I wouldn’t think about buying the Jazz though at the daft money Honda want for them these days, last time I was in a Honda showroom they had one on at almost £30,000!
Yes, I accept that the Crosstar is rather more expensive than some competitors but the wife is quite keen because she's owned Hondas before and likes them. As this is going to be our only car in retirement and we're going 50:50 with the finances, I guess I have to consider her opinion.
Also, we are both very long term clients of Lloyds (me) and Barclays (her) banks and since we have no mortgage or other encumbrances, both banks are offering very good car financial packages. These vary from one make/model to another and while it was very good for the Honda Crosstar Advance, it was not so for the Renault Clio hybrid, the other one we considered. (I have actually ridden in a friend's new Toyota Yaris hybrid and felt that it was uncomfortable and too noisy on the motorway. As for getting another petrol-only car, we both agreed that we want to own a hybrid)
When I bought the old Subaru brand new in 2004, Lloyds offered me incredible terms that included a 12% discount on the MRP of the car plus a 5-year financial package that was better than anything the dealer could come up with.
Edited by Arun Vajpey on 18/07/2024 at 05:20
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Worth checking out reports of these cars refusing to start after leaving them for a short period of time and having to call out the recovery.
A small battery pack kept in the boot can solve this .
Perhaps the Elekie Doc or others can post the latest position on this possible problem ?
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Worth checking out reports of these cars refusing to start after leaving them for a short period of time and having to call out the recovery.
I did a Google check but could not find anything specific about the Crosstar. The information that I got from Honda UK themselves seems to indicate that and long as the main 12V battery was kept charged, there should not be any problem. The staff at the Car Storage facility are good with that and I never had a battery problem with my old car when I went to get it back after several mothns of storage.
I assume you have already asked a Honda dealer this question.
To tell the truth, I have not. The reason is that although Yeomans Honda of Eastbourne is the closest dealer to our address, I don't know for certain that the bank can get the best deal from that particular one. When I bought the Subaru Outback brand new in 2004, Lloyds Bank offered a superb financial package but I had to buy from a specialist dealer other than the one closest to us. Of course, all the choices for colours, extras etc remained. Therefore, I have only asked the basic question to Yeomans before sorting out the finance.
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Here is the link from the Honda owners club referring to battery issues with the Jazz Crossstar
https://www.hondaforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1888
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Here is the link from the Honda owners club referring to battery issues with the Jazz Crossstar
https://www.hondaforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1888
The Jazz and Jazz Crosstar are the same car. So any issues affecting one also affects the other.
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If you regularly leave a car for long periods a simple petrol only car may be a better choice.
I agree but as I said, this is going to be our only car from now on (wife has sold her Saab on grounds that we won't need two cars in retirement) and we are splitting the finances evenly. My wife wants to buy a hybrid because it is more environmentally friendly than a full petrol car and we did research based on that premise. I personally would be OK with an all-petrol car and if there are real issues with storage of a hybrid, might be able to convince the wife as well.
www.hondaforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1888
Thanks and that's a real eye-opener. I'll look into this in some detail and discuss with the wife.
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No such problems with the Yaris Cross coupled with a company that is prepared to offer a ten year warranty as opposed to a measly three years from Honda after which you may not find the most responsive customer services are elements that may make you think twice Arun !
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Worth checking out reports of these cars refusing to start after leaving them for a short period of time and having to call out the recovery.
A small battery pack kept in the boot can solve this .
If not used for more than a couple of weeks, why not just disconnect the battery? Then it won't need 'maintenance'. Disconnecting the negative lead on our Peugeot 2008 doesn't even need a spanner.
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Worth checking out reports of these cars refusing to start after leaving them for a short period of time and having to call out the recovery.
A small battery pack kept in the boot can solve this .
If not used for more than a couple of weeks, why not just disconnect the battery? Then it won't need 'maintenance'. Disconnecting the negative lead on our Peugeot 2008 doesn't even need a spanner.
