I have to say that I am a Ford lover. I currently have an F150 5.4 Supercrew and a very modified Fox body. I have also owned a 6.0 Powerstroke Superduty, 2008 Explorer v8, a couple of Taurus SHO's, a Ranger 4.0 4x4...the list of Fords go on and on.

I wanted to say that before I say this. I agree with you I just had my Mom buy a 2011 Fit Sport instead of the Focus for the same reasons you mentioned. Everything about the Focus is better than the Fit, but the future is uncertain regarding its reliability. My wife even works at a Ford dealer and we could have gotten D plan pricing.

 

I just talked to a co-worker of mine. He was a Honda mechanic for nearly 20 years. He's the sort who worked 50 hours a week at the shop and then went home and built racing vehicles. All Honda, all the time. Now he works at a power plant with me and still lives Auto repair and racing on his off days.

I asked him about the transmission deal. He said that Honda Automatic transmissions should be serviced every 15k from day one. Service means drain out and fill up. NOT flush.

I have a 2003 Accord V6 with the "transmission from hell" and the Rube Goldberg factory fix that has 128k on it. It is still running perfectly, but also gets frequent transmission services.

 

Gary, thanks for the input. I truly think that's true of any auto. If you want it to go the distance, maintain it because it is costly to replace, but cheap to maintain.

 

Reliability was one of the reasons we chose the Fit over the Focus. The other very important factor was room. No way I could fit in the back seat of the Focus with the front seats all the way back. I think, for the most part, most adults would be uncomfortable in the back seats of the Focus. The ride in the Focus was impressive, but cargo room was really disappointing.

 

I don't know about that last paragraph, I bought a 90 corolla and tried to drain the atf and it came out like thick mud, only enough to fill a dixie cup. I took it to a shop and had it flushed for 129$ and since then put 130,000 miles on the car and it still shifts smoother than my 2012 honda fit 5at.

 

I bought a 1999 Toyota Solara with 150,000 miles for $3000 back in 2008. As soon as I got it, I drove it over to a mechanic to get things changed like oil and the ATF fluid. The ATF fluid too came out like mud.

Before the ATF fluid was changed, the mechanic gave me a verbal warning that he wasnt responsible for any transmission failure if he changed that. I took a chance and went for it too. I didnt have any problems with the transmission, but the car quit out on me at 201,000 miles from engine rod knock. The transmission was fine though.

Im not sure how Hondas or other cars work with black/mud like ATF fluid, but the general thinking out there is once it gets real bad than there is a chance of failure if changed.

 

I was curious to see how Toyota addressed the ATF fluid change and peaked into one of their online maintenance manuals. Their manual states to check the transmission fluid after each oil change and change it when appropriate. It only states an interval when towing and that is 60,000 miles. So Toyota basically says to change only when the fluid says so or when it reaches 60,000 miles if you tow a vehicle.

The color of the fluid when new is transparent light red. If the color is pink, red or light brown when you check it and a few drops spreads out on a paper towel over 30 seconds than its good. However, if the fluid is dark brown or black than it needs to get changed. If the fluid does not spread out on a towel than it needs to be changed. It might be helpful to have a bottle of new fluid to compare how it spreads out with the stuff in the engine.

If I checked my fluid and all of the red or pink has disappeared and its light brown. I wouldnt care if it spreads out on a towel or not, its getting changed.

So a good look at the ATF every 7000 miles at the time of the oil change is generally a good idea. Also, the fluid level is very important. Fluid does not burn off like motor oil so if its low than there is a leak somewhere. If the transmission is overfilled, than damage can result.

Here is a good article on it:

"Now, while checking the fluid levels, look out for "pink stink", which is the burning odor that shows all is not well in the automatic transmission system. Smell the fluid at the end tip of the dipstick. If the smell is like that of a burned toast or has a brown/black appearance, the fluid is now useless and will not provide proper lubrication in the transmission system. In most cases, if the maintenance of a car is ignored, by time, the cooked up fluid is discovered and the transmission system is badly damaged.
Another test is for oxidation of transmission fluid. The fluid sniff test is a good one, but there's a 'blotter test' that is highly advocated. Take a couple of drops of ATF on a paper towel and after 30 seconds, examine the spot. If the fluid spreads out and is pink, red or even light brown in color, the fluid is in an acceptable condition. But, if the spot doesn't spread out and the color is dark brown, the ATF is of no use and should be replaced immediately.
In case you notice a milky brown appearance of the fluid, it is an indicator of coolant contamination. The ATF oil cooler has probably leaked inside the radiator that is causing the coolant to fuse with the ATF. This is not a good symptom and needs to be dealt with immediately."

