Six years ago I bought a 2010 Fit. The only thing I could verify from the pre-delivery inspection was the installation of body plugs.
Which they didn't do.

Now six years later I bought a 2016. The PDI mentions installing the antenna. I didn't see one and asked the salesman about it. He didn't know.

I later found it in the glove compartment. Of course the PDI is signed off by a service tech and a supervisor.

It seems pretty obvious that they don't really do a PDI except for cleaning the car.

Any thoughts on whether it's worth bringing it back and making them actually do it?

Oh, they also did a bad job installing the floor mats. I mean, how hard is it to make sure they actually line up properly so they're not on top of something they're supposed to be next to?

 

This is general sloppiness of the dealership. The lack of attention to detail is indicative of a badly run dealership. Be wary of going to them for service.

 

When i received my Gk5 from Paul Miller Honda in NJ, there was glue all over the body panels and windows from the wrap when removed from the truck. I had to use cleaner wax to get it all off.

 

Oh, they're not convenient for service anyway. I do my own oil changes, stuff like that. I think the only times I brought my 2010 Fit to the dealer (a different one) for service is for a warranty item and to make them install the body plugs they forgot about during that PDI. Oh, and the first, free, oil change.
80,000 miles and all I paid anybody else for was brakes and tires.


The new dealer didn't offer a free oil change.


I guess I have to review the CD that came with the car because I don't think the owner's manual says anything about not doing the first oil change early. The owner's manual is half the size of the old one and half of that is just about how to pair the phone to the sound system. Which I don't care about because I don't use a phone while driving. (I prefer my accidents to be the other guy's fault)


This car takes 0W20. I have a case (6 quarts) of Mobil 1 5W20 left over...

 

Regards the owners manual,

On the CR-V forums it has come to light that what you get with the new 2016 Hondas is a Quick Start Guide, not a complete owners manual. If you plug your VIN into the Honda Ownerlink

Honda Owners Site | Tips, Tools & Benefits for Honda Owners

you are entitled to receiving a free, much more comprehensive manual. It is available both as a PDF and printed manual. (The free printed manual is only available for the first 6 months of ownership...after that there is a charge.)

Post here to verify if this is true for the Fit. Wouldn't want to lead folks astray.


+++++++++++++

Regards the oil, I don't see why Honda's recommendations for new cars would change, that is: leave the Factory Fill in (which contains extra MOs2) until the MM tells you to change it.

And, if unless you live far north in Upstate in NY, the 5W-20 synthetic should work fine IMO. 'Course, if you want to give it to me....

 

Just followed your link. Yes, they'll mail me an owner's manual. Why wouldn't I want one in the car?


Oh, just checked the tire pressure. They're around 3 lbs overinflated. I'm fine with that, especially that it's getting colder now, but still, that's sloppy PDI. I wonder if they did any of the things on the list.

 

That must have changed for '16. I got the (print) owners manual with the paperwork when I picked up my '15. I also got the "Technology Manual", or "quick start guide".


Since then, I downloaded the PDF owner's manual and have it saved to my home computer and my iPhone.

 

Good point, I should put it on my phone until the paper copy gets here.


My car came with two manuals- owner's guide and consumer information booklet. But the big, 400+ page monstrosity has to be ordered if you want a paper version.

 

You know you hope for the best.
But in my experience a car dealership is primarily focused on doing one thing, that is selling you the car and getting you to sign the contract.

They all have protocol in place supposedly supporting you as a customer, with Pre-Delivery Inspections. And it all should be done.

But in a dealership Time is Money, more time they spend inspecting your car, or going through a pre-delivery revelation with you? The less time they have to sell the NEXT car to the NEXT guy.

I wasn't unhappy with the delivery actions of my dealership. The salesman did spend nearly a 1/2 hour, trying to show me some of the functions of the entertainment system.

The vehicle was washed and detailed.

But the popularity of sites like "Fit Freak" and other incarnations comes on one level from all the information the dealership DOESN'T give you. From the things they miss on Pre-Inspection.

I got a piece of paper, with a lot of boxes marked as to things they supposedly "checked". How do I know if they were really checked?

I always, check my oil level.
And when I got the vehicle home, I found that the tires were actually over inflated.

PDI's are nice. And you hope that the best is done. But I don't know if it REALLY is a priority with most dealerships, since by the time you reach the Pre-Delivery stage? You've already signed the sales contract.

 

My dealer delivered my car fully prepped and detailed. No complaints from me.

I ordered the paper owner's manual. It took months to arrive. Honda _really_ wants to discourage people from getting a manual! It's large enough that if I put it in the glove box there won't be room for much else!

 

I thought I'd responded to this- yeah, they are concerned with selling the car. Until I tell ten people or post here or on Yelp that White Plains Honda bait-and-switched and didn't prep the car right.

As far as prep, it looked fine (except for some powder around the doors- clearly they didn't open the doors when they cleaned the car). But did they actually inspect anything? They signed off that they did but the two things I could verify- the antenna and the floor mat installation- they missed.

That's stupid of them.

 

honestly the less the dealer touches my ride, the happier i am.

i never go back to the dealer unless its a MAJOR defect and requires warranty repair.

 

To an extent I agree with this.
This weekend I finally got the time to wax and detail the interior of my New Fit.
And if I do say so myself, it looks a whole lot better than it did coming from the dealership. And I trust I will not damage anything. Plus I can use the materials I choose.