A very bad idea on a modern hybrid John....
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I am a fan of the current Jazz and Crosstar (default choice if either available when SWMBO's Motability car gets changed next), but with Honda having apparently dropped the ball re reliability in some areas, I don't think I'd spend my own money on one.
Yaris Cross is what I'd be looking at
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Since I had not had any problems with 6+ months storage of my Subaru with this storage facility, I called him today and asked what he actually does with the 12V batteries of cars in storage. He said that all cars are placed on some sort of "Smart Trickle Charger" throughout that maintains the charge at the required level. He called the device a "C-something" (sorry, I forgot the exact name). He also said that once each month he would drive the car around the perimeter of the property and then leave the engine running for about 30 minutes (it has other facilities and is several acres) but is not insured to take it out on a public road.
Is that an acceptable plan?
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Probably a CTEK, I have one for my motorbike. It checks the charge every 30 mins and adds some charge if needed.
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Got a new Yaris back in March this year knowing that the batteries could give issues. Since whilst our 2nd car can stand for nearly a week quite frequently and when we go on holiday even longer we were more likely to get this problem. The Fabia we had owned for 6 years never had a problem but that was not a hybrid and we did use the charger (see below) every couple of weeks during the winter months.
Planned 2 ways to get around this (hopefully). Continue to use the Ring Intelligent Charger model RSC404 (very similar to the CTEK at about 1/4 of the price form Amazon) every couple of weeks during the winter and buy a starter pack just in case. You don't need a mega expensive one for a hybrid, all it needs to do is get the car into READY mode, the engine starts when needed form the traction battery, bought one for about £45 from Lidl. No idea if it works, not needed it.
4 months and 1700 miles on the clock and no issues so far. Charged it once in March and once in April.
One other thing to mention is the locking on the cars. Ours is a Design and along with the Icon has a key to start it. The Excel and GR have keyless ignition and smart entry which I believe puts a higher load on the battery when the car is standing, I think these are the cars that have been having most issues.
Wifes cousin has exactly the same car we bought, she got it in March 2022, not a single problem. Used most days but only short trips, ours gets a 80 mile round trip every 2 weeks (sometimes more often).
If not used for more than a couple of weeks, why not just disconnect the battery? Then it won't need 'maintenance'. Disconnecting the negative lead on our Peugeot 2008 doesn't even need a spanner.
Not that easy on a Yaris. The battery is under the back seat (along with the Traction battery) and getting the seat base is not easy according to what I have seen on the web (getting it back seems to be the hardest part).
A simple petrol Yaris hasn't been available for a few years, only hybrid, unles you're talking about something like the GR?
The GR is a hybrid with sporty trim, the GRNM is fire breathing turbo and the only manual Mk4 sold in the UK.
Don't think that is a simple car by any means. 250 bhp, 4WD, lots of tech and a hefty price tag. Have read that the latest version is coming in very small numbers with dealers contacting existing owners first. A starting price of £60k has been rumoured.
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Probably a CTEK
Yes, I think that was it. Mark said that all his stored cars, most of them old classics, were kept on a trickle charger. For my future hybrid car, he said that he would drive it around the perimeter of his facility once a month and then keep the engine running for 30 minutes.
If the engine is kept running (presumably in neutral) on a stationary hybrid car, will it use the petrol or electric component?
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If the engine is kept running (presumably in neutral) on a stationary hybrid car, will it use the petrol or electric component?
Without meaning to sound rude if the engine is running it'll be using petrol obviously.
Sounds like your storage guy knows what he's doing, I wouldn't worry about it to much tbh.
What sort of lead time are Honda quoting? Be interesting to hear your thoughts once you've had a test drive.
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What sort of lead time are Honda quoting? Be interesting to hear your thoughts once you've had a test drive.