How to Check Transmission Fluid

 

There are some fine resources right here on this forum.

Not sure if you saw this: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...diy-flush.html

 

Hey KC, I was going to point out the same thread. Seems to be an alternative to SS's 4x drain/fill/drive routine.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...ml#post1041098

 

There's a ton of shared concerns on this forum [we are a community], a wide base of knowledge and plenty to learn.

 

I'm OCD about changing the oil, filters and everything else in my car but let's be real. Doing a simple drain and fill every 30k will make the transmission last longer than you'd need it. That's more than enough and anything more is just because you want to and it's fun. Saying that you need to do more than that is just speculation and not based on any facts.

 

Today I went to the dealer for an oil change. I have about 37,000 miles on the car with the original tires. They told me they had a "special" for 30K miles for ONLY $499. including oil change, top off fluids, multipoint inspection, rotate tires, engine oil conditioner, fuel system cleaner, adjust tire pressure, lubricate chassis, inspect seals and undercarriage, inspect brakes, balance tires, inspect battery and clean terminals, replace air filter, inspect, clean and adjust belts, clean and adjust rear brakes, inspect and tighten bolts on suspension, replace wiper blades, replace cabin air filter, coolant system service, transmission fluid replacement, brake fluid system service.
OK, does all this need to be done? I don't have $499 right now so I only changed the oil and rotated and balanced the tires. They need to be replaced soon and down to 4.
I feel ripped off everytime I go to the dealer. Anyone know a good mechanic in SE Florida?
Any other advice?

 

That's pretty high.

I'd get them to do the oil change and inspect everything (they do the inspection for no charge). This should run about $35.00.

The engine air filter should be changed every 30K miles. If this hasn't been done ask them what it costs. It's $15.00 and takes 5 minutes, no tools to change.

The cabin filter should be changed every year, especially in FL. It's also $15 and 5 minutes.

We can walk you through the steps to change these if you're not sure.

The drive belt is self tensioning. Doesn't need adjustment. The brakes are self adjusting, they don't need adjustment. They'll inspect the linings for free and let you know if they need replacing. If they do, shop around. Honda charges too much for brakes.

Wiper blades are about $3.00 each and are do it yourself. Do they need changing?. If yes, consider getting the refills at the honda parts dept and we can walk you through the steps to put them in. Aftermarket blades at an auto store are expensive.

The transmission fluid doesn't need changing until the MM tells you to. The first drain/fill isn't until after 60K miles. If you want to change it early to the newer type fluid it might help performance, but it's pricy to have the dealer do it. They charge about $100 for just this service that involves $30 for fluid and 15minutes labor. If you're short on cash, I wouldn't do this.

Coolant system needs no service.

Brake fluid needs changing every 3 years. That's something to consider if you're at 3 years.

I'd get the oil changed for $30. Order the filters if you think you need them for another $30. And consider the brake flush if you're at 3 years (if that's what they're talking about). It's probably $100. The rest of it is unnecessary.

If your tires have 37K on them they are probably about ready for replacement. Save your money for this.

Edit: just read you had the oil changed and tires rotated and balanced. That's just what you should have done. Good job!

Plan for the brake fluid flush at about 3 years. A good mechanic can do this and the transmission fluid (if you want to be extravagant and buy your car a treat). Otherwise forget the transmission until the MM calls for it.

Check out the filter links. If they haven't been changed they're due.

 

