Your Dealer is ripping you off something fierce. My oil changes are $39 for a Mobil1 synthetic Change. $32 for regular oil. This includes the filter. They also do my inspection for free too.

If you are going to have your rotors replaced, consider having the dealer "crack" the two Phillips head screws for you the next time they have the wheels off as those are the biggest pain. If you don't go that route, hammer a Phillips head screwdriver Bit into the screw and use a socket wrench to "crack" them. I've got a pair of rotors that never went onto the GS-R that I'll use on the FIT. Found out they are exactly the same... woohoo for me.

~SB

 

I just got a flyer in the mail that a certain Honda dealership near me is offering a $40 oil change with filter 0-20 oil for $40 ($27 for other types of oil). Now that sounds a bit more like it. I guess it pays to call around if going the dealership route as the prices seem to vary. My biggest worry is not getting the service put on the carfax. A car with a clean car fax and a vehicle that was maintained at the dealer is more saleable then a car which has no maintenance records or maintenance records from an independent dealer. People tend to trust the Honda dealer more so then Ricks Independent Auto shop. Around here, there are lots of rotten cars which people never had serviced at all...

Also, while the vehicle is still under warranty I want them to look it over. I can also bomb them with questions about different things being under warranty like there are two plastic pieces in the interior which might be under warranty.

 

Well folks, I was a big fan of taking my car to the dealership, but my support is waining fast! I guess I am a bit anal about these things and probably more anal then most, but thats just me. Here are some things that I am not enjoying about the dealership experience:

1) Overall bad customer experience. I have been to 3 different Honda dealerships in my area. The customer lounges look like they could use a good overhaul and seem more like an old bus waiting terminal. Each time I went, I had to wait and wait a LONG time. One time I just went in with a simple question about a trim piece which I thought might be under warranty. They had me sitting and waiting so long then finally I left as it seemed like a waste of time. Customer service is certainly not a strong point at any of the Honda dealerships service department in my area.

2) Cost - The Honda dealers do a simple oil change with a lot of add-ons at the maintanence intervals. I paid $70 for my first change and then $450 (with brake pad change) at my second. The second oil change was padded with such things as changing the wipers, etc. Did the wipers really need to be changed? I looked at the receipt and it had something about JB cleaner on there. So they put some snake oil JB stuff on the car to pad the receipt? Come on.

3) Type of oil used. I asked my local dealership what they use and its Mobil 1. They would charge me $90 for a full synthetic oil change with Mobil 1 (the same stuff purchased at Walmart for $24). I guess I am anal about these things and would like my oil to be changed using the stuff that Honda markets. The Honda oil is made my Conoco Phillips (previously it was made by a Japanese refiner) and I suspect it might be Kendall oil (the only oil that Firestone dealerships use). Other companies, like Toyota, have their branded oils made by Mobil. When you buy Toyota Motor oil at their dealerships, you are just buying a bottle of Mobil 1. However, I am guessing that Honda's engineers are as anal as myself and run against the Mobil 1 grain. Honda's engineers purposely picked specific makers of oil. Previously, they used a Japanese refiner, but now they use the maker of Kendall oil which is Conoco. Kendall is expensive stuff and has a reputation amongst race car drivers in the past. If Honda was worrying about cost, then they would have went with the Mobil Walmart oil, but they chose Conoco instead and did so for a reason.

4) The filter- The "A" changes at the dealership do not include the oil filter meaning that some oil changes will not be with a new filter. The filter is a $3 item and there seems to be no reason behind not changing it. I think this was a cheap move on Honda's part. Why not change the filter on every oil change?

I guess Im kind of particular what goes into my cars. I will tell you what I dont want put into my cars which are #1) bulk oils-I hate hearing that bulk oil went into my car, I want it right from the bottle #2) anything sold at a discount at Walmart like the $24/5 quart Mobil oil sold there. For some reason, I dont believe in a cheap thing. I think the markets are efficient and there might be a reason that Mobil oil is so cheap. Maybe they cheapened the formula or something.

