I know there was a TSB regarding the condensers. Google Honda TSB condenser. They may have to cover it.
Air conditioning blowing hot air 2018 PHEV Clarity
My AC is blowing hot air. I take it to the dealer (Apple Honda, Riverhead NY). Because my car has 42,000 miles it's out of warranty and they said they will have to charge me $185 to diagnose the problem. I receive a call later in the day that there is a hole in the AC system and they have to replace the condenser and it's going to be $1,400.
Has anyone else had major issues with their AC failing like this?
Does Honda's diagnosis seem legit?
Has anyone else had major issues with their AC failing like this?
Does Honda's diagnosis seem legit?
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Loss of coolant does not necessarily mean that the condenser needs to be replaced.
My 2018 Clarity had the same problem this month. I took it in to the dealer; they recharged it with a dye in the new refrigerant. The dye can been see with a UV light, showing where the leak is. I was instructed to run the heck out of the AC and return it if it failed.The service man complained that Honda should have used this dye refrigerant AT THE FACTORY to begin with; and he has seen this problem often, with or without the TSB on the condenser. I bought mine used with a "90-day" Honda Certification and got it to the dealer just before it expired, so problems or leaks will be taken care of and covered.
But I were you, without any waranty, I'd consider getting a second opinion --
My 2018 Clarity had the same problem this month. I took it in to the dealer; they recharged it with a dye in the new refrigerant. The dye can been see with a UV light, showing where the leak is. I was instructed to run the heck out of the AC and return it if it failed.The service man complained that Honda should have used this dye refrigerant AT THE FACTORY to begin with; and he has seen this problem often, with or without the TSB on the condenser. I bought mine used with a "90-day" Honda Certification and got it to the dealer just before it expired, so problems or leaks will be taken care of and covered.
But I were you, without any waranty, I'd consider getting a second opinion --
I got mine used at CarMax. They also have a 30 day warranty (I think). Anyway, I took mine in during the second week of ownership and it was a leaking Schrader valve. They replaced it and recharged. It's all good.
Tell them Honda Service Bulletin 21-017 was released May 28th which extends the warranty to ten years on the A/C condenser for all model years of the Clarity. If the dealer then claims that it was damaged therefore not covered by warranty, ask them if they are sure that it was damaged. If their answer has any uncertainty, like "It most likely was damaged" then tell them since they aren't sure, and since there is a known problem with Clarity condensers leaking, shouldn't they assume that it is defective not damaged. If they insist that it was damaged, then ask them for the old condenser after they replace it, and ask them to show you the damage.My AC is blowing hot air. I take it to the dealer (Apple Honda, Riverhead NY). Because my car has 42,000 miles it's out of warranty and they said they will have to charge me $185 to diagnose the problem. I receive a call later in the day that there is a hole in the AC system and they have to replace the condenser and it's going to be $1,400.
Has anyone else had major issues with their AC failing like this?
Does Honda's diagnosis seem legit?
YES!!! I just had the same thing with my 2018 Clarity. I hate Air Conditioning so I have rarely used it. When I took it in, the agent warned me that, even though it was still under warranty, if there was a hole in the condenser (due to a stone) it would not be covered by warranty anyway. I got lucky...the condenser had failed, no hole, and the repairs were covered by warranty. Still....the condenser should fail in under 3 years with virtually no use? (I live in Canada...only a couple of months are that warm to need AC).My AC is blowing hot air. I take it to the dealer (Apple Honda, Riverhead NY). Because my car has 42,000 miles it's out of warranty and they said they will have to charge me $185 to diagnose the problem. I receive a call later in the day that there is a hole in the AC system and they have to replace the condenser and it's going to be $1,400.
Has anyone else had major issues with their AC failing like this?
Does Honda's diagnosis seem legit?
@2002, would you happen to have a link to that Honda Service Bulletin 21-017?
I am not able to find it with google search....
I am not able to find it with google search....
No I have not been able to find it. I think people have seen it on the Honda Service Express website which is behind a paywall.@2002, would you happen to have a link to that Honda Service Bulletin 21-017?
I am not able to find it with google search....
Trolle@2002, would you happen to have a link to that Honda Service Bulletin 21-017?
I am not able to find it with google search....
