[mjumrani]

Here is my situation,

When I bought the Civic in October '11, Honda had an offer going on.

Free CASKA or Re1 insurance

I chose Caska as it sounded better monetarily and was giving more value with Bluetooth, GPS, Rear Camera etc. How that turned out to be such a bad decision :(

I have had it with the HU. Here is an extract from my review,


1. Resistive screen give a very bad experience.
2. Viewing angles are not great as the view is quite different for the driver and the passengers.
3. The UI for SD card, DVD and USB seems to have come off an el cheapo MP3 player. Ugly.
4. SD card and USB will not read files properly.
5. It will not read the storage device if it has music as well as movies in it.
6. It will not read files if the names are not simple enough
7. It will sometimes not read files which it read before
8. It does not have any on screen random option if it does read it, you have to find the remote for that.
9. There are separate options for Music and Movies but those apps do not access the SD card but access the GPS card slot, so I have to put my main SD card in the GPS card slot and keep the GPS car somewhere else and have to switch it every time I have to use GPS.
10. The RAM is so low that it lags if GPS and Music are on together.
11. USB takes ages to read if you have more than a hundred files. For eg., a 8GB flash drive, full of music, took 10-15 minutes.
12. GPS UI is sad. It works well enough but gives routes that you might have not even heard about. The same MapMyIndia maps in my iPhone are light years ahead.
People cannot hear a thing when I am using the in-built Bluetooth unless I shout, even then they might not hear it. And there is no way to increase the mic sensitivity like the old UI that they used to have.
13. The contact list is not ordered in any way you can think of. So you will have to take out your phone to find the number you will have to dial.
14. The USB and iPod interface will not charge your iPhone. You get the error on the phone that Charging is not available with this accessory.
15. The volume and channel knobs are over sensitive. Sometimes when you just move them one point, they will change 2 songs/ volume up by 2 steps.


And the latest one which just made me reach my limit

16. If the SD card has too many files, the app takes a few minutes to start playing music and even then most of the songs are missing from the playlist and I have to add them again. I have had an instance where the SD card has 800 songs but when the HU resumes it just has 22.


Guys, this is a plea for help and advice.

I want to get rid of this piece of junk and I blame Honda for even bringing such a products through promotion.
I want them to pay for what they have done, to the least take it back, put the old HU and give me a depreciated monetary value of Caska.

What do I do? How do I do it?
Please help me.

PS - Link to my Civic ownership thread : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ip-report.html

[Y@SH]

I suggest kindly contact Casaka as they offer 1 year warranty. The service guy can upgrade the software for you, else if its a lemon he should definitely replace it.
Contact Mr. Neeraj Banka +919830777004
E-mail Id: info@autotrendzindia.com

[ghostrider]

Seems like Honda probably got their hands on old (or worse, defective) Caska stock and palmed them off to unsuspecting buyers. Not your fault at all, but unfortunately the motto that most merchants have in this country is caveat emptor (buyer beware). Perhaps the only mistake you've made is not complaining immediately.

I think you should start by going back to Honda and making a bit of a stink about it. There are two options here: either they bought the Caska's themselves (In which case they're responsible) or they tied up with Caska (in which case Caska (or their agents) are responsible.
Either way, you should be able to get some kind of resolution in your favour.

Either they'd replace the unit for you (unlikely) or they'd update / repair it.

Leaving aside issues like poor UI (there's nothing you can do about that) the more functional issues youve described can easily be shown to a service representative as broken.

Btw... you haven't mentioned what model number you have. Have you googled issues with that particular model to see if other users have had the same problem?

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by mjumrani

9. There are separate options for Music and Movies but those apps do not access the SD card but access the GPS card slot, so I have to put my main SD card in the GPS card slot and keep the GPS car somewhere else and have to switch it every time I have to use GPS.

16. If the SD card has too many files, the app takes a few minutes to start playing music and even then most of the songs are missing from the playlist and I have to add them again. I have had an instance where the SD card has 800 songs but when the HU resumes it just has 22.

I bought my Civic in December 2011 and it came with Caska, have been using it for last 3 months and there has hardly been any problems to report.

We find the screen to be fine, does nor disturb the driver while driving. Only folks sitting at the rear can see it much clearly. Havent had any problems with Viewing angles.

