bluetooth connectivity

[guest7868]

I have just recently up graded to a 2018 Jazz sport Navi, which has the Honda Connect infotainment system. I am having problems with the Bluetooth. (it is now 6 weeks old)

I can pair up my mobile (a Huawei P10 Lite) and it connects to the system and even downloads my contacts. I can make and receive phone calls for about 3 or 4 events then the Bluetooth system crashes. The only way to stop an incoming call from ringing in the car then is to turn the ignition off and wait a few seconds. However when turned back on the Bluetooth searches for my paired phone and fails to find it.

The dealership suspects a faulty head unit and has replaced it, during this process I was loaned a Sport Navi demonstrator, which did exactly the same.

Honda Uk have been contacted and supplied me and the dealer with their up to date compatible mobile phone list dated May 2015.(up to date ?) My phone is not listed and Honda UK say that is the issue, I need to buy a new compatible phone from their list, which shows mainly out of date and superseded phones.

The dealership is doing the best they can but is bound by Honda UK. Interestingly my phone worked well with my previous 62 plate Jazz giving no issues and is also currently paired with and works fine on my old clapped out 56 plate Jazz

Anybody ever heard of such nonsense, or experienced this sort of issue before. Any leads or clues as to where I go now would be helpful

Thanks
Pete

[andruec]

Honda Uk have been contacted and supplied me and the dealer with their up to date compatible mobile phone list dated May 2015.(up to date ?) My phone is not listed and Honda UK say that is the issue, I need to buy a new compatible phone from their list, which shows mainly out of date and superseded phones.

Well that seems like a typical Honda response, behind the technological times. However a Google search finds a lot of similar issues being reported:



I'm a bit surprised that there should be such problems since Bluetooth is an established technology but it sounds in this case as though the phone might be the problem. Another alternative might be to ask the dealership to downgrade your car's infotainment firmware to a pre-facelift version. That's no guarantee though as Bluetooth functionality is largely handled by a dedicated chip.

[Skyrider]

I use old, often non smart dumb phones, possibly steam driven, and have not had a problem with any of them. They just work, the contacts appear in the car, and speed dials work. Although I know little of things electronic I suspect the phone.

[guest7868]

Thanks guys for your prompt reply.

I am trying to source some out of date old technology mobiles to test out that theory.

I am also beginning to suspect the phone as being the problem especially as it fails to work in two different Jazz cars, however I do find it amazing that a 8 month old current model phone is not compatible with a brand new state of the art Honda Jazz (or as Honda would have you believe).

The sales staff don't mention that little gem when you buy the car, in fact they even paired the phone when I took delivery of the car, with all fairness to them it did look like it should work, but that's not the point, it should work for more than a couple of calls

Honda UK Help Desk are very good with their apologies but come back some days later with little or no solutions to the problems. Their only solution to date is that I buy two new phones (one for me and on for my wife).

The phone issues are only the tip of the iceberg, the car has been throwing up various spurious warnings with its driver safety aids (parking sensors, auto start stop, crash avoidance etc) it has been back to the dealer 5 or 6 times since mid June. Not what I would expect from Honda. I was initially told the issues I was having was due to the exceptionally high temperatures we were having, now it has cooled down things are much better.

I didn't know that Honda no longer sells the Jazz to sunny climates. Perhaps each new Jazz should come with a Honda gazebo sunshade when sold in the UK in the summer.

Not a happy bunny as all my previous Hondas I have owned have been trouble free

[ColinB]

Oh dear, what a depressing experience. There's another thread in the forum about the Mk 3 Jazz ruining Honda's reputation and sadly you're adding evidence to that.

Can't really comment about your Bluetooth issue (apart from wondering why, if it's a phone problem, it would work for a few calls but not thereafter). But with regard to this:

The phone issues are only the tip of the iceberg, the car has been throwing up various spurious warnings with its driver safety aids (parking sensors, auto start stop, crash avoidance etc) it has been back to the dealer 5 or 6 times since mid June. Not what I would expect from Honda. I was initially told the issues I was having was due to the exceptionally high temperatures we were having, now it has cooled down things are much better.

I can say that the hot weather has not caused any such issues with my car, the dealer appears to be telling you porkies. If he insists on telling you the car can't cope with hot weather, get him to put it in writing, then you would have evidence that the car is not fit for purpose (should you get into the unfortunate situation of thinking about rejecting it ).

