After noticing the rattle during a recent cold-snap (confirmed by my GF), I decided to call my local Honda dealer to see if this car has had it addressed yet.
Turns out my 2016's VTC was original, so since I was noticing the sound it should be replaced.

After dropping off my car at the local dealer, within the first hour they confirmed the VTC would be replaced at no cost to me (under the 5 year powertrain warranty).
I found this funny, since the TSB indicates that the car needs to be started COLD after sitting for at least 6 hours (I thought they'd need it overnight).
This was great news to me, as my car is almost 5 years of age.

Anyway, the reason for this post is to indicate how much of a difference in engine noise this TSB makes.
Ever since we bought this thing last Halloween, it's always sounded like a bucket of bolts at idle and anywhere in the rev range (I was actually surprised Honda would sell something so junky).
Now at idle, the ONLY sound you hear is the high pressure fuel injectors (a sound I'm familiar with from my IS350)....that's it!
In terms of performance etc., they seem consistant as the VTC was always working, just not as quietly as it should have been.

 

Good to hear. So, to be clear, did they replace the VTC with a different, upgraded part? Was that the remedy?

Thanks.

 

In Honda Service Bulletin 16-088 they state "The variable valve timing control (VTC) actuator is defective" from which it might be concluded that they replaced it with a redesigned (or more properly manufactured?) part but they don't come right out and give any details. Defective design or defective manufacture, who knows.

 

I agree.
I'd be interested to see if anyone has compared the "upgraded" part to the defective one.
Maybe it's just a replacement that'll need to be replaced again as time goes on?
Who knows

 

On a positive note I might have missed it but I don't recall anyone posting that the VTC actuator ever had to be replaced a second time.

Worth noting that the VTC problem is commonly found across a series of Honda models going back a decade or more. it's not unique to the Fit.

 

my 2015 rattles like a bucket of bolts at cold start only..i am out of warranty...and to be honest its the only thing that wrong with the car...it would be impossible to sell to someone in this condition

 

we just replaced one on my mom's '03 accord , was bucking on acceleration and setting off the check engine light

 

You could get a quote from Honda on how much the repair would cost you. Unfortunately from what I recall it's somewhat labor intensive and thus not cheap.

 

Luckily, our Fit is garaged at home, only parked outside overnight at work (3 nights per week).....winter is pretty mild here south of Knoxville, think it did it once this winter.....only a handful of times since I bought it in '16, not often enough to bother me. It is a horrible sound, though.....surely Honda can do better than that BS

 

Seems like many owners with CRV's have had multiple VTC actuator replacements.
Given Honda's reputation of applying similar tech to many engines/applications, I'm not hopeful
https://www.crvownersclub.com/thread...recall.165378/

Also, from the link above, it appears that the VTC "rattle" isn't the only issue.
It's basically the timing chain that suffers and causes additional wear on it, thereby leading to timing issues.
So as much as it may seem as a "minor annoyance" it's actually more damaging than it initially seemed.
For those who haven't had this addressed, it seems like "pay $ to fix it now, or pay $$$ later (when timing components fail and your valves crash into the pistons)".

 

Unfortunately, that is how it started with our 2015. Then, eventually, it made the noise even in the summer. That made it easier for them to diagnose and validate. I did get it done while it was under warranty and it has been rattle free since going on 2 years. They did make me pay for a wheel alignment because they said they had to take apart some of the subframe/suspension pieces off to do it. I started arguing about it but gave in since I didn't have to pay for the VTC actuator replacement. I ended up paying $80 for the alignment which was a coupon price.

 

That's a cheeseball move on their part. But you did the right thing. After a certain point, it doesn't pay to fight it.

 

Glad I got rid of my 2015. Rattles were headed to creeping their way into warm starts with less than 2 hr sitting time. It was that bad! I was getting ready for either a trade in or engine failure in less than 1 year. Was at 135k kms. Thank you 0w20 oil!
Too bad my local dealer "could not replicate" the issue otherwise I might have kept the car. Somebody else's problem now. I saw it listed at a 2nd hand dealer in a nearby city. I really liked the GK platform. Traded in for a brand new Mitsu mirage.... now at 65k kms -> completely trouble free.

