My 13' Sport automatic just turned 130K miles last week. I will be replacing it in the next 6 months. I decided to make a list of all things that went wrong with it along the 7 and a half years I owned it.

November 2012 - Delivery (6 miles)
December 2012 - Cracked driver side door handle - replaced under warranty

16,532 - Creaking noise near left side of dash board - Dealer never fixed, creaking until this day.

64,000 - A/C stops blowing cold during extended drive time and the whole system freezes. A/C line had hole and allowed moisture to get in. Replaced under extended warranty.

68,000 - Front end developed creaking when going over bump/uneven road when outside temp. is below 60F. Dealer never fixed it, I was able to diagnose the problem.
Lower control arm bushings are making the noise. Never replaced them and they are making noise to this day during winter. Absolutely no noise during warmer months.

93,405 - Driver side outer tie rod boot is torn and leaking grease out - Replaced under extended warranty.
93,405 - Lower right ball joint boot is torn and leaking grease - Replaced under extended warranty.

120,000 - Passenger side outer tie rod boot is torn and leaking grease out. - fixed
120,000 - Lower left ball joint boot is torn and leaking grease. - fixed

130,000 - Seized passenger side caliper - fixed

Car has absolutely no oil leaks, Valve adjustment, new belt and new plugs/valve cover gasket at 100K miles. Trans. fluid changed every year. On 3rd and last set of tires, they should be OK until July. Also on 3rd battery.
Overall, best car I've ever owned. Drives still like brand new. Never had a check engine light.Just need something faster WRX or new SI

 

LOL- I've got to admit I started reading your post here thinking you were just going to flame on everything that went wrong with your car since you bought it new. At the end of the post, when you said it was the best car you ever had- I just had to laugh. Overall in 120K miles, as you pointed out, it hasn't had that much go wrong with it.

I have a '13 Sport automatic as well, and that's probably what caught my eye to read your post. Anyway, good luck with whatever you replace it with.

 

MK6 or MK7 GTI

 

Thanks for the report. I have 2010 Sport, no problems with front suspension/boots.

Glad you enjoyed your Fit and Good Luck with your next car!

 

Good report. Thanks mucho.

Has anyone here tried heavy duty (or regular) silicone lubricant on rubber parts, like boots? I've been using it for years, and my rubber boots look like new. Best way to apply it is to spray it on and do some wiping with a rag to remove visible dirt, but if you can't reach in some places, just douse it and clean up what drips.

 

Not terrible at all from a seven year old car with 130k miles. Good luck on the next car!

My Fit is probably the second best car I've owned, but that's just me.

 

very nice (and detailed) report card! just curious, did you add up the cost of all of the above? would be a fun figure to know, the cost of ownership over 7.5 yrs

bonus question, do you have a guess of how much was spent on fuel? for me, it was $4426.64 over 48k/1.5 yrs




shameless plug ... WRX for sale:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/sho....php?t=2912113

 

I am into my 11th year. So far have spent about 10,000. Most of this is mods. Repairs minimal. Front brake pads and rotors, 2 or 3 batteries til I went with a 51R. End links and a few wiper blades. I have followed Hondas schedule for oil and filter once a year as low mileage. Also a tranny drain and brake fluid a couple of times. I am really happy with it and still have not found anything I would like to replace it. I suspect I could have a bidding war at my dealer should I ever want to sell it.

 

resist the dark side. Get a 9th gen si. :P

 

I was clenching my teeth 'til the end. You got me. I've been working on an 09 base 2.7L rwd tacoma we just picked up and.. just hating every second of it. Also their service manuals are paperback (3-400 bucks) or the TIS website..(20 bucks for 2 days, horribly organized garbage) and the community seems... wack. by comparison. Falling in love with the fit all over again.

​​​​​Oh, a weathertech (or equivalent) sunshade can go a long way to prevent/eliminate potential for dash rattle! strongly recommend if you cant garage.
I do understand wanting something freeway capable. If you like the wrx and its convenient to do so, let me know your impressions. Honestly after touching this toyota I wish I got a chevy or somethin'.. as I like replacing parts that wear out.

Fair winds and following seas

 

That is a problem.

 

VW makes some fun cars. But frankly my GTIs required a lot of maintenance and repairs. On the upside, I learned a lot about troubleshooting and fixing cars, so for the DIY type a used VW might not be a bad option.

These days, however, with VW focusing time and cash on emissions lawsuits around the world, I would not expect the group to be laser-focused on engineering excellence or production quality.

For these reasons, I might avoid anything from VW, Audi, etal.

 

@Pyts Your local library might have free internet access to pro repair subscriptions. Likely you need to be physically in the library so a librarian can log you in on a registered computer.

 

Just watch out for the Subies with the head gasket issue and the newer ones are burning oil apparently.
But it's so much fun :lol: An Si is always a great option especially if you just want to do mild mods or keep it stock.

The MK7 is a great improvement in reliability over the MK6. Yes they do require more up-keep and I would say that they are best for the person who enjoys doing maintenance. If you like modding and making more power it is a great platform just have some extra money on the side for maintenance.

 

Last time I checked, all of VW's "hot hachtbacks" were on the heavy side. And then there's the cost.

Wish we had some of the cars that we see in the EU market.

If only somebody would make a simple, lightweight, rear wheel drive car with a good powertrain and a sweet, Fit-like manual transmission, it would sell like a . . . Miata.

 

I paid $800 for extended warranty until 100K miles. The A/C fix was $600 and the rubber boots were ~ $250 ... the parts were less then $15 dollars all in the labor lol (I paid $0 out of pocket). So ext. warranty paid for itself. Then I spend another $250 to fix other side susp. rubber boots and over $300 to the caliper and labor few weeks ago.
I did replaced few interior trim pieces that started to wear out and replaced few other things that bothered me but had no effect on overall workings of the car.

I do not track the money spent on fuel. My Fit is seeing red line 4x everyday No BS .

 

I test drove CVT Limited WRX few weeks ago. Very impressed the way car handles but I'm not gonna lie, I was very underwhelmed with the power. It was 40F outside and I had 2 passengers. You floor it and nothing happens , then you get pushed in to the seat for 1 1/2 second ... then nothing again. WRX feels like has less top end then my freaking Fit and I'm not exaggerating it.
I'm still set for WRX but it's gotta be 6 speed BASE Model. Manual is 200 LBS lighter than CVT anyway...

And there is no way in hell I'm buying used Rex... gotta be new. 2020 is the last year for the current body style so I'm hoping for great deal during summer months.

 

That's my boy.

 

My 2012 Sport has 129,000 miles and nothing has gone wrong.
I am on the original brake pads and have only done maintenance. The car has been driven about 70% on the highway.

On second battery (replaced last month) and on second set of tires, still 60% thread left.

 

Well here it is. 2020 WRX. Base model just like I wanted. Still getting used to the manual. Very difficult yet rewarding tranny to shift...

Traded my Fit with 136K miles.