I got a letter from Honda and the Automotive Testing and Development Services, Inc. If I volunteer and my car (2007 Fit Sport automatic) is selected they will remove my catalytic converter and replace it with a new Genuine Honda part so it can be tested. If selected I'll probably do it, hey a new cat is a new cat. They will provide a renter and pay me $200. Has anyone else recieved this letter?

 

Sounds kind of fishy to me.

 

Why? Sounds on The Up and Up to me. A Honda dealer of my choice will R&R my cat with a new one.

 

Agree, why would Honda wanna get a 2007 fit and test their "new" cat? I am sure they have enough 07 models in their testing ground to test on, and why do they need to improve anything on a phrased-out car?

IMO, if something sounds too good to be true, it is.

 

The letter from Honda says that Honda wants to "analyze parts that have been exposed to actual customer driving conditions." It is not to test a new cat, it is to inspect the used cat.

I guess it is kinda fishy though, a fly by night operation (American Honda Motor Co., Inc) wants to "ensure that Honda automobiles meet or surpass the exhaust emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and/or the California Air Resources Board, as well as Honda's own goal for reduced automobile exhaust emissions" Yep, to good to be true.

 

I received a similar letter on our 2008 Element. These letters are from Honda and if you call Honda of america they will confirm it. They pay test lab garages to put on new style parts and then want to you run the car and come in every 4 months for a year for inspection and emissions tests. We were not selected because the element only had 8,000 miles on it at the time and they want cars with over 12,000 miles.

 

This has all the earmarks of a scam. You need to call Honda in CA and confirm.
Doesn't sound even close to legit.
Perhaps a way of stealing your catalyt.
Even stealing your car. Its real easy for someone to rent a car, provide it to you and run off with your car while all you have is a car that you would owe 'rental' fees and its not yours.

 

I have called Honda in CA and confirmed that this is legit. I would take the car to a Honda dealer, get a loaner from that dealer. This Honda dealer would then perform the cat swap. As sorry as car dealers are, I really don't think any Honda dealer would be invloved in such a scam. The scammer would have to make arrangements with the Honda dealer and get them to give me a loaner and accept my car into their service department, so this Honda dealer could steal my cat. I know the service personnel at my Honda dealer and as sorry as they are I don't think they would steal parts off of my car. I take it no one else has recieved this letter from Honda (on Honda letterhead).

 

I didn't catch the 'from Honda' in the OP.

This is the first I've ever heard of any car company doing this. I haven't received a letter, either, and I have had my Fit serviced at the stealership for the last 35,000 miles.

 

This makes perfect sense, they need people to drive around in normal driving conditions to get the test data; they can either pay people to do this, or get the data for next to free by having Honda owners do the testing for them.

 

It's not free, Honda will pay me $200 plus the new cat and rental car expense to allow the cat swap (if I'm selected).

 

Well, I meant 'next to free' versus paying someone X dollars an hour just to drive around. Probably cost them a couple thousand per car.

 

See my post above. I got one for my Element a little while ago. I wasn't selected because of low miles.

 

I saw your post. If it was about your Element it wasn't "this letter" because my letter was about a Fit.