So am I to assume that since my car was built in '08 (purchased 2/09) that I am a prime candidate to have this done or am I missing something? The inspection is to check for the dates and codes not the springs themselves right?

 

wiona download the above and check against you VIN or simply call a dealer, any Honda dealer with your VIN. If you're VIN is in the range they pull the valve cover and look at a production nymber. If your engine has a winning number it gets new LMS's. If not they button it up and you're on your way.

 

Yea... My VIN falls within the recall and already have an appointment but what I am referring to is where it mentions in the Bulletin:



higher

 

Wiona, what is the question?

You bought it in 02/09... so there is no way you could've gotten a rocker assembly with any date after 11/09.

There's nothing to assume. I don't know why we're still talking about it.

It reminds me of this guy I used to call a friend. He would debate and argue with another friend over and over. The stupid thing is... no one was arguing with him, he refused to realize people were IN AGREEMENT with him.

You're in the recall, that's it.

 

No question bud.. Was no intentions to start an argument or debate and had no idea I was pissing someone off. Just thinking out loud I guess. Got your goat eh? I'll move on and thanks to all who provided the info. Thanks again bud.

 

My wife drives me nuts doing the same thing.

 

Even thinking to yourself... What is there to think about?

The problem with this thread (and I'm not innocent of this)... once you know, why continue with putting information that you already know about and has been mentioned.

As for saying "got your goat." that can easily be taken on the offense, putting people on the defensive (thereby, turning this topic back into an ego trip).

I'm tired ofthe ego trip.

 

If your VIN# falls within range, bring it in. That's all that's required from anyone. Decoding the details beyond that isn't something we the owner need to do. Let them tell you what the deal is. The service advisor at my dealer said that even if the fix wasn't needed after inspection, it would likely take every bit of an hour regardless. Of course I needed the fix and it was an hour and a half wait. Just saying- plan on upwards of two hours, all things considered. Beforehand, I said with a smile on my face, just put your best guy on it please- this is engine work we're talking here. Afterwards, he did say a very good mechanic did the work. My Fit has been perfect since the fix. Who am I to disbelieve him?

Dan

 

I just called the dealer and told them I haven't received a letter yet but would they do the recall repair? They just asked for the VIN over the phone and since it matched (no surprise because the numbers are posted here) they said to come in. I can't do it this week so I set it up for Tuesday AM.

It sounds to me like these dealers are ready to roll now. The person I spoke to just answers the phone and sets up appointments and she was not phased by my questions and did not ask for verification about whether they could do it without a letter. It sounded to me like they had already prepped her on how to handle such a request. So it seems like the dealers are getting ready for the wave once the letters get out. They're probably happy to take early birds.

Just my 2 cents.

 

If it were my vehicle I'd drop it off the night before if possible. If your Fit needs the springs the procedure calls for a valve adjustment, if done hot (over 100f) the clearances will be wrong. I shudder reading others saying "it was a breeze, got my car back in an hour...."

FWIW,

b

 

with the engine open and being worked on (replacing the springs), could that offer sufficient time and exposure for the engine to cool sufficiently for a proper valve adjustment?

 

If it is an unheated shop in a cold climate, maybe. Remember, the block and head are filled with 220f coolant, the oil is a lesser temp but still hot and the block and associated parts are not open to air flow. If it is a warmer day or a warmer climate I would expect a cooldown of a couple hours unless fans are used to actively cool the engine. Also, this is warranty work, a recall at that; the tech will attempt this as fast as possible due to the minimal payment if on a flat rate pay plan.

I'm really picky about valves, tight and quiet are really dangerous, loose is annoying as a dog-peter gnat.

b

 

i appreciate your picky-ness and wish you were the first guy i'd see when i walked into my local honda service dept.

a week ago my dealer said they'd want the car for the day if the springs needed changing.... it makes me wonder if the reason for that is to let the engine cool first. i'm probably giving them too much credit.

since valve adjustments are a somewhat common job, wouldn't it be basic protocol to let an engine cool sufficiently beforehand? or am i expecting too much from the service dept?

