I got one of the front bumper product update letters. So I called My dealer Courtesy Palm Harbor Honda FL and started to ask the normal question. Do you have parts in stock? What time can you schedule me in and one of the last questions was is the beam only painted with primer. Customer service rep. couldn't answer. Finally I got transferred to the general service manager. The general service manager said it was painted with a primer only. I explained I had another car that had to have the metal beam replaced and it was only primed and after a few years it started to rust. I said I didn't want to have the same problem with this beam a year or two after the warranty expires. He didn't disagree with my assessment. (Back story I work in Clearwater Florida about a mile from the beach) I asked him if he can get it painted so as to provide better protection against the environment. He said that he could only do what Honda corporation approved. He suggested that I call Honda Corp. and have a customer service rep. get approval for it to be painted. This is where things go down hill.


I called Honda Corp. and they said that it must be looked at before they would elevate it to a customer service rep. I asked what are they supposed to look at? They said “inspect the car”. I said its the replacement part that's the problem. Its primed and not painted with a proper top coat. They said here is an assigned case number N032014-10-0301045 but it will not be active until you have the car inspected by your dealer. I think to myself this is insane.


So I called Courtesy Palm Harbor Honda and explained the situation. CS rep said “what are we suppose to inspect?” I said Honda corp said you have to inspect the car before they will activate the case number. He says he needs to talk to the general service manager and says “ I'll call you back”. That was a lie. He never called back. The next morning I call Courtesy Palm Harbor Honda asked if the CR rep is working today? Answer Yes. I asked to talked to him. I get transferred directly to voice mail. He never called me back. Called back late in afternoon. I talked to receptionist and she said I will give him a note to call you. If he doesn’t call back in an hour call again and I will elevate it. Well the guy never calls back. I finally get fed up with trying to get the car inspected and call Honda corp. back. I talk to another rep and explained the situation again. I asked what is the dealer supposed to inspect and how many times am I supposed to try to get it inspected? Finally they release the case to a customer service rep.


The next day customer service rep Eric calls I explain the problem. He says he will call the district manage and try to get approval to get the beam painted. Well after about a week latter. I finally get in touch with Eric. He apologies and says without any explanation as to why but just “NO we will not paint the beam.” He then goes on to state that there are no other options or recourse for me. I state “I've purchased two Honda's in the last two years. I’ve spent over 55,000 dollars on your products and you will lose me as a customer over this issue. ” It fell on deaf ears. He then states that he will note my concern over the rust issue if I have the beam replaced. I asked to speak with his supervisor he said that he will send the request but the answer will not change. I then explain that yes there are other option including the courts and and I will be investigating them.


So as a recap, I can have a 2015 Honda fit that is not safe or a safe Honda fit that will rust after the warranty is over. No good options. No one at the dealer Courtesy Palm Harbor Honda or Honda Corporation ever stated that the new primed beam would provide has the same protection against rusting as the beam presently on the car. I will not allow the dealer to put a primed replacement beam on my car. Honda and Courtesy Palm Harbor Honda you have lost a customer.


Its obvious from my dealings with Honda that they are no better than Ford or Toyota. So for less than a hundred dollars to paint the beam they are losing a customer and one that will not recommend there products. This is a warning to all those that are contemplating buying a 2015 Fit. Its an OK car but you will be taking a big risk with it.


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For what it's worth, I don't think the original beam that came on the car is painted.

 

Yes it is painted look at the pictures posted here at fit freak. I used a bore scope to check it. Its the same color as my car.

 

Is your car black by chance? I saw the pictures you referred to and the replacement beam was black. I've seen the pictures in the build threads with the front ends torn down and the beam is black. Is that what you mean by same color as the car?

I doubt that any of these beams, or any other portion of the frame and chassis are color matched to the exterior. I read about 3/4 of your rant up there, and it sounds more like a misunderstanding/miscommunication than a "horror story."

 

No my car is the modern steel metallic color. I used a bore scope (ie flexible camera on a wire to check my car) the beam is painted the same color modern steel metallic not black. The black coating on the replacement beam is a primer. Ive seen pictures of the replacement process which showed the car original beam painted the same color as the car. ie not black

 

here are pictures posted by another fit owner showing the difference

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...upgrade-3.html

The problem is rust. If you don't live next to salt water or roads that get salted alot during winter you don't realize the problem this will be after the warranty is over. After the warranty is over everything is the consumers problem.

 

I actually went back to the "bumper upgrade" thread and see what you're talking about. The original appears to match the car.

I don't know. I live by the coast in FL too and got my bumper replaced, I'm not too worried about it. But that's juts me and my car. I wish you luck in having this resolved to your satisfaction.

