Daytime Driving Light Out?

Have you checked the fuse for that circuit?

 

I would imagine left and right would be on the same fuse. This sounds like a warranty claim

 

There should be an electrical connection from the harness to the light that snaps together. It could be nearly impossible to access without removing either an underbody panel or the bumper fascia and DRL itself. Just a possibility of something that may have been disconnected, damaged or corroded.

Not sure of Honda’s warranty on “light bulbs”, maybe 12 months?

 

Just take back to dealer. I bet they replace the defective assembly, and there is no other fix. Expensive bugger, as all lights are these days. Bulbs are pretty much obsolete with the advent of LED assemblies. And labor won't be cheap either, I'm sure the front bumper cover will need to be removed for access to replace it.

So get it to the dealer if your bumper to bumper warranty hasn't expired yet. Then it'll be free. Otherwise if warranty is passed, prepare yourself for a bill somewhere between $500 and $1000 part & labor combined....

 

Honda part# is 33250-TRT-A01 for the left DRL. List is $523, but they can be ordered online for <$350

 

One would think that it could likely be something external to the light fixture itself. I would assume (don’t know for sure) that the running light is made up of several LEDs and it’s not likely that they would all ‘burn out’ at the same time. Of course they could be wired in series, too, which could cause the whole thing to stop working over one faulty LED. I’d get someone who knows a little about electronics to poke around with a voltmeter.

 

Am I reading your note correctly - are you saying this would be a $5,000 dollar job outside of warranty? I can't be reading this correctly.

 

How many Clarity forum members just gave themselves an extended warranty for Christmas?

 

Thats bat chit crazy..... lol. Wow, glad I have the 8 year 120,000 mile warranty. Wonder how it could possibly be damaged beyond repair. It's a light lol.

 

If I don’t know how honest dealers and their service departments are, I’d say they’re trying to make a buck from a warranty claim.

It’s 12VDC and everything in play is forward of the firewall. One side works, so there’s proper, switch controlled power, to within 5’ of the problem area.

Did they give an estimate for the amount of time they’ll need the car in the shop to perform this elaborate surgery?

 

The engine compartment wire harness retails for over $1500. It's the only harness in the front of the car. It is one piece, likely has 100ish connections and plugs, and it snakes all over under and through to every single connection under the hood. With the advent of safety features everywhere, most mfrs forbid cutting/splicing wires anywhere. In my insurance career I paid for many that were damaged due to wrecks. 20 to 40 hours mechanical/electrical hours at $120/hour is sometimes not unreasonable depending on the circumstances, and for access it often involves removal of engine, all front sheetmetal, cooling system, etc...and in this case being a PHEV possibly the inverter, etc.

If the harness actually needs replacement, $5k bottom line wouldn't surprise me, and I wouldn't be surprised if the car is in the shop for a week under constant work. And I also wonder if they can get the part? Harnesses were often difficult to obtain. I totalled a lot of cars that had harnesses crushed, just to avoid the headache, time lost, and expense.

 

I would be curious if the cause is rodent related. Almost all (all?) vehicles now have soy based wiring insulation that rodents find quite tasty. I think there have even been some class action suits floated.

 

My 2000 gen-1 Honda Insight had soy-based insulation on its wiring, but my 2006 gen-1 Insight had non-soy insulation. Honda made the switch in 2004. Soy insulation-munching vermin totaled a friend's 2000 Insight--so sad. I'd be surprised if any Honda still has soy-based insulation on its wiring.

 

Not sure what other avenue you would have. Unless you want to live without the light and skip the repair.

I don’t understand why you feel it would never be the same, unless the shop mechanic is so incompetent they end up with leftover parts or something...I find this unlikely. It’s just lots of bolts and electrical plugs. Repair is not difficult, just time consuming.

2nd opinion/diagnostic from a different dealer may get you a different answer, if this diagnostic is inaccurate.

And another Avenue could be if you want to take your lumps and trade it in as is, you could get yourself a new car.

Otherwise this is what warranty is there for. Honda owes the repair, and they’ve offered the repair. If it were me I’d make sure a solid agreement/understanding on a loaner/rental vehicle was in place, and I’d drop it off for a new wire harness.

 

If this were me (and it was beyond warranty) I would look very hard for a broken wire and splice the damned thing...
As @DucRider mentions, a rodent would be a prime suspect, and if it is possible to view the damaged area, the rodent chew can be pretty obvious.

The wiring harness itself is unlikely to fail (unless chewed)...
The weak link is the connectors / connections. That doesn't make it any easier to find, and dealers may be forbidden (or it could be virtually impossible) to replace a connector pin too.

I would hope that the dealer is absolutely certain that it is not the lamp assembly. You definitely do not want to replace this harness without being 100% certain that it is required ! I would go as far as to run a new wire from the other side if it was me having to foot the $5K bill.