I guess I lucked out. I had let my Fit sit in the garage over the weekend back at the end of January and Monday morning my battery didn't have enough juice to turn the engine over. Luckily my wife's CR-V was parked next to me for a quick jump. I drove to work hoping it would start so I could make it back home. It did. On my way home I called the dealer where I bought it to ask if I needed an appointment to have my battery checked and the answer was no so I stopped in. I've had the car for 2 years & 3 months but have been out of warranty for about 14,000 miles so I figured if it was bad, I'd be buying a new battery. They checked it and the service rep said it was bad and they were going to replace it. I asked how much and he replied nothing, that the battery had a 3 year unlimited miles warranty and they had them in stock. I haven't been on here for awhile so I didn't even realize it was as big a problem as it is. I figured I had done the battery in since I run an amateur radio transceiver that was maybe pulling it down while driving but I didn't drive far enough to top it back off.

Steve.

 

Has anyone changed out the factory headlights with extra bright white lites like the Sylvania Ulta Bright lights. How do you get to the headlights and change them?

 

I am having issues too. I just got my 2009 Honda Fit last week and the battery already died on July 2nd. Had to call AAA to come jump it so I could drive. On July 3rd I went to start my car and it wouldn't start again. I called AAA again to come jump it. I took it straight to the local Honda dealer on the July 3rd and told them I needed a new battery....So they ran tests and all the circuits checked out ok but the battery was dead so the service guy tells me his "computer" told him to charge the battery. I asked why he couldn't just give me a new battery under warrantee since that is the issue and he said he would not get reimbursed by Honda if he doesn't do what the computer tells him to do. SO he charged it for a few hours and said it tested good and he sent me on my way. The next morning on July 4th I had to take a 90 mile trip and once again, the car would not start. I once again had to call AAA to come jump my car. Needless to say I was angry that this wasn't taken care of after leaving my car at the dealer the whole day for something that could have been done in 5 minutes (installing a new battery). So I went looking at a few dealers for service and of course all the service departments took the day off on the 4th. Just car sales people. Ok, so now here I am on the 5th and yes, the car will not start at all. At what point does the service guy realize that he needs to give me a battery? Do I need to call AAA for a year until he realizes the battery is no good? I guess some service departments make customer satisfaction #1 while others try and cut corners even if it doesn't cost them a dime and they lose customers. I will give the guy one more chance. If he does not give me a new battery this time, I am done with them and will get service elsewhere. I wanted them to be good since its right around the corner but if thats how they treat people, then I'll drive an extra 10 miles to get service. p.s. I think the bad batch of batteries is still out there!!!

 

My Honda Dealership tested the battery and it showed low CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) and would not hold a charge. They did not have any batteries in stock for the Honda Fit and held my car for a week until one came in and authorized a rental car for the week.

 

From what I know about the way batteries work, if you drain them down too far they never recover 100%.

I think the big issue is that there is such a tiny battery on the Fit that if it's degraded only slightly it isn't enough to start the car anymore. Most other cars have batteries that are twice the size -- which gives you many years of slow degradation in performance before the battery is dead.

Seems like the Fit battery gives you 1-2 years if you don't drive the car enough every single day to keep the battery topped off. I'm investigating trickle chargers so I don't have this problem again.

 

Bought my car in July 2006, only 10k miles. I have left it in the Michigan snow for 3-4 weeks during the winter while I return to California for break. The car is parked outside. It has always been able to turn over for me, never had an issue with the battery, even after a month of not starting the car. Maybe it's a bad batch of batteries you guys are experiencing, unless the 2007 model has a different battery from the 2008 and 2009.

 

aftermarket battery anyone? lol

 

I have an '07 Fit Sport, w/o warning the battery died, wouldn't hold a charge, 39,000 on the car..drove to my dealer(Scott Honda of West Chester,PA)..within 30 minutes, they replaced the battery, washed my car, and said NO CHARGE, batteries have a 3 year, unlimited mileage warrenty...SWEET.....thanks for all the threads...

 

Yes 51R, drop in replacement on '07.

 

fwiw, I put in a Deka ETX14 (same as the Odyssey PC545) last week - it's been great so far. 11 pounds lighter than the stock battery, turns over the engine just as easily. But I'm gonna keep the stocker on a trickle charger over the winter, just in case. Although I've push-started the car in my driveway by myself, so I'm not too worried.

I had to buy some automotive posts for it, but with the 2 height adapters that come with it you can use the stock j-hooks and battery tie-down - just turn it upside down. It looks a little silly - the tiny little battery sitting centered where the stock one used to be, but that's alright. If I'm ever feel like I'm $85 too rich, maybe I'll pick up the passwordjdm mount, but it's not high on my priority list.

 

Just wanted to update this - the ETX14 wasn't going to come close to cutting it for the colder weather, last month it died on me already after only sitting for a day, and got decidedly sluggish after a few days of my (too-short) commute. But I picked up a slightly larger model, the ETX16, and it's been working great. It's rated @ 275 cca vs. the ETX14's 200, and it seems to make the difference. We'll see how it holds up as the winter gets deeper, I'm keeping the ETX14 around & charged up to use as a jumpstart if need be.

 

Oh for Pete's sake!

It's that time of year again... the weather drops below 40F at night and my car begins having trouble starting after sitting idle for 2-3 days.