Not sure what you meant by UI come's off? We find the UI to be quiet ok. Not great but alright, one can get things done.

Havent had any problems with SD Card or USB reading. We have a 32GB SD Card and a 64 GB USB connected all the time. Have been able to read all videos through the USB all this while. Reads music and video from USB, although i havent tried it extensively but there are a few mp3's and it picks them up.

My mp3 files have long names and it does read then fine, if i stop it, it starts exactly from the point it stopped.

Mine has two SD card slots, one for MMI and another one for Data/Movies etc. I have 32GB of songs and it reads them fine.

Suggest you call Caska helpline and get them to fix some of the problems.

[zipperone]

Caska, Motevo and Map my India are cheap Chinese units made on order. The feature list is huge as with many other Chinese items but the specs are very low to keep costs down. Recently I saw the maymyindia head units at the auto expo and the demo piece itself was not working properly (slow speed and poor touch response) . I showed it to their manager who said that this was a demo piece and hence was not supposed to work as well as the real thing! The real head unit was much better. I was shocked to hear this. What sort of a company puts up poor performing examples for demo at the largest indian automotive show?

[nishantgandhi]

mjumrani - I seriously think you should have opted for the free insurance deal (unless you had an NCB to transfer from an existing car). If you are even remotely an audiophile, or appreciate good quality music, stock/OEM supplied ICE is crappy across most (if not all) brands of cars under 15 lacs.

And the worst part is that manufacturers cannot be taken to task on this as it is an external vendor issue. All companies try to pass off the least cost option. I have had pretty bad experience with Fiat OEM ICE in my TJet. The HU has stopped reading USB in just 4 months time. And the less said about the speakers, the better it is.

Your best bet right now is to speak to Caska and seek a replacement. Though I have my doubts on that channel.

[mjumrani]

Originally Posted by Y@SH

I suggest kindly contact Casaka as they offer 1 year warranty. The service guy can upgrade the software for you, else if its a lemon he should definitely replace it.
Contact Mr. Neeraj Banka +919830777004
E-mail Id: info@autotrendzindia.com

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Seems like Honda probably got...

...had the same problem?

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

I bought my Civic in December...

...and get them to fix some of the problems.

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

mjumrani - I seriously think you should...

...Though I have my doubts on that channel.

I am heading to Honda tomorrow morning and see what they have to say.

The Caska guy pretty much said that this is how it is and he cannot do anything, this was the shop near Peergarhi.
There is another service centre in CR Park, let me see what they have to say.

16 issues is no joke. I am as it is pissed because a drunk driver hit my car today and ran way. Thankfully it was scratches on the rear bumper.
They better be ready to get a mouthful.

Thanks for the update guys. I'll update the thread when there is more news.

Note From Team-BHP Support-Team: Please avoid quoting large and entire posts as it may inconvenience small-screen and mobile users. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

[suhaas307]

Quite a pickle.

At this point, I suppose there is no real point in trying to get the Re.1 Insurance scheme instead of the Caska. But that doesn't mean that you're obligated to live with a product that's causing hardship. I believe the correct way of going about this would be to inform your dealer of the problems you're facing with the HU. Make some noise about it, if you have to. There is no shame in doing that, since you've spent about 15 lakhs on a car. It better perform the way it should.

I would also get in touch with Caska and ensure that you get the HU replaced, if a simple software upgrade doesn't help matters.

I'm not sure if this 'scheme' is a dealer or a manufacturer thing. But if it does get serious and goes beyond your control, I suggest you bring it up with Honda India. It wouldn't hurt.

[narry]

hi
most of this units work on windows ce
i suggest you reinstall on your unit
narry

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please avoid quoting an entire large post. It inconveniences our small screen & mobile readers.

[athanedar]

Come on man !!! Its just a ICE. It is not mistake of your life.
After all these are all materialistic things which a person develops a temporary attachment. It is not larger than your life.
Though I may sound philosophical but its true.

My suggestion would be to just take it up boldly with Honda or the maufacturer and get it sorted out. I am definitely sure something will work out good.