Nothing specific except "fairly easily available". I have not pushed that point with Yeomans Honda because Lloyds Bank, who will almost certainly out-do all other financial packages (I have been their customer for 38 years and they have done superb deals on Car Finance, Travel Insurance etc in the past), might direct me to a different specialist Honda Dealer other than the geographically local one. It happened with my Subaru before.
But the main issue is that we have had to rush to our home town Bangalore, India to help with a family issue and might be stuck here several months. When we know the time we are due to return to the UK, I'll apply for finance etc, which Lloyds assure me should not be a problem.
Yes, as this is going to be our first hybrid, I'm going to request a couple of test drives.
Without meaning to sound rude if the engine is running it'll be using petrol obviously.
Not rude at all. As a former GP, I know very little about the technology in a moden car, even less of a hybrid. But while running on petrol, will it also charge the small litium-ion battery? Obviously, there is no "regenerative braking" if the car is stationary.
This is even more stupid perhaps, but is there a device that can keep up the charge of the smaller battery either through the mains supply or even off the trickle charging 12V main battery?
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If the engine is kept running on a stationary hybrid car, will it use the petrol or electric component?
On a hybrid car, the electric motor will be used as long as there is enough (hybrid) battery power to do so, or the power/performance demands from the driver doesn't exceed what the electric motor can provide. After which, the ICE (internal combustion engine) will kick in to provide battery charge and/or extra performance. If being started after a month of inactivity, I would expect it to need and use the ICE, but I don't know how long the very small hybrid battery in a HEV would retain any residual power?.
There may also be a setting in order to only use the ICE and save the battery (for certain parts of a journey). I believe many PHEV's (plug in hybrid) have this feature but they do have a much bigger battery than HEV's like the Jazz/Crosstar or Yaris/Cross.
(presumably in neutral)
One would hope so.......... :-)
Mark said that all his stored cars, most of them old classics, were kept on a trickle charger. For my future hybrid car, he said that he would drive it around the perimeter of his facility once a month and then keep the engine running for 30 minutes.
I can see the benefit of taking a car kept in long term storage for a wee run, but can't see any benefit for having the car sitting stationary with the engine running if it is otherwise connected to a smart charger while in storage?
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I don't know how long the very small hybrid battery in a HEV would retain any residual power?
I think that it is a very pertinent point, thank you. I'll try to find out from Honda UK. I thought the battery on a "self-charging" hybrid like the Crosstar was bigger than a "mild-Hybrid" even though smaller than the plug-in types?
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I don't know how long the very small hybrid battery in a HEV would retain any residual power?
I think that it is a very pertinent point, thank you. I'll try to find out from Honda UK.
Only if you subscribe to the notion that starting the car up and leaving it idling for half an hour is a good thing. As I said earlier I don't (in fact I think I'd specifically tell the storage guy not to).
I thought the battery on a "self-charging" hybrid like the Crosstar was bigger than a "mild-Hybrid" even though smaller than the plug-in types?
They are, but they are also still, relatively speaking, very small. For example, the hybrid battery on a Yaris is .76kWh, slightly smaller than the battery on my e-bike!.
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Only if you subscribe to the notion that starting the car up and leaving it idling for half an hour is a good thing. As I said earlier I don't.
Thanks again and you are absolutely correct.
I got a definitive response from Honda UK at last and it was confirmed by the tech guy at the local dealer. They were clear that leaving the hybrid car on on idle was going to achieve nothing as far as keeping-up the charge on the smaller litium-ion hybrid battery went; it needed to be driven, something that the proprietor of the Car Storage facility was not willing to do because of insurance issues. Of course, there was no way that the CTEK device that keeps the main 12V battery on optimal charge could be connected to the smaller battery.
So in short, the Honda Jazz Crosstar Advance is not suitable for storage for up to 6 months like we require it to do. That leaves us to consider a 'normal' all-Petrol car and since Honda UK no longer sell them new, I'll have to look at a Hyundai i20 ir Mini Cooper 5-door.
Just out of interest, is an all-Electric car any more strorage friendly than a hybrid?
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