A little backstory...

2007 Fit Sport came to me in 2017 and has around 150k on it. I do oil changes, filter change when needed and make sure my tires are rotated/etc. etc. basically all the general maintenance is done and up to date. Car is completely paid off and is pretty much going to be my ride until it dies.

Now the questions...

(I'm not mechanically inclined at all, I was barely able to swap out my wiper blades by myself)

1. Besides the Air filters, Oil, Tires is there anything else that I should be doing/looking into doing to extend the life of my car? Everything on my car is stock

2. Fluids....I know with it creeping up on 150k I should be doing some flushes/swaps/etc. I just don't know what. I'm sure the mechanic place will start "requiring" or "recommending" that I do this or that flush.

3. I've noticed a weird thing going on with my car where if I'm going down a steep incline and I'm braking my RPMs sometimes will jump up to 3 or 4 and get "stuck" there unless I press on the gas a little bit in which the car bucks a little bit and then goes back to "normal". I've tried explaining this to the various shops I've been to but everyone wants to charge me $100+ just to look at it with no promise they can replicate the issue, or they don't see it as a big deal. Has anyone seen or heard of this problem before? My Brakes/Rotors were replaced this year with a brake fluid flush as well, tires are 2 years old and rotated. I've searched around and found this -> https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...n-braking.html which is pretty close to what I'm experiencing but I have a Gen 1 and not sure if the same would apply for a Gen1.

 

Since you mention not being mechanically-inclined at all, do you have a mechanic shop that you trust to take your car(s) to? I'd have them give the car a once-over. Being charged "just to look at it" is actually quite normal and is considered standard practice. It's called a diagnostic fee. Time is money and shops absolutely can't do free diagnostics, especially for something that's likely going to involve a test drive.

From what you've described, that doesn't really sound like a problem. Your revs *should* be higher when going down a steep decline. That's normal behavior for a car that is using engine braking and I do it all the time with my Fit so I don't drag the brakes (that's why you might smell the brakes from the car in front of you when going down a steep decline is because they are riding the brakes and causing brake fade.)

 

Your manual has a maintenance section that tells you what should be done and when (mileage and/or time intervals). There are additional big picture items that might not be in the maintenance section that you may want to consider. For example, if you're in a salt area with a 2007 Fit, you might start thinking about the integrity of axles, suspension components, brake lines, etc. There are other things like CV joints, shocks/struts, springs, HVAC components, etc which might last for the life of the car or might give out tomorrow. It's sort of the luck of the draw.

In a more general sense, if you have a service history for the car you can pick up from 150K and follow the recommendations. If you don't have a service history and your goal is to keep the car for a long time, you have to assume that pretty much everything leading up to 150K was not done and is still needed. If you're not a DIY person you might be well served by finding a good/trustworthy mechanic and asking them to do a full inspection of the car.

Look at it this way, if you (or a mechanic) do a complete check of the car and cover everything now you know that it is done and you can start planning from today for the next 150K miles with your Fit. The alternative is to drive until something breaks and fix it one piece at a time. In the first case you may service/replace something that never would have caused a problem. In the latter case you may get stranded.

In the downhill situation you describe it sounds like you're experiencing engine braking as in the post you linked to. I can't say I've really noticed this (in my GE8), but then again I always force engine braking myself using the paddle shifters instead of riding my brakes down hills, which is really only good for turning gasoline into excess heat and brake dust.

 

thank you both for the replies I appreciate the information! I'll definitely be looking into finding a good mechanic.

 

A good mechanic will be able to give the car a once-over and tell you what it needs and what it'll need in the coming days, weeks, or months. These cars are pretty simple when it comes to maintenance and will run damn near forever with regular upkeep.

 

Cars (or any machine) don't "die", .....if you keep replacing parts as needed, you would go first.................. In Cuba, 50's US cars are driven daily for a living (not to shows), with home-made parts.

...but in the US, 'dying' means the vehicle starts needing more serious corrective maintenance as parts age, and then buying a new one becomes 'more practical'.

.....I'd like to point out the Fit has a accelerator pedal by-wire, not cable....meaning is all electric and the accelerator is a rehostat. And some mechanics may not know that. And if the revs were simply sticking high and not coming down, I'd start thinking about the gas pedal. But have to admit, the part of your description that says the problem is only on inclines and revs jumps up, is puzzling