The CVT gearbox oil change on my car was pending for some time. The car has covered around 32K kms. Over the past couple of years, I had checked with a few Honda owners in Cochin and none of them had any great feedback on the SVCs here. I planned to get the CVT oil changed the next time that I visit Bangalore but thanks to the recent feedback on this thread, I realized it is better to get it done here in Cochin. Also due to Covid, my travelling has come to a halt, so there was no option but to get it done in Cochin itself.
I called and booked an appointment with Vision Honda in Cochin only for the CVT fluid change. I asked the service advisor (SA) for 3 things to be done
a. Replace old CVT fluid
b. Check one of my fog lights which had some condensation on the glass. This had started after I replaced the OEM bulb with an aftermarket LED from Aliexpress.
c. Route the cable of my 70mai dash camera through the A pillar and roof liner. I wasnt comfortable doing this myself and preffered to have the trained technicians do it.
On the fog light, the SA was very hesitant and asked me to show it to an accessories shop. I was surprised and asked him to just remove the bulb, check the fog light holder and fit it back. He was not keen on taking it up and hence I told him to forget it.
On the routing of the dash cam, again the SA was very hesitant. He mentioned that he had to ask the accessories guy. He was concerned that the car will start rattling if they remove and refit the A pillar. He asked to to get this done at an accessories shop outside! I was baffled by this. If I had bought the action camera from the dealership, they would have gladly fitted it for me without batting an eyelid.
I mentioned that the last time I had come to same dealership for an insurance claim (
almost 2 years back), I didnt have a great experience as the guy in charge of insurance claims, kept fraudulently informing me that they didnt have cashless tie up facility with my insurance provider. He wanted me to make the payment myself. My insurance company on the other hand, insisted that they had a cashless tieup with the dealership and that the dealership staff was trying to pull a fast one on me. In the end, it was settled through the cashless route itself and I had to pay only the compulsory deductible but the dealership had unnecessarily made it a very difficult process.
My SA today kept trying to justify their actions at that time saying that this is the reason to buy Honda Assurance insurance from the dealership and not to buy insurance from other insurance providers, even if they have cashless tieup with Vision Honda (!!). He mentioned that other insurance companies dont pay the dealership on time etc in the case of cashless claims and that is why the dealership would have asked me to pay myself etc.
Anyways, I asked them to only change the CVT fluid and return my car.
The appointment slot was for 9AM and I had reached on time. By the time the SA was allocated and we had finished all our discussions, it was 9.30 AM. The transmission fluid was changed in 30 minutes. So kudos to the technical team for finishing the job quickly.
When I paid the bill, I noticed that the quantity listed was for 4 litres. I asked the SA if it needed 4L and he confirmed that it was correct. I had a niggling doubt in my mind but nonetheless, paid up without question and left.
I was told that earlier, the CVT fluid change could only happen along with a service but now the dealerships charge some fixed amount for this to be done. Hence the accessory fitment charge in the bill below. It was for Rs 300 and with taxes and flood cess, it came to Rs 357. The CVT fluid cost me Rs 1704 and with taxes, it added up to Rs 2,027.76. There was no charge for the check and diagnose line item.
Breakup of the bill
Later, when I checked the car's specifications on the link provided by Honda, I found that the capacity of the Honda CVT HCF-2 transmission fluid was only 3.4L! Here is the link to the
same. I called up the SA and he informed me that Honda sends 4L bottles to the dealerships. The car needs only 3.4L. So they use the remaining 600 ml to "flush" the gearbox before pouring in the required quantity of 4L.
Details provided by Honda
This is the same modus operandi that the Triumph Cochin dealership uses for engine oil changes. Dont inform the customer about excess remaining fluid, bill them for the full quantity and if the customer digs further and questions them, say it is used for "flushing". My experience with the Triumph Cochin dealership is well documented on the forum.
To his credit, the SA admitted that he didnt inform me about the excess 600 ml transmission fluid. He also admitted that he should have offered to return it to me or ask me what I wanted to do with it, before it was used for the "flushing" process. He offered to get the approvals for the refund of the remaining quantity and transfer it via Google Pay. I sent him the payment details and he transferred the amount of Rs 304 within a few minutes. Kudos to him for sorting that out internally.
I spoke to the CRM about all these issues as well. He has agreed that my concerns were valid and has said that he will look into it. I hope he takes these complaints seriously and takes corrective action to ensure that these mistakes dont happen going forward.
99% of a dealerships customers may not dig through the service bills like we do but at the end of the day, it is the dealerships reputation that is on the line. Hope this helps other Honda Jazz CVT owners reading this.