We all know that Honda has refused to provide updates to the Display Audio head unit. Many think there is just no reason for Honda to provide such an update.
I have previously said that I would be prepared to pay a reasonable amount for such an update.

Now there is some real competitive evidence that Honda is certainly out classed by Kia. Kia has announced that they will provide FREE updates to select models of their cars dating back to 2014. It is obvious to me that Honda continues to fall back in competitiveness not only in price but in technical prowess as well. Kia further understands that adding value to their already installed base raises the bar and makes existing customers feel valued.

Kia to Release CarPlay Software Update for Select 2014 to 2017 Models - Mac Rumors

 

My DRLs are now disabled. This accomplished by removing the fuse from the interior fuse block.

The HID lamps and ballasts are now back in the Fit. Low beams and high beams work as expected.

Because daytime running lights are a legal/safety requirement in Canada, I will simply use low beams when driving until I can install some LED fog (or other) lights I can use as DRLs.

The battery voltage level with ignition and lights off is 12.68v. There doesn't appear to be any drain. I will continue to monitor

 

Yup.

If you install other lamps to use as DRLs, how will you turn them on-off. You'd have to put a switch in the cabin and run a wire from the lamps to the switch which sounds like a PITA.

 

I simply wired a pair of COB LEDs tapping into the cigarette/accessory circuit. This way the COB LEDs are on when the ignition key is turned to the accessory
or run position. Running the wires was a simple matter and no switch was required.

They are effectively on all the time but with a load of only 8 watts per side, I am not afraid of running down the battery. Consider the overhead interior light is a 12 watt bulb, the LEDs don't seriously increase the drain on the battery it the engine isn't running.

I liked how bright the COB LEDs were that I also wired a pair of the same COB LEDs in to the reverse lights firor backing up. They are way brighter than the factory reverse lights.

 

With the engine running 16 watts for the drls is no problem, but I would rather not have the drls on if I am sitting in the car listening to the radio with the engine off.

If you do it your way, you can simply attach the negative terminal to any convenient grounding point nearby, but where do you pick up the positive voltage for the cigarette lighter circuit, without routing a wire through a hole in the firewall and getting it into the cabin and connected to the cig lighter? Also, this of course means you won't be able to get the full 150 watts (12.5 amps at 12 volts) out of whatever you plug into the cig lighter circuit. At 16 watts, and 12 volts, you have only 138 watts and are drawing 1.3 amps, leaving only 11.2 amps for other stuff. Actually the incadescent original dome light is about 5 watts. At 12 v that is about 0.4 amps. Typical LED replacement for the dome light is about 2 watts yet 5 times as bright.

 

I stand corrected on the dome light wattage. It is 5w.

As for where I picked up the 12v+, it wasn’t an easy matter to pick up the power from the cigarette lighter/accessory connector inside the car and feed that wire through the firewall to the lights. As you mention, any ground point will work. The COB LEDs Must be wired with the correct polarity.

As for losing the full 15 amp potential of the accessory connection, who cares? I don’t anticipate ever running any thing with such a load.

To jump or boost starting the car, I always have a lithium ion battery for that purpose in the trunk. It is capable of boosting the car at least 5 times on a full charge. Far less room than a set of booster cables and easily done without additional help.

BTW (Still have a hate on for Honda’s refusal to provide software/firmware updates for the Display Audio Unit to support CarPlay)

 

not to preach, but dont do this on the fits.. the battery reserve is too small. this is actually how a lot of people kill their batteries prematurely. just keep the engine running, or turn the car off completely.

 

I’m pretty sure the display audio unit consumes more power than the LEDs

 

i agree.. so dont run the stereo while the engine is off. but be smart, turn off all accessories if you want to preserve the tiny battery.

 

I occasionally use a 12 v compressor - 14 amps - to top up all 4 tires with 2 or 3 psi each - plus 10 pounds for the spare - and I do this without running the engine. Takes about 90 seconds for each tire. After that, the engine starts right up, no problem. I vaccum with an 11 amp 12v vaccuum cleaner for a good 15-20 minutes, w the engine off. And car starts right up. I probably should leave a voltmeter in parallel to make sure the voltage doesn't drop below 11 volts while I am tire-filling or vacuuming. I have left both map lights on all night and the car started up in the morning - both map lights are LEDs drawing only about 2 amps each. Not sure I could have done this with about 10 amps of inkydeksants left on for 10 hours. 4 amps for 10 hours = 40 ampere-hours. 14 amps for 7.5 minutes = 14 amps for 0.125 hours = 1.75 ampere-hours. 3.7 ampere hours for the vacuum cleaner. Battery is rated at how many ampere-hours? It should say on the battery. I think it must be around 15. And how much current does the starter draw - for just a second or 2? How many amps is the audio amplifier, on moderate volume level? I've sat in the car and listened for maybe an hour, before starting the car. Not sure why the car started after I left the map lights on!

