Transmission i Shift change - new software

[Doubtingthomas]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that the so called 'rowing boat sensation' had been sorted by the previous software modification/upgrade, no?

[Brodick]

Originally Posted by Kremmen

i-shift recall...................

Oh - lets hope so

As Biker1 said - lets get rid of the row-boat sensation.

Don't think that was quite biker 1's words Kremmen

It will be interesting to see if there is a recall and if it is for all cars
or just for the pre march 2007 cars !!!!

I find the i-shift in our car good ( there is room for improvement)
but it has never given any cause for concern

[Foggy69]

Originally Posted by Doubtingthomas

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that the so called 'rowing boat sensation' had been sorted by the previous software modification/upgrade, no?

The upgrade to the i-shift was only available on cars sold after March 2007 because it had to be done at the factory.
It seems that Honda might have worked out how to let the dealer do the upgrade now, so all the older cars can have the upgrade

[Brodick]

Originally Posted by Foggy69

The upgrade to the i-shift was only available on cars sold after March 2007 because it had to be done at the factory.
It seems that Honda might have worked out how to let the dealer do the upgrade now, so all the older cars can have the upgrade

except doubtingthomas is looking at new cars is he not??

I agree with you foggy although it seems that there may actually be a further upgrade lurking out there

[Doubtingthomas]

Hi Guys, I'm sorry that my information is a little sketchy, but my dealer told me that ALL i-Shifts are to be the subject of a recall next month, just precisely what for, I do not know, nor does he. I suspect that he may not be 100% correct in what he says because it is difficult to accept that a brand new Civic being delivered in September, say late September, will be the subject of a recall within a week or so, if not days of delivery. On the other hand, Honda has to have a cut off date when they supply dealers with new Civic i-Shifts embodying the suggested recall/modification/upgrade. So as before, no doubt all will be revealed in the fullness of time. He was quite adamant however that a recall is on the cards in October. I am only repeating his words to me. Thank you.

[Brodick]

whereabouts are you Doubtingthomas?

Who is your dealer


cause if this information is wrong - we will hunt you down

[Kremmen]

The way I read Biker1's comments was the correction/enhancement of the i-shift that removes the "row boat" sensation.

On mine, when shifting upwards, and most noticeable in the lower gears, is the pause between gears where power is removed then restored that causes all occupants to lean forwards then get pushed back into their seats as the next gear engages and the power is restored.

The way I read his comments was that they have now sorted this problem and I assume this is by a slicker/fsater change.

Any mass recall must take into effect the 2 VED bands that different age Civic's fall into. As this is not a safety issue I cannot see a 'recall' as such but something for the next service?

[Doubtingthomas]

Good Morning Brodick,
I live in the north west of England. I will not disclose the dealership to protect the innocent. I will try and elicit more information. I am to test drive an i-shift that a member of the Service Department runs, so he should be clued up on what is going on. I have run a succession of Hondas for many, many years, I even owned a Quintet, remember them? In my opinion, Honda UK tends to keep dealers in the dark on many issues and I also accept that this disclosure could be a case of 'Chinese whispers'. I have earmarked Friday of this week for the test drive and shall report my feelings and what, if any, information on the "recall" I manage to glean. Whilst I feel quite confident of driving an i-shift, I have my wife to consider.......

[Kremmen]

Thanks for the update anyway

[roscobbc]

I have just collected my I-shift car from its 24000 srvice. Still no answers to my I-Shift complaints (i.e. sick of way the car hangs on to gear ratios if you accelerate around bends) and when you are decelerating and quickly re-accelerating ( for example entering a roundabout) and just waiting (and waiting) for the thing to actually respond to the throttle imputs. My wife won't drive the car!
Dealer confirmed that current cars have a modified ECU.
I regard this information as an admission of fault with existing unit.
GOODS NEWS
I FINALLY SPOKE TO HONDA UK THIS AFTERNOON AND THEY SAID 'THAT UK DEALERS WILL BE GETTING AN UPGRADE PACKAGE TO RETRO FIT TO ALL AFFECTED CARS. THIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY YEAR END. THIS WILL BE DONE UNDER WARRANTY'

[Brodick]

Originally Posted by roscobbc

I have just collected my I-shift car from its 24000 srvice. Still no answers to my I-Shift complaints (i.e. sick of way the car hangs on to gear ratios if you accelerate around bends) and when you are decelerating and quickly re-accelerating ( for example entering a roundabout) and just waiting (and waiting) for the thing to actually respond to the throttle imputs. My wife won't drive the car!
Dealer confirmed that current cars have a modified ECU.
I regard this information as an admission of fault with existing unit.
GOODS NEWS
I FINALLY SPOKE TO HONDA UK THIS AFTERNOON AND THEY SAID 'THAT UK DEALERS WILL BE GETTING AN UPGRADE PACKAGE TO RETRO FIT TO ALL AFFECTED CARS. THIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY YEAR END. THIS WILL BE DONE UNDER WARRANTY'

I'm glad you are happy with the outcome - everyone has their own opinions and own driving style

Personally I wouldn't say it was an admission of guilt all they have done is improve what was already a fairly good system

We have no real issues with it at all - although it would be nice to get rid of the row - row sensation

your comments about the system hanging onto the gears - I find it only does this in 1st and 2nd and then only if you have a heavy right foot

[jayt43]

I remember reading that, in terms of recalls, Honda pretty well topped the charts against other motor manufacturers.