 

You know I get what you're saying, but it's little tidbits like that which start a panic in the minds. It's the nature of forums I suppose. That's good info to know and surely it's appreciated, but is everyone dropping off their car the night before practical? Will those of us who didn't be completely screwed? "Shudder' do you? Should we? All I know is I drove to my dealer- a 20 minute drive. Pulled it into the check-in bay and turned it off. There it sat for upwards of 15 minutes maybe, before it went into the bay area for the work. Who knows if it was left to cool down even more. I'm not supposed to know that- the mechanic is. And for four days now it's been perfectly fine, having brought it in, waited for about an hour and a half, maybe a little longer, and drove it back out. Maybe if you're that worried, bring in the car a few hours before your appointment and let it sit in the parking lot to cool down. Stroll the floor and look at the new wheels. Get a bite to eat. But really, if that's not practical, must we lose sleep? I didn't do any of that and my Fit is perfectly happy.



Dan

 

Your dealer may have a good shop and let it cool first, or he may work yours in when he can get to it through the gravy work, or he may be disorganized and doesn't know when he'll get to it lol....

 

Sorry, DO NOT PANIC lol....

If the valves are too tight, likely the car will set a code and a check engine light quickly, before any permanent damage happens. Loose will be noisier or have a different characteristic to the noise, but should be noticeable. If you are familiar with your car and the way the engine sounds you would notice it right away, like a prior poster who said their car came back sounding like a diesel. In most cases if the springs need to be replaced the engine should sound quieter due to the decreased clearance of the fresh valve adjustment. One might even notice the injectors tapping more after.

Remember to assess any sounds at operating temp, not cold. Your advice about coming in a bit early is good, raising the hood to facilitate convection air flow isn't a bad idea either.

Thanks for the reminder, I am sure that the vast majority will be done correctly and without incident; Honda invests immense money into training and bulletins for cases such as this.

b

 

I can't get there the night before. I can come in a little early but not hours before. I'm dropping the car off in the AM and calling later in the day to check the status so I am not sure if they get to it right away or not. It should be fairly cold out so I have that going for me. Also, because I always leave my car and don't pester them to get to it right away, most mechanics I've been to tend to leave it for later and deal with the squeaky wheels first. And besides, maybe I don't need a replacement spring after all. Can you tell I'm feeling optimistic today?

But I think it's a bit of a crap shoot whenever you take your car in. So I'm not going to worry about it. Because if you worry about stuff you can't control, you go to an early grave with nothing to show for it. In the end, it's just a car. If it starts acting up and annoying me down the road, I will trade it in for something that's less annoying. And who doesn't like having a good excuse to buy a new car?

Thanks for your input. Keep it coming.

 

pretty much.

my last car was a camry.... at 180,000 miles i took it in for a minor issue..... at which point they told me 3 of my 4 engine mounts were broken. this seemed reasonable since my father once fell asleep driving it and drove into a fire hydrant. ....but i digress.

anyway, after they "fixed" the car, it sounded horrible... extremely rough sounding.... loud... rumbling. there was no such noise when i handed them the car. no mechanic could figure out what was causing it. i eventually traded the car in when i got the fit.

 

I'm personally going to wait until my letter. The more Fits my local honda dealer fix before mine the better/quicker they will be at it when I take mine in. I don't want to be the test guinea pig . Being there is not of local people on FitFreak I have a feeling 98% of local Fit owners around me don't know there is a recall coming up. Which in turn means my local dealers haven't had many "test" subjects...
Just imo.

 

I was thinking the same but permit me to offer a dissenting opinion. The first job like this comes into the shop. Who's going to do it? I bet the most experienced mechanic wants to do the first few (or at least supervise) so that he gets a line on what to expect. Then, as more and more recalls start pouring in when the masses get their letters, every Tom, Dick, and Harry at the shop will get their turn. This is a flat rate job and the last thing I want is the lowest skilled mechanic who needs an extra 30 minutes to complete the job to begin with rushing to get it in on time.

But like I said before, it's all a lot of speculation and basically a crapshoot. So I'll take my chances with coming in early.