Hi all,

Purchased my Fit (2013 AT base) last June. Just hit 5000 miles. In order to maintain the warranty (dealer gave a probably BS extended one but going to try to follow recommendations) it says I have to follow the recommended service schedule. I cannot for the life of me find such a schedule, and the manual only discusses the maintenance minder.

I do mostly freeway driving and at 5000 miles I am at 50% oil-life. I called two different dealerships and asked what they thought. One said 7500 miles, and the other said just follow the maintenance minder.

What should I do? Is there no concrete guide (except maintenance minder)?

What about stuff other than oil?

Tire rotations? Normal checkups?

Can I take this to any mechanic I want?

Sorry for the noobiness--this is my first car (ever. At 27, I know. Sad). I couldn't find a thread that said "this is explicitly what to do" (they are all people's personal recommendations without mention of a required list, it seems).

Thanks!

 

Just follow the maintenance minder. Change the oil at least once a year if you don't drive the car much. The minder will tell you when to rotate your tires as well and most other service it may need.

You can get your car serviced anywhere and keep your warranty, just make sure to have the shop sign the maintenance book and/or keep the receipts from service in a folder somewhere in case something happens.

 

Thanks so much.

So just 100% follow the minder? No other rules? Maintenance is a new thing to me and I want to keep my car in as good as shape as possible.

What if the minder decides to malfunction?

Thanks!

 

If you're truly worried about the MM malfunctioning, you can follow this:

Regular service (mostly highway, little to no stop-and-go)

Maintenance Schedule for Normal Conditions - European Model (Except CVT-KG/KE/KR/KK/KT)

Severe service (lots of traffic, city driving, short trips)

Maintenance Schedule for Severe Conditions - European Model (Except CVT-KG/KE/KR/KK/KT)


I don't think you have to change the spark plugs at 24k miles though, that's 100k mile service.

 

The minder is part of your car's computerized controls. If it fails your car will be signalling a malfunction with the "check engine" light.

Be sure to keep all service receipts in case you have warranty issues.

One issue is if you take it to some place other than Honda they may not reset the minder correctly indicating the scheduled service was done. Your oil life indicator should be back at 100% if they did this. Be sure they know how to do this (there is a manual procedure described in the owner's manual, Honda service techs do it via a computer connected to the car).

 

Don't forget to change brake fluid after 3 years-I don't think the MM tells you to do that.

 

Follow the maintenance minder and you'll have no problems. It covers everything including brake fluid and was designed by the people who know the car best (the people that designed/built/tested it). The dealers often times will want to have you come in earlier as 10K oil changes don't allow them to make much money or up-sell other services as often.

As long as you perform maintenance per the MM schedule (and they are performed according to the service manual) there is no warranty related issues in regards to using a local mechanic (or DIY for handier people) but as was stated, keep your receipts.

I have most all service done at the dealer as it's almost as cheap to have the oil changed there as doing it myself ($40 for a Mobil1 Synthetic Oil change at the dealer vs $30 to do it myself and I have to dispose of the old oil, get under the fit, etc... ) Air Filters and things like that which are easily replaceable I do myself. (and I'll probably do my brakes myself when it comes time - although not the fluids.)

~SB

 

One thing that dealers apparently hose people on is the cabin air filter- it takes all of five minutes to change (and most of that time is emptying your glove box so stuff doesn't spill all over the floor) but they seem to charge a lot for it. So it's worth doing yourself (and then tell them not to if you bring your car to them for service).

 

The problem I have is that I do 90% freeway driving. Because of that, it was like 10K miles before the MM said to change the oil. After over 3 years I got no notice of a service interval that included changing brake fluid. Under those conditions I prefer to go for time instead of mileage.

 

It's in the manual: brake fluid every 3 years, oil changes at least once a year if not called for sooner by the MM. The MM isn't for everything.

 

So if I have an 09 with 34K on it, and no knowledge of the previous owner changing it, I'm late?

 

Since you haven't crashed I'd say you're probably okay.

The MM does a lot of things but it apparently doesn't have a calendar built in. So things that are strictly by time (brake fluid, oil changes at least once a year if not done sooner according to the MM) you have to keep track of yourself.

 

for me, all i did was replace below items in the last 44K miles on my 09:

1. oil and filter change when onboard maintenace reminder comes on.
2. air filter and cabin filter changed twice
3. wiper refills changed several times
4. tire set replaced once
5. front brake pads replaced once (by dealer). rear brakes are still ok.

all other was just visual inspection by me.

next spring im going to drain/fill the coolant and replace a few hose clamps that are rusted. that's about it.

on my '12, ive only done one oil and filter change. nothing else yet.