Here is a link to all Clarity TSB's including 21-017 which is the one you seek.
TSB's - Google Drive
drive.google.com
Hope this helps.
Thanks,
In the bulletin it states 2018-2021 cars but it also indicates to check the VIN status for eligibility.
This then only applies to a limited number of cars that got the defective condensers?
It also states owners of the affected vehicles will be sent a notification of the campaign.
In the bulletin it states 2018-2021 cars but it also indicates to check the VIN status for eligibility.
This then only applies to a limited number of cars that got the defective condensers?
It also states owners of the affected vehicles will be sent a notification of the campaign.
If it affects 2018-2021 then I would think it's all of them, except for 2021 models that were built after they changed to a different part.
If it affects 2018-2021 then I would think it's all of them, except for 2021 models that were built after they changed to a different part.
It looks like that is not the case.
It states a notice will be sent to owners of all affected vehicles according to VIN.
I would guess they must have had a supplier of the condensers that was not up to the required specification.
They may have had more than one supplier, the VIN will indicate what cars got the bad part.
So how long before owners start getting the notification?
It states a notice will be sent to owners of all affected vehicles according to VIN.
I would guess they must have had a supplier of the condensers that was not up to the required specification.
They may have had more than one supplier, the VIN will indicate what cars got the bad part.
So how long before owners start getting the notification?
I found this info on the site for Accords:
"2018 Honda Accord 2.0T
A/C stopped working around 40k miles. Honda wanted to charge $400 just to check the A/C system. I took it to a local mechanic that has worked on Hondas/Acuras for a long time ( in Huntington Beach, CA). Pinhole leak in condenser and evaporator. No damage to either. I had to get both replace"
Also there is indication this new refrigerant has issues, I assume the Clarity use this:
R-1234yf is very corrosive. Only clean, properly specified lubricants are able to protect the system. The use of dye in these systems is highly discouraged. Many machines will not allow recovery of “contaminated” refrigerant!
"2018 Honda Accord 2.0T
A/C stopped working around 40k miles. Honda wanted to charge $400 just to check the A/C system. I took it to a local mechanic that has worked on Hondas/Acuras for a long time ( in Huntington Beach, CA). Pinhole leak in condenser and evaporator. No damage to either. I had to get both replace"
Also there is indication this new refrigerant has issues, I assume the Clarity use this:
R-1234yf is very corrosive. Only clean, properly specified lubricants are able to protect the system. The use of dye in these systems is highly discouraged. Many machines will not allow recovery of “contaminated” refrigerant!
Honda uses the same wording on every Clarity service bulletin, the bit about VIN eligibility and that affected owners will be notified. But I never hear of people actually receiving notices about their Clarity, yet I have often heard of people taking their car in for service and the dealer applies one or more service bulletins. At least 2018 owners as that year had several service bulletins.It looks like that is not the case.
It states a notice will be sent to owners of all affected vehicles according to VIN.
I would guess they must have had a supplier of the condensers that was not up to the required specification.
They may have had more than one supplier, the VIN will indicate what cars got the bad part.
So how long before owners start getting the notification?
As for this service bulletin, other than the standard boilerplate lingo everything else in the wording sure sounds like they are extending the warranty for anyone who has a leaking condenser not caused by foreign object damage. Sure it's possible that that's not the case, that during all four model years they used two different suppliers for condensers and thus only certain cars get warranty extensions, but that just seems less likely. But even if that is the case, then that means everyone else did not receive one of the defective condensers, thus they will most likely not have a problem anyway.
I just got myself a 2018 Clarity as well and it had a bad condenser. Took a month from the date of purchase to getting it repaired (bought out of state so longer processing, shipping, etc) and in my driveway. This was probably the worst used car purchase experience I’ve ever had but hopefully I can now enjoy the car now that the A/C is fixed. Even though the repair was under warranty I was able to get the part quicker from the non-Honda dealership I bought from but had to pay the Honda dealership labor for the repair. Total cost was about $1200, which the non-Honda dealership reimbursed me for. Since the car only had 9000 some miles I didn’t think something as basic as A/C wouldn’t be working.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Clarity/comments/npu03t@2002, would you happen to have a link to that Honda Service Bulletin 21-017?
I am not able to find it with google search....
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
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