 

My mistake, I saw the pictures in this thread awhile back and assumed it wasn't painted as it looked like unpainted metal. I guess he just had a silver Fit.

 

The reason its important to me is I've been caught by this same type of repair. By the time the problem shows up (parts start rusting) you're holding the proverbial bag, warranty out. It's not cheap to fix. You either sandblast and repaint the the rusting parts or replace them depending on cost and rust damage. I think honda realizes this but are playing the odds that by the time the replacement beam starts rusting most original owners have already sold the car. Its sad, I hoped that by paying honda's premium I would have gotten a better vechicle and better service. Guess it's just the world we live in today.

 

That s my car with the pictures I took. My car is not silver it is metallic grey. The beam coming off looks like a grey primer color and the new one is black. Possibly powder coated.

 

From the image alone, I too would say that the beam surface is powder coated. Whether the upgraded beam shows up at Celaya in powder black and then gets coated via an "ELPO" liquid primer dip (the entire body) is an open question. Industry standard is a liquid primer dip and electrostatic paint adhesion, but who's to really say what they're doing in Celaya to save money if their paint department is labor intensive and technologically deficient. Remember that the Celaya plant is utilizing less robotics and more manual labor because of how cheap labor is in Mexico.The entire car may be compromised from a rust inhibition standpoint, and in numerous other build processes. Only high level Honda management and the lowly assembly workers know for sure, whether in body shop, paint, trim, or chassis departments

OP's concerns are founded; however, the entire car may potentially rust prematurely depending on their facilities, technology, and processes. In other words, the bumper support beam may be the least of owners' issues in snow belt states.

I speak from auto/truck assembly plant experience. When the last assembly plant I worked in announced it would close in two years, the company changed hundreds of processes to save money, and even omitted sound and rust inhibition barriers to save that last dollar. The last two years we built fleet jobs only, miles and miles of white vans bought in bulk by utility companies and the like. The product was also available in RWD and AWD passenger configurations prior to the announced plant closing, and the last couple thousand of those passenger vans were build compromised, just like the last 9,000 fleet jobs that plant produced prior to closing its doors. In that two year time period, jobs (vans) that should have been scrapped in the body shop due to split metal in the windshield and "D" rings, and vans that were diminsionally flawed were actually buillt to completion and delivered to these fleet buyers. I'll give you a hint as to the company: no vehicle manufacturer in modern history has recalled more cars and trucks to date than this company.

Just because Honda is HONDA does not mean they are not engaging in the same kind of chicanery, all in the name of saving a dollor (or in Honda's case, a yen). Only time will tell. Quite a few companies are living off their reputation for quality, whether deserved or not in the present. In my opinion, Honda may be one of those companies where the 2015 Fit is concerned.

 

All the rhetoric aside, expecting Honda to color-match a replacement part that isn't visible when installed is a bit much. Has anyone actually looked at the replacement part and verified that it is in primer? I'd wager that a part like this is fully finished in a generic gray or black color.

 

The general service manager from the dealer confirmed that the repair parts are primed only.

 

Honda dealership in Clearwater, Florida has assisted me numerous times now. 9 vehicles purchased through them over the last 14 years, and just got finished with the bumper update. I live within 3 miles of the beach, and I have no issues to worry about. Now if I lived in the North East with salt being scattered onto the streets weekly or more would concern me with rust...

 

I thought you used the same dealer as the OP, Courtesy Palm Harbor?

 

Of course, you alway's have the option of buying a can of spray paint, and painting it yourself, prior to the dealer installing it. Or, if it is that important to you, and you want a body shop to paint it, it would be no different than paying extra for paint protective film to protect your cars exterior finish, Tint to protect your interior surfaces from sun damage, wheel locks to protect your alloy wheels from being stolen, cargo liner and tray to protect your cargo area from damage, seat covers to protect your backseat from stains, and of course your final option, don't have your bumper beam replaced at all (which was going to be done on Honda's dime anyway at no cost to you).

 

I do. Palm Harbor Honda is the same as Clearwater and Courtesy Palm Harbor. We old timers don't like change that much, and Palm Harbor or Clearwater Honda changed a while back.

 

I also use Courtesy Palm Harbor, and live in the same town as SR45. I also had the bumper update.


OP, do you live in Tampa or Pinellas?

 

Ah, when I hear Clearwater Honda I think of AutoNation Honda, or possibly Crown Honda. It seems we have a lot of FitFreaks in this area.

 

I live in west tampa but work in clearwater close to the bay. I spend all my time by the water . FYI In last 30 years west coast of florida has now become a continuous development. The difference from one city to another is which side of the street you're on. Look my concern is not about the beam today or tomorrow but 4 years later. I usually keep my car for years then my kids get get them. Like I said before, I ve already had experience with this type of repair.