FYI: Shock was leaking
 

So, last Tuesday I take my car to the Honda Dealer to get the oil changed. My dad followed me there and we went to lunch while it was being done. I get a phone call and they said that the passenger rear shock was leaking and said they could change it on wednesday morning because they had to get the part. So I left it with them no big deal. It was still under warranty but I figured I would let people know it happened because if you warranty is close to up you might want to check yourself and save yourself the cash.

(Really everything was a pain after that, because the Fit was in the shop the day it snowed and I was going to have to drive my dads other car but luckily my mom is a teacher so I called her and she was my driver all day:D)

ya i blew my shock and thats how u kno u did it

Have you noticed anything wrong with your Fit since the shock was blown? If so, were the symptoms intermittent?

I'm investigating some weird vibration/steering/pulling issues with mine that comes and goes. Maybe I have a blown shock?

Are you an undiagnosed automotive hypochondriac? Or do you just have the most problematic Fit in the world?

You have threads about your seatbelts, not being able to open the hood, "creaky" clutch pedal, steering wheel/NVH issues, rain taking out your horn, non-stop horn, smelly A/C...

Have you tried checking alignment, wheel balance, tire pressure or anything basic like that?

Uh, no, I'm not a hypochondriac. Maybe just unlucky with my recent Hondas. And FYI, I didn't complain about "smelly" A/C. I actually LIKED the smell.

And of course I checked all the usual things like alignment, etc. I am not dumb.

I made no remarks or assumptions on your intelligence. Having problems with a car is not always chalked up to stupidity or negligence of maintenance.. sometimes sh!t just breaks. Like the OP's leaky shock.

But when I read about one person with so many issues, although those are all pretty minor.. I have to ask about the basics because a shocking amount of people on this forum don't do them.

Not meaning to sound like a "hypochondriac" myself... I wonder if one of my shocks are blown too.

Twice this week, I got this sound... like the tire is getting air and then hitting the ground. It was quite repetitive when I heard it, so I couldn't be sure it wasn't just the bumps in the road. It didn't quite sound like bumps in the road though. The Fit didn't seem like it was reacting to bumps in the road either (no bouncing). However, I drove the Pathfinder for a long time on one blown shock and it didn't bounce until the other shock blew. I only found out once I replaced the shocks that both were gone, even though only one showed oil leakage (the other one dried out a while ago?).

On a slightly separate note... if I had managed to knock off one of the wheel weights, that would cause a vibration at highway speeds, right?

I'm wondering if I managed to knock one off when I was clearing out the snow that got packed in from that blizzard we had. It's not vibrating at highway speeds, so I'm guessing I didn't.

Of course, its entirely possible, it's a "normal" sound now that I've switch to Swift Springs. hum....

I guess I'll just have to take a look under my car to see if I can tell... if there is anything to tell.

A missing wheel weight, depending on size, would be able to create anything from a barely noticeable to violent shake or vibration.

There could still be snow stuck behind the spokes that you can't easily see or reach.. another member reported a similar issue. So pop the wheel(s) in question off and take a look when you have time.

As far as the Swift's causing your problem.. it is entirely possible because the stock shocks are tuned with a specific spring in mind. Though I haven't read of anyone having an issue with this using Swifts, not to say there can't be a first.

But if I remember, didn't you just install them recently? I certainly hope they aren't already causing you issues, or accentuating an existing issue.


If you push sharply on the corner of the car in question how does it rebound?

If it only bounces once, your shock is good, if the whole car wobbles like an old caddy.. it might be time to re-valve, replace or upgrade!

There's no snow left. After the blizzard, I cleared out large chunks by hand because something was hitting the snow as I drove earlier in the evening... then found a car wash because it was vibrating so violently when I got on the highway (later at night). Then two nights ago, I washed the car again (at a self served wash), to clear off the salt... but apparently, I didn't do a good job of it, since it looks like I still need to scrub off some salt. Plus, as you would know, it's been warm(er) the last few days.

Now that I think about it... I wonder if the violent vibrating (while short lived) is causing an issue.

I'm really not ready to do a replacement on the shocks... trying not to spend so much. Warranty went out the door when I put the Swifts. :( There aren't exactly a whole lot of "upgrade" options either.

OMG... did that blizzard do a number on me? :eek:

Need to get out and check the car once and for all.

I definitely hear ya on the budget bit, and the snow/ice has been a bit of an aggravation for me too.

Fortunately nothing has stuck to the Rota's but I had a troublesome chunk of ice lodge itself between the control arm and the cv shaft on the passenger side and it would occasionally make this god-awful rubbing sound till I finally found and cleared it. On a nicer day when the Laser is out of the garage I will have to get under the GD and see what if anything I did to the boot or anything that got in the way.

Sciatica makes working in the driveway quite painful somedays :mad:

From what my friends at the tech department at Muller Honda in HP have told me, the springs should not waive your warranty. But if you are worried you can throw the OE units back on and take her in for inspection.