Just this past Sunday, we had a new 12V socket wired into the car that would be "always on". The point of this was to attach a solar trickle charger inside the car, as I park outside and thus have no access to a household electrical outlet. The 12V outlet that comes with the car only works when the key is in the ignition, and I am not leaving my car outside with the key in it!

Car wouldn't start today after three days of being idle, at least one of which was spent getting trickle charged by the solar charger... sigh.

At this point I'm about ready to go to my Honda dealer and demand that (for free) they un-install the remote starter and Guidepoint system from my car. They were the ones who installed them for me when I bought the car, and they never said a word about how the slight battery drain from these accessories would necessitate that I drive the car for at least 15 minutes per engine start, every single day, to avoid having to jump start my car every winter.

Whenever they test my charging system and look for stealth current draws, my car always tests out as "OK". My stealth draw is always under whatever arbitrary number they have chosen to represent the average. They send me away with a wave of the hand and tell me that it's all my fault, I need to drive it more. So much for saving emissions and cutting down on the use of fossil fuels.

I'm a good citizen trying to cut down on unnecessary use of my car by combining several trips into a single trip a couple times a week, only to be told over and over by Honda that what I really need to be doing is driving somewhere 15 minutes away every single weekday and taking unnecessary trips on the weekend so my car will start again on Monday.

I swear I have never had a more fiddly, high-maintenance car. What with the bumpers that needed to be repainted, the first battery death last year, the CD player that won't work when the car is cold, the airbag wiring recall, the moisture collecting in the rear seat footwells, the passenger side lock actuator needing replacement, the paint that scratches and dings at the smallest thing... I guess all I have to look forward to now is the A/C condenser getting knocked out of commission by a tiny stone.

I am now investing in a portable jump-starter so at least I'm not at the mercy of USAA this winter.

 

I must be lucky.... I have had my Fit since July 06 and no battery or any other mechanical electrical problems.... My car will sometimes not be driven for weeks at a time but when it is, it is always of distances of 25 miles or more..... The paint is not all that great and parking at Wally World created a major ding from a shopping cart..... The damned thing will probably self destruct tomorrow now that I have boasted of how fortunate I have been.

 

Let's see...

You live where it's warm.
You probably don't have a Guidepoint/Lojack or remote starter installed.
You likely drive the car several times per week if not every weekday.
You drive a reasonable distance every time you start the car.

Am I right?

I live where it gets below freezing.
I have a Guidepoint and remote starter installed.
I drive the car twice a week.
I drive short trips.

Cold temperatures make it harder to start the car. Batteries have less power in the cold, yet more power is needed to get the engine to turn over. Guidepoint/remote start (recommended and installed by the dealer) passively drain the battery when the car is not in use. This car is not used for daily commutes. I go to the grocery store 15 minutes away a couple times a week.

See the difference?

What boggles my mind is that anyone at my Honda dealer thought it would be appropriate to recommend that I pay them to hang a huge battery-drainer like a Guidepoint off what is essentially an undersized battery -- in the cold Northeast. Caveat emptor.

 

I do understand what you are saying..... I am a disabled person that doesn't drive much but like I said when I do I always drive at least 25 miles due to living in a rural area and at times my car hasn't been started in over a month....It is hot here by most peoples standards 7 months a year and very humid year round meaning the A/C or defroster gets a work out almost every time I am driving..... I have to drive on a 1 lane access easement that is of sugar sand and usually washed out in places when it rains and almost the consistency of powder in the dry months so I must drive slowly and with care when I leave or return to my place which allows time for the car to get warm before I get to pavement..... I think it would be a good idea to find someone that could wire a switch too the Guidepoint and another to your accessory socket so you can switch them on and off as needed so you can conserve your battery power and allow your solar charger to work.... Also some guys have gone to using Optima batteries and claim they are very good and hold a charge for a long time..... The last 2 words of your post in Latin sums it all up very well..... Dealerships are all about sales and profit and can't be trusted.... Like I said though I do feel lucky to have my battery last as long as it has and know that it will not be long before I will try to go somewhere, turn the key and hear the dreaded clicking sound or no sound at all.... I am sure it will be on a cold day as well.

 

A battery for the Honda Fit 2007 is $175 at the dealer. I have not been able to find a comparable one for cheaper in my town. Does this seem like a lot for a battery. It seems like twice as much as it should be.

Also should the OEM battery go after 3 years. I am just out of warranty for a new replacement under warranty.

Any feedback appreciated. Thanks.

 

Like everything on the market right now, batteries cost more due to the devaluation of the Dollar.... Dealerships charge more than you would pay at an auto parts store for about anything you purchase so I am not overly surprised at the price they charge but you could have gotten a much better quality battery for the same amount of money on line.....I got my car in July 2006 so I suppose I had better start shopping for a new battery...I think I will go hook a charger to my car right now since it is cold outside and I haven't driven it for awhile.

 

My battery hasn't totally gone so I am buying time and trying to get some info. I could order one online...

Wouldn't the shipping be really expensive?

 

A group 51R battery [commonly avaliable (Wal-Mart and etc.)] will fit an '07-'08 (I have one on mine). Don't know about the '09-'10s, but it's worth checking.

 

I have a 2009 Fit that has 2000 miles and Honda says we need to drive it more. I've had other cars we have driven the same and never had a problem. The batt has gone dead 5 or 6 times. They have replaced it once. This is BS. Since when should a car be sold that you have to get the batt from the dealor? A 51R will not fit in my Fit without modifying the batt compartment. Even then with a bigger CCA would the alternator keep the batt charged? I will never buy a Honda again. Mike