Author Topic: Quick questions on the MK3  (Read 3706 times)

SuperCNJ

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Quick questions on the MK3
« on: June 11, 2019, 01:24:51 PM »
Hi guys,

Just picking your brains again!  :D We have pretty much settled on getting a manual 2018 MK3 Sport but have a few questions I can't seem to find answers to on the forum so have listed them here in the hope that some of you may know the answer to.

1. Is it possible to retrofit the OEM reverse parking camera system as seen on the EX and how much would it cost?
2. Is the clutch juddering issue common across all manual MK3 Jazzes? Our driveway is very steep which we reverse up to park, is it likely to be a problem? And is the clutch the same on the 1.3 manual and 1.5 manual? Or is the clutch on the 1.5 beefier than the 1.3 clutch?
3. Spare wheel and flimsy boot floor - I've seen a few options on this one but I am wondering if the space saver wheel is the same wheel as a MK1 jazz as it looks the same from the photos. If so, I could keep the one from our MK1 before we sell/scrap it.
4. Is the 1.5 Sport really that noisy to live with? And is there anything that can be done about it?
5. We are going to see a MK3 Sport this weekend and if we like it, we will take it there and then. Is there anything I should check for or pay particular attention to when inspecting/test driving the car? Any known faults? It's from a Honda dealer so hopefully it will be fine, but just making sure I've done my homework before going to see it.
6. Finally, has your MK3 been reliable for you? Any major problems so far?

Many thanks  :D

peteo48

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2019, 01:59:07 PM »
I can only answer question 6 unfortunately. Totally reliable so far as were my 2 previous Jazzes.

Downsizer

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2019, 02:06:37 PM »
Question 4: yes, all the Jazz spacesavers are the same, but the flimsy floor means you will have to find a way of supporting it when you take out the polystyrene framework.  Many good ideas in the forum.
Question 6: my Mk 3 has been totally reliable over 3 years and 33,000 miles.

JazzandJag

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2019, 02:45:04 PM »
Q1. In theory yes, but it is prohibitively expensive. A forum member asked his dealer to price up just the parts which came to (if I recall correctly) just under £1500. Honda Europe seem to price the camera alone around £1000, presumably to discourage any retro fitting. The same unit in North America costs the equivalent of £150! If you search the internet you will find examples of non EOM  retrofits but significant technical knowledge is needed to undertake this task. I decided that a standalone installation with a clip-on mirror-monitor was the best solution for myself. Cost fitted from an auto electrics specialist was £350.
Q3 I am unable to comment about the MK1 as my MK1 had 14" wheels, but I have kept the same space-saver since my 2010 MK2.
Q4 I do not find the sport any noisier than the EX I had previously and the SE I had before that.
Q5 No particular problems that I am aware of - just test drive it for a reasonable period of time (eg 30 minutes) and don't let the dealer limit you to their set demonstration route which probably is only about 10 minutes driving.
Q6 As with the other forum members no reliability problems at all.



SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2019, 04:36:14 PM »
Q1. In theory yes, but it is prohibitively expensive. A forum member asked his dealer to price up just the parts which came to (if I recall correctly) just under £1500. Honda Europe seem to price the camera alone around £1000, presumably to discourage any retro fitting. The same unit in North America costs the equivalent of £150! If you search the internet you will find examples of non EOM  retrofits but significant technical knowledge is needed to undertake this task. I decided that a standalone installation with a clip-on mirror-monitor was the best solution for myself. Cost fitted from an auto electrics specialist was £350.

Typical isn't it, we in the UK always get ripped off! The mirror camera thingie is my backup plan. ;D I installed one on our MK1 quite a few years ago and my only gripe with is when the monitor is off, the mirror is a touch too dark to see clearly particularly as we have tinted rear windows. Oh and it vibrated a lot when driving as the clamp was probably not strong enough. The OEM system just seems a bit neater but I'm not paying over a grand for it!

I guess with technology moving on, I'm sure the mirror back up cameras are much better now.