The local mechanic in town goes nuts anytime I go in there. In the past several years, I walked in there with the parts I wanted him to put on the car. The local mechanic loses out when you provide the parts because they buy the parts at a discount and then mark it up. However, I enjoy knowing whats on that car I drive around. I like to run my cars until the "wheels fall off" which is over 200k. That can't be done with just regular maintenance using the bulk fluids at some of these places in my opinion...

So I think I might be back to the old oil pan in the driveway bit. Fortunately, Bernardi sells an oil changing kit. Total with shipping costs about $50.

Genuine Honda Oil Change Kit. - Bernardi Honda Parts and Accessories

 

Here is a picture of my 2011 Honda Fit. The back windows have 20% tint. I would have gone with 5% window tint, but in one of my previous cars I had trouble seeing out of the window at night. In some instances in sunlight, you can see through the 20% tint, but in most instances you either see nothing or a faint outline of whats inside. When I had the 5% tint, it was fun though because no one could see inside at all even during the day in sunlight.

The untinted Honda Fit seems like a fishbowl. I appreciate having some barrier of vision between the general public and myself/my vehicle for reasons of safety, security and privacy. I dont want anyone looking into the back and seeing what I got or how I havent vacuumed the car in a while or having a clear view of me. 20% tint seems to fit the bill, but if I had to tint it again then I would have went 5% for the backwindow and two quarter glasses and 20% for those two side windows. In my state, its a "no go" to have the fronts tinted and you can get pulled over easily here for that.

This weekend, I have to prepare the Fit for the winter and I'll be doing that by waxing it down with some Mother's Carnabua Wax. If you really want to keep the paint on your car then you are best served by giving it a good wax every 2-3 months. No waxing at all and you will see the difference after about 2-3 years. It will fade as the sun and elements get at it. For those who really want to take care of their car, then monthly waxing would be ideal...you will notice when it rains how the water seems to bead up on the car as if a layer of protection is between it and the car.

The Mudguards I bought from Bernardi Parts on sale. The weather gets bad around here at times in the Winter so I thought those would save the exterior from a bit of salt-blast when it snows.


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For all the beating you report, your Fit looks pretty darn good! Just shows what a little wax and a lot of care can do.

I totally agree with your wax intervals and that 1 x month is ideal and easy, esp. with a car as small as the Fit. I recently bought a used 2009 Sport M/T. The dealer did a pretty good job of cleaning it before delivery, but when I got it home, I used a claybar and McGuiar's Carnuba liquid - what a difference, and almost fun too!

Good luck on those mean NY/NJ streets - hope you make it safely to 200K.

 

Great thread and reports Severe, thanks!

 

Couple of chips and dings eh? My front bumper rubbed against a mountain. >.>" The under panel is missing a mounting arm (a whole section of plastic got ripped off). Plenty of steel/aluminum on the underside, near the front passenger wheel shows what can happen when you let one wheel go into a ditch. This happened right after I got on CA-1 from the 101. I.. still am pretty particular (okay, anal) about keeping things in "pristine" condition... but you know, I think the scratches on the bumper add character... it shows that it can handle the abuse of a really bad driver.

And yes, I dented one OEM wheel nailing a pothole back in March (maybe it's still round enough to use, who knows). It definitely blew a hole in the sidewall of the OE tire!

My brakes are... in surprisingly good condition after 34k miles. Who knows how much further they'll last. I don't mind going down close to 2/32 of tread depth on tires in a "snow belt" state (I live near Chicago!)... 6/32 is pretty light, considering the tires come at only 10/32. You're tossing tires at half their tread life. Maybe 4/32 would be a reasonable compromise... then again, I replaced my Dunlops with Conti DWS tires when I blew out that one tire. So when the S disappears, I know it's not all that safe on snow. I'm guessing the Dunlops still about 6/32 too, sitting in my garage. I dunno what to do with them, never been one to sell or toss usable stuff (3 of the 4 aren't flat).

