October 2017

iNFormation
Service Campaign Guide
Depending on the situation, American Honda will
conduct service campaigns to repair or improve its
powersports products; the official documentation
for any service campaign is the Service Bulletin.
There are various types of campaigns, including
Product Recalls, Product Updates, Product
Improvement Campaigns, and Warranty Extensions. It is important to understand the difference
between the various campaign types and not to
refer to all of them as “recall” unless the word
recall is specifically used in the title. Here are
some brief descriptions and examples of the different types of service campaign.

Product Recall
A Product Recall is related to a safety or emissions defect or noncompliance. A Product Recall
has no time limit, and remains active until all the
affected vehicles are repaired. In fact, it’s a violation of federal regulation to sell any recall affected
unit (off road and used products as well) without
first completing the recall remedy.
A critical thing to remember about a Product
Recall is that a vehicle may be unsafe until the
recall work has been performed – if your dealership fails to perform a recall while the affected
vehicle is in your dealership and a crash occurs at
a later date, your dealership can be held legally
responsible.

Product Update
A Product Update is not safety related, but it
requires that all affected vehicles, as indicated in
the Service Bulletin, be updated with improved
parts or a service procedure. A product update
usually includes a Campaign Expiration Date,
which is clearly indicated within the text of the
Service Bulletin and on the Service Bulletin home
page on iN.

CAMPAIGN EXPIRATION DATE

But don't just glance over Product Updates or any
service campaign and assume that every vehicle
needs the same procedure – you need to carefully
follow the instructions in the Service Bulletin as
repairs applied to non-qualified vehicles will not be
warranty reimbursed.

Product Improvement
A Product Improvement offers an improved part
for a service issue that may or may not affect a
customer’s vehicle. Customers are directed to
see their Honda dealer if they have a problem or
want more information, and the Product Improvement usually includes a specific expiration date.
A Product Improvement should only be performed
upon customer request if they experience the problem outlined in the bulletin. The dealer should not
solicit repairs from a customer or perform unnecessary repairs on customer vehicles. Carefully read
the detailed instructions in the Service Bulletin.

Warranty Extension
A Warranty Extension offers an additional warranty term and possibly improved part for the
affected vehicle. Like a Product Improvement
campaign, this should be performed only if the
vehicle has the problem outlined in the bulletin. A
dealer should not solicit or perform unneeded
repairs on customer vehicles.
The Service Bulletin will clearly indicate how to
test, and then only if necessary, replace the part in
question. Remember: the parts may be called in,
and if they're not defective, your warranty claim
may be debited.

Resources
Remember - it's a Honda Dealer responsibility to
participate in these service campaigns when a
Service Bulletin is issued. For your reference, a
listing of all recent service campaigns is available
on iN by following this path:
Service > Service Publications > Service Bulletins

When a vehicle comes in for service, be sure to
use the Unit Information utility on iN to check for
outstanding Service Campaigns:

The Training Corner
Spotlight on HondaPro
Technical Training
Congratulations to Robert Thompson at Hap’s
Cycle Sales in Sarasota, FL, who earned his
HondaPro Red Level status this past spring.
Honda District Service
Manager Denny Ray presented the award to Robert during a recent visit
to Hap’s Cycle Sales.
Denny had the opportunity to interview Robert
about HondaPro training:

Service > Unit/Customer Information > Unit Information

All Models
Damaged Wire Close To the
Connector? Fix it!
A broken wire close to a multi-pin connector
would ordinarily require wire harness replacement
as there would be no room to use a splice connector to repair the wire.
A tidy solution can be found in Service Bulletin
STN #11- Wire Terminal Supplies and Repair Procedures. STN #11 catalogs a variety of wire terminals that can be added to a piece of wire to form a
pigtail and then spliced into the damaged/broken
wire with a solder-splice. The terminated pigtail
can then be inserted into the connector to effect a
lasting repair.
The recently revised STN #11 also features a couple of newly developed pre-terminated pigtails,
that will make the above described repair go even
faster on applicable models.
STN #11 provides a wealth of information about
the necessary supplies, tools, and repair procedures that can save you time, and the customer
money, by preventing a time-consuming and
expensive wire harness replacement. Check out
STN #11 on iN by following this path:
iN > Service > Tools > Special Tools

Q) How has completing the Honda training helped
you in your technical repair skills?
A) The MCS modules really improved my diagnostic time with the skills I've learned. Overall, I have
less frustration working through difficult diagnostic repairs.
Q) How long did it take for you to achieve your
Red Level status?
A) I started my training in June 2009 at MMI, and
then completed all the Honda required training in
February this year.
Q) What was the best part of attending Honda
technical training?
A) Learning everything I can about Honda products. I’ve loved Honda ever since I was a kid when
I rode a TRX70.
Q) Has the training resulted in increased efficiency?
A) Definitely. Especially on the SXS models. But
overall, on all the jobs for any model.
Q) Any specific advice you would like to share
with others?
A) Work hard and stay focused on what you're
doing. Whether it's training or working on a
Honda; learn the products and technical aspects,
as well as the repair skills, and continue to
improve your performance.

THE WRENCH
©2017 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved. Published by: AHM Motorcycle Service Communications, 1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90501.
All suggestions become the property of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Sending a suggestion gives American Honda permission to publish it without further
consideration. *The information in this article is for authorized Honda PWC or MUV dealers only (applicable only if a PWC or MUV article is included in the issue).
Editor: Robert Heilbron

E-mail The Wrench at [email protected]

MSN 16441 (1709)