyMan

I think that is slightly unfair on Honda(and business as a whole) shareholders invest money into a company trusting the management of that company to make a profit and rightly expect a return on that trust. Shareholders apply pressure to return a profit each years which in turn should make the management of that company do the cost cutting or cost analysis etc. In fact, the management should be blamed not the shareholder for cost cutting disasters.

However, I would like to see this penchant for cost cutting at the expense of quality changed but that would mean we would have to pay a little extra for our cars. Personally if it meant having a higher quality car I would have no problem paying a little extra. Many people wouldn't though!

Unfair, well, maybe - but it's also not too fair to get a new car that is really not cheap and then have several repairs in the first year already.
I know it's not just Honda, every manufacturer is acting similarly to some extent because the market forces them to. But they can't blame me if I won't be getting another car every three years as I used to do - because I'm afraid the next model is worse than the previous one. And if a few million customers come to this conclusion, the industry will really have a problem.

[HappyMan]

Originally Posted by civicfan

Unfair, well, maybe - but it's also not too fair to get a new car that is really not cheap and then have several repairs in the first year already.
I know it's not just Honda, every manufacturer is acting similarly to some extent because the market forces them to. But they can't blame me if I won't be getting another car every three years as I used to do - because I'm afraid the next model is worse than the previous one. And if a few million customers come to this conclusion, the industry will really have a problem.

Your point on quality is fair and one that concerns me too. I remember test driving the new BMW 5 series and thinking compared to the older model it feels cheap!.

So, what do we do? I guess customers will simply buy different cars from manufacturers they feel give the best quality for their money. But maybe we have to pay a little bit more to get that quality and I mean that from every manufacturer not just Honda.

(Although I think economy drives by companies should not be at the expense of producing high quality finishes whatever the cost of the car).

[FWH]

This is the same everywhere.

As Pottsy said, shareowners demand for increased profit every quarter driving cost reductions very hard, sometimes too hard.

The same with Mercedes, quality has suffered and when I tried the new C-class there were somethings that, like the BMW you mention, just did not have that quality feel.

The only thing we can do is buy 50,1% of Honda and start dictating better quality.

Any contributions?

[civicfan]

To HappyMan, FWH:

I guess we are basically saying the same thing, but what really scares me a bit: I had bought the Civic after quite careful comparison, and if I'm forced to change my car I would have to go for a far more costly alternative (as a BMW 3 coupe or a higher spec Saab, maybe), because I don't see any better cars in the Civic's price class. And as I am not willing to spend 40.000+ Euros on a compact car - i'll probably stick with my Civic until it falls apart - and that can't be what the industry wants to happen.

[TruckerEm]

Originally Posted by Topcat

That either means you dont actually have a clue but like to look big my pretending you do or you are totally ignorant to the fact that many people are extremely upset by what has happened to their cars and comments like yours really do not help them !!!

If you were that professional you would not have made that statement in the first place.

I would like to agree TC.

I am extremely upset and stressed out over this my car cost me alot of money. I love my car but it saddens me to see the damage to it