 

Even those things the MM does track, it's no guarantee the previous owner did the work. Maintenance records/receipts are important.

I'd have the brake fluid changed, brakes inspected, oil and filter changed, air filter inspected, cabin filter changed if you don't know what maintenance was done.

There was also a recall on the lost-motion springs in the valve train; check to see if the recall work was done. Lastly there is a technical service bulletin on reflashing the ECU to update data maps on the 09. Without that the AVG MPG reading is 10-15% high.

 

Thanks for this post and all the replies!
My dealer offers "first oil change free" and automatically scheduled me for service 6months after I got the car. I called to tell them "don't need it".
I was told "6month/5000k inspection is reccomended."
I asked how much is just an inspection and how much is an oil change and inspection...both were $60 lmao! I thought to myself Umm and you are going to tell me you aren't trying to just get more money off of me? Ok Kendall STRIKE 2.

 

I keep a record book of everything I do, when I did it, the date/mileage, and for which vehicle. In addition, I keep a handy reference card on my workbench that indicates when I need to do the following for each car: Oil change, Coolant change, tire balance/rotation and brake fluid flush/change. Then when I do that work, I record the work in my record book, and I update my reference card with either a new mileage indication or date.

For oil changes and tire balance/rotation, I use mileage as my indicator. With the Honda Fit, I check the MM percentage along with my reference card for oil changes. For tires, I have them balance/rotated every 6K miles. Coolant and brake fluid I base that maintenance on time..basically every three years.

Hope that helps. With multiple vehicles my reference card is a saver...otherwise I would have to look back in the record book and search for that particular item.

 

Be sure to use the type of hose clamp that came on the car, not the worm gear type that can deform the radiator.

I'm surprised yours need changing. My '09 with 95,000 mi. look fine.

 

The MM will remind you when to change the ATF, but it doesn't mention the external Transmission Fluid Filter. Honda # 25430-PLR-003; Beck Arnley #044-0382. This is in addition to the internal transmission screen and is installed on several Honda and Acura models.

I discovered the in-line filter (underneath the air filter housing) when changing the spark plugs on my wife's '09 Sport. I called 2 local dealers and they (1) didn't know there was such a thing as an external trans filter and (2) they had none in stock.

Maintenance schedule? My filter was "discovered" at 144,000 miles. Probably should change every one or two ATF changes. Make sure your dealer actually has it in stock before you show up for your ATF change.

I like the idea of maintaining a written checklist for maintenance items. When you have a written list, you can plan your maintenance events in advance (i.e. before a big trip) and group several maintenance items (or two cars) together for convenience. When you rely on the maintenance minder you get no advance warning.

 

I own a Fit 2010 4 door hatchback basic model, automatic tran about 103,000 miles and am NOT a DIY. Bought it at 58k miles certified pre-owned in 2015. Regular synthetic oil changes ever since. Have had no problems with it, but gas mileage seems to have fallen from 40s to 30s recently. There is no maintenance minder either in the manual or on the dashboard. It has no fancy dash electronics, not even cruise control. Making a long trip July 3 and want to get it maintained before then. I just moved to my Mid Atlantic state (from a cold New England state) and so can't just bring it to my trusted mechanic now 5 hours away. Do I NEED to replace sparkplugs now? Dealer who did a recent recall fix here said I did, but I don't trust dealers. When car was inspected upon relocating here, they said something about cleaning the brake drums which also sounded fishy to me. And I never bothered rotating tires, but I read here that this is a front-heavy car so I should. So from reading posts here, can anyone say "yeah" or "Nay" to these:
1) check/retighten sparkplugs? or replace?
2) clean MAF w/ MAF cleaner spray?
3) clean throttle body?
4) replace brake fluid completely?
5) same with coolant?
6) and trans fluid?
7) inspect idle speed?(and then what?)
8) if this has a timing chain, (not a belt), and "should last more than 100,000 miles" does that mean I have to replace it NOW or else risk toasting the car if it breaks? (I thought I'd gotten away from that after my Saturns)
9) inspect brakes, brake hoses, lines, fuel system and fuel lines, undercarriage? (and then what to expect?)
10) adjust valves only if noisy? (and I don't think they are)
11) do O2 sensors just need replacing? I've had no lights lighting up on the dash whatsoever.
12) rotate tires front to back only, every 100,000 miles? (tires are pretty new, only a year on them)
13) anything else, folks, please add to the list!
Thanks for any answers, will check back here later, not online much anymore!