Hello,

After 5 years I've decided it’s time to move on from my 2000 Honda Insight. Still runs strong just want something bigger and more practical.

Decided to get a 3rd gen Honda Fit. I found a good deal on low mileage 2019 LX. Being the base trim, it’s bland. I’m mostly ok with that but some upgrades would be nice.

Anybody have an LX that they upgraded with wheels, trim, etc from a Sport or EX? Will I be stuck with the 5” navigation system or is a swap to the 7” possible?

Perhaps I’ll just search for a Sport/EX if it’s not worth the headache.

Thank you.

 

I replaced the stock 15" steelies on my '16 LX with 16" alloys from Honda's previous gen GE8.

I also replaced the stock head unit with a Sony aftermarket.

Swapping the head unit with another Honda head unit is a major expense. Aftermarket is cheaper, and much better connectivity.

My GK5 was totaled a week ago. I decided not to buy another. Why?

Honda still has not sorted the direct injection / carbon fouling problem. This destroys injectors in the long run, and is no help to valves or the intake manifold.

So with that, we have the start/stop switch problem (they burn out easily), the VTC actuator problem (weak spring - wears the timing chain at startup, eventually can destroy the chain), the sunroof, hatch and door leaks worse since the '18 midcycle refresh, a fuel pump recall, and some people still having electrical problems that causes them to burn through batteries.

I realize all cars have problems, but the carbon fouling problem was something I couldn't ignore. Top Tier fuel helps but does not solve the problem.

I went with a completely different vehicle now. If not for the info in this forum, I might have bought another GK5 and then experienced this all over again.

Good luck with whatever you get!

 

Interesting. All I’ve heard until now is praise for the Fit’s reliability and low maintenance.

What alternate vehicle did you go with?

 

I went with a 2026 Buick Encore GX. The 1.3L 3-cylinder turbo engine does not have the same carbon fouling issues as the Earth Dreams engine.

 

I have a 2015 EX.

Other than the push start recall,

I've had no problems.
.
Just keep up with my routine maintenance.
My Fit runs great.

Get the EX if you want a stick.

The Sport and LX trim levels are pretty much the same.

The Sport trim looks a bit fancier.

 

I also have a 2015 and only the starter issue has come up in 98k miles. It's very thoroughly maintained, and I love it.

 

The Fit never left me stranded, but it had poor quantity control. I've done recalls for rusty interior door parts, and poor white paint on mine. Just don't buy a white Honda, as other models had issues as well in that dept. Mechanically the fit worked well though. It was cheap to maintain, operate and insure.

Others have reported costly fuel injector repairs.

When my Fit got totaled last year, I replaced it with a Ridgeline since I didn't need a fuel efficient vehicle as much since I WFH and have a shorter commute.

 

If you can do the repair yourself, the injectors are not so bad. Still 1500$ is not that bad for a repair these days. I've seen people quoted 3K for just front suspension job on a subie (OE strut is ~900$ per side).

As far as preventative maintenance, I run a bottle of Redline from time to time and I think it helps. I'm at about 100K miles still going strong. Only time will tell. Planning on trying to clean out the carbon from the intake ports this spring. I think walnut blasting is like 500$ or so.

The GK is definitely not as reliable as the GD and GE but I really like mine. A bit more refined of a car and feels less like a golf cart. I do like that the coils and plugs are easy to access since they are not under the wiper cowl which is a big minus for maintenance on the GE.