I just got back from an IL to NY and back road trip. It's a year since I drove for a visit. Depending on where you are in NY... there's a good chance that one can be hypochondriac and has a reason to. I know the roads in NY are terrible (specially in Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and some parts of NYC) I have live in Brooklyn for 10 yrs. But damn did it get worse and seeing that it is winter it's worsen. Being that a yr ago was my last drive into NY, I have forgotten where the major potholes are or have lost my feel into the knowledge of the road conditions on the streets I used to drive. I was hitting potholes after potholes and not a second or minute that I would be "shitting" my mouth off. It's just plain automotive murder in some and most parts of NY that I stated above. Being there just last week (Feb 10-13), I swear I've been hearing things that rattle in my Crosstour now that I'm back in IL.

This was the biggest bummer of all is when I picked up 3 boxes of Jamaican patties from Sybil's before hitting the road back to IL.
I hit a huge pothole on Hillside ave in Hillside, NY and I can hear a loud hiss then after... a second or two later the tpms went.
Check that nail out and notice how the treads are :mad:
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._7758367_n.jpg
The $45 Jamaican patties now have cost me a pair of new tire totaling $400+ at Sears Auto Center... most expensive patties to date!
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1219543_n.jpg
yum!!! but... ouch!!!

Sorry to drag the topic a bit off left field LOL

This thread is a total bum out.... I think I am going to have another cup of coffee but with a shot of cheap brandy this time... Maybe that will brighten up things a little bit... It may be the soon to be full moon that is having a negative impact on Fit Freaks right now.. I know I'm all screwed up even more than normal right now but my car seems to be acting alright except for a bad connection to my scangauge and throttle controller.

I drove my mom around for a bit to deal with some of her meds.

While I was driving I was trying to see if I could tell if the shock was blown. Couldn't tell. The sound came back, but it was over a section of Lincoln Ave (from Devon to Touhy)... and that section just plain sucks.

Before I left, I tried to "bounce" the corners to see how the Fit reacts... Maybe I'm weak, but man... this car barely bounces (next time, I try the full weight of my body). Is that how it is with Swifts? From the little bit I could do, it doesn't seem like a blown shock either. It did end in side to side wobble... but I'm guessing that's just the reaction to "shifting weight."

I wish I had a camera that I could mount to the outside of my car to record how the wheels are bouncing.

So for now, aside from that noise... it seems fine. :confused:

I keep reminding myself not to "wish" for a reason to replace my wheels and tires. Cause last time my friend "wished" for a reason to replace his crappy mp3 player... someone's car was broken into, and he lost, not just the mp3 player, but his laptop and a few other things in the car. So, I worry that if I wished for a reason to swap out the wheels and tires now... I might not even have a car to put them on!:rotfl:

no my shocks started squeekin alot when they blew and u probably feel the wind hitting ur car the fit = aero dynamic retard

how much does a good set of shock that would exceed or better the stocks?

It could be that the shock mounting bolt on that side of the car isn't tight... I really have a hard time with the idea that your springs have caused any problems.... They are well engineered and specifically designed to be used with the OEM shocks and struts... I went to numerous European and Japanese car websites and read lots of positive and no negative reviews by car owners that have installed and driven on them.... After driving on snow as long as you have recently it is possible that you have forgotten what tires on regular pavement sounds like:rolleyes:

I assume that if the mounting bolt isn't tight, there should be a slight sound of metal on metal (the inner ring on shock + bolt).

Actually... you could be right about not remembering how it sounds on pavement... but not because of the snow. I usually have music going to drown out most noise.:rolleyes:

I took another drive again to see if I could tell anything... nope. Aside from that noise, nothing seems wrong. So, for now, I guess I'll just chalk it up to tire noise.

I didn't notice anything being off. And neither did anyone else that rode around in my car. I think they caught it before it was completely blown so therefore no noticable issues. I have driven my car everyday since I got it back and it feels the same as the day I took it into the dealer. I didn't have any nosie or anything at all that I can recall and I pay really close attention to everything.

See, I weigh just shy of 300lbs.. so just getting in the car is a good suspension test for me.. :rotfl:

What is that like 2.2 JDM passengers? :p

Back on topic, are the Swifts physically shorter (uncompressed) than the OE units?

Because if there is a bump big enough to completely unload the spring that would help explain it over really crappy roads.. and Lincoln, Devon or Touhy would definitely qualify, at least IMHO



It certainly sounds like it, your awareness probably saved you some real aggravation, expense and hassle in the long run!

Glad it worked out!

I'm just shy of 200 lbs. I think I weigh the most in my family, and I'm the tallest (6'). When I sit, the car does move a little, but I don't pay attention.

I think the Swifts are technically shorter, but I don't know if the shocks would extend far enough to "unload" the spring. At least, when I hear the sound, I'm not getting air, that's for sure.