 

no need to explain how ur battery will die..GL

 

My 2015 Fit LX now has about 64,000 km. Soon to be switching over to full snows with about 23,000 km on them. They are mounted on the original factory steel wheels. I traded the original factory Firestone for a decent price with my tire guy just 3 weeks after getting the car. The Firestones were awful with no grip at all when road temperatures got under 15° C. The Michelin X-Ice tires have way better grip and handling on wet and snowy roads. Freezing rain is nightmarish. Despite being 13 years newer, the traction control system on the Fit is lousy in comparison the DSC system my 2002 Mini Cooper S had. I actually loved driving in freezing rain with the Mini. I could keep my foot in it and just steer where I wanted to go. I wouldn't dare try that in the Fit.

I run some light alloy wheels in the summer (about 12.2 kg) with Pirelli P4s.They are very grippy on dry roads but do a little wheel spin on wet roads with 3/4 throttle (a little surprising) and the traction system reacts very slowly.

All in all, I wouldn't buy another Honda - most certainly not a Fit. I think another Mini will be my next car.

 

I found that too with the Pirelli P4 Four Season Plus tires on the LX's original rims – the spin for a moment on wet roads, but the traction control system light doesn't go on. When my original Firestones spun like that, the traction control light would light up for a moment. The tires seem to have slightly better grip around corners. Stopping distance seems about the same. Not really a problem, but a quirk: when cold, the first time I make a turn at low speed, for example to get out of my parking space, they talk, they squeak. Car is rolling when they speak up – it isn't like I'm turning the steering wheel while the car is completely still. I didn't want to spend more than $100 more for 4 tires, for Michelin Defenders. Consumer report rated the Pirellis 3rd. Michelin, some other brand, then the Pirellis, with the same overall rating as the second brand. However they tested new tires. Not sure how they will compare when half-worn. Half worn Michelin's tend to perform relatively better than other tires when half-worn. Interestingly the 185mm wide tread has only one rain sipe around the circumference, wider Pirellis apparently have 2 sipes – at least they are shown in their photographs as having 2 sipes.

 

The DRLs work by pulse width modulation of the high beam filament. This supplies an average voltage to the the filament that is about 5 or 6 volts on average instead of the normal 11.5 to about 14.5 volts that the filament gets from the battery (about 11.5 volts without the engine running) or the alternator's voltage regulator (about 13.5 to 14.5 volts with the engine running). So yes the life of the filament will be reduced, but not nearly as much as if it were getting full voltage. So I would tend to say significantly reduced as opposed to "drastically" reduced. But as far as policers go – in many places daytime running lights are required in rainy weather; policers may pull you over if they are not on.

While I think dual filament bulbs are a bad idea – you throw away a good filament when the other filament burns out – wasteful – replacing the glass bulb with the 2 filaments is not all that difficult. You pull off the rubber weather seal, put a bit of silicone lube on it to keep it alive longer and make it easier to get back on, and then swing a little wire clip away from the bulb assembly. The you just pull the bulb out. Putting new bulb is: reverse the process.

I agree the TPMS is pretty stupid; I suspect the same people that don't check tire pressure with a gauge, will ignore the warning light should it come on; but the Fit's system doesn't have replaceable rubber parts inside each tire for tire shops to sell to you, It works off of the the ABS wheel speed sensor system and the ABS CPU – things which they probably will not have in stock. Also, I could be wrong, but I think that, in most jurisdictions, if the TPMS system stops working, the car will still pass the state safety inspection. Usually the inspector just presses the brake pedal to make sure it isn't spongy, then maybe she'll take a look at the brake pads on one front wheel. She's not likely to check to see if the TPMS is working. Not the ABS either. Speaking about the ABS – it causes the brake fluid to work harder, absorb moisture faster, and need replacement sooner. So I think it is pretty stupid as well. I know how to tap-tap-tap the brake pedal, instead of lean on it, if I feel a wheel or some wheels losing traction when I brake, due to a slippery road. I feel more in control doing that myself, rather than not thinking about road conditions and letting the expensive ABS do the tapping.

 

Note that if you do a TPMS reset by holding down the button until it blinks twice, but the tire pressures have not changed since the last time you did this, then after 20 minutes of driving, the TPMS program will turn the TPMS dash light back on. The light is “telling you” that you need to correct the tire pressure. Why? Because it knows that since the last time the warning light came on, you have not corrected the tire pressure. Rather, you have simply held down the button. That hasn't done anything to correct the pressure. So you need to change the pressure by at least 3 psi, otherwise after 20 minutes the light will come on again. Fortunately, there are 2 ways to get the light to stay off for awhile. (1) Change the tire pressure in at least one tire and then, once more, hold down the button until it blinks twice or (2) Hold down the button until the light blinks twice, wait 5 seconds, do that again, wait another 5 seconds, and do it a third time. See this TPMS service bulletin. This "special calibration" isn't mentioned in the owners manual, but that the dealer knows about it, can do if for you, and can charge you for it – even if the car is still under warranty. Charming, arent't they? They bill you for pressing a button 3 times. That's right, this "special calibration" that the dealer can charge you for, is basically just the regular calibration described in the owners manual, done 3 times, waiting 5 seconds between doing it again.