Of course, this wasn't to say that reliability had been affected, or quality compromised. On the contrary. The company was being proactive in how it dealt with issues that had the potential to be problematic, even if the customer was completely unaware of any issues with their vehicle. I'm sure that's partly why Honda do so well in customer satisfaction surveys.

If indeed there is to be an i-shift recall (and that owners are happy to have their vehicles modified for better performance, while perhaps sacrificing a bit in fuel consumption) I say well done to Honda for actually addressing the problem.

I doubt you'd ever get the likes of Peugeot, Renault or Fiat acting in the same way.

[roscobbc]

Perrhaps I was being a little over the top. I drive in London suburbs and in the 'cut & thrust' of everydays driving the transmission generally speaking is quite good. But only if you drive in a consistant manner. The transmission just won't seem to cope with sudden changes of input. The situation is such that if you try to enter a busy roundabout and merge-in with the everyday fast flowing, non-forgiving traffic, typically you may need to 'back-off' on the throttle to try and merge-in with traffic flow. The real and potentially dangerous problem is that when you subsequently need rapid ACCELERATION the ECU (or whatever is controlling things) is just not capable of reacting quick enough. Even half a seconds delay coupled with your natural delayed response is far too long. It is the same as being in an old banger perhaps on choke, pulling away expecting the car to respond and the engine stalling. I have to say that this issue and the one regarding non-change-up of gears on bends only applies to auto mode.
This is one of a long line of Civics. My last was a year 2000 1.4 auto which did 160K+ miles with only ever one breakdown (a cylinder head bypass hose) Superb cars, and this is the best.

[Maldax]

Originally Posted by roscobbc

when you are decelerating and quickly re-accelerating ( for example entering a roundabout) and just waiting

This is just a problem with this type of system the DSG does the same thing (albeit quicker) the gear box can't see the roundabout and has to guess what you want

[Doubtingthomas]

Originally Posted by roscobbc

I have just collected my I-shift car from its 24000 srvice. Still no answers to my I-Shift complaints (i.e. sick of way the car hangs on to gear ratios if you accelerate around bends) and when you are decelerating and quickly re-accelerating ( for example entering a roundabout) and just waiting (and waiting) for the thing to actually respond to the throttle imputs. My wife won't drive the car!
Dealer confirmed that current cars have a modified ECU.
I regard this information as an admission of fault with existing unit.
GOODS NEWS
I FINALLY SPOKE TO HONDA UK THIS AFTERNOON AND THEY SAID 'THAT UK DEALERS WILL BE GETTING AN UPGRADE PACKAGE TO RETRO FIT TO ALL AFFECTED CARS. THIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY YEAR END. THIS WILL BE DONE UNDER WARRANTY'

Hi Brodick, am I exonerated? In any event I shall try and elicit more info when I test drive the i-shift Friday, but knowing Honda, I doubt whether I will be any more the wiser.

[roscobbc]

Originally Posted by Maldax

This is just a problem with this type of system the DSG does the same thing (albeit quicker) the gear box can't see the roundabout and has to guess what you want

DSG is still a smoother transmission. I have only ried it on a A3 2ltr Diesel.
Conventional torque converter auto's can respond more or less instantly to throttle depressions. So called electronic 'intelligent' transmissions should be able to do at least as well as conventional auto!

[Brodick]

DSG's have 2 clutch
i-shift has 1 clutch

that is the reason the DSG is so much better

[roscobbc]

I am sure that if VAG hadn't patented the DSG system Honda would already be there (interesting that it appears to work better on diesels) I am not knocking the principle of I-Shift. It works, it is probably less complicated than DSG. It is just surprising that Honda 'let this out of the door'. There is no question about the problems. The dealers and even factory tech guys refer to the system as I-Sh*t. Just wait until the first smart-ass lawyer picks up on its potentially dangerous inadequacies after a significant accident liability claim. When you get traditional Honda customers returning I-Shift cars to the dealers or not ordering one after a test drive something is obviously not right. I had no choice in the matter as mine is a company car. In every other respect the car is a significant advance over anything that Honda and other manufacturers have done with small cars. Having said that having a ripped-open rear tyre in the early hours of a Saturday morning is no joke without a spare tyre!

[Brodick]

I just checked out our civic on the Honda on Line check
thingy and it says our civic has some outstanding work to be done

I can only think this is for the upgrade??

[roscobbc]

Hold your horses. Today they did recall fix to fuel filler flap and one to front screen trim. Perhaps these are the current outstanding items.