software update related to battery power discharge

mnestrud said:

This is a great recommendation. I have a '17 and have had almost all of the available TSBs applied, by bringing evidence (photo of the dashboard, etc) and a copy of the TSB as a 'suggestion' on where to start their research. Dealer loves not being told what to do but also loves quick diagnostics.

I didn't know to do such a thing before I bought the car and didn't find this forum until after I bought it. It would have saved me a dead battery had I done so. (different than the '19 issue).

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Yeah, I am a big believer in bringing photos and/or documentation to the dealer when you are having an issue. It helps them and it helps you.

I think one problem with (and for) dealers with these modern vehicles is that when an owner brings their car in for an issue and begins describing it... it can be hard for the dealer to act upon a description when it does not fit a clear and known pattern of defect or issue. Different people have different levels of objectivity, accuracy, and skill in presenting a dealer with a "description" of their issue and symptoms. And dealers are facing this every day I am sure across a range of owner complaints... so it can wear down the dealers objectivity in taking every owner issue or complaint a seriously as they should (too many incidences of wrong descriptions, or misleading or inaccurate descriptions that send the dealer mechanics on a wild goose chase). Whereas actual video or photo evidence of the issue and/or copies of documentation submitted by Honda to the NHTSA removes the "description of symptoms" from the discussion and lest the dealer concentrate on objective information and resolving the problem.

I know dealers get criticized a lot here on the forum for "not taking a customer seriously" or "not being able to replicate and fix an issue". But the way I see it.. owner and dealer benefit by collaborating together to bring accurate information and resulting service action to a vehicle. Telling a dealer that the "whatzit in my car is making a funky sound on every other weekday" is not helpful. Better and more objective information from the owner also helps every other Honda owner as well... because dealers get more accurate and actionable information on issues rather then having to figure out if there is a real issue, or a customer perceived issue that is actually not an issue at all for a given vehicle. The more owners that bring clear actionable information with them when they go to the dealer for an issue with their vehicle the more effective and efficient the dealers are overall for the entire customer base.

I do believe that Honda dealers should be more aware of open TSBs on vehicles... but I also recognize that these new vehicles are complex and there are numerous variants within a model, as well as a family of different models for them to keep track of. And service advisors are trained to listen to their computers about things like this.... so sometimes you need to bring them some information that encourages them to check and verify through their computer and/or talk with a mechanic. It is of course easier when you have a letter in hand from Honda about your vehicle (which can be a formal recall, or simply a company quality campaign). In addition, the dealers have their service staff partitioned by different skills and certifications as to what each mechanic works on and to what degree... which gets more complex as the vehicles get more complex. Like when my new 2017 CRV was issued a recall for a defective fuel line install at the factory only 60 days after I took delivery and I found out I had to wait a week to bring it in because the dealer had only one mechanic certified at the time by Honda to do the recall procedure. On the one hand... it's good that only mechanics certified by Honda on a repair can actually perform the repair... but it also means you may find yourself in line behind other owners on appointment scheduling, particularly in the case of a recall.

So.. we as owners.. who can collaborate on line and bring actual Honda documents filed with the NHTSA with us to the dealer is a win for all parties.