[Amey]

Ouch!
Sorry to hear about your troubles mate. Honestly speaking, I think this is a deal offered by the dealer to promote sales and Honda India has got nothing to do with it.
If I were in your place,I would first contact the dealer and see if the matter can be resolved or else try contacting Caska Service for repairs/replacement.
From whatever you have reported, a few complaints are purely based on personal preference whether you like something or not.
You can't really blame the dealer or Caska for that,can you ? You chose that option,it was your choice whether to go for it or not.
You mentioned that you purchased the car in Oct 2011 and therefore I am assuming that the unit was installed immediately. On that assumption, why did you tolerate this product for so long, shouldn't you have reported after finding these things ?
Also I don't think it is right to blame Honda here because this seems to be a dealer promotion so it's the dealer who should be blamed for offering sub standard products.
Yes you can get in touch with Honda India and report the incident so that Honda could see to it that their dealers do not offer sub standard products as aftermarket fittings.

Quite a pickle.

At this point, I suppose there is no real point in trying to get the Re.1 Insurance scheme instead of the Caska. But that doesn't mean that you're obligated to live with a product that's causing hardship. I believe the correct way of going about this would be to inform your dealer of the problems you're facing with the HU. Make some noise about it, if you have to. There is no shame in doing that, since you've spent about 15 lakhs on a car. It better perform the way it should.

I would also get in touch with Caska and ensure that you get the HU replaced, if a simple software upgrade doesn't help matters.

I'm not sure if this 'scheme' is a dealer or a manufacturer thing. But if it does get serious and goes beyond your control, I suggest you bring it up with Honda India. It wouldn't hurt.

The OP paid 15L for the car which did NOT include this unit. Is there any problem in the functioning of the car ? I don't think so.
Had any of the stock/OE systems/units/parts stopped working properly,then you have all the right to yell about it and demand answers from the company and expect them to fix it immediately at no cost.

Coming back to the topic,
As i said before, try to get the issue sorted out from the dealer or else Caska service. Also try to get an upgrade option if possible so that maybe you could upgrade to a newer version of the unit which has the glitches fixed.
If you are not ready to have another caska in your car, try and get the dealer to take it back and ask for a refund. If he does agree, take whatever he gives and then finish it off.
Go to a well known Accessory guy and get a new unit from a reputed brand installed and end this matter.

Please note that I have made my comments based on what has been posted by the OP and have drawn my conclusions accordingly.Also these are purely my opinions so if anyone doesn't agree to what I think, fair enough but don't starting blasting me

[rjstyles69]

mjumrani I don't see a mention of you having tried to contact the Caska service guys. Get in touch with those guys and see what they have to offer you in terms of fixing the HU. It's electronics after all and they are bound to fail.

If you have no positive response from the Caska service team , then you gotto to write here (I wish I never bought that!)(pun intended).

[mjumrani]

Originally Posted by narry

hi
most of this units work on windows ce
i suggest you reinstall on your unit
narry

I can't. Its owned by caska. Its not like I have been given CDs of the softwares' needed as you would get otherwise on a PC component.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Quite a pickle....It wouldn't hurt.

That is what I plan to do.
Send an email to Caska, Honda Branch Manager and Honda VP (Ring Road Honda). Let's see what they say.

Originally Posted by athanedar

Come on man... something will work out good.

Considering I drive a lot, it seems like it.

Originally Posted by Amey

Ouch!...starting blasting me

It was installed a month late due to the lack of parts, courtesy the Thailand Floods.

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

mjumrani I don't see a mention of you having tried to contact the Caska service guys.

I did go to their service centre only to be told this is how it is.

[ghostrider]

mjumrani,

Sometimes if you roll up your sleeves and tinker you'll find the problem is much smaller than it seems.

The OS of the unit should be easily replaceable via USB. All you have to do is find out the model number and download the latest firmware for it. I had asked for details in my previous post too.

If you post model number and firmware details one of us could try helping you out with the firmware upgrade.

[mjumrani]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

mjumrani,

Sometimes if you roll up your sleeves and tinker you'll find the problem is much smaller than it seems.

The OS of the unit should be easily replaceable via USB. All you have to do is find out the model number and download the latest firmware for it. I had asked for details in my previous post too.

If you post model number and firmware details one of us could try helping you out with the firmware upgrade.

Do not know how I missed that line. Sorry mate.

The shops here are closed today. Will post the model number tomorrow.

I did take a picture of the screen which had firmware details. Do not know how much help that would be.