Hey fellow fit-loving guys and gals,

Just put on a little over 8k miles on my 2010 Honda Fit Base. Love the car. When we picked it up at 8k while braking we noticed that the car shook a bit and made a thud-thud-thud-thud noise (Only while braking). We figured it was the ABS as we never owned ABS equipped car before.

This has since gotten worse (Including the noise) to the point where when braking the entire front end shakes and the steering wheel also vibrates badly. The car itself still stops on a dime and there is no sponginess in the breaks. Do the factory pads only last 16k miles? No squeeling or high-pitched noise of metal like the pads are worn down either, just the engine purr.

What could be causing this? Is it basic rotor/pad wear? I've never experienced this on any other car that needed new rotors or pads but that was on cars without ABS..

Also, what are the odds of this being covered under warranty?

I will be bringing it in on Friday and hope to have it fixed by Sunday.

Thanks for your help and feedback!

[SOLVED]
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but wanted to provide an update to anyone who is or may be in my situation in the future.

I finally had a week where my wife and I could be without two cars. Dropped it off after service hours, received a call the next day by 2pm. Brakepads are 9/12 and in excellent condition for 18,4000 per service advisor. However, the rotors are badly warped. Tried to charge me $185 before taxes. Said no and he suggested we submit a claim to Hondacare.

The next day they had heard back, and I was actually surprised to learn that they denied the claim on the basis these parts/issues are only covered for one year or 12,000 miles.

Service advisor told me I was pretty much SOL or take case up with Hondacare myself. I did. While their customer service was nice they said the same thing the advisor said. However, she did tell me to try the service manager.

Called and left a voicemail for service manager, heard back in 2 hours. Chatted for a bit, he said he can talk to his District Manager. Heard back in an hour that the work would be comped.

That whole experience took total of 1.5 hours and was well worth it to save me $185 plus tax. Car brakes smooth as can be and I am thoroughly pleased with Honda.

Anyway, fight the fight guys, and thanks for the help/advice.

Until next time,
Sean
[/SOLVED]

 

Better be 100% or they'd have to have police escort me out of the dealership.

Check front lugnuts, make sure they're tight, only thing I could think of @ 8k miles that would cause a shake, but it'd probablly happen all the time, not just on braking.

If it's a brake issue it should be covered because of the low miles but it's too bad you didn't take it in right away, they may give you a hard time and try to weasel out of the warranty work.

Either way, good luck.

 

No it's not ABS; this makes a farting/ripping noise when the brakes are applied to the point of normally locking the wheels (it's the sound of the brakes being rapidly applied and disengaged, faster than a human could do it). Other than a slight vibration and noise the brakes behave normally.

warped rotor(s) could explain this. Have it checked. Not sure what would cause the rotors to be warped; maybe brakes overheating or tightening the lug nuts too much.

edit: this makes more sense (link).

Edit edit: I don't think warranty would cover this. The brakes were probably abused; it's a maintenance issue. You could try though...

40K on mine; the front pads are down to 4mm (need to change around 2, I think they started life around 8).

 

check the lugs and why are you waiting to take this in? This could be a serious safety issue!

 

Thanks for the quick replies,

I will update when I learn more.

Steve - I did just bring it in for a full synthetic oil change and tire rotation, and they did note that the drums are 10/10 and fronts at an 8/10.

I think your link makes sense and sadly I also do not believe this will not be covered under warranty, however, I will make a semi-stink about it.

Would they have picked up on the uneven wear of break pads when inspecting? Or is that something easily missed?

 

If a tech checked the brake pads to determine level of wear, they would have noted uneven wear. I'm thinking loose lugs (which you can and should easily check yourself before further driving), warped rotors (which is usually a wear item, but could very well be covered by the dealer considering you low mileage).

" When we picked it up at 8k while braking we noticed that the car shook a bit..."

Not entirely clear on this. Does this mean the car was in for an oil change at 8K and this issue came to light when you picked it up after? If so, I'm leaning towards lugs that weren't torqued down properly.

 

I'm thinking the previous owner caused this from excessive hard braking.

My Fit is now at over 44k miles, and still brakes smoothly (haven't changed rotor or brakes yet). It only "thuds" if I trigger the ABS, which is rare.

This is a basic wear and tear item that WON'T be covered under warranty after the 8k miles you put.

The only way it would've been covered is if you had brought it back to the dealer you bought it from the day after buying it (I assume you bought it used from a dealer). To prove that it wasn't in your possession long enough for you to cause it "with usage."

The dealer checks the brake pads during oil changes and tire rotations. But they don't normally inspect the rotors. It's the rotors that are causing the "thuds."

You should read Steve's link... and just go get new rotors.

 

check from the lugnuts out....since the wheel studs are steel and lug are alum, it would not be unusual for them to loosen on their own. Which is why they say to retorque wheels to spec after having them moved.

Happened to me over the weekend when I did my brake and rotor change. When I drove around to perform the new pad break in process, my lugs loosened. Had to tigthen all 4, then retighten the next day.

Other things I think it can be:

Rotor screws missing- Each rotor should have 2. I noticed during my change my drivers side was missing both, and both screws were loose on the passenger side. I replaced all four. Since them a vibration above 60 I attributed to wheel balancing has all but disappeared.

