[lsjey]

All,

Had an interesting time with my car this morning. Posting here so that if this weird situation happens to you all, you're prepared.

I'd parked my car in my daughter's college and was waiting for her to come. While waiting, had turned on the car in to accessories mode. Was happily listening to podcasts on Android Auto and fan was on.

After about 45 mins, the following happened:

https://youtu.be/zhEoqyB_xug

As you can see, suddenly the EPS, the ABS warning and Vehicle Stability Control warnings came up. I was stumped. I told myself not to panic and that if I'm able to drive, I can take the car to a service centre. So I try to start my car.

When I tried to start, this happened:

https://youtu.be/TWfrRCCn3t0

The car was not cranking up, and auto headlight warning started coming up.

Now I was panic-stricken. My car is just about a year old and had run only 9K odd KMs.

I called RSA. The first communication from the number was an automatic message that due to Covid they are operating under reduced capacity and hence I may have to wait. But despite this message, I got quickly connected to a support person. I explained the problem. The lady confirmed all the details and said that she will arrange for a call back from technical team. Unfortunately for me, when the callback came, I could not pick up the call as I was on another important call. LPT(Life Pro Tip) people, never do this.

Because of this, my next call happened after multiple follow-ups and 45 mins later.

When the technical person's call came in finally, it was a good 50 mins to an hour later. The technician asked a few questions on whether I'm able to lock/unlock the car, working of the power windows etc. All the accessories were indeed working all the time. Then the technician asked me to start the vehicle. And lo-and-behold the vehicle started and there were no error messages.

The Technician explained to me that when the Honda ECU senses that the battery is getting dangerously low, it prevents cranking etc so that the battery is not drained below a threshold. He advised me to keep the vehicle moving/running for another 30 mins and everything should be fine. I heaved a sigh of relief and drove off.

In all this, I'm not convinced of the behaviour of the Honda City for the following reasons:

1. If battery is to be protected, why allow me to play music, switch on fans, and connect android auto? All accessories were working. Only that I could not crank the engine to life.
2. If indeed the ECU sensed that the battery was getting low, why display messages like EPS, ABS, VSC and auto headlights are not working etc. Why not a straight forward battery low message?
3. And Honda RSA experience was not very satisfactory. The front line support people do not transfer the call to technical team. They cut the call and a technical team calls you later to do troubleshooting.


I'm still thinking if I need to take the car to ASC for a check. What do you guys think.

Regards,
lsjey

[lsjey]

Sorry for the back to back posts.

Have any of you tried the smartwatch support in Honda City 5th Gen? What watches are supported? Is it working for you?

Looks like Honda is investing in the connected car features more than in other areas.

Regards,
lsjey

[indivic]

Originally Posted by lsjey

All,

Had an interesting time with my car this morning. Posting here so that if this weird situation happens to you all, you're prepared.

I'd parked my car in my daughter's college and was waiting for her to come. While waiting, had turned on the car in to accessories mode. Was happily listening to podcasts on Android Auto and fan was on.

After about 45 mins, the following happened:

As you can see, suddenly the EPS, the ABS warning and Vehicle Stability Control warnings came up. I was stumped. I told myself not to panic and that if I'm able to drive, I can take the car to a service centre. So I try to start my car.

The car was not cranking up, and auto headlight warning started coming up.

I got myself into same situation by running a car vacuum cleaner on battery for about 30 min just before a long trip. My entire family was in the car and all luggage packed and car wouldn't crank - I got the same warnings on the display.

I realized that I could have drained the battery , called the nearby battery shop guy and asked him to jump start the car. He came immediately , car started at first crank , cost me Rs.150 and we were on the way in about 15 min. I didnt bother with the RSA at all.

Since then using only an AC powered vacuum cleaner for the car.

[Blackwing]

Originally Posted by indivic

I got myself into same situation by running a car vacuum cleaner on battery for about 30 min just before a long trip. My entire family was in the car and all luggage packed and car wouldn't crank - I got the same warnings on the display.

I realized that I could have drained the battery , called the nearby battery shop guy and asked him to jump start the car. He came immediately , car started at first crank , cost me Rs.150 and we were on the way in about 15 min. I didnt bother with the RSA at all.

Since then using only an AC powered vacuum cleaner for the car.

My experience was a bit different. When I drained my battery waiting for my brother and listening to music, I just kept the start button pressed till the car cranked and then drove straight to the dealership.
They asked me never to do it again as it strains the battery and will lead to an early replacement.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by lsjey

1. If battery is to be protected, why allow me to play music, switch on fans, and connect android auto? All accessories were working. Only that I could not crank the engine to life.
lsjey

This is precisely the reason why some cars have a preset time limit after which the accessories switch off to conserve battery charge. You will see this in Tata vehicles. If you go into accessories mode to listen to music etc, without the engine runing to charge the battery, the display will flash the message "entering one hour mode" . After an hour the music system will automatically switch off.

Surprised that Honda doesn't have an equivalent?

[Aditya]

Multiple error messages pop up in my 5th-gen Honda City due to low battery - Posts moved to a new thread.

[Jeroen]

Just about all modern cars are very susceptible to low voltage. When the voltage at the electronics dips below a certain threshold all sorts of peculiar things start to happen.

There can be different reasons for the low voltage though and it needs to be investigated properly. Obviously, a battery on its last legs or a battery not being charged can cause a too low voltage.

But also poor electrical connection can cause a voltage dip. A poor connection causes a resistance and thus a voltage drop. So as a mere minimum check the battery connectors too. Are they properly fastened, take them off and ensure they are free of corrosion.