The systems you mention do have their quirks that surprised me at first:
- The parking sensors are very sensitive and start shouting at you when you're still a safe distance from any obstructions. I frequently have to parallel-park into small spaces and can have both front & rear sensors sounding off simultaneously, so I then have to turn the cacophony off, which kind of defeats the object.
- The auto stop-start has so many safeguards that inhibit it, that it's often difficult to understand why it's not working. Check the handbook for a full list, but it includes such esoteric items as the ventilation being set to "screen", and limits on battery internal temperature.
- "Crash Avoidance": if you mean the Forward Collision Warning (as distinct from the City Brake Active) then I find there are circumstances when that false-alarms if there's an obstruction in the camera's field of view. Eg a parked car on the nearside of a RH bend, or an oncoming car on a LH bend, or if you're moving up into an overtake position. None of those are impending collisions but the system can think they are so sometimes sounds off unnecessarily.

[andruec]

however I do find it amazing that a 8 month old current model phone is not compatible with a brand new state of the art Honda Jazz (or as Honda would have you believe).

I don't. The original infotainment unit runs on a version of Android (4.1 I think) that had been superseded at least a year previously. The facelifted Jazz might have a more recent version I suppose.

Honda UK Help Desk are very good with their apologies but come back some days later with little or no solutions to the problems. Their only solution to date is that I buy two new phones (one for me and on for my wife).

Yup. Few of us who've had dealings with Honda UK have anything good to say about them. Not to say that Honda are bad but they are no better than any other manufacturer :-/

The phone issues are only the tip of the iceberg, the car has been throwing up various spurious warnings with its driver safety aids (parking sensors, auto start stop, crash avoidance etc) it has been back to the dealer 5 or 6 times since mid June. Not what I would expect from Honda. I was initially told the issues I was having was due to the exceptionally high temperatures we were having, now it has cooled down things are much better.

That is bad. Those of us who bought an early version had to put up with a crashing and slow to boot infotainment unit but that's about all. Oh and some of us have had starting issues during winter (in my case possibly humidity related).

Not a happy bunny as all my previous Hondas I have owned have been trouble free

Join the club. However speaking from experience it's hard to find an equivalent car for the same price. But yeah I've posted before that with my Mk1 an Mk2 I described myself as 'A Honda Jazz driver'. Now I merely describe myself as someone who drives a Honda Jazz.

My next car will probably be a Honda Jazz hybrid if/when it's ever released in the UK but only because it's the least bad car I can find for the money - and this time around I will be doing a lot of research to check out the competition. Something I didn't bother with for the previous two models.

[Jocko]

If I was in the market for a new car it would definitely not be a Honda Jazz. I have read so much on here about the problems experienced with the "tech" on these cars that I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. I enjoyed driving the one I had on loan for a day, but didn't have to do anything other than drive it. I didn't even turn on the radio.
I love my "no frills" Mk1, but it will probably be my last Jazz.

[Skyrider]

To get things into perspective, there are a couple of Jazz owners who repeatedly (and understandibly) complain about their cars electronics. Balance this against the thousands of owners trundling around (me included) without any problems. There will always be cars that give problems, but these days it is rare, both of my MK3 Jazzes have been faultless. Although my 1.3 was gutless my 1.5 is smooth, powerful enough for my needs and I would buy another one, although this model of jazz will be replaced before I buy another car as I find this one ideal.

[Skyrider]

If it helps anyone my facelift 2018 model is running Android version 4.0.4

[andruec]

If it helps anyone my facelift 2018 model is running Android version 4.0.4

I think it probably helps us all.

"Unveiled on October 19, 2011"

Android versions

The next version.

Release date:    July 9, 2012

So there you go. The version of Android we're all running was superseded 18 months prior to the car's release. Let's all smile at Honda's technical prowess eh?

[guest7868]

To get things into perspective, there are a couple of Jazz owners who repeatedly (and understandibly) complain about their cars electronics. Balance this against the thousands of owners trundling around (me included) without any problems. .

