Mk 2 Jazz - Noisy Gearbox / bearing issues

[rohantn]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a used Mark 2 Jazz.

I understand from HonestJohn website review on this car that early models of the Mark 2 Jazz, continued to suffer from the gearbox bearing issues.

The HJ websites reports 3 incidents of MY2010 Jazz, suffering from this problem.

Does anyone know the definite year in which this problem was resolved?
Else what is the latest model that you know of or is reported in this forum, about a Mark 2 Jazz, suffering this issue...

[Jocko]

Never heard of a Mk 2 having issues. My Mk 1 needed the bearings replace, at a cost of £324.

[rohantn]

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/honda/jazz-2008/good/

The above webpage from honestjohn site talks of atleast 3 instances of MY2010 Jazz, suffering from this issue.
Also it says that the problem was still common in early Mark 2 Jazz cars.

https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=8992.0

The above post on club Jazz says that the owner paid a private garage £700/- to fix it.

I understand that a Honda dealer would charge well over £1000.

[Jocko]

There is plenty stuff here about Mk 1 gearboxes. I have posted to a number of threads. This is just one.
https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=10520.msg64353#msg64353

[rohantn]

https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=5955.msg25929;topicseen#msg25929

Another post on this forum about a 2011 model year Jazz.
However he hasn't updated on what the fault turned out top be and the details of how it ended.
Would be interesting to know!

According to the HonestJohn website, this problem can be avoided if the manual transmission oil is changed in the first year service. Does anyone know if this is routinely one now?

Also would it be identifiable from the service book, if the gearbox oil has been changed, or would one need to lookup the actual service invoices?

[Jocko]

There are dozens here with Mk 2 models, and no issues. If you are that concerned, buy something else. Just be aware, any car can have a failure. Some catastrophic.

[Jimster]

I have a Jan 2010 1.2 with 42k on the clock that has a noisy input shaft bearing so yes it can be an issue on the MK 2.

Difficult to say if it's an unlucky one off, but the fact you don't hear of more issues with the GE box would suggest it isn't widespread. It's conceivable though that the earlier GEs could suffer the same issue untill Honda made a meaningful change to the manufacturing process/ components once the bearing problems with the MK1s started becoming too frequent to ignore.

The problem is pretty easy to detect though so if you don't hear anything on a test drive chances are you should be ok. If you do, walk away and look at another one.

And yes, transmission oil change should be recorded in the service book as and when it's done.

[rohantn]

Thanks Jimster. What happened in your case? Did Honda cover it under warranty / extended warranty?

I was hoping to discover an approximate date, when Honda made an improvement to the process / components, so that I could focus my search on cars made after that date.

BTW we had bought a 2002 Jazz from a friend at the end of 2017. We drove it till last week, when it was written off in a collision. It did not show any signs of a noisy gearbox (though it had a squeaky clutch). The car was used by SWMBO, who is now keen to consider another Jazz as replacement....

[Jocko]

Have you thought of a CVT transmission? Very highly thought of on this forum. Only issues they have seem to be cured with oil change and flush. One of the members here used one for driving instruction, and covered almost quarter of a million miles before he had a failure. He was so impressed he bought another.

[Jimster]

It's well outside any warranty period so I haven't bothered doing anything about it. To be honest the noise isn't so intrusive as to be a problem at the moment.

From what I understand it's unlikely that the bearing will fail, just become more and more noisy and for the sort of mileage it does (approx 7k a year) it'll likely be fine for a few more years, by which time the car will probably have come to the end of its life anyway.

 

[rohantn]

Jocko, I did consider the CVT.

However I understand that the ATF needs to be changed every 2 years, and that a lot of the Honda dealers themselves are confused or not aware of this.
If that is not done, I understand that it can also result in catastrophic failure.

There was a post in this forum  a member who requested his ATF to be changed.
He later discovered that the MTF fluid was very low and that incident also resulted in total failure of the gearbox.
https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=8767.0

A friend of ours also had a Mk1 CVT Jazz. The car had to be scrapped last year due to gearbox failure. He strongly believes that Honda servicing never actually did the ATF changes, despite charging him for it. He has sworn of Hondas.

Given these potential issues with CVT, for not much fuel economy gains, I considered the manual a better bet than the CVT...

[Jocko]

If you didn't buy a car because someone on the internet had had a failure of some kind then you would be restricted to public transport. for ever more. If you are in the market for a vehicle I suggest you do your research, as you are doing, but don't be put off with one or two incidences of problems. Of you find loads, like VW gearboxes, Audi/VW coils or Ecoboost engines, then perhaps steer clear. Otherwise find a vehicle you like, thoroughly check it out (get the AA or RAC to do it if you have no knowledge), then if the price is right get it and enjoy it. The majority of modern cars out there run, year in and year out, with nothing but the odd occasional niggle.

[Stickshifter]

Honest John is right. Some Mk2 Jazzes have had gearbox problems. My 2014 Mk2 Jazz has knackered gearbox bearings at 32k miles. Hopefully it'll be fixed in a fortnight on the extended 5yr warranty that was bought when it was new. The Honda garage has confirmed that the input shaft bearing and another bearing in the box is worn and needs replacing.

If you're considering buying one then here's what to listen for - there's an obvious noise when the car is parked up in neutral with the clutch out. Dip the clutch and it disappears. There's also a high pitched whine when coasting along in 4th or 5th. I can only hear it when on quiet roads with fan off/ radio off/windows up but it's there and appears when I take my foot off the gas and the engine starts to slow the car on a slight downhill. The pitch changes with the speed.

This is my third Jazz and not the first time I've had a gearbox failure. The Mk1 I had failed at about 6 yrs old with the gearbox making a milkfloat whirring noise in 1st then 2nd gear. Fortunately, Honda extended the warranty on these early models up to 7 yrs for the gearbox but they don't seem to be so generous for later models.