I did my first two oil changes at the dealership... paid $35 each time. My only other expense at a dealer was $90 to have them program the TPMS from my aftermarket wheels (after some five months of staring at the yellow TPMS light) and some $10 in parts for missing clips and body plugs.

I can't say I know a lot about car maintenance, but I make it a point, that while I'm open to suggestions about what "might need" to be done... I have a relatively set plan on what I came to get done.

Which reminds me... I need to buy a cabin filter... I wonder if it looks as nasty as the air filter when I finally replaced it at about 33k miles... YIKES.

And YES... I (in my Fit) handled 15 minutes of "Track day" with vtecfit1 (in his CRX).

Hum... about a year ago, last time I went to the dealer where I bought my Fit (100 mile round trip), I looked at the Honda branded oil. While I haven't checked since then, those bottle were manufactured by...

ExxonMobil

 

I have seen literally thousands of cars up close in different settings. I can honestly say that Toyota has the longest lasting paint, but Honda is not so lucky to have a paint that lasts really long. You really have to wax your Honda at least once every four months minimum, but if you want to maximize then I suggest once every two months and layer that wax on thick.

I would use Carnauba wax and not "cleaner waxes" or compound. Cleaner waxes take off a micro layer of paint and you will find the finish coming off on the towel. Just get a simple carnauba wax that does not contain anything else like brighteners or compound. Using compound or an orbital buffer is not something you should do to your own car unless you have done it professionally. Compound and the orbital buffer can ruin paint jobs real fast if not used properly. Stick with the same carnauba wax and dont mix with other brands.

About the tires, its universally known that worn tires will not do as well in wet weather. Wearing them down past 6/32 in a snowy environment is risky. I would definately not wear them down past 4/32.

 

I just finished waxing it up. This honestly looks better then when I picked it up from the dealership. The Honda dealership I bought this from did not do any prep work on the car before they gave it to me. A good dealership will prep the car by waxing it to a deep shine and giving it a deep cleaning. This one basically handed me the keys to a car that was driven off the car carrier.

This car was hand waxed with a simple carnauba wax purchased off the shelf. One thing about washing and waxing. Never use a regular towel or old shirt to do it. The only cloth you should use is a purpose built soft cloth you get from the autoparts store that is specifically for washing/waxing. Otherwise you are going to create small scratches in the paint. You can tell when someone washes their car with an old towel. Also, you should use only clean recently laundered soft cloth and a lot of them. For one wax job, you should have at least ten soft cloths.

I specifically chose Black when I bought this car because I knew what I was going to do with the car and the probability it would get banged up. If it was going to get banged up, then I wanted to be certain the bodyshop would be able to match the paint and darker colors are easier to match then lighter colors. Light Silver is a color that most shops have a hard time matching although it is probably the best color to get as it hides scratches and dings easily...not to mention its the color that ages the best over time and is rated the safest color to have driving wise.

When you replace either the front or rear bumper on a lighter color car, then you have to "blend" the adjacent panels to get a good color match. Look at a light silver car where the bumper has been replaced and you can see, hehe, it doesnt match. The insurance companies wont pay for that blending though and even tell you that the bumpers dont match from the factory which is not true. The insurance companies figure most people simply wont notice or care and the match is "good enough". Black, on the other hand, doesnt need to blended when either bumper is refinished. In fact, the rear bumper of my car is going to be repaired soon to get rid of a few marks I took on recently. There is a guy I know who is doing a black Camry and he is going to throw my bumper in the booth along with the Camry. Of course, there is more to it then just throwing it into the booth like removing it from the car, prepping it, smoothing the damaged area but that is basically our plan.

Also, in these pictures take note of how you can still see through the 20% tint. If this was just a daily driver, then I would have gone with 5% tint all the way around. However, since I do a lot of driving and want to be certain about safety I went with 20% instead. During night time driving, it gets tough to change lanes or back the car because visibility is more difficult. You can still see out of the 5% at night, but its just more difficult. I think there is 10&15% which might be a better compromise. I had a company car once which was a 2008 Ford Taurus back when there were actually real jobs and I had the back windows tinted at 5% tint and loved it!

