Hello,

I am writing this thread as a journal to highlight my thoughts and experience with my 2011 Honda Fit.

I purchased my 2011 Honda Fit in late May of this year. At the time, I was getting into an Independent Appraiser profession and needed a reliable car. As an Independent Appraiser, it is common for me to put on anywhere from 200-300 miles in a day with multiple stops/starts of the engine. Typically, I average about 34 miles per hour through the streets according to my GPS and will drive for hours straight. I do travel through an urban jungle on a daily basis hitting potholes and the like. My Fit goes through what some might call "severe service". It is on the road everyday for multiple hours and I push it hard. There are times where I have to go to 15 different locations in a day and if I don't push it to the limit then I simply run out of time. Running out of time is a deadly sin in my business.

Some of the reasons why I bought the Fit: 1) Cheaper then the Civic or Focus. I test drove the Focus. The Focus was nice, more refined and more powerful. However, I had no idea how reliable it would be in the future. I truly needed to hell and back reliability and I dont trust a first model year car. 2) Consumer Reports rates it as having one of the highest owner satisfaction surveys 3) A warranty company in Europe rates it as the top ten reliable cars. 4) I was tired of going in and out NYC. I hate parking. So this car really helps because its short in length and soooo easy to park and manuever around.

Along with the Fit, I purchased aftermarket seat covers, multiple bottles of wax, the OEM Honda Fit rubber mats, a steering wheel cover and the splash guards. I also purchased the center arm-rest. I have found the OEM rubber mats to be an essential item. No other rubber mats fit the FIT better then those mats and you absolutely need them especially if you enjoy the winter weather. At the start of each month, I throw on a coat of wax to help protect it from the elements. Do not install the arm rest yourself unless you have all the tools in the instructions and have experience doing something like that. If you ruin the center console, then don't worry...it only costs $60.

So far I have put 17,000 miles on my Fit. I have taken my Fit to the dealership and paid about $70 for the first service, but then a whopping $440 for the next service which included replacing the brakes. On my next service, I will reconsider taking the vehicle to the dealership. There are advantages of going to a dealership which are:
1) your vehicle is placed into the hands of a person who works on these specific cars everyday
2) the warranty at the dealership is better then an independent mechanic...there is always someone to complain to at the dealership
3) all of the dealership service transfers to the carfax...it all shows up there.
4) the dealership goes through a well defined checklist when looking at your vehicle

The disadvantages are:
1) the money you save by just getting the oil changed at the independent mechanic can be saved for another car or more expensive repairs as the car ages
2) sometimes the dealership mechanics are young, inexperienced and may not really care about your car. The independent mechanic knows that if they dont do a good job then you are not coming back. The dealership mechanic can mess up a few times. If they get a few customers angry then its not their problem...its the dealerships.

Conventional wisdom states that OEM parts are the best, but in certain situations that is incorrect. Here are a few parts which are better then the OEM Honda Fit parts:

- Autozone Duralast Battery- 370 CCA vs the OEM's 330 CCA. Has an 8 year warranty versus the OEM's 3 year warranty. Consumer Reports has rated Autozones duralast the best battery out there.

- Autozone Duralast Gold Rotors/Pads- The original equipment Honda pads are pretty bad. They lasted me all of 15000 miles. The Autozone rotors have a 3 year warranty whereas the Honda rotors have a 1 year warranty.

- Yokohama Avid Envigor tires- The stock Dunlops are junk and wear out quickly. The best thing Honda can do would be to make these tires stock. I am guessing Dunlop gave Honda a good deal on the tires.

So far my only big problem was the A/C fan switch not activating at positions 1, 2, 3, but would activate if set to 4 (full blast). For a while I was operating at full blast. The Honda dealership I went to was not too swift about taking care of the problem. They had to backorder parts. It wasnt fun. I found the problem with the switch dates all the way back to 2009, but Honda never corrected the problem. I am wondering if at 40 or 50k this same switch will go out again.

Overall, I have found the Fit to be the most friendly city car I have ever driven and is a true "drivers car". I find myself changing lanes in traffic with great ease. Finding parking on an NYC street is not that big of a deal. It is a fun car although it can be a little noisy. Honda designed the car so the driver can feel the road which includes the sounds of the road and all the bumps. This doesnt annoy me though and when I wear out my tires in about 3k miles I know the Yokos will be much quieter then the junk Dunlops.

Even though I have the Base model, Im not disappointed. The radio seems strong enough and the car still has sporty handling. I personally enjoy the springs and suspension being a little more tolerant then on the Sport model where you can feel even more of the road.

