Failed infotainment system

[online]

Hi,

Thanks for letting me join the forum.  The infotainment system on our 2015 Honda Jazz has failed - no display, no sound, nothing.  Our local Honda dealer has investigated the fault, says we need a replacement unit and has quoted £5,000 to do this.  We've complained to Honda but no joy.

Any suggestions as to what we can do? TIA

[guest6667]

This is an issue with the honda connect infotainment system I think we will see more and more of.
I  did share my experience with the system, a while back in another post.
But here it is again.

After seeing the above post I thought   I would share my experience  of my honda jazz mk 3 ( EX Navi 17 reg) infotainment system.
I've owned the car from new  and  it's been excellent, that is apart from the infotainment system.
When the car was 18 months old  I was sitting in a car park waiting for my wife to return from shopping. Engine switched off , so turned  system on to listen to the radio, after  about 20 mins the usual  warning flashed up on screen " battery protection please start engine"  so I started the car, the 3d H logo appears on screen followed by a 2d white logo and spinning circle  it went into a boot loop from that point, I tried all of the above fixes to na avail.
Back to Honda dealer, who said it needs an update. Update didn't work. So brand new unit fitted by Honda (thank god it was under warranty) and I'm a happy man again.
About 8 months later  Gets into the car after finishing work, starts car
And the  boot loop happened ( no on screen warning this time) again. So back to dealer again  , new unit is ordered and fitted costing £1500, I'm starting to get annoyed and worried ,now the end of warranty is getting ever closer , and Honda isn't so reliable as I thought, so I phone Honda UK  and explain the problem
and my concerns,
 honda say leave it with them, 20 mins later honda  phone me back saying they are very sorry  I've had problems with the car  , and would give me another year's full warranty on top of my remaining warranty for peace of mind.
So far  18 months on the new unit is   working fine .
But I am still a bit worried about the infotainment system in these cars I don't think they are the best quality, and I think in time more will fail, which is unfortunate because the car is excellent otherwise.
It might be this fault only effects the navigation models  maybe the system can't  handle the extra work of the satellite navigation, who knows?.
Very poorly thought out system  in my opinion. Why can't  the dealer reload the system software onto the unit via USB port or CD???.
The units android operating  system is a very old version  that cannot be updated, no apps are available  for the unit, and  mirror link is  old  tech,
I looked into this after the unit was replaced  for the 2nd time, hoping that when the warranty finishes and  if it broke again, some  genius some where would find a easy  inexpensive fix for the system.
Makes no sense, the whole unit as to be replaced!.
So if you do have problems with the system, raise the issue with Honda UK,  not the  honda dealer. I'm sure it's not just me who's  had problems with the system.

[Kremmen]

Very similar stories on the Civic forum right up to the release of software version RC8, now it's gone quiet and Civic 10G owners from 2017 don't seem to have many issues.

Under normal circumstances I would have changed my 2013 Civic for a 2016 model but in 2016 the Honda Connect posts were prolific.

It was not unusual for the system to randomly reboot and reset everything back to factory. Not helpful on the motorway when you're plotted route is wiped as was all the saved radio stations.

If you're unit isn't RC8 then get it updated.

[equaliser]

I think the poster has been exceptionally unlucky with his Honda Connect experiences. We have three Honda's with the Connect system, 2016 CR-V, 2016 Civic and 2018 Jazz. Out of all these only the CR-V had problems with occasional reboots and lockups, it was updated regularly and with the latest RC8 update it has been stable and faultless.

After installing RC8 it's also essential to connect the unit up to a WiFi connection periodically and update the Honda app centre as this has additional updates which affect the unit's performance and stableness.

[Toptek]

May I ask whether the updates are done by the dealership or do you have to navigate the head unit as per a tablet and perform an update connected to wifi please?

[equaliser]

May I ask whether the upgrades are done by the dealership or do you have to navigate the head unit as per a tablet and perform an update connected to wifi please?

The main RC8 update is done by the dealer, the additional updates are done by connecting the head unit to WiFi and updating the 'Honda App Centre' app.

[Toptek]

May I ask whether the upgrades are done by the dealership or do you have to navigate the head unit as per a tablet and perform an update connected to wifi please?

The main RC8 update is done by the dealer, the additional updates are done by connecting the head unit to WiFi and updating the 'Honda App Centre' app.

Thanks, I mostly only use the system for the radio following acquiring this 18 plate Jazz. I launched the Honda App Centre and three updates were available and performed. I don’t know where to find which version of RC it is.
One thing I did manage to do was find a music app on the android screen, dug out a flash drive with music which is a bonus. I noticed that usb is available on the Audio source screen but it seemed clunky, defaulting to a folder explorer navigation menu.

[online]

Interesting to hear other stories.  Our unit has failed completely - no signs of life at all.
Does anyone know if an independent specialist could repair the unit or refit a 2nd hand one?  I'm concerned that we may be locked into Honda as it's possible that only they can code a new (or used) unit to the car.

[Kremmen]

I don't get £5k for a radio.

Honda switched from Alpine to 'whoever' to save cost.

You could almost get another 2015 Jazz for that.

[John Ratsey]

I would be tempted to sign up to Which?'s legal advice service to see what they suggest. I would hope that they would be interested as these bits of technology are becoming more numerous and one doesn't know and can't see if there are latent defects waiting to surface outside the normal warranty period.

[sparky Paul]

Interesting to hear other stories.  Our unit has failed completely - no signs of life at all.
Does anyone know if an independent specialist could repair the unit or refit a 2nd hand one?  I'm concerned that we may be locked into Honda as it's possible that only they can code a new (or used) unit to the car.

A quick google for "car infotainment repair" shows up a few specialist repairers in the UK, might be worth calling a few near you.

There are specialists out there that can to recode used units to your car, though it's not always necessary. I believe that other members have also fitted aftermarket units, here's an Aussie member that fitted a JVC to a 2019 mk3, but it shows that the necessary bits are available.

https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=11200.0

[peteo48]

I don't get £5k for a radio.

Honda switched from Alpine to 'whoever' to save cost.

You could almost get another 2015 Jazz for that.

It's utterly bonkers isn't it? You could buy 5 top of the range lap tops for that or 10 big screen UHD TVs. It's complete price gouging.

[Kremmen]

I had a look around and Cartronics may be able to repair it.

https://www.cartronics.co.uk/case-studies/Honda-radio-and-Navigation-systems-repaired-in-house

I think £5k was a 'go away' quote and another dealer may be a better bet.

[Paul G Shaw]

£5K....bonkers price......they come up on EBay quite often for around £350 to £550.....personally I’d go for an aftermarket Sony, Panasonic head unit......get your local ICE dealer to fit it....you’ll have plenty of change from your £5K

[online]

£5k is extremely bonkers and we're trying to get Honda to explain why the price is so high.  We are also in touch with Which Legal. 

The Cartronics link looks useful - thanks for that.  We're not sure whether a second hand unit can be installed by anyone other than Honda because of the kit needed to code it to the car.  An aftermarket unit is something to consider, but I'm not sure if it would link to the steering wheel phone controls etc.

I'll keep you informed of what happens, but it may be a long story!