I agree totally and I am not one of those people, the Jazz Sport is fundamentally a great car, however mine is a 'Friday afternoon' car. My previous 3 Jazz's were completely fault free with the exception of consumables (tyres brakes wipers etc)

I have nothing against the Jazz or Honda or the dealer, I just want what I paid for a car that does what it says in the brochure, which at the moment it is certainly not doing.

With regard to Honda UK's suggestion of using a phone in the car off of their current compatible phone list (some 3 years out of date) I have tried to source one of the listed phones this weekend.

I went onto several well known web-sites and cannot find any of the Nokia's, Samsungs or HTC phones listed, however the Apple I phone 5 & 6 is still available at some outlets and depending upon spec costs between £300 & £500. So Honda UK's suggestion to resolve the issue is going to cost me between £600 and £1000 to resolve (that to get both my wife and my phones to work in the car). Not what I would expect to have to pay when buying a new car, I believe that could be called a hidden extra. 

My fight continues, still waiting on a reply from Honda UK and dealer has done 'all they can'

Watch this space.

PJD

[Skyrider]

I think the people who are unhappy with Honda electronics are missing Honda's aim in producing a car. Before I explain I accept that Bluetooth problems should not happen but they are few and far between.

Honda produce a car, its prime aim is transport. It has complex and robust electronics which operate the engine, transmission (CVT), brakes, and all the driver assist automatic systems usually faultlessly. It also provides an infotainment device which contributes nothing to the prime aim of transport. This uses obsolete but proved and robust software which provides entertainment from assorted sources, provides basic communication with the outside world and a few other non essential functions. These are kept to a minimum as they are either illegal or dangerous to use when driving and I expect is more than adequate for 90%+ of owners.

If you want a cutting edge computer or software, buy it, it will be obsolete before you walk out of the shop / it is delivered, as it's replacement is already being manufactured and it's replacements replacement is in the design stage in a silicon valley somewhere.

In conclusion to my mild rant, I think Honda produce (or use) excellent electronics for their intended use.

If you buy a 20XX car you buy 20XX proved to be reliable electronics and software.

[Jocko]

I went onto several well known web-sites and cannot find any of the Nokia's, Samsungs or HTC phones listed, however the Apple I phone 5 & 6 is still available at some outlets and depending upon spec costs between £300 & £500. So Honda UK's suggestion to resolve the issue is going to cost me between £600 and £1000 to resolve (that to get both my wife and my phones to work in the car).

If it is just for use in the car you could always get a couple of these.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/APPLE-IPHONE-5C-FREE-UNLOCKED/dp/B00GD986P8

[ColinB]

I think the people who are unhappy with Honda electronics are missing Honda's aim in producing a car. Before I explain I accept that Bluetooth problems should not happen but they are few and far between.

Honda produce a car, its prime aim is transport. It has complex and robust electronics which operate the engine, transmission (CVT), brakes, and all the driver assist automatic systems usually faultlessly. It also provides an infotainment device which contributes nothing to the prime aim of transport. This uses obsolete but proved and robust software which provides entertainment from assorted sources, provides basic communication with the outside world and a few other non essential functions. These are kept to a minimum as they are either illegal or dangerous to use when driving and I expect is more than adequate for 90%+ of owners.

If you want a cutting edge computer or software, buy it, it will be obsolete before you walk out of the shop / it is delivered, as it's replacement is already being manufactured and it's replacements replacement is in the design stage in a silicon valley somewhere.

In conclusion to my mild rant, I think Honda produce (or use) excellent electronics for their intended use.

If you buy a 20XX car you buy 20XX proved to be reliable electronics and software.

So to sum that up, you think that if a car gets you from A to B successfully, it doesn’t matter if any or all of the gizmos don’t work ? I think the majority of buyers would disagree, because all those gizmos form part of the overall package that they chose and spent their hard-earned readies on, so they are entitled to expect them to work as advertised; PJD states it succinctly with his comment...

...  I just want what I paid for a car that does what it says in the brochure, which at the moment it is certainly not doing.

Honda are misleading their customers if they are making promises that cannot be kept by the car (Mirrorlink, anyone ?) and that is only going to impact their reputation.

[ColinB]

PJD:
Just a thought, but have you tried using Bluetooth connectivity for any function other than making a phone call, for example streaming audio from the phone to the car’s speakers ? If that works, that would suggest there’s nothing wrong with the Bluetooth in either the phone or the car, but rather with the HFT software in the car.