One of my better experiences was outracing 2 Infiniti G37 coupes on the NJ Turnpike. There was a lot of traffic and the only way to get ahead was weaving in and out. It was so easy for me to get ahead of the G37s as they were simply too big to manuever adequately through the traffic. Finally, when the traffic cleared I was no match for their engines and they handily got past me. I had a few other similar experiences where I beat the cars through the traffic, but when I no longer had the traffic they beat me in the straight line.

I will update this journal every once in a while with my thoughts and experiences. Please feel free to ask questions.

 

Seems all too quick for brakes to be worn, even with severe service?

 

I have to agree with you 100% on this. I think the dealership saw an opportunity to make some money and that is what they did. 15,000 miles is way too soon for brakes to be worn even with severe driving conditions.

 

I knew the brake pads had to be replaced when I brought it into the dealer. I could hear the squeak indicator going off when I tried braking.

Im not surprised the brake pads wore out considering that the bulk of my driving is in the tri-state area. I frequently go into New York City, suburban NJ and other parts around NYC. I hit the brakes just about all the time and there is considerable start/stopping. My GPS states my overall miles per hour average is 30. I drive about 8 hours a day at about 30 miles per hour. Its painful, but so true.

I have read other threads where the owners stated the brake pads wore out at 20-25k. I owned a civic once where the brakes wore out at 25k and that was in SoCal.

So no, it wasnt the dealership. The pads had to actually be replaced.

If Honda wanted to torture test their vehicles, then I should be the one to do it. I start out my day in traffic and end my day with it. There are very few times where I am actually coasting along a highway. It doesnt get much more severe on a car then what I do from day to day.

 

I think I understand - you do have to get around in a hurry, thus more intense stops... I tend to be a lot more relaxed on my brakes, anticipating the need to stop most times, but without that urgent need to get to my next stop. So I'm not racing stoplight to next stoplight.

 

I just had my first service yesterday at the dealership, they did an oil change, tire rotation, and a wash for free. The tech noted that at 15k miles my front pads were worn to almost 50% which I thought was alarming. Might be that I'm pushing the brakes a little hard because they aren't as powerful as my previous cars and I'm trying to emulate the feeling, not sure. But they are cheap enough I'll just put new stock rotors and nicer pads.
I will look into a kit to put disc on the back, both for ease of maintenance and performance. If I can do the conversion for less than $50 using stock parts from another car I'll consider it, but I'm not dropping $1k or more for some kind of semi-track set-up with Formula Mu parts or some crap like that, not worth it on a daily driver that gets driven hard once every blue moon.

 

At ~17k I went in for the LMS recall.

The dealer wanted an unnecessary alignment done + air and cabin filters. Cost would have been $350. All were unnecessary.

I do my own work and follow the maintenance minder. Cost this year was $11 for me to change my own oil for service A1. Avoid the dealer.

 

I was driving in the rain the other day and my Fit just felt different. In turns, I was skidding more and losing traction. As a general rule, when tires are wearing down they lose the ability to grip especially in the rain and snow. I have a tire depth gauge and found my tires (the stock Dunlops) down to 7/32.

Generally speaking, you want to replace your tires at 6/32 especially if you are in snowy climate. If you live in a place like Arizona, Florida, California, etc...a warm climate that does not see much rain then you could get away with wearing them down to 2/32. However, in rain/snow climates anything past 6/32 and you are truly compromising your safety.

 

No mention of fuel economy, how's that going for you?

 

Here is my personal experience with fuel economy:

- 150 mile trip on open road, 60 mph, cruise control all the way...about 40 mpg.

- Driving around here with a suburban driving mix not pushing it, 32-35 mpg

- Really pushing it with air conditioning going in urban traffic...27 mpg

 

that pretty much sums up my MPG's down here in Norfolk

 

I have decided to get my next oil change with full synthetic. Regular Honda spec 0w-20 at the dealer is synthetic blend. The way Im putting on miles and where Im doing it I think its a good idea...up to 18700 since May. Only problem so far has been the fan control switch replaced under warranty. I noticed a buzzin sound at full throttle Ill have checked out at next oil change. BTW I did purchase the 120k /8 year service contract for about 800.

 

Im almost up to 20,000 miles in my Fit and on the third oil change at 60%. I just saw my left front wheel is slightly bent and went on ebay to purchase a steel wheel from a 2010 Honda Fit w/8300 miles for $65. There are now two scratches on the rear bumper, a small scratch on the front bumper, a small nick in the hood and a small nick in the right door. You cant see any of it until you get up close. Im starting a small stockpile of parts in the garage. The steel wheel and four tires are added to the stockpile.