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This is the interior of the Fit. Sorry I didnt vacuum or clean out the interior. Notice I placed seat covers over the original seats. My experience is that seats in any car get stained&damaged easily. Also, the cloth in the seats absorbs whatever smell might be in the car. Overtime, the seats start to stink and look like something which no one wants to sit on. I placed the covers on the seats right from the dealership along with a cover on the steering wheel. The wheels on these cars get damaged with salt from your hands over time. I would say at about 20-30k miles most people will start to notice that damage on their steering wheel.

The floor mats I have in the car are the OEM Honda Fit ones. I looked at other cheaper mats at the autoparts store, but these fit the best in the car and seemed to be the most rugged. If you get a Fit, then buy these floor mats. You will thank me. Notice the crud on the mats. That would have gotten on the carpet if they were not there. All I have to do is take these out and use the garden hose to clean them. Simple...

Also one other thing to note. Is that if you live in a snow climate, then you want rubber mats. Under the carpet is insulation which will trap moisture in there. Even a small amount of moisture in that area will create mildew. So you want to shake your shoes off before you get in when out in the snow and you want a rubber barrier between your feet and the carpet.

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My dealer charges me $10 for labor and a crush washer on an oil change. I bring my own oil and filter.

They also wash it for free. Tire rotations are $20. Might be a better solution for you.... I also change my oil once it hits 20% on the maintenance minder.

I change the air filter and in-cabin myself once per year. Cost me a whopping $40 for the two. I could DIY my oil change, but I like the fact it shows up on Car Fax that it was "dealer serviced."

 

Changing the engine air filter once a year is doing a disservice. It's counter-intuitive, but a slightly soiled filter filters better and doesn't decrease mpg. Leave it in there for 30k miles. Cabin filters do get stinky after a year especially in urban areas. Agree completely on changing them yourself; the dealer charges silly amounts for this.

Another diy for cheap bastards is getting the wiper blade refills from honda. They're about $5.00 each and reuse the plastic wiper holders and metal springs. Aftermarket blades are a rip-off.

 

My air filter is FILTHY after a year's worth of driving not slightly soiled. We drive about 20K per year in the Fit so it's needed.

Agreed on the wiper blade refills, cost me $15 for all three.

 

I like that idea of bringing the oil to the dealer to have them change it...however, I know the service manager at any of these places would hate that idea. Ive worked at a few of these car places in the past and there is an expression which goes like "bringing steak to the restaurant". Some places may have outright policies where they wont use any other parts but their own whereas other places might be convinced if you brought the car in at just the right time. Lets say you brought your car in on a Weds right in the early morning as it opens up towards the beginning of the month (never bring your car to a car place on the final week of a month).

Well, I am going to buy that Honda Synthetic oil and if they dont want to change it with that then I will take my business to someone who would be willing to do it.

 

I just ordered 10 quarts of Honda Ultimate Synthetic fluid from BernardiParts or about enough for two oil changes for a total price of $82 including shipping. The Mobil 0w-20 at the local Walmart goes for $24 for 5 quarts if anyone is wondering. Why not buy the Mobil 1? Hehe. I guess Im just a sucker for when it says "approved and tested by Honda's R&D". Actually, the Honda oil is made by Conoco. In reality, probably there might be no difference in changing it with the Mobil 1 versus Hondas oil (made by Conoco). I guess Im real anal when it comes to these things. I like this car and see it as one I will have until the wheels fall off so Id like to keep the engine running with the best stuff out there and the one which Honda prefers. I cant go wrong with their oil which is the one chosen by their chemists and r&d...I hope...

Also, if Im going to run the engine 7k between oil changes (the maintenance minder goes off at about that much) then I think its best to run full synthetic oil.

