I was driving on 285 today in Atlanta and I driver in an SUV tosses a cigarette butt out his window and it comes through my sunroof. I could smell the smoke and I was freaking out that it might be in my back seat/hatch area starting a fire. Luckily the smell faded but I found when I stopped the car that it had burned a hole in my front passenger seat. I had a bunch of stuff in the seat and so I didn't notice it at first. Good grief! I don't smoke and nor do any of my passengers but now I have damage to deal with. Does anyone have any suggestions for repair? I have an EX, so it is the cloth fabric.

 

I would call and ask your Auto Insurance Agent if this is covered? Worse he/she will say is- No- if Yes- then- you'll have to decide if the deductible is worth it... my two cents of advice- That really sucks though- don't smoke and you get screwed by a SMOKER!

 

Not really sure how you can fix it on cheap.
But leather seat covers are always an option http://www.clazzio.com/car-leather-kits.php

 

I always get very annoyed when I see smokers toss their cigarettes out the window or empty their ashtrays in a parking lot. It just seems selfish and arrogant. I know it's unlikely, but whenever I see a lit cigarette bouncing on the road after being tossed out the window, I worry that it will ignite something on the undercarriage of a car.

 

That's quite a bummer. You can't unburn the cloth for the seat (or other things), unfortunately.

Seat covers would be a decent option, as toyopl suggests. You might be able to get a replacement factory cover from Honda, too, and replace that part of the upholstery; I don't know if they sell just the cloth or if you have to buy an entire seat. If you do go that route, the replacement might not exactly match the rest of the interior if there's been some fading of the existing material.

You might also be able to get a seat from a junkyard fairly inexpensively and install it. Finding a 3rd generation Fit at a junkyard is likely going to be difficult.

 

Wow! I thought I was the only lucky one. In 1986 I had the same thing happen to me and it actually did start a fire in the back seat of my car.

Sorry that happened to you.

 

in the ge's the seat covers seem to come off relatively easily, not sure how the 15's are(gk?). I would call the dealer and see if you can get just that part of the seat cover. I bet it's less than a deductible. Also some insurance view non crash accidents as vandalism with no deductible.
Sorry to hear. I'm a smoker and that sort of thing irritates me. You should always dispose of your butt properly.

 

Honda Automotive Parts

 

You should try being a motorcyclist. Tobacco ashes are extremely fine and when they flick ashes out the window they get in the eyes of trailing motorcyclists. If they like the smoke so much why do they hang their arms out the window?

Back when I was younger and dumber I saw a smoker casually drop his cigarette out his window at a red light. I rode up next to him, picked up the still-smouldering butt, said cheerily "Excuse me, you dropped this!" and tossed it back into the back seat of his car. The flurry of activity in my rear-view mirrors as I accelerated away was, to say the least, hilarious!

I don't recommend doing this, of course, as it might have resulted in homicide if the driver had cared a little less about his upholstery!

 

Wow, to rebuild one seat from parts would cost nearly $2000. Brings to mind the old adage that "the sum of the parts is (much) greater than the whole."

Never really thought about the effect the ashes could have. I can see how that could be dangerous. I'll have to check with a couple of Harley riding friends of mine to see if they are aware of this or if its ever happened to them.

And these days, with all the crazy road rage stories, it wouldn't be something I'd recommend either. Still funny though.

 

Thank you all for the comments and advice. I have had awful luck with sunroofs. In my previous vehicle, I had a squirrel fall through the sunroof and land on me as I drove down my driveway. I jumped out of the car while it was still moving. Luckily, I managed to stick my foot back in to stop it before the car crashed into fence and perhaps house. I've also had a screw fly off an 18-wheeler into my sunroof, hit the inside back of the sunroof then fly by my head and land in the dashboard/windshield crevice. Madness!

Maybe should have gone with an LX, but I still love having a sunroof!

I am due for an oil change so I'll see if the dealer has any affordable recommendations when I take it in.

 

Oh my word! That sounds like my luck. Yikes!

 

One of my sons bought a nice used car except that it had a hole burned in the rear seat leather upholstery. He found someone on Craig's List to repair it and it looked pretty good and served well.

In the case of woven fabric material, there is a process called "reweaving" to make repairs on such things as expensive suits. Perhaps you can Google this or check the Yellow Pages in your vicinity to see if someone has this skill.

 

That is just too weird, and perhaps too coincidental. I think if I've had your experiences, I'd just leave it closed.