Hey all,

This is my first time owning a new car and although the new fits have the indicator lights for when to change fluids and such I was trying to be a good car owner and checking them myself. I am just under 7,000 miles on my fit and about to need an oil change soon anyway as I'm at about 20% right now. However, in checking under the hood, everything looks good except the transmission fluid. Following the owner's manual I turned the car on and then off and waited 30 secs before checking the dipstick. It showed the fluid below the minimum hot levels indicating I should refill and go to get it inspected immediately (per the manual). However, an indicator light has not gone on yet and per the internet and car manual I don't think you should have to get your fluid filled until 60,000 miles. Does this mean something is drastically wrong and I should get it fixed immediately? Or, could I wait a couple of weeks until I get my oil changed and have them check if out then. There is a possibility I didn't let the car heat up enough but I don't think so. Also, I am going on a trip next week and don't want to compromise the car at all. Thanks!

 

The Fit heats up more quickly than most cars because of the aluminum engine, but I would drive around a bit (5 mins at least?) before checking the trans fluid level. See if that helps. If your fluid is actually far below the minimum hot level, I'd take a look underneath to see where the remainder has gone. I think fluid is ... red? Is that just auto transmission fluid? You can google it; the colors are mostly standardized.

 

Ok, I will try that. I was wondering if it got hot enough. I had gotten home recently but it had been almost 25mins before I turned the car on again and then checked it. The level it was at then was just at the minimum level bar. I will check it the next time I get home after going out and see if anything changes. Thanks again.

 

FWIW, that's incorrect.

If you drive it around, the service manual says that you'll read as having more fluid than you actually do.

The more important thing is that you are supposed to wait more than 30 seconds after turning off the motor. Check the stick closer to 60 seconds and see what it says. Also be sure that you warmed up the motor to temp (not just the cold light going off).

By the book checking of the ATF in the fit is very poorly thought out.

 

I remember reading about another member who was leaking trany fluid on his '12, they ended up swaping it out under warranty cuz it had a hairline crack.

 

service the tranny drain it but have dealer do it the other day they charged me 63bucks then seee what happens then blame them lol but still thats strange cuz im at 12,000 and mines was not that low at all i jsut wanted them to change it lol 2012fitsportcvtnav plus ur under warrenty still bro hit dealer up maybe JAPAN was faded and for got to fill it all the way idk and that hair pin crack dam scary i drive my fit hard

 

The transmission fluid level is not that crucial to be exactly precise.

If it is anywhere in the neighborhood of being close to the target, you are OK.

Think on this, your car doesn't just drive at constant speed on flat surfaces. It splooshes the fluid all over the place, and up and down and the fluid expands and contracts depending on temp.

So as long as you got fluid on the stick, and it's somewhat close to the mark; and it is not getting lower over time don't worry too much about it.

That being said, drain and fill of the transmission fluid is technically similar and easier than an oil change and it's recommended by people here to do this a bit more frequently then the service manual for peace of mind.
You will need 3quart bottles of dw-1 fluid.

If you get this done at the dealer though, as stated about they charge you $60 or more which is a high premium for the equivilant of what should be $15 or so if you DIY.

Then you'll be perturbed again after the mechanic gets the transmission fluid level again off from what you feel good about.


That being said, you can check it for after a long drive and see the level in a fully hot state, to see if the level is now at least above minimum, or even above max.
Then with those data points, you can safely have peace of mind, knowing that at some magic temperature in between, it was within the spec.

Be careful not to burn yourself- which is probably the legal reason why they set the mark on the stick to correspond to the magic partial hot state.