JazzandJag

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2019, 05:01:31 PM »
Yes, the mirror monitor does vibrate a bit but it is only a minor inconvenience. The mirror part seems just as bright as the normal mirror and, being larger than the standard unit, gives a better view when in mirror mode.

JazzandJag

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2019, 06:25:40 PM »
Go and do it - you will not regret it!

springswood

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2019, 05:05:52 PM »
If you've seen Chris_Music's posts about his sound deadening project there's an amazing amount you can do. Depends how much work you want to do.
"Indecision is a terrible thing"
Or is it? What do you think?

SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2019, 09:55:11 PM »
If you've seen Chris_Music's posts about his sound deadening project there's an amazing amount you can do. Depends how much work you want to do.

Thanks. It depends how noisy it is, I might do some sound deadening if it makes a big difference as we intend to keep it for a long time.

Do you have a link to his project? Thanks

springswood

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2019, 08:41:24 AM »
https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=11128.0

It's an impressive, if daunting, amount of work he's done, practically a catalogue of all the things you can do to soundproof.
"Indecision is a terrible thing"
Or is it? What do you think?

ColinB

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2019, 09:23:02 AM »
6. Finally, has your MK3 been reliable for you? Any major problems so far?

That depends on what you mean by "reliable". In 3.5 years I've not had any major mechanical failures, but I have had more than I expected niggling annoyances that required return visits to the dealer. Worst have been:
1. The infotainment unit kept crashing. It took Honda over a year of trying different software upgrades before this became reliable. And if you're expecting Mirrorlink to work with a modern phone, it won't because Honda use an outdated version.
2. I've had multiple transmission mounts (can't remember exactly how many now), the previous ones have all been the cause of a groaning/knocking noise when moving off. I'm not convinced the latest one's going to last a reasonable life.

Overall, these kinds of thing take the shine off of Honda's "bullet-proof" reputation if you're unlucky enough to experience them. Of course, one person's experience may not necessarily reflect the experience of the majority of purchasers and you'll find plenty of people saying "no problem". You might also like to skim this thread https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=10223.0 , others have had similarly infuriating annoyances (door mirrors, parking sensors, etc).

SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2019, 03:59:25 PM »
https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=11128.0

It's an impressive, if daunting, amount of work he's done, practically a catalogue of all the things you can do to soundproof.

Wow that is impressive. Just reading that thread makes it feel daunting! Not sure I have the inclination to do that much tbh. But might do little bits if it makes a difference.




SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2019, 04:08:30 PM »
6. Finally, has your MK3 been reliable for you? Any major problems so far?

That depends on what you mean by "reliable". In 3.5 years I've not had any major mechanical failures, but I have had more than I expected niggling annoyances that required return visits to the dealer. Worst have been:
1. The infotainment unit kept crashing. It took Honda over a year of trying different software upgrades before this became reliable. And if you're expecting Mirrorlink to work with a modern phone, it won't because Honda use an outdated version.
2. I've had multiple transmission mounts (can't remember exactly how many now), the previous ones have all been the cause of a groaning/knocking noise when moving off. I'm not convinced the latest one's going to last a reasonable life.

Overall, these kinds of thing take the shine off of Honda's "bullet-proof" reputation if you're unlucky enough to experience them. Of course, one person's experience may not necessarily reflect the experience of the majority of purchasers and you'll find plenty of people saying "no problem". You might also like to skim this thread https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=10223.0 , others have had similarly infuriating annoyances (door mirrors, parking sensors, etc).

True, I think like all cars there will be good and bad examples. Our GD Sport has been largely faultless. The only exception was a worn gearbox bearing otherwise mechanically it has generally been fine. I guess I was naively expecting progress to have been made in terms of reliability having skipped the MK2. But thanks for the link, it definitely gives me some things to look out for when we test drive the car this weekend.  :)

SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2019, 11:52:29 AM »
I just wanted to report back after picking up our 1.5 Sport over the weekend and to thank you all for your much appreciated advice!  :D

We're very please with the car overall but admittedly there are a couple of small niggling things that could be a little better. In case anyone else is looking to make the jump from a MK1 Sport to the MK3 Sport here are a few of our thoughts.

