Honda Problems

Your electrician has done the right things so far, Ken, starting with making sure that the battery is charged and being charged by the alternator and that the car is earthed (grounded) properly. Those are traditionally major causes of this type of problem, but unfortunately there are many more possibilities in a modern car with its electronics. My first thought is that the functions you’re having trouble with are all controlled by the car’s body computer. So I think that’s where your electrician should start looking next. These computers can develop software and hardware faults that allow for these random and intermittent problems. So maybe borrowing a body computer from the same make and model and seeing if that fixes your problems (and at least ruling out the computer) is a cost-effective way forward.

I’d also be having a chat to the workshop that replaced the steering rack to see if there’s any way that a connection or sensor related to the on-board computer could have been bumped or damaged during the rack-replacement process. It would certainly be a coincidence (and it’s possible that this is exactly what this is) if these problems started straight after the repairs, no?

You’ve layed out some challenging requirements here. You’d like a small SUV with a bit of ride comfort and clearly a bit of performance too, given your question about the i30 N.
I think you’ll find the ride harsh on the i30 N, especially since you found the ride on the Kona harsh already. Keep in mind the i30 N is a hot hatch and has the suspension to match.
I find the Subaru XV has very nice ride comfort for the small SUV segment, but I also feel that you will be disappointed with the performance from its 2.0-litre engine. You may also want to consider the new Hybrid Toyota C-HR. The Hybrid drive gives it a smidge of extra kick and it’s a fuel consumption hero, too.
For a better blend of performance and ride, really only the Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq are going to excel in the small SUV crowd. In terms of ownership both now have five year warranties, and you can (and should) pre-package five years of servicing on top at a discount.

One of the gripes with the Honda HR-V (I’ll assume that’s the model you’re talking about; there is no Honda HR-C) is that you need to pay for the very top-shelf model before you get the full safety package. In the HR-V’s case, that includes full forward-collision warning, autonomous braking and lane-departure warning. The catch is, you can’t even pay extra and option this package of the lower sped models.

In any case, it’s academic from your point of view, Noel, because even the range-topping VTi-LX misses out on rear-cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring and the active cruise-control you’re looking for. Plenty of the competition has these features and no doubt when Honda replaces the current model HR-V, those features will get a look in.

The US market Honda Pilot dimensions reflect the fact that this is, in some configurations, an eight-seater vehicle. The Pilot has a length of 4991mm, a height of 1793mm, width of 1996mm and a wheelbase of 2819mm.

Inertia-reel seat-belts have saved lots of lives by ensuring that they’re always adjusted correctly on whoever is wearing them. They work by being able to mechanically detect sharp forces (such as would be expected in a crash) and locking instantly, limiting the movement of bodies in the process. In the meantime, they offer a huge degree of convenience by allowing you to move around in your seat without being squeezed by the belt.

But they can suffer problems with the inertia mechanism which can jam and lead to the problem you currently have. This is often because the car is parked on an angle, causing the mechanism to `think’ that the car has pitched violently and locking the belt as a precaution, even though it’s standing still. So test the seat-belt with the car sitting on flat ground. To be honest, inertia-reel belts are more likely to refuse to unravel to allow you to fasten them than they are to fail to wind-in or retract, so maybe there’s a small manufacturing flaw in the belt in question.

The good news is that your car is still under its factory warranty, so a trip to a Honda dealership should be able to sort the problem quickly and simply and at zero cost to you. The quickest, safest fix would be to simply replace the whole seat-belt unit and that’s probably what a dealer will do.

The problem sounds like a fairly major melt-down of some of the car’s computer systems which is leading it to think there’s a range of major issues that have all occurred at once. Modern cars use lots and lots of sensors that all feed information back to the computer that controls the driveline (the ECU) and everything else (the body computer) and if any of these sensors are kaput, the car can issue you with headlines like the one you’re seeing.

The good news is that it shouldn’t cost you anything to fix, a 2019 Honda is well and truly still within the factory warranty period, so it’s the dealer’s problem to fix, not yours. Even if you bought the car second-hand, the new-car warranty transfers to subsequent owners (you) so don’t be afraid to phone your nearest dealership and book the car in to be inspected, diagnosed and fixed.

