Did nto realize title was too long. oops. What to look for when Mechanic does a PPI ?

I am about to purchase a used 2013 Honda Fit. Seems to drive great, comfy, clean, I really like it. ~$7k, ~$7.9 including registration, DMV fees, taxes, etc... (In San Francisco, they are a bit overpriced here)

I am planning to have a mechanic look at it tomorrow. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of for Honda Fits of this generation and milage? Anything I should tell them to look closely at?

What sort of regular maintenance is needed soon?

Around this age/milage, what sort of common problems or things might have broken and either have been fixed, or might break soon?

Note: They told me it had sustained "damage" but not an accident to the rear bumper. The bumper looks great save some scratches, although it's possible it was replaced. Since it's in the back, I can't imagine that's likely to be an issue.

 

With modern cars, minor accidents can cause major issues so that is issue #1. Damage can be hidden so that scratch in the photo doesn't tell us much and could be unrelated. Get some details on the vague "damage" and have your mechanic look carefully for hidden issues.

Obtain the maintenance records. Compare those to factory recommendations. In particular, the auto transmission fluid really should be changed quite frequently else face issues. At 7 years old you want to make sure oil changes were frequent.

Beyond a normal PPI from your independent mechanic putting this up on a lift:

- Near 100k miles the valves need to be adjusted. Expensive if you don't DIY.

- You may want to replace the spark plugs ASAP as there is a torque issue noted (search the forums). Check that a loose spark plug did not already ruin the head.

- Check all the wheel lugs are in good nick as they break when shops use air tools without discretion. Expensive fix.

- At 7 years old, if you don't obtain receipts, there will be plenty of deferred maintenance so consider that in the cost.. You can see the Honda Fit manual for recommended intervals. Just the very basics (engine oil, transmission oil, coolant, brake fluid, filters, replace spark plugs, adjust valve timing) will be well north of $1k.

 

Good News!

It passed the inspection with flying colors! I was told I would probably need to do the spark plugs, ignition coils, serpintine belt, etc in a few thousand miles, but everything looked good.

Another mechanic said even all that stuff was good and it would be "fine for 50k more miles". That might be a tad bit generous, but...

Point is, the car looked great, and I am now a proud Honda Fit Owner.

Her name is Kai Ryssdal.

Don't ask.

 

Is that the same Kai Ryssdal who carries a picture of David Letterman in his wallet and thinks covering financial markets and the economy is terrifically funny?

Sorry. I just had to ask.

 

Yup! Continuing my tradition of naming cars after NPR Hosts by whomever comes on the radio first when I get the car

 

The mechanic is right, with that work the car will happily last more than 50k more miles. These are really great cars.

 

I would strongly recommend you adjust the valves as the exhaust side tends to tighten up a fair bit. Also search the plugs; a lot of plugs have blown through the head at the 2 & 3 position so that is a problem area.Read the threads here.

Plus any other issues from your mechanic.