More than $11 million will be paid to Quebec owners of Honda Civics and Acura CSXs who have seen the paint on their cars deteriorate prematurely.
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For several days, owners who took part in the class action aimed at compensating owners of Honda cars whose paintwork has deteriorated prematurely have received an amount between $300 and $2,675 to compensate for the flaking of the varnish and paint of the vehicle. their car, as part of a settlement of a class action concluded in 2022 with Honda Canada.
“If you own or have owned a Honda Civic (2006-2013) or Acura CSX (2006-2011) vehicle in Quebec, and you have suffered and noticed premature deterioration, appreciable or not insignificant, of the paint, you may be entitled to compensation,” we read on the collective action website.
This means 14,500 Quebecers will receive an amount from Honda. Eligible vehicles are Civics from 2006 to 2013 and Acura CSXs from 2006 to 2011.
Many owners had to be patient, because it took almost two years to see the color of their money. “We filed the request in 2018. Class actions always take a long time. It’s difficult to have availability dates for the court and the procedures are long,” explains Éric Bertrand, lawyer at CBL et Associés.
“We are not paid more because it lasts, we have no interest in making it last, it’s just the judicial machine which must follow its course and we must comply with that,” explains Éric Bertrand .
The claim period was from September 30, 2022 to March 31, 2023. According to Honda, this is mainly compensation for the loss on resale.
Between $6000 and $8000
Refurbishing a vehicle that has suffered this depreciation costs between $6,000 and $8,000. According to the director of Fix Auto Sherbrooke, Francis Boulanger, that The newspaper had interviewed when the class action was announced, several owners will take the check, but will not make the repairs.
Since the problem does not decrease the reliability of the vehicle or increase its risk of rust, it is purely cosmetic. And the owners have been living with an aesthetically disadvantaged vehicle for several years already, he mentioned.
According to Éric Bertrand, the Honda company showed a “minimum of collaboration”, but the lawyers had to return to court after the decision to discuss differences regarding the interpretation of the judgment.
Premature, appreciable or non-insignificant degradation of paint may take the form of discoloration or peeling in patches, also called “delamination.”