I dont think anyone can drive their Honda Fit as hard as I drive mine. My Fit spends about 200 miles on the road in NJ and NYC each and everyday. I make 10-15 stops per day. There are quite a few times where I go full throttle trying to get ahead of traffic and then there are times I am idleing away.

Right now, Im trying to find a black rear bumper on ebay in perfect condition so when that too is finally hit too many times I can just pop it on.

 

two things - sorry i only skimmed the above posts so pardon me if these two things have been addressed
1: the OEM battery is 36 mo free replacement but should last way longer (although i know of some that have not) if you replace it with a OEM battery that battery will carry a 100 mo warranty which is 36 mo free replacement and then the remaining 100 months are prorated (we sell them at my dealership for $97.00)
2: OEM brakes on my fits (2007 / 2010) have been fine and i put 38,000 on my first fit (including two hard track days - beating the crap out of them) and when o sold it the brakes actually passed safety and the "Honda certified" requirements - to this day the current owner has over 45,000 and hasn't replaced them (it was an auto sport) my 2010 M/T sport has 22,000 on it and has two real hard track days on it also and the brakes are still 5/32 as of last weekend - so you muuuuuuust be real hard on brakes man
at any rate nice to read your thread! (well what i did read)
just so you know if and when you need to replace your muffler - once you buy a OEM replacement "it will have a lifetime guarantee" (tailpipe and muffler only - does not include the B pipe)

 

op - you are not very smart to be street racing G37coupes...

 

IMHO, no matter what the warranty says on the battery...replace it every 2-3 years. Ive had a few dead batteries in my lifetime and they never seem to take place at home. When they do take place, no one you know is around to help you out with the issue and there is oftentimes more on the line like a job waiting for you somewhere. Right now, I am an independent contractor and if the car goes out then I dont get paid.

When my Fit hits 2 years old, then the old battery comes out and a new battery goes in its place...3 years is probably the average battery life, but I think some could go as high as 4-5 years.

 

lol - i guess someone has to keep aftermarket parts stores in business - not gonna be me !! good luck
either way keep "fitting"

 

I just hit 20,000 miles on the odometer.

So far, I have had the following happen with the car:

- Two very expensive oil changes from the dealer. Im going to think hard about whether I want to go to the dealer again or not on the next service. I think when you go into the dealer you have to specify exactly what you want. Ask yourself, do you really need the full B-whatever service. All you really need is the oil&filter change and maybe a little air intake cleaning. The A1 service scares me because it does not include a filter change. I would rather the filter be changed on every oil change.

- The fan switch for the AC/Heat which would only blow air on position 4 and that was replaced under warranty.

- A bent rim on the left front probably cause by a pothole. I ordered a $65 rim that I found on ebay off of a 8500 mile Honda fit. I cant imagine how Sport fit owners make do in these wintery areas which tend to have a lot of potholes.

- Small scrapes on the front and rear bumper.

- Small scrape on the right front door and the hood.

- Gas mileage tends to be high 20s when really pushing it especially with AC on. Low 30s if just driving it around without pushing it. High 30s/Low 40s at 60 mph on cruise control for a long haul.

- Brake pads wore out at 15k. Lots of city type stop&go driving.

- Tires are about to wear out at 20k...probably can get another 2-3k out of the tires.

- I thought I heard a weird noise to the front of the glove box. I think it went away.

- Poured one container of STP complete fuel system cleaner during the last fueling.

- Im getting the Yokohama Avids as my next tire. It has the highest wear rating out of all the choices and has very good reviews on Tirerack.com.

- Next brakes will be the Autozone variety...duralast gold/cmax...also will change the rotor out too.

- Im going to order the air filter off of the Bernardi site and change that out every 20k miles. I live in and around NYC so a clean air filter is a must have item...

 

Steer/drive around the potholes! The Fit is the perfect little go kart for avoiding potholes. Never had an issue, in all the time I owned the car... rims were perfect, and never even scrubbed the tire sidewalls after 32k. All it requires is some attention to the road. And there was tons of MAJOR bad potholes with the last 2 winters in NJ.

Use Chevron techron fuel system cleaner instead. Once every 3,000 miles.

Consider doing it every 15k miles, it gets dirty.

 

Around my part of the country, people are very paranoid about used cars. If a car has been in an accident of any kind, then they move on quickly to the next used car. If it seems like maintenance has not been kept up, then they move on. All of the dealership work is placed on the car-fax and everyone orders one of those before they even look at your car. For some reason, folks love to see work done by the dealership. It gives them the warm&fuzzies.

So I guess I will get my next service at the dealer, but Im only going to let them do what is absolutely needed which is oil&filter change and tire rotation. Anything more then that and I will either do it myself or get an independent garage to do it.