Our initial thoughts comparing our MK1 Sport with the MK3 Sport:

Performance: MK3 >> MK1. There is definitely a step up on performance with low end torque being the most noticeable, making city driving much easier. We tried the ivtec a couple of times, its quite different to the ivtec in the old NA Civic Type-Rs where you feel a shove in the back when it kicks in. In the Jazz, it's a relatively smooth power delivery all the way to the red line, no noticeable change as vtec engages. Cornering is better in the MK3, the suspension is a tad stiffer and there seems to be slightly less roll in corners. The gear changes are very smooth except reverse which is sometimes difficult to engage - but as 1st is linked to Reverse, I have learnt that you just need to re-engage 1st then it will go into R very easily. The steering is very comfortable to use albeit less feedback than the MK1. I like the way it returns back to centre better than the MK1.

Economy: MK1 = MK3. We drove our 1.4 MK1 Sport about 130miles to collect the car and it averaged about 41mpg on the trip computer. Doing the same route back in the MK3, it showed an average of about 51mpg. So although this would make the MK3 a clear winner, there was a lot more traffic on the way there than on the way back and I don't fully believe the on board computer.

Features/Functionality: MK3 >>> MK1. There is no comparison here, the MK3 has far more toys than the MK1. We thought we'd miss the climate control but in reality it doesn't make much difference. We prefer the side mirrors of the MK1 as you can see a lot more whereas the MK3 is smaller and also narrows and droops down at the ends which makes visibility slightly worse. The indicator repeater lights in the mirrors seems a little dim in daylight, not sure if this will be an issue yet.

Practicality: MK1 > MK3. This is the one we were surprised about. Although there is very slightly less leg room in the back of the MK1 there is more headroom. We actually suspected this when we noticed the roof of the MK3 is lower than the MK1. But more importantly for us, the MK1 has a noticeably bigger boot than the MK3 (without considering the space under the boot floor). This will take a bit of getting used to as our daughter's stroller takes up quite a bit of space. The middle seat in back is also less comfortable in the MK3 as it is raised and has a very narrow seat for your bum but we don't use the middle seat very often. Also, we find that there is a lot more storage in the MK1 cabin than the MK3, mainly due to the under dash shelf and the small dash table in the MK1 but the MK3 makes up for some of it with the armrest storage and rear door card pockets.

Noise: MK1 = MK3. At very low speeds around town the MK3 quieter than the MK1. But on A-roads and motorways, I would say they are about the same. However there is very annoying whistling sound from the drivers side area at speeds above 40-50mph. Not sure where it is coming from, but I'm guessing it is wind noise, hopefully not a mechanical issue.

To conclude, we love the MK3 it is good improvement over the MK1 but it would have been nice to have a bigger boot, no wind noise and slightly more head room in the rear.

Here's a couple of photos on picking up the car:





SuperCNJ

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Re: Quick questions on the MK3
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2019, 11:54:17 AM »
Now we have bought the car and had the chance to drive it properly, we have a few more questions I hope you guys can help with.

1.   Has anyone managed to pinpoint the cause of the whistling sound at speeds above 50mph? Is it wind noise? Can it be fixed?
2.   Is there any way to turn off the feature where the headlights turn on when you unlock the car at night?
3.   Is there an option to have the passenger side mirror dip down automatically when you engage reverse (so you can see the kerb when parking)? This is something many other cars have nowadays, but I can’t seem to find it in the manual.
4.   Is it possible to connect an iphone to the Honda infotainment system such that we can use things like Siri or screen mirroring etc.
5.   Is there a way to turn the auto start-stop function off permanently? It seems we have to turn it off manually each time we start the car and then a bright amber light comes on on the dash which is a little distracting.

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