There seems to be a couple factory flaws on the 2010 FIT (loose front seat bolts, rattle on passenger hood hinge cover). Just wondering if body panel alignment is also an issue?

On my passenger side, the doors were out of alignment by approx 1/4" at the bottom, most noticeable on the rear door back edge. The lower door rubber snubbers weren't even adjusted to contact the body. Anyone else have this issue? It's a somewhat simple fix, but still a pita and something I never noticed on my other hondas.

Also, what is the deal with the 1/2" gap in the front windshield cowl? (the large plastic pieces under the windshiled).

 

What's the first letter or number of your VIN?

 

FIRST LET Me say i love this car, it's better tham my 07 sport (awaits flames from GD owners) but i have noticed a couple things also
1: my seat bolts were loose
2: my body panels where the fender meets the a piller are miss aligned (just a hair)
3: my glovebox (upper) rattles - time to figure this out

thanks for the thread - i'll check my doors alignment

 

all Fits are built in Japan - i think the demand is so big that they are getting a little (little!!) laxxed (sp?)
still miles better than any domestic i've owned (its been many years though)

 

First letter is J. It was built in Sayama, Saitama Japan.

My previous Hondas were actually assembled in the US, and my '05 accord was top notch in every way (fit finish, not rattles or loose bolts, etc). Just seems like they are getting sloppy.

The thing that kills me is that I hate going to the dealer and avoid them like the plague, so I'm going to follow the service manual instructions and fix the doors myself. I actually noticed the right rear door in particular because the lower rear sticks out ~1/3" but it's supposed to be flush. When I open the rear door and sight through to the lower snubber on the back of the front door, I could see a gap between the body and snubber meaning they didn't adjust that right either.

Don't get me wrong... I freaking LOVE the car, but they really screwed up on their quality control.

It's so funny because Japan is notoriously picky on foreign products imported INTO Japan, and stuff like this would be caught and customs/entry if this was a U.S. export (I happen to work in Global mfg).

 

I don't know what the deal is (although I suspect it has to do with removing these trim bits for certain engine service, such as valve adjustment), but this 1/2" gap seems to be a feature, not a fault with all GE Fits.

 

HAHAH now that is good marketing. Call it a feature
I know it's not a fault, just wondering if there's a purpose for something that looks so unattractive while the other plastic bits are so well designed.
I suspect it's simply for expansion since it's such a large chunk-o-plastic.

 

No material that I am aware of has a coefficient of expansion large enough to need a gap that big. My guess is that in removing those bits, at some point one of them needs to slide exactly the amount of that gap. Honda could probably provide an explanation for why they chose such a graceless solution, but I don't think any of the Fit design engineers are on this forum. One of the liabilities of increasingly dense design is that getting things apart/back together usually becomes much more complicated.

 

Yeah, that gap in the plastic seems to be for panel removal.

What really does bug me though is how far out of alignment the doors are. The car should have never left the factory like that.

I also notice when my hood is closed that I can make it clunk by lifting slightly, I think because the rubber bumpers on the hood weren't adjusted properly too. I swear.. they really dropped the ball.

 

For all potential Fit owners (like me), would someone mind posting pictures of the visible misalignments, etc, so we know what to look for when we inspect cars at the dealerships?

Thanks.

 

I haven't gone back to dealerships to see if they are all like this, but the inspection is relatively simple. You just look at the body gaps along the rear doors.. the gap should be even and the door should sit flush with the body. The left side of my car was perfect, but the right side rear door bottom rear sticks out 1/4 from the body. Normally the door should fit flush or in slightly and you adjust it out with the little door bumper on the rear of the door, but mine are adjusted in already. If you just sight down the rear right side of the car you will see it if the car has it.

I suspect there has to be more fits with this production issue since I found my fit had the loose seat bolt issue others had here (two improperly torqued seat mounting bolts) that others here have had. My fit was made in Sayama, Saitama Japan, so would suspect it would just be a line worker or team in this site that screwed up.

 

sounds like your car was made on a friday.

 

The good folks in suzuka put my fit together right. bolts are tight, doors are aligned. they even put a $20 bill in the glove box.