 

I bet it's pretty similar to the Kendall GT-1 Full Synthetic 0w20. I'm having a hard time finding the Kendall in 0w20 so if you can get it at over $8 I guess that's not too bad. I'm interested in Kendalls GT-1 Full Synthetic 5w20, at less than $5 a quart thats not bad for quality oil.

 

Firestone exclusively uses Kendall Motor Oil. My Firestone place in town tends to be a little more expensive then other Firestones further away from me...just my luck, however, I just went there today to see exactly the price of a fully synthetic oil change. They quoted me $61 for fully synthetic oil and that would include a 19 point mechanical inspection of the car or a basic check. If I wanted a more thorough 200 point inspection then it would be an extra $20. In comparison, the Honda dealership does a 40 point inspection with each oil change and charges $90 using bulk Mobil-1. The Firestone dealership uses the same oil which Honda uses in its retail synthetic bottle. If I wanted the regular semi-synthetic stuff then the oil change would probably be much cheaper. The waiting room at the Firestone place was much cleaner in appearance, the service seemed much better and it definately had better free coffee.

I dont really know that Kendall Motor Oil is the exact same as the Honda stuff, but there are some clues. Lets take a look:

Here is the Firestone website, take a look at the Kendall bottles:
Oil Change | Firestone Complete Auto Care

Here is the Honda Bernardi Parts website, the bottles you see pictured in the background are the exact same as the Kendall bottles pictured on the Firestone website.
Honda Motor Oil - Synthetic - Bernardi Honda Parts and Accessories
Genuine Honda Ultimate Full Synthetic Motor Oil

Here is another clue, read the back of the bottle on the Honda Oil:

The bottle states that this oil meets ILSAC GF-4:
All sizes | Genuine Honda Ultimate Full Synthetic Motor Oil | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Now look at the Conoco website and you see the Kendall Ultimate oil is Ilsac GF-4 too:
ConocoPhillips Lubricants: World-class products and services

Take a look at the dark black Honda bottles of semi-synthetic fluid:
Honda Motor Oil - Bernardi Honda Parts and Accessories

Next take a look at Conoco's Super All Season Synthetic Blend:
ConocoPhillips Lubricants: World-class products and services

So I think the semi-synthetic stuff is non-Kendall, Conoco All Season oil, but the full synthetic stuff is Kendall Ultimate. It is not the Kendall with Titanium though.

I looked all over the web and there is no place I found to get it. I looked on a few parts store websites like Autozone, but couldnt find it. Im thinking there are only two places to find Kendall 0w-20 (semi or full) and thats either at the Honda dealership or the Firestone dealership.

Looking at the Firestone Autocare, I believe that is a worthy service alternative to the Honda dealership. Its a little cheaper, they use oil which the manufacturer actually recommends, the place seems cleaner (at least here it is) and the service seems a lot better...no crowded bus station lobby. You can fine tune the service a little bit. Lets say you really dont want a big inspection and just need a basic 19 point then that will save you money.

I cant believe the Firestone place up the street from the Honda dealership uses the oil which Honda recommends, but the dealership uses the regular Mobil 1 stuff.

Here is something to think about. I inspected this car today which is a Honda. I inspect cars all day long for a living BTW:


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As you can see, way past service. This car will probably be sold to someone else in the future, the oil will be changed and the maintenance minder reset so the buyer will be none the wiser. Therefore, its important to be anal with your documentation. If you change the oil yourself, take a digital picture of it while you are doing it...take a picture of the mileage and keep all the receipts. The more proof you have the easier it will be on the buyer's mind.

Does it really matter which oil you choose? Will it matter?

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil
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According to Consumer Reports, it wont matter. So if you get the expensive Kendall/Honda stuff or the $24 Walmart Mobil 1 0w-20 5 quart jug...it may not really matter.

 

Are the inspections for end of lease? Honda's lease return policies actually is rather generous I've found.

 

I am an independent adjuster licensed in the state of New York. I go around examining damaged vehicles, writing estimates and negotiating with shops. I see cars all day long.