Team-BHP - Need Help - Honda City Issue

Hi Guys
Need your help here, I am doing this for a good friend of mine, He owns a Honda City which is exactly 2 years and one month old....done 16,000 kms only...day before yesterday when travelling with his family he hears a loud noise from under the hood and the car stalls and shuts down, loses power steering and brakes...opens the hood and he finds silver parts and oil leak, the car is towed to Prestige Honda Ludhiana where he is told that the piston has seized and broken the engine block....cost rs 3 lacs to fix.He aargues that at 16k such a thing should not be happening after which the service manager tells him to come back monday that is today. The service manager tells him that they have spoken to Honda and they have said to get it replaced at owners cost.....he is in a fix, what recourse can he follow?
1) He wants to know why it happened
2) a reputed car like Honda should not be seizing pistons and breaking engine blocks at 16k
3) and damn he doesnt want to spend 3 lacs on a Japanese car which has just done 16k....talk about quality...he thought Honda stood for quality
All help would be welcome

I thought Hondas had a 2+2 warranty. Did they say why did the piston seize? Did your friend not ask them how come a car barely with barely 16K on the odo has had this problem. Honda engines are expected to last 100K and more.

An engine is a complex mechanism with atleast 1500 independent components, hence likelihood of failure of anyone of them is not so rare. But all said and done, pistons and engine blocks are over-engineered to outlast the car. Assuming that your friend has serviced the car regularly, changed the engine oil as per company directives and also assuming that nobody has sabotaged the car by pouring sugar into the petrol tank (yes, sugar reacts with gasoline to produce a corrosive substance that can seize pistons), we can safely say that there is a comprehensive manufacturing defect involved. I think that the 3 lac quoted for repairs would be better spent in dragging the company to a consumer court.

Since the car is out of warranty I doubt whether there is a legal recourse available. Also, like most of us a low mileage driver does not go for the +2 (it covers drivetrain only). So the best recourse is to talk to Honda about the engine blowing up in only 16,000km.

1) How come the piston seize at 16K kms, that too a Honda Unit ? Can you post the explanation given to your friend ?

2) I think that the car was serviced regularly, so Honda must take responsibility as some manufacturing defect that caused this breakdown.

Taking the legal route is not a smooth option. IMHO, contact Honda first at high level and discuss the issue. If they dont budge, then the only option is going in for the legal route. Rs. 3 lakh is not a small amount of money, that too on a car that has done just 16K kms.

3) If your friend has all the records from the past of servicing, then it would be helpful incase of legal route.

4) IMHO, from now onwards keep a record of all the interactions you have with Honda, they might prove useful. I know its wrong to have the mobile phone recording voice when you talk to service center head, but then this is a weapon we need in case Honda does not offer any support.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 1329446)

3) If your friend has all the records from the past of servicing, then it would be helpful incase of legal route.

I hope he has got the servicing done at prescribed intervals at ASC else he wont stand s chance on courts too. If top Honda India officials cannot help, ask him to contact Honda Japan.

I suggest you send a detailed mail to Honda. All contact information is available on their website Hondarcarindia.com . Its possible that the dealer is misleading your friend. Pl. keep copies of all correspondence with Honda as wella s that of the Dealer. This would help you in settling things as the court. Ask the service manager to give everything in writing to you.

BTW has the car been maintained properly like regular service etc at the Delaer. If yes, then the bills can be produced to Honda as well proving that the maintainance and repairs were as per their schedule and specifications.