First post:
I picked up a commuter the other day. 2007 Base manual, only has 58k miles. All maintenance done at Honda and recorded.

engine/trans is smooth but the suspension is horrible. My guess is the struts and rear shocks are toast, driving on flat road sounds and almost feels like a gravel or freshly milled road. Almost feels like you’re driving over bumps in the road and there’s no bumps in the road as well as vibration in the steering wheel.

any have experience with this?

I’m pretty sure new struts and shocks should do it but I may just put coil overs. Could also be bad bushing on top of that, it’s been in the vegas desert heat for about 15 years regardless of the low miles.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I recommend jacking up the rear and just looking at the suspension. Look for oil leakage on the shocks, though if it's really bad you might not even see that since it can all leak out and gradually get washed off by weather. This guy's video shows you what you'll be looking at:

Great overview of what a bad shock looks like and automotive suspension in general:

 

yeah I have they aren’t leaking, but also over time shocks can turn to shit even without ever leaking.
also I can rule out the vibration and stuff from the wheels n tires because I changed them out and no difference.

 

Is it a vibration?

It could be inboard cv jounts.

 

yes there is vibration almost throughout the whole car. I’m 100% sure the struts are trashed, however I have a feeling it’s only gonna fix 80% of the issue. Hopefully I’m wrong and it fixes everything, once I do the struts front and rear then I’ll be able to deal with what’s left over.

 

Upper strut mount rubber is hardened

 

Make sure it's not your tires or, as Doctor J stated, the upper bushings. Other possibility is motor mounts.

Do not expect a Cadillac ride either. GD Fit's ride rough and are noisy even in perfect/new condition. Ours at almost 200k miles actually rides softer than new because of the shocks and struts being worn and the springs getting weaker. It rode stiffer when new.

 

stiff would be good, I’d say probably 80% of the cars I’ve owned have been lowered so I know stiff. This isn’t stiff, If I drive over a nickel on the road it will bottom out harshly. lol
Also very jerky at high speeds like 2 hands on the wheel because it’s sketchy AF. lol
I’ll see what happens with shocks n struts

 

Any progress on your vibration troubleshooting?

 

Yeah new tires and new strut/shocks and it like new!

 

I had a friend that owned a 07 and the rear tires were cupped and when it got to 55mph it sounded like a helicopter! The original rear shocks were not leaking, but you could compress them with your little finger, lol.
Glad it was a simple fix, at 58k you have a lot of good life in the old car!

 

Once I get it all dialed in it’ll be good for a long time.
now it’s missing a little under acceleration until I get past 3500 rpm. lol
gonna check the coil packs the plugs are new.

 

Are the plugs Denso or NGK iridium gapped at .040 or so? That's key. Our coils at almost 200k are still fine.

Other possibility is that it needs a valve adjustment. 60k is when the service is due on a GD. Ours were already out of adjustment at 50k.

 

yes I changed the plugs when I got it, the original ones weren’t bad at all.

it’s definitely not the valves for sure.

the boots on the coil packs can go bad from dry/heat and I’m in Las Vegas, so even the low miles doesn’t save it from the desert. The 60k service I did, all that is is the tranny (manual) fluid and the plugs.

 

Just so you are aware, Maintenance Minder item #4 calls for spark plugs AND valve adjustment on the GD Fit. That happens at around 60k miles.

On GD Fits the main issue is the exhaust valves tighten over time. Tight valves make zero noise, but cause issues for the coils and eventually the valve seats. Either issues result in mis-fires codes and hesitation at lower rpms.

Also, make sure you used NGK or Denso IRIDIUM plugs. Auto parts stores like to sell you something they have in stock, but only those two work well in a Fit.

 

This.

Also check the gap. They come pre-gapped but I have had an incorrect gap on new NGK's before.

 

they are iridium and gapped properly.
I have new packs I’m putting on today we shall see.