 

Are you implying the 0W20 was the cause of the VTC rattle?
If so, do you have any evidence to support that statement?

 

I interpreted that as thanking the 0W20 for getting him to 135K KM, but he can clarify. The VTC rattle goes back much more than a decade in Honda vehicles and precedes 0W20 oil.

 

The thin stuff is a contributing factor. The evidence is all in my head lol. I have a pet peeve with this whole push for thinner and thinner oils so i felt the need to mention 0w20. I already see 0w16 on the shelves for those who want better fuel economy aka want to give their engines a shorter lifespan. I say that because my current 3A92 has 0w20 on the cap while the same exact motor has 5w30 on the cap listed in tropical climate countries with some listing 5w40 as recommended oil. So i feed my mirage 0w30 come winter and 5w30 for summer. I tried 0w20 and the engine simply sounds rather ...... How should i say..... I hear these unecessary noises kind of like knocking that i don't hear with the thicker stuff.... Not to mention valve train rattle on start ups which also go away on 30 weight oils.

This whole push for better emmisions and better fuel economy is done at the expense of reliability and common sense. My 2015 was already burning 1qt every 3000 to 4000kms when i traded in. I kept my eye on the dip stick like a hawk since the car was new and i noticed the gradual increase in oil consumption.... which I blame on the 0w20 (I used 0w20 to maintain my warranty; thinking it should be ok since it's engraved on the oil cap and the manual says the same and also assuming honda assembled this engine with tighter tolerances to accomodate the switch to 0w20 which i now believe not to be true).

The same goes with the new generation of manual transmission fluid which is labeled "eco" in my mirage's manual. Shifting was notchy and 3rd gear would grind occassionally since the car was new and after switching to thicker gl-4 stuff (redline mt85 since i could not find torco anymore) things changed night and day. Same story with the fit. Experimented with different mtfs till i settled on torco's offering.

Rant over lol.

 

Also if you look at the viscosity chart for 20 weight, the range is actually quite wide whereas the 30 has a much narrower range..... Which means that when i go purchase an off the shelf 0w20 it's taking a bit of a gamble because you don't know if you're getting something that is actually closer to 30 weight or closer to 16 weight or somewhere in between not to mention differences in viscosity between batches regardless of what the published whitepapers say on that particular brand and weight.

That's why I say 0w20 is an unreliable choice for engine oil which can contribute negatively and worsen the rattling vtc actuators.

referencing chart here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/viscosity-charts/

 

CommanderSlug, thank you for that information.
Can you please tell me what brand of 0w20 you were using, as well as the OCI's you were following?

I'm all for using what the manufacturer suggests, but when it means that critical components are not being lubricated properly (or holding oil pressure, as needed with the VTC actuator), that leads me to believe that something's not correct.
The only reason why I was hesitant to go thicker, was after seeing the the tiny oil passages leading to the VTC actuator from the camshaft. Seems like the rattle is only until the VTC is "locked" into place from the oil pressure (after it's built up enough pressure).
But I maybe if the oil pressure was held consistent - thicker oil perhaps?, maybe that wouldn't occur?
I also live in a warmer part of Canada (coldest temp is -5C) so I'm perfectly fine with running a slightly thicker oil.

 

Like I said, the VTC rattle goes back much more than a decade in Honda vehicles and almost certainly precedes 0W20 oil. It was also a problem back then in Toyota and other engines in certain time periods and certain models. I don't see any issue whatsoever with any major brand of 0W20 oil but if you want that to be the bogeyman then yeah, go for it and upgrade to thicker oil if you think that wise. Myself I suspect the basic VTC problem is in the engine design, and Honda can't fix that. What they have done is redesign the VTC part to eliminate the noise problem for now but it's not yet clear if that will solve the problem long term and it might yet re-occur.

 

Despite my appreciation for all the things the fit does right, things like this have me second guessing my choice.