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Rear wheel well question

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  #1  
Old 09-29-2014, 04:10 PM
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Rear wheel well question

The lining on the rear wells above my rear wheels is not attached just on the outside frame of the car. Is this the case on all 2015 Fit cars? I have a 2015 Fit EX manufactured in March 2014. I would think salt would collect above the lining in the winter here in iowa where the roads are treated with de-icers in the winter.
 
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Old 09-29-2014, 04:16 PM
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We just cancel work and school when there is ice on the road in Texas. Doesn't everyone do that?
 
  #3  
Old 09-29-2014, 04:56 PM
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I'll go one step further: What's ice and snow?
 
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Old 09-29-2014, 05:38 PM
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I go to Arizona for part of the worst of the winter as a snow bird so enjoy the best of both worlds for all but a couple months. I did discovered in Texas you close everything when you received 2 inches of snow and remained closed for one to two days. Hotels were booked full for a hundred of miles around when you lost electricity and your pipes froze. Here in Iowa it takes a blizzard of a foot or more snow to shut down our businesses a few hours. We keep our main roads open and quickly recover.
What I am worried about is rusting on my Honda Fit with the open lining. The early Hondas used to rust around the wheels bad but I haven't seen it for a few years. Is the lining around your wheels wells open or sealed on the edges?
 
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Old 09-29-2014, 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by exl500
I'll go one step further: What's ice and snow?
I think it's that stuff they make in the ski resorts for people to ski on.

Why anyone would want to drive on it is beyond me. I grew up in northern Nevada whose very name means "snow covered" and it was no fun at all! No salt there at least.
 
  #6  
Old 09-29-2014, 06:02 PM
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I just checked my rear wheels and yes - the top portion is open on both sides... with a decent gap. Seems like Honda might have missed something there as the front tires do not have this same setup.
 
  #7  
Old 09-30-2014, 01:31 AM
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Yeah, it's almost like the plastic inner fender liner was trimmed too short? Maybe it's designed to fit other models and is an universal part.
I actually discovered the "gap" during my pre-purchase inspection and was shocked to feel/see a gap there. Then I went to check other Fits on the lot and found that the LX models don't even come with an inner fender liner!
 
  #8  
Old 09-30-2014, 10:02 AM
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Snow is what makes otherwise boring roads fun.

It also weeds out the bad drivers and "nonessential employees."
 
  #9  
Old 09-30-2014, 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Iowa owner
The lining on the rear wells above my rear wheels is not attached just on the outside frame of the car. Is this the case on all 2015 Fit cars? I have a 2015 Fit EX manufactured in March 2014. I would think salt would collect above the lining in the winter here in iowa where the roads are treated with de-icers in the winter.
I also have a gap between the liner and the fender frame. I checked other Fits at the dealer and they alsdo have this gap. Seems like a poor design and defeats the purpose of the liner. I sent a private message to Jonathan, the Honda rep who looks at this forum, about this problem.
 
  #10  
Old 09-30-2014, 11:29 AM
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I feel like they did this so they can sell you that undercoat.
 
  #11  
Old 09-30-2014, 09:49 PM
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I posted about this in the tell Honda section a while back, my husband d wants to tear the felt off and spray some protection stuff there because he thinks it will hold water and salt and cause rust, anyone have input on this?
 
  #12  
Old 10-03-2014, 07:35 PM
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I showed my dealer the gap in the rear wheel well liner. There was an LX on the lot that didn't have any rear wheel well liner at all? Dealer will investigate further when I take the car in for the front bumper upgrade. This is really weird! Jonathan, the Honda Customer Service Rep, is aware of the issue.
 
  #13  
Old 10-03-2014, 08:57 PM
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I guess I need to take mine to another Honda dealer and see if I get better results which sucks because I really trusted my dealership and have used them for over 10 years
 
  #14  
Old 10-03-2014, 09:14 PM
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Sorry, but you seriously don't think Honda weighed the appropriateness of this solution? Or they'd want a recall of 200K+ Fits for rust in 5 years? Sleep tight tonight.
 
  #15  
Old 10-13-2014, 04:36 PM
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Took my Fit to the dealer today for the Front Bumper Upgrade repair, which tuned out well.

They also looked at the issue of the gap between the rear wheel well felt lining and the fender at the top of the wheel well. The dealer concluded this is a normal design for this car.

I feel this is a poor design. This is my first Honda, and I expected more from Honda. In my many years of purchasing cars, I have never seen such a poorly designed part.

I spoke to Jonathan, the Honda Customer Service Rep on this forum, about this and he opened a case number. I hope other Fit owners who have this issue will speak up. We'll see what happens?
 
  #16  
Old 10-13-2014, 04:42 PM
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if your are worried.. just spray the wheel well with underbody coating that you can pick up at any auto store.
 
  #17  
Old 10-13-2014, 05:58 PM
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@ cloud, I couldn't agree with you more. By Honda allowing the fender liners to pass inspection, it tells me they don't give a **** about the buyer. I totally get that they're trying to maximize their profit but that's ridiculous.

For you folks that are driving in the snow, I'd be careful about the snow getting packed between the liner and the body. Worst case scenario the liner gets packed with snow and then the liner collapses and then rubs on the tire.

And yes, I have droopy fender liners also, but not too bad, lol.
 
  #18  
Old 10-14-2014, 01:03 PM
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What should I do with my LX???

Originally Posted by GTtoGK
Then I went to check other Fits on the lot and found that the LX models don't even come with an inner fender liner!

I haven't seen this liner because I have an LX. I live in snowy Nebraska. Do you think I'm better off buying the liner and installing it possibly creating a snow/salt trap or would it be better to just leave it as it s with no liner???
 
  #19  
Old 10-14-2014, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by cloud11244
Took my Fit to the dealer today for the Front Bumper Upgrade repair, which tuned out well.

They also looked at the issue of the gap between the rear wheel well felt lining and the fender at the top of the wheel well. The dealer concluded this is a normal design for this car.

I feel this is a poor design. This is my first Honda, and I expected more from Honda. In my many years of purchasing cars, I have never seen such a poorly designed part.

I spoke to Jonathan, the Honda Customer Service Rep on this forum, about this and he opened a case number. I hope other Fit owners who have this issue will speak up. We'll see what happens?
I guess I'm not worthy of Jonathans response, I have this same topic in the tell honda section. i removed the liner, sprayed sound proof undercoating and we decided to use some fiberglass bondo. stuff to harden the side of the liner so it'd retain its shape. Problem solved and i have to honestly say I have no visible sag and a significant reduction in road noise
 
  #20  
Old 10-14-2014, 03:31 PM
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@ Fat_man - Imho I would leave it alone. Anything you do to "modify" the fender well could be a reason for the dealer to deny a warranty claim in the future. Even if the part is oem, they (dealer) could say sure but it's not oem to an LX model.

If Honda is selling the USDM LX Fits without rear wheel liners then it must be okay. I'm guessing that the fender liners on EX and above models were installed to possibly reduce noise? My .02.
 


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