The only catch in all of this is if the car hasn’t been serviced correctly. It doesn’t need a Honda-dealership service history, but it does need service-handbook proof that it has been maintained according to the manufacturer’s schedule by an accredited workshop. If it hasn’t, Honda (or any other manufacturer) can sometimes use that neglect as an out when it comes to fixing problems under warranty. If, for instance, you turned up with a three-year-old car that had covered 60,000km but had never had an oil change or service, you’d probably find the manufacturer would simply tear up the warranty on the spot, even if it was technically a five-year warranty.

The problem you refer to affected the very first Jazz models sold here up to 2008. Any car made after that date should not exhibit the same problem as Honda made running changes to fix it back in the day.

The problem was actually traced back to the wrong transmission fluid being used in the CVT unit. These modern transmission are very particular about what fluid they use, especially with regard to the complex brew of additives that make up the fluid.

Over time, the fluid in the affected Jazzes would start to break down as the additives became depleted, at which point, it wasn’t doing the complete job necessary. Specifically, the depleted additive package suddenly allowed the starter-motor clutch to remain engaged. Essentially, you had the transmission trying to drive the car and the starter clutch dragging at it, effectively trying to slow it down. Which is when the car would start to shudder.

The solution was to switch to a new, reformulated transmission fluid which was added to the drained CVT, the car driven for a certain distance, the new fluid dumped and refilled and then the ECU reset to recalibrate the transmission. Problem sorted.

You don't need to spend $30,000 to get a great small car to run around town in. A Suzuki Swift GL Navigator from $17,690 plus on-road costs ($1000 more for the auto) makes for an excellent choice, with a surprisingly roomy interior, a refined, frugal and lively engine, great handling and superb reliability. Great value for money, in other words.

Moving on from there, to the next size up and in our order of preference, are the Mazda 3, Ford Focus Active, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla Hatch, Honda Civic (turbo only) and Subaru Impreza. All are quality small cars that should fit the bill perfectly.

There's also merit in considering a small SUV, chiefly because their higher roofline and loftier seating positions make them easier to get in and out as well as see out of. Our value pick is the Kia Seltos S with Safety Pack. The Mazda CX-30 and Toyota C-HR are also high-quality and refined choices, though they're right at the cusp of your budget so you may have to search for a discounted demo model. Going small SUV does  mean extra outlay, but they do generally offer better resale value, as their popularity seems endless.

As you can see, there's lots of choice, so take your time, drive the ones you like the look of, and see which feels best. Out of scores of alternatives, these 10 are our top recommendations at under $30K.

ZS pros include cheap pricing, an easy driving experience and a comparatively spacious interior compared to other direct rivals like a Mazda CX-3. The dash is pleasant, there is a decent amount of equipment and the controls are all simple to use. It should also be fairly inexpensive to run and service, though earlier ZSs like yours require six-monthly rather than 12-monthly service intervals.

There are two engine options - a 1.5-litre four-cylinder model with a four-speed auto on the base Excite, or a 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder version on higher-specification Excite Plus and Essence grades with a six-speed auto. Note that the latter powertrain is more expensive to service.

Plus, there's still a fair chunk of the manufacturer's warranty left, which is seven years, while capped-price servicing is also offered.

But the ZS does not offer AEB Autonomous Emergency Braking, so only rates a four-star ANCAP crash-test rating.

Additionally, the ZS's suspension is on the firm side in terms of dealing with road bumps, which might upset some occupants, yet there is not much of the 'fun factor' in regards to steering and handling finesse that rivals like the CX-3, Suzuki Vitara, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Venue, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Hyundai Kona offer in spades.

We've also heard complaints about the interior's perceived quality being sub-par, cabin storage isn't generous and Android Auto isn't supported (though Apple CarPlay is).

Finally, the ZS' resale value trails all of the aforementioned competitors by a significant margin, meaning it's on track to be worth less when the time comes to on-sell it.