A fair amount of that is either unnecessary or you can do it yourself.
oil change,
Obviously you went for this, so that's what you should want.
top off fluids,
Fluids being low is a sign of something wrong, aside from wiper fluid. If the brake fluid or coolant is low, you should check to see what the leak is. Additionally, you can easily check your fluid levels yourself and refill your wiper fluid.
multipoint inspection,
Its not that a multi point inspection is bogus, but its about up selling you on other services.
rotate tires,
Should be done at every oil change. Minimal cost though if the car is already in the air, and its typically easy to do as a part of the multipart inspection
engine oil conditioner,
Bogus unless you are trying to address a specific problem.
fuel system cleaner,
They are charging you $20 to pour $5 worth of stuff that they bought wholesale for $3.50. If you want it, then you can do it yourself with any bottle of techron.
adjust tire pressure,
Part of every fluid topup I've ever seen.
lubricate chassis,
Its actually probably important to do this if you plan to keep the car for forever. There are points that should get multipurpose grease from time to time, and in theory this is the big advantage of the dealer over a generic garage. That said, its stuff like lubing the hinge on the gas cap door.
inspect seals and undercarriage, inspect brakes,
Should be part of the multipoint inspection. That said, checking those is always a good idea.
balance tires,
Does the car bounce/wobble when you drive? If not, then I wouldn't bother with that, as you're likely due for new tires soon or just got new tires so balancing is part of that.
inspect battery and clean terminals,
Probably worth doing, but places like auto zone will inspect the battery for free.
replace air filter,
If its called for by the fit via the MM, then I would change that. Otherwise, leave it.
inspect, clean and adjust belts,
Do belts need to be clean? And there's only one belt, inspecting it takes the time it takes to open the hood. Since its got an auto tensioner, its not like it needs to be adjusted.
clean and adjust rear brakes,
Not sure whats involved here.
inspect and tighten bolts on suspension,
Wut?
replace wiper blades,
You can do that yourself if needed.
replace cabin air filter,
You can do that yourself, but its probably a good idea if you haven't had it changed before. The filter is like $20 and takes 5 minutes
coolant system service,
Did the fit call for this? If so, then yes you should do it, otherwise no.
transmission fluid replacement,
Probably a good idea, every 30k. The choice is to spend the money now on fluid or spend $2000 to replace the transmission at 100K
brake fluid system service.
Brake fluid should be changed every 3 years, so you are probably due.

A lot of that was fluff and inspections. That said, oil change plus brake fluid change plus transmission fluid change at a dealer is possibly $500 worth of service, but others other than the dealer can do that. you should ask around for a local mechanic and see what he would charge for all that.

 

I should add as well that if money is tight, I would do the brake fluid flush before the transmission fluid. There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that the transmissions need more fluid changes than default, but it can wait. Brakes should be done if you are at 3 years though.

 

Thank you for your responses! It has helped so much and saved $$. Where can I find information on how to do some of the things myself that don't require a lift of major tools.
It's times like this that I wished I had gone to work with my dad, who owned a service station and was a mechanic!

 

The search function on this forum is pretty bad. Don't be afraid to open a thread asking how. We can either point you to the thread that has the details or just go into them here.

Engine and cabin filters are easy. It's surprising the owner's manual doesn't show these, but I guess North American Honda decided to throw their service departments easy profits.

The links I posted above should be applicable to your Fit.

For the rest of it, I'd find a reliable mechanic that'll do what's needed without running up a bill for filling your tires with air. That's the hard part.

 

I did the 4 x "drain and fill" for my 09 Fit Base AT after experiencing tranny noise in low speed. The tranny behaves much better in responsiveness and shifting. Although the 4 x "drain and fill" took a lot of patience for not messing up tightening the plug, new ATF vs. the old, etc. But it is really worth it. From now on, I will do this every 30k as many of you mentioned here.

 

The 4x drain and fill every 30k is too much IMO. It can't hurt, but it's alot of tranny fluid. A single drain and fill every 15k is plenty. This is if you have the new fluid in to begin with I suppose. I haven't really heard any legitimate complaints about mixing the old and new fluids. Honda doesn't recommend a full scale fluid change if you use the new stuff. You'd think they would if it made a remote difference so they could sell a crap load of fluid...

 

Honda isn't recommending any transmission fluid change until the MM calls for it or 60,000 miles in cases of "severe service." They wouldn't call for a mass fluid change earlier than this unless there was an issue similar to the lost motion spring recall where a higher than normal failure rate would result. With the actual cost somewhat less than $30 for them to do a drain/fill I think they'd be issuing a recall if this were the case.

So, don't change the fluid at all (until called for by the MM) unless you're anal and want to buy your car a treat.

If you're really anal, change it often.

I'm anal and OCD, and changed mine once at 35,000 miles at the dealer for $108. I felt an improvement in shifting and the phantom flushing noise at low RPM shifting 2nd-3rd went away. I might do another one or two drain/fills myself because I'm a cheap bastard in addition to being anal, and I feel cheated I paid the dealer $108. But I wouldn't wish this on anyone else especially if they're trying to save money.

For the terminally anal among us, here's a drain/fill schedule I did (how's that for OCD?) showing the resultant percentage of new fluid after each drain/fill cycle. This assumes driving it between cycles enough to completely mix the two types of ATF: