When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I haven't updated my thread in awhile. So here goes!
So I brought my car in for the door handle recall, and they quoted me $45 bucks to change out the block plug with the heater plug only. I was going to do the wiring myself to save myself the $135 bucks in labor. Good price for the plug only in my eyes. I had a loaner car for the day on the house from the dealership so I didn't mind so much. When I got my car back the door handle brackets I saw them installed properly, no grease on the windows, door skins reassembled correctly. Both techs did a great job!
Well, seems the tech in the morning working on my car for the recall had to leave early, and another tech was finishing up the block heater, but instead of looking at the repair order where I explicitly said just to do the plug because I was not going to pay the labor of doing the wiring....tech didn't read and he did the entire job for me!!
I got a bit scared when the dealership called me about the time delay and how they are being careful working around the "extra wires." I immediately questioned and figured out they didn't read the repair order. They installed it exactly to the Honda instructions, by removing the front bumper cover, and the extra wires they were talking about are the DRL switchbacks I have next to my foglights, like on the European Honda Jazz model. The tech somehow even fixed the bumper sag, the gap is very small now against the fender frame. Not perfect, but way better than before.
I'll take some pictures of the block plug, its a lot bigger than I thought. You will loose a lot of coolant. Thankfully the dealership admitted they didn't follow instructions and kept the same quoted price. So I got my recall and block heater done (which included flushing the entire cooling system out, you cannot avoid this) for $50.15 USD!!
Last edited by Bassguitarist1985; 02-26-2016 at 07:51 PM.
I haven't updated my thread in awhile. So here goes!
So I brought my car in for the door handle recall, and they quoted me $45 bucks to change out the block plug with the heater plug only. I was going to do the wiring myself to save myself the $135 bucks in labor. Good price for the plug only in my eyes. I had a loaner car for the day on the house from the dealership so I didn't mind so much. When I got my car back the door handle brackets I saw them installed properly, no grease on the windows, door skins reassembled correctly. Both techs did a great job!
Well, seems the tech in the morning working on my car for the recall had to leave early, and another tech was finishing up the block heater, but instead of looking at the repair order where I explicitly said just to do the plug because I was not going to pay the labor of doing the wiring....tech didn't read and he did the entire job for me!!
I got a bit scared when the dealership called me about the time delay and how they are being careful working around the "extra wires." I immediately questioned and figured out they didn't read the repair order. They installed it exactly to the Honda instructions, by removing the front bumper cover, and the extra wires they were talking about are the DRL switchbacks I have next to my foglights, like on the European Honda Jazz model. The tech somehow even fixed the bumper sag, the gap is very small now against the fender frame. Not perfect, but way better than before.
I'll take some pictures of the block plug, its a lot bigger than I thought. You will loose a lot of coolant. Thankfully the dealership admitted they didn't follow instructions and kept the same quoted price. So I got my recall and block heater done (which included flushing the entire cooling system out, you cannot avoid this) for $50.15 USD!!
Did they mention anything about the heated side mirrors you installed or did they even notice the wiring? Reason I'm asking is b.c I need to bring my car in for the door handle recall and I did the same mod in the fall to my 2015 EX, I'm glad I did it and your posts and videos were extremely helpful.
Did they mention anything about the heated side mirrors you installed or did they even notice the wiring? Reason I'm asking is b.c I need to bring my car in for the door handle recall and I did the same mod in the fall to my 2015 EX, I'm glad I did it and your posts and videos were extremely helpful.
Nope they did not, actually the tech noticed the 3 extra wires for the heated mirrors and winkers which he thought was cool. For the door recall they will not be anywhere near the mirror wires so you should be just fine.
Nope they did not, actually the tech noticed the 3 extra wires for the heated mirrors and winkers which he thought was cool. For the door recall they will not be anywhere near the mirror wires so you should be just fine.
When I brought mine in for the door handle recall, I expected them to say something about the trailer hitch. Not a word.
When I brought mine in for the door handle recall, I expected them to say something about the trailer hitch. Not a word.
Nope, not a word about mine either. The first time i brought it in for service the dealership said to me wait you tow with the Fit? I didn't know the Fit could tow!
Been towing with my Honda Fit for about a year-and-a-half. Unfortunately in the beginning the 5 by 8 trailer that I have did not hitch the ball to the receiver correctly and the trailer pushed forward on a hard braking even. None of the underneath skeleton was damaged but the bumper cover was destroyed. Normally if you have a receiver that drops the ball to a lower height this isn't much of a big deal it will simply hit the back of the ball mount. Being that the Honda Fit sit so low to the ground you need to use a riser, mine is a 4 inch. As a result if the ball was to pop out of the receiver it would go straight into the back bumper or worse. So I had a friend of mine who owns a body shop repaint me a new bumper and then as insurance installed a back plate from Tow Ready. That way the plate will protect my bumper from being slammed by the trailer tongue. A bit of a costly mistake but now I have learned.
Cheers!
I use touch up paint to hide the damage but it looked terrible
Plate installed. With Monroe air shocks at 50psi, height from ground is 14 inches
It sticks out slightly but I dont mind. It clears the rear hatch no problem.
1-1/4" receiver and 7 way round, 4, and 5 way flat connector combo.
Last edited by Bassguitarist1985; 05-29-2016 at 02:03 PM.
Been towing with my Honda Fit for about a year-and-a-half. Unfortunately in the beginning the 5 by 8 trailer that I have did not hitch the ball to the receiver correctly and the trailer pushed forward on a hard braking even. None of the underneath skeleton was damaged but the bumper cover was destroyed. Normally if you have a receiver that drops the ball to a lower height this isn't much of a big deal it will simply hit the back of the ball mount. Being that the Honda Fit sit so low to the ground you need to use a riser, mine is a 4 inch. As a result if the ball was to pop out of the receiver it would go straight into the back bumper or worse. So I had a friend of mine who owns a body shop repaint me a new bumper and then as insurance installed a back plate from Tow Ready. That way the plate will protect my bumper from being slammed by the trailer tongue. A bit of a costly mistake but now I have learned.
Cheers!
I use touch up paint to hide the damage but it looked terrible
Plate installed. With Monroe air shocks at 50psi, height from ground is 14 inches
It sticks out slightly but I dont mind. It clears the rear hatch no problem.
1-1/4" receiver and 7 way round, 4, and 5 way flat connector combo.
I'm glad you got it repaired, and I like the looks of that plate. I have a small flatbed I pull rarely - like if I have to get long lumber. My wiring is inside, in the spare tire well. When I tow, I just pull it out.
I don't know why they have to make so many different size towing balls. Why make a 1 7/8" when a 2" would be perfect. Forget about 1 7/8". We don't need no stinking 1 7/8" ball.
So its been awhile since my last update, a few things:
1. I'm convinced that the driver front door skin that was replaced is thinner than the OEM one. Likely a part defect. The body shop did try to stiffen it up, but the material was subpar. I've taken measures to stiffen it up with some small flat stock steel to prevent the skin from flexing in the wind, which causes my side mirror to visibility vibrate distorting the reflection. Whats funny is that when the temp is below 60 degrees, the skin is stiff enough that the mirror does not vibrate, but above that temp and in the sun, you can see the mirror vibrating in the reflection. I'd say this was a failure on both Honda and the body shop. The passenger side does not vibrate at all, and does not have any extra reinforcement behind it. Its too late now and I'm not wanting to spend $1200 dollars to have it redone. Bottom line, if you have door damage, make sure the body shop is good, or insist on having the entire door replaced.
2. The MA811 air shocks I installed are discontinued. However, the MA809 is a better fit, and no need to use the lower washers. The LS7 lower mount is 1 and 5/8" wide or around 41MM. Some compare notes are below.
3. As expected the stock OEM tires are complete crap. I will be needing new ones before the winter. Not sure what brand I'll go with. No issues with alignment or abnormal wear from visual inspections.
4. The paint job is really subpar. While it shined when I first got it, i can see that the thickness of the clearcoat is very thin to inadequate. I have areas around the rear quarter panels where you can see the water is getting underneath the primer. I've hand waxed these areas best I can for now, but longevity speaking this paint job sucks. The hood is riddled with little dings and what not from road debris. Its to be expected. I think next Fit I get I'll bite the bullet and get the thick 3M wrap for both the hood and front bumper.
5. I've also had the windshield changed which was covered under warranty, not even 1000 miles later another rock kicked up and now has a nick on the upper passengers side. Not the end of the world but highly annoying. Fits tend to have their windshields dinged up more often due to the steep angle they are at I'm told.
6. Body side molding, its a nice look, but if you ever have body work done and they need to come off, its not advisable to reapply them. Ever since I had my door skin changed the reapplied molding has not stuck very well. the water gets behind and weakens the 3M tape. In such a case it would be better to buy a whole new set if ya really wanted it.
7. The LED headlights have done well since fixing the heat sinks with proper thermal compound. The light pattern is scattered without projectors but they are brighter than stock. I have though about the ultra white sylvania halogens despite the shorter life, but It may be worth checking into later down the road.
In summary, I still love the car, but I now see the shortcomings of the lower quality of being Mexico made. Hopefully they have gotten better since they initially launched. It also has not helped that I do not have a garage to have the car rest in and be out of the elements. Connecticut has harsh winters with salt etc and summers with a lot of sun. That should hopefully change someday having a garage.
At this point, I'm hoping Honda runs a deal on the Fits for like 0.9% financing. They tend to run it at the end of the year. If it comes up I'm trading up for a newer model, but only if I can get the lower APR. If not guess i'm sticking with what I got. really wish the USDM Fit EX-L came with the 6MT option like it does in Canada. I'm not expecting Honda will ever offer it.
It would be very easy for me to move all my mods/upgrades over to a new 2016 or 2017 model pretty easily. A 2018 mid cycle refresh then all bets are off trying to adapt the mods.
We've had our 2015 EX CVT for 1.5 years and 20K miles. Just washed it today and noted how it looks brand new and still shiny. No dings, and no visible wear and tear anywhere. But we're in Southern California with no snow and its garaged every night.
Our van on the other hand has been relegated to outdoor parking and the sun and wet evenings are taking a toll on the rubber moldings but the paint is still holding up well in-spite of the new outdoor conditions.
Hopefully you'll have luck finding another manual transmission Fit since you probably want that for towing too.
Yessir! I will drive a manual transmission until my legs fall off!! It's simply my preference for driving not so much for towing. Although I would never even think of towing with an automatic transmission not the way they are made these days.
I think the biggest Factor besides the lower quality from Mexico is the fact that my fit has been outside in the elements 24/7 since I got it. I'm positive that if it were garaged every single night that it would not show this much wear and tear.
Appreciate the update here, too. (and heck, my mirror mods are *still* sitting on the shelf in the shop, not done yet - been an unreal year between work and other family stuff going on).
I'm coming up on my two-year mark and hit 45K a few days ago. I have the benefit of a non-heated machine shed, so my car spends most nights under cover. The paint still looks fine, although I've picked up some parking lot dings and rash. For whatever reason, my Hecho en Mexico car has not had the issues a lot of other folks have had. In fact, it's been *far* better than my previous 2013 VW Beetle TDi, which I sold after 18 months (had had enough) and replaced with the Fit. Of course, the Beetle was also Hecho en Mexico, albeit in an established plant, with an established workforce and wasn't a first-year model. So much for German engineering!
I've always had manuals for my DDs in the past, and only got the CVT (as a last-minute decision) because of the horrible gear ratios in the GK Fit 6MT. After two years with the CVT, I'll probably not do another one, but would not buy another Fit with a manual, either (unless they improve the gearing). I've found the CVT to be awesome for long trips (just did 2,000 miles this past week) or when sitting in traffic, but really miss a well-sorted manual in town or when I'm on an 'interesting' road. I've given a lot of thought to this, and I think it boils down to the imprecise nature of the CVT – the disconnect between throttle position and road speed, perhaps. I've gotten where I can simulate manual upshifts with the CVT (lift off throttle briefly then paddle shift up one), and it actually *sounds* like a manual that way, but it's still not quite the same. It's not so bad that I would want to replace the car, but it's not good enough to want another one, in other words.
Really, my biggest gripe is that CarPlay is still not supported! (c:
My biggest gripe is the lack of brighter instrument panel daytime back lighting. Even without sunglasses, in daylight I can hardly see the tach or the speedometer.
My Fiesta ST is superb in this regard, very easy to see in daylight because they light it up.
Thanks for the responses guys! No matter what at 32k the car has been good to me and I do take care of my stuff! I think the best mod I did for enjoyment has been the stereo system. Got to have the tunes! I honestly don't mind the gearing so much, though I agree that the gear spacing SHOULD be better. Got to understand that the HP is limited at 130HP, and the torque curves of a 4 banger has the max output up in the higher RPMS. If 6th gear was say 2500RPMS you would be be "dogging" the engine and have to downshift with even the slightest incline.
Take the new 2017 WRX, 6th gear is around 2500-2700 at highway speed, and you can stay in 6th for a slight incline due to the merit that its got twice the HP as the FIT and more low end torque with the turbo.
The instrument panel I've never had issue seeing it during the day. More than bright enough, and it dims at night because if it didn't it would be too bright at night. Carplay and Android auto I don't really give a crap about. Google maps are free, and long as I can mirror the phone that has worked for me. The heated mirrors is still my biggest gripe about the car that its not a standard feature or at least an option on all trims. I mean if the car is sold in Canada OEM standard, then people here in the Northeast should get the same features for snow/cold weather.
My biggest gripe is the lack of brighter instrument panel daytime back lighting. Even without sunglasses, in daylight I can hardly see the tach or the speedometer.
Interesting. Mine is very bright. I assume you tried adjusting the lighting.
Interesting. Mine is very bright. I assume you tried adjusting the lighting.
I just did some testing. In daylight, headlights off, the instrument backlighting is at full brightness with no adjustability. With the headlights on, I'm able to adjust it dimmer as expected. I guess the brightest daylight setting for me is still difficult to see when the sun is shining. I'll have to do some side by side pics when I get a chance.
Its official. I am selling back my 2015 Fit and trading up for a 2017 6MT Crystal Black Pearl. I got a shorter loan term and lower APR as a result so to me it was a no brainer. Payment per month was only a few dollars more a month. I was initially offered 0.9% for 60 months for a 2016, but I would not compromise on a manual transmission, and those are simply impossible to find at this point. Wound up settling for 1.9% at 60 months for the 2017. Way better than my 66 month 3.9%. Granted I will be paying a bit longer for the 2017, however, this vehicle will always be garaged so I feel this car will last way longer and show less signs of wear with it not being outside.
I also needed tires for the 2015 if the deal didn't go through. They have died at 34k. I'll be spending the next few days removing the mods from the car which will be all transferable to the new vehicle. I am re-buying the vent visors and the body side molding since I have no patience dealing with scraping off the 3M tape. The difference this time around is I will be investing into scotchgard for the front bumper, fenders and hood. This will likely be my last Fit for a long while I plan to drive the 2017 into the ground. I now have a beautiful two car garage and the car will be sheltered from the elements.
Thankfully I wont have to wait long for the 2017 manual transmission. My dealership located one for me arriving at another dealership thats due on the 28th this month. I'll likely take delivery sometime next week.
I will say that the 2015 is still a solid vehicle. Had the deal not come through I would have gotten new tires for the 2015 and kept driving it till it died. Sadly the paint job is subpar and you can really see all the wear and tear since being outside all the time. I believe the body would have started to corrode before the engine died. Bottom line, it was the first 14k off the production line of the GK body style. I will be looking over the new 2017 very closely to see if there was any improvements in build quality.
02-26-2016, 07:00 PM
