This is technically about a 2012 Civic LX, but it's really a more general question. Today I discovered that various functions, including my odometer and trip functions, had gone dark. After researching it, I found that this is a known issue which is addressed by Honda TSB 13-017:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...51931-6978.pdf

I called the dealer and got the usual "bring it in and we'll diagnose it". They claimed no knowledge of the TSB.

Then I called my independent Honda/Acura shop, and they said it happens all the time, and they can do the needed update. But they said they had to buy a new update thumb drive each time, and with over an hour of time to do it, the cost would be about $225.

Does it seem reasonable that the "update device' referred to in the TSB is really only good for one update? I've looked on Ebay for used ones, and found nothing. Well, if I really have to buy the device, it looks like I can buy it from Honda for $95, or from an online parts house for about $60. And from the TSB, it looks pretty straightforward to do the update. Can anyone confirm that this kind of thing is doable by a normal human being? And I assume the 1+ hours to do the update is nonsense - the mechanic would start the update, then come back 30 minutes later.

Meanwhile, after even more research, I've found that I can fix the problem, temporarily, by removing fuse #29 in the engine compartment fuse box, waiting 15 minutes, and putting it back in. So, there's a limit to how much I want to pay to fix this permanently. This is the first time this has happened in nine years, and if it only happens once every nine years, I can live with that. But I'd like it to be right if I can do that for a resonable amount of money.

 

It looks like the USB should be reusable by reading the TSB. It also looks like you should be able to do this update on your own. I'd follow the TSB just to verify the software version currently on your Civic.

 

The TSB seems to say I should have Major 104, System 190, but I've found that I have Major 103, System 161. So I don't know if this update is really appropriate for my car. And I don't know where I would go to find that out. I'm increasingly leaning toward just doing the fuse 29 trick when/if this happens again.

 

Looks like you are on the software version before 104. You should still be able to update the software from 103 to 105.

 

I would recommend preforming the software update. A lot of Honda fixes are software updates on newer models.

One of my nephews, a young teenager, has a new Accord. He told me he had to go to the dealer for a software update related to his audio system, covered under warranty. On a side note: he said he had to wait; but, told me he would have preferred if they just gave him a USB memory stick to update himself.

 

I've looked at:

https://usb.honda.com/

which implies that owners can do these updates, or at least some of them, with a USB thumb drive. But I think that's for cars a good bit newer than mine. I think I'm going to leave mine alone for now. This problem is easily fixed if it happens again, and this is the first problem I've had with it in 9.5 years. Perhaps v103 software doesn't have the problem as bad as v104.