Hi!

I'm looking to buy a used 2010 Honda Fit. The car that I'm looking at has only had one owner and it has 105k miles on it. Owner wants $6k for it. Looking at the service protocol I noticed the following note for the 90k miles service:

Labor Performed: INSPECT NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE AREA??? NO PROBLEM FOUND ***** NOTE ***** NO COOLANT IN RESERVOIR AND RADIATOR LOW FILLED UP- NO CHARGE TO CUSTOMER

It seems odd to me that the coolant in the reservoir was empty and possibly pointing towards a leak. What do the Honda Fit experts think? Should I be worried?

 

It's definitely a concern. Maybe ask that the system be pressure tested before you buy. Could be a radiator or hose leak or worse case scenario a head gasket leak. The price is good if the car checks out.

 

My coolant reservoir went empty on my 2015 by 50k miles. Had visual in radiator. Bought 1 gal at dealer and topped off. I would not worry about it.

 

I second the pressure test idea. Offer to pay for a pre-purchase inspection and coolant pressure test.

 

Coolant in the overflow reservoir isn't anything. The reservoir isn't part of the "pressurized" system like on VW, Saturn, etc, where it can be drawn back into active duty. As long as the radiator itself is filled and sealed, the cooling system should be OK.

That said, the coolant's chemical properties don't last forever. Those properties are: how it interacts with the metals in the system and at what point will it freeze. Draining / refreshing the coolant every 3-4 yrs (not sure what Honda recommends) is cheap insurance. Just make sure that the old coolant is properly disposed of. Dogs and cats will drink it and die if drained out on the ground.