I'd tell her as follows:

"I spoke with Honda customer service, and none of their documentation shows any issues with this engine nor a requirement this service be done. They offered to review the need for the procedure if you write them and explain its necessity. Otherwise, I'm following their advice and saying no."

Sounds like the MOC Fuel Optimization Service my dealership recommended. Like yours, it's nowhere in the manual. At least they didn't do a hard sell, and were asking $100 or so. Look it up on YouTube.

I'd look for a different Honda dealer.

Also, I hope to keep my Fit forever, too!

 

[QUOTE=exl500;1430372

Sounds like the MOC Fuel Optimization Service my dealership recommended. Like yours, it's nowhere in the manual. At least they didn't do a hard sell, and were asking $100 or so. Look it up on YouTube.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much for your advice exl500.

I think you are right on it with those videos--that is what they want to do probably.
I watched a couple of the vids for the MOC Optimization and then there was a video from this garage that happens to be near me that uses BG engine cleaner.

I'll tell you--if the service advisor showed me the pic and asked for 100 to clean it like at your place, I probably would have gone with it. But when someone asks for $350.00 for something I don't understand completely and I'm not have a problem--that will cause me to investigate.

Did you do the de-carb on your FIT yet for 100?

 

It's a wear and tear observation. Nothing unexpected. Normal engine condition after 52K miles. I would discount the dealer's recommendations. Keep driving and spend your time changing oil/filter regularly.

 

I did, and my mileage improved a little. It does feel a bit proper too.

^peppier^

 

did you do a cold air intake or ever change the air filter? that throttle body looks filthy.

 

The dealership is ripping you off.

1. That photo is not of an engine valve. It's the throttle body.
2. $350 to clean your throttle body is a ripoff. You can buy a can of throttle body cleaner for less than 1/10th that and it'll last you the life of the car.

 

That's normal, I'm surprised you are rather worried over it. And it's NOT engine valve, that's a photo of the butterfly valve of the throttle body!! I have a 2016 Honda Fit, and a 2007 Accord V6. The Accord has over 304000 miles as of this morning. I clean that throttle body every 25k miles, from the back side also by taking it off the intake manifold. It's nothing out of normal, nothing a $3 bottle of carb cleaner can't fix. Find a new dealer and a service advisor that knows cars.

 

OP knows that is a throttle, he just keeps calling it a valve for some reason. Probably because a throttle IS technically a type of valve. In the original post he specifically calls it a butterfly valve which is not wrong. But it's confusing everyone, including, I suspect, Honda 😊

 

The engine air filter has been replaced by me a few times already whenever it looks dirty--usually every other oil change so @ approximately every 15K miles. I am on my 4th or 5th filter since new.

Are you saying that the reason the TB is dirty as shown in the picture is caused by a dirty air filter?

I don't know what a cold air intake is? The car is serviced on the maintenance minder service schedule by the Honda Dealer. I don't personally do any service on the car except to change the bulbs and cabin and engine air filters. The Honda dealer has not told me that a cold air intake was done or needed on the FIT--I have never heard of the term before.

 

The service advisor at the dealer called it a Butterfly Valve so I adopted his description and sometimes shortened it to "valve" relying on what he hold me. When he described the work that needed to be done for $350.00--he said that I need to clean that "valve" before it starts sticking.

I only now know it to be a TB because posters here call it a TB.

 

I wish I could do this work myself.

I need to find someone in the Orange County California area that can do it inexpensively since the majority of posters here say the same thing about getting a spray can for a few dollars. One other poster in Florida said he went to his dealer and they took care of it for $100.00

 

Your photo shows normal dirt build up over time. You just need a can of throttle body cleaner and spray/clean it yourself. No need to pay the exhorbitant amount quoted by the dealer.

 

What's stopping you?

 

Cleaning a throttle body, even when it's mounted on the intake manifold, takes just 15 minutes max. You just need to keep the valve open with your left left while you spray carb cleaner on a paper towel and stick it in with a set of needle nose pliers and start wiping. You get carbon build-up even if you are on OEM intake, it's not an OEM or aftermarket cold air intake issue. I've done this cleaning on multiple Honda's with OEM intake air filter, still gets carbon build-up. It is NORMAL. You are burning fossil fuel with oxygen, there are by-products produced and passing by the throttle body.

 

Trd I think you may be over simplifying things .. Yes the throttle is very easy to clean but getting access to it took me at least 45 minutes (ge) ... Unlike me some people aren't interested in getting into hands on work

 

That is fine. If you don't want to get dirty, then you pay someone else to get dirty. But in America, labor rate is very high. If you'd like to pay then do so and knowing that you'll pay a premium for simple services. I choose to work on my own cars because I got tired of people breaking my cars in different shops and suggesting things I don't need. Because car work is a lucrative business where cons are run on a regular basis. So I invested in my own tools to almost never go back to any shops for anything. In this age of youtube videos and online forums, that's how I learned everything, to the point that I started servicing people's cars on the side and I do IT for a living. it is your choice. Get scared by car shops telling you what you need or learn yourself and finding out how most simple items are easy to work on yourself with simple tools.

 

45 minutes?! On the GK5, it should take less than 5 minutes. Remove the fixed breather line (attached with a spring clamp) and use an 8mm socket to loosen the clamp holding the intake on the throttle body.

If you wanted, you could also disconnect the MAF harness but that might not be totally necessary.

 

isn't carbon build up major problem for turbo / supercharged engines?

for small I4 engine like FIT, it wouldn't build up to the point that it would become trouble?

 

I would need to find a safe location to drive the car to do it and let it cool down as I live in the middle of a highly congested city with busy street parking only. On the street you risk someone backing into you parallel parking while you are under the hood. I usually change the air filter and check filters in a shopping center parking lot after shopping but that does not take long before security bothers you.
Don't have tools--not sure what to buy to do the job.
Don't know where it is under the hood or what to uncover or unbolt to find it.
Not sure what formula to buy to clean it right.

I think if I worked with someone once or twice on a FIT, I could do it, but starting from scratch I am not sure of?

 

Those are all very good reasons