+1 for hand washing, who knows who is at fault for this since you could have been at fault by using too high a pressure or it could have been a quality issue

Regardless I'm glad they took care of it

 

@Waiz - I am glad they took care of it also. I am going to lean more towards the paint peeling on my bumper to be a defect issue than "operator error" for the fact that I have owed 2 other Hondas and have pressure washed both right after purchasing them (at the same car wash) and never had paint peel anywhere on those cars.

 

Fitasa:


Reading thru these posts I was sure this was a Celeya, Mexico paint issue. I've owned new CRX's, Accords, Civics, Fits (10 Honda new ones over 30 years), built in Japan, Ohio, Canada and never ever had a power wash problem. I currently own 2 Fits '11 + '15. The 2015 (EX CVT Aegean Blue) will be pw'd next week since I just took delivery 2 days ago.


Q1: what are your production seq numbers (last 6 digits on your vin). is it in the 10,000/50,000/600,000 etc...range?


Q2: did the clearcoat come off only, or the Silver paint also?

 

@jmsc - The last 6 digits of my vin # is 14998. The silver paint peeled completely off.

 

I've been going to this particular self car wash for years on all of my Hondas from 2006 Civic, 2009 CRV, 2012 Civic Hybrid and now 2015 Fix EX-L. This particular car wash uses medium pressure. I found this out when I put my hand in front of the nozzle and it didn't hurt at all. This is a good sign that it's not going to kill the paint at close distance. I don't recommend you trying this. I always keep at least 1-2 feet away from the car. Closeups to get the bugs off.

I can tell you this never use home bought high pressure wash system. It's just not really designed to safely wash a car unless you don't care. Paints aren't durable like it used to be so have to take extra care to keep them in good shape.

 

@Fitasa - my vin last 6 numbers are in the 700,000+ range. i asked my salesperson this same ? how could this be and he had no answer except to say that maybe it was world-wide numbers. did Honda start at 1 then skip a few numbers? basically, you got the early build Fits.


@DArkk - agree with what you are saying. keep a safe distance with the nozzle, don't try to knock off bugs 2 inches away, never bot a home high pressure system because for $2 a pop why bother. I drive 1 mile to my car wash, drop $2 in the slot, it uses warm water during the winter (a big plus for New Englanders), dry the windows when its below freezing and off I go home to do a R Wash if the roads are clean, otherwise I'm done.




Did a manual p/w this morning on my 2015 Fit. No peeling of paint anywhere. Noticed that I keep 1 1/2 - 2 feet away from paint at all times.

 

jmsc, the VIN#s begin with 7+. For example mine is 704623, so mine is the 4,623rd Fit.

 

Well mine is 721144

 

...which is the 21,144th. Do I get a cookie?

 

@exl500: stupid question, then why did Honda start with 7 and not 0 if the last 6 (now its the last 5) digits are considered production sequence numbers? so what happens to 799,999? and I'm a math major!


I'm 729,607.

 

I am not sure either. Mine was built in August. When was yours?

 

Not a clue. On both questions.

 

Ahhh yes, just another lovely story of the 2015 Honda Fit and more paint issues (including the one on my own Fit). Sorry, but this is just ridiculous! I had a Chevrolet S10 for 15 years and I used to high-pressure wash the hell out of that truck and I never had one paint issue, ever! I swear the paint job on that truck was better than the paint job on my '15 Fit. Sure, they repainted your bumper, but there is nothing, or supposed to be nothing, better than a factory paint finish. It's 2015 and the fact that a manufacturer can't paint a car correctly is absurd.

 

I never use a pressure washer for anything but removing salt from the wheel wells and underside of the car. Clay bar is the best solution for removing bugs and tar. Best home improvement I ever made was a heated garage and a hot water line to it......... yes Honda paint is fragile at best

 

It looks like with these Fits that are manufactured in Mexico, Honda is going with a 3 coat paint process instead of their 4 coat process.

"Yorii also pioneered the painting process being used at Celaya, which cut energy consumption 40% by eliminating a middle coat, taking a 4-coat/3-bake process to a 3-coat/2-bake one."

Honda NA Updates Welding System, Takes Surgical Approach to Other Upgrades | Plants & Production content from WardsAuto

I don't know much about paints or what this all means, but in light of these paint problems, it makes me wonder if this cost cutting is a problem. This is just speculation, and general quality control might still be an issue, but I just wanted to share this fact for those who are frustrated with all of this.

 

@DArkk: My build date was 09/2014 according to the drivers door jamb sticker. Took delivery on 10/22/2014. Placed deposit on 09/30/2014.

 

Only the last five digits are sequence numbers. The digit before that is used for either plant or destination. I've heard that an 8 there is for Canada and 7 is apparently US.