Poor connections can also happen at fuses, connectors and ground. So if the battery is ok, you need to check a lot of stuff! My Jaguar is well known for throwing a wobble when the electronic supply voltage drops. Display lights up like a Christmas tree. There are about 40 different ground straps on it! I clean them every 3-4 years. The most relevant ones tend to be the groundstraps near the ECu, PCM and BCM and the main groundstraps on the engine itself.

Jeroen

[saket77]

Fan + Audio system on for 45 minutes without the engine running is anyway a good drain on your battery, so this can be expected. I have seen many people parking their cars with the headlights on for long intervals which sure shot is a way to get stranded.

As Jeroen posted, these modern cars are very susceptible to improper voltages. Various sensors can behave erratically in such situations which precisely happened to you. So, the simple way out to avoid these things happening is to try to minimize battery draining operations/ applications like using power windows/ blower/ HU audio/ lights etc when the engine is not running. Glad that you recovered with the help of RSA- though a jump start could have saved the day in case RSA wasn't available- just keep note.

And yes, there are audio systems which turn off after a fixed interval when they detect that the engine is not running to avoid drain the battery as another member posted.

Regards,
Saket.

[Aviator_guy]

I don't think you need a trip to the ASC. It is case of battery drain due to accessories running. If you want to keep radio or fan on, always do that with engine on. I know it is waste of fuel but that's the only way to save yourself from drained battery situation. Learnt the hard way long back when my driver used to listen to radio with engine off and used to be in this situation very often.

Rule of thumb - No accessories for more than few minutes when engine is off.
My Hyundai Creta gives warning chimes and shuts off the ICE after few minutes when engine is off. I'm surprised your city didn't give that warning!

[prajwalmr62]

Originally Posted by lsjey

After about 45 mins, the following happened

I'm honestly surprised car battery survived this long duration without complete discharge. Never keep accessories this long after engine is switched off. Also it would be impossible to start a modern car with just pushing downhill so you will be stuck if battery dies out.

I don't think you need to take the car to service center, just drive it for some 30-45 mins and it should recharge.

Hyundai cars keep throwing battery discharge warning every minute or so. It also turns off interior lights and headlights if no action taken in like 2-3 minutes. It is a surprise Honda didn't implement similar system.

[vamship]

In Sonet, If I keep listening to Music after turning off the engine.. within 10-15 mins the Infotainment system powers off with an Alert relater to "Low Battery"

[Dhams]

I bought 5th GEN city in 9/2020. I am really bit upset seeing my battery getting drain at every instance when my car not run for 9-10 days even!.

The question is such premier league model does have such quality parameter i.e. battery gets drain if car off more than 2 weeks!.

Till now, i used to call RSA 7 times instances to jump start 5th GEN Honda city!! Neighbours now habituate seeing the scenes and enjoying my situation.

I took up n number of time with Honda India Corporate office Gurgaon. Every time they come up with different reasons and now saying this is due to Traction control unit (TCU) drawing more voltage so need to replace TCU ! They also advised to keep off button of "Tracking your car" in Honda-connect so battery voltage loss can be saved! While trying to do this on my mobile, it could not turned off with error message - "SVT off operation is failed due to poor connectivity and could not connect to your vehicle."

Yesterday, when driving late night on national highway, all of sudden message blip up for Tyre low pressure and inflate the tyre immediately. When checked, all tyres air pressure was intact and okayed.

On contractary, my 2009 Santro cranked on by simply turning ignition, AFTER 3 MONTHS off the road !!

What the hell of new technology with paying off 3x price then !

[SeshSrini]

Originally Posted by Dhams

I bought 5th GEN city in 9/2020. I am really bit upset seeing my battery getting drain at every instance when my car not run for 9-10 days even!.

The question is such premier league model does have such quality parameter i.e. battery gets drain if car off more than 2 weeks!.

Till now, i used to call RSA 7 times instances to jump start 5th GEN Honda city!! Neighbours now habituate seeing the scenes and enjoying my situation.

I took up n number of time with Honda India Corporate office Gurgaon. Every time they come up with different reasons and now saying this is due to Traction control unit (TCU) drawing more voltage so need to replace TCU ! They also advised to keep off button of "Tracking your car" in Honda-connect so battery voltage loss can be saved! While trying to do this on my mobile, it could not turned off with error message - "SVT off operation is failed due to poor connectivity and could not connect to your vehicle."

Yesterday, when driving late night on national highway, all of sudden message blip up for Tyre low pressure and inflate the tyre immediately. When checked, all tyres air pressure was intact and okayed.

On contractary, my 2009 Santro cranked on by simply turning ignition, AFTER 3 MONTHS off the road !!

What the hell of new technology with paying off 3x price then !

I am facing this issue now with my 5th Gen City . Battery gest discharged when parked for 7days. I have reached to ASC and he told me battery has been sent to Amaron Centre for checks. Meanwhile he confirmed all systems and electricals are working fine and unable to pinpoint the exact cause at the moment. Waiting for the reply. Will keep posted

[shibulijack]

Two of my friends who bought the City a couple of years ago also faced similar issues. The reason: accessories such as front parking sensors and logo projector. If you have these accessories installed, chances are they’re the culprit.

FYI, I have a 5th gen city too (without any electrical accessories) and I’ve cranked up my car after 45 days without breaking a sweat (touchwood)

[pat8ack]

So I've been using the Apple Watch with the Honda App linked on it for close to a year now. It works, but is very slow and sometimes buggy. Entering the pin every time an action is to be performed is a pain as well. This is somewhat easier on the phone as Face ID takes care of the password.

If I have my phone on me, that is my go to. The watch is a good toy to play around with but gets old fast. I would have preferred if the phone and watch allowed keyless access via NFC.