Poorly balanced wheels.

Warped rotors or pads imprinted themselves on the rotors when first purchased due to improper break in

Wheel Bearings- though that would be odd given the miles.....

is this car new or used? if used then I would have honda double check the odometer....I knew someone that bought a new fit, then switched the odo before trading it in. Dealership didnt catch it.... (some bad karma right there)


Either way it shouldnt be the pads and therefore should still be under warranty. Call Honda Customer care to double check before bringing it to a dealership. This way you'll know if the dealership is bs'ing you.

ex: When my battery died the dealership "informed" me the battery warranty is 3 years or 36,000 miles....I said are you sure about the miles part?.....she said "let me double check....yea thats right..." LOL

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for the assistance here.

So I have some updates (Inc. pics and video with sound of the noise):

Rotors - Here's pics of the rotors. They look the same on each side, with the white grooves in them, but that looks normal, or does this indicate a problem? Gallery here: Photo Album - Imgur

Here is shortened video that shows the thud-thud-thud noise on YouTube: thud thud thud - YouTube

I also spoke with Honda Care and pretty much said I'm on my own if the dealership determines it normal wear. I expected as much but didn't think to call Honda Care, so thanks for the tip - Good to know for the future.

Tech - I checked the lugs and they seemed tight, but then again, I used my hands as a check. The oil change/tire rotation was done at 15.5k miles when the oil indicator was at 20%.

The car was bought used with one owner at 8k miles. I actually have all of her information, including name and phone number, as it is written in the owners manual.. Sometimes I get the urge to call and ask how she drove the car. I haven't done it yet. :P

Thanks!

 

Overthinking the issue. Just get new rotors+pads, and have a front brake job to fix the issue. No need to conduct a blue-ribbon investigation on it.


This is not a big deal especially if you get aftermarket parts ($30x2 rotor+$30 pads+$100 labor). You should also pick up new brake hardware (clips) for $5 or so.
These are the prices from Rockauto for good quality parts and labor is my estimate for a certified independent mechanic.

For the people who are going to reply saying go OEM, OEM is the best. Well obviously the OEM rotors didn't hold up that great in this situation, and are just equally prone to warping as any of the decent aftermarket ones.

Also, if you are near your maintenance window for oil change or brakefluid(3years or 30k miles), you may want to consider getting those services done as well to save some time.

 

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but wanted to provide an update to anyone who is or may be in my situation in the future.

I finally had a week where my wife and I could be without two cars. Dropped it off after service hours, received a call the next day by 2pm. Brakepads are 9/12 and in excellent condition for 18,4000 per service advisor. However, the rotors are badly warped. Tried to charge me $185 before taxes. Said no and he suggested we submit a claim to Hondacare.

The next day they had heard back, and I was actually surprised to learn that they denied the claim on the basis these parts/issues are only covered for one year or 12,000 miles.

Service advisor told me I was pretty much SOL or take case up with Hondacare myself. I did. While their customer service was nice they said the same thing the advisor said. However, she did tell me to try the service manager.

Called and left a voicemail for service manager, heard back in 2 hours. Chatted for a bit, he said he can talk to his District Manager. Heard back in an hour that the work would be comped.

That whole experience took total of 1.5 hours and was well worth it to save me $185 plus tax. Car brakes smooth as can be and I am thoroughly pleased with Honda.

Anyway, fight the fight guys, and thanks for the help/advice.

Until next time,
Sean

 

Yea they did you a favor there. rotors are wear items, same as wiper blades, and warping can happen from random set of circumstances even when new or not used too long. But as I mentioned previously, the brake job is relatively low cost. So they kept you happy, even though they were within their rights to charge you.

 

holy shit no. those screws are only there for initial assembly and they are 100% not needed.

 

wheel weights plus alighnment or warped rotor trouble shoot those areas.
cheers.

 

Really? You want to know how I know you didn't read anything?

 

Typically the thumping and vibration is a result of warped rotors or contamination on the rotors. The contaminatio can be brake dust that 'stuck' to the rotor or pad material that stuck to the rotor because hot pads in contact witgh the rotor cabn lerave residue; another is rust on the rotor. A close inspection of the rotors is necessary; those condsitions are prevalent often when cars are left parked for long periods of time and ryusting rotors are a leading cause.
Unless thed rotors are VERY warped turning them for a few bucks each will bring them into smooth operration. until you warp the rotors again.
if you want to save money check aftermarket and junkyards for replacemednt rotors.

 

my entire front end shakes when braking also

 

We can always count on you to attention whore about those fake tits.

 

This is another reason I do all my own work. All it takes to warp rotors is have someone do a tire change or rotation and not tighten the lugs evenly. I use a torque wrench to be sure. Ive only seen one tire shop actually do this. The torque limiters for air impact wrenches are better than nothing, but not perfect.

I do not normally turn rotors. Making them thinner just makes them more likely to warp due to less strength and heat capacity. As someone else pointed out, they dont cost much if you install yourself. Dont buy Chinese ones at Pepboys, but OE or a name brand like Brembo are not that expensive.

 

Well said.