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Purchased a '15 Fit to replace my '14 Fiesta, disappointing build quality...
Hello fellow Fit owners!
Back in July I was in a really bad accident that left my awesome little lime green '14 Fiesta as a pile of scrap metal. The '14 Fiesta was my very first car and it was A LOT of fun to drive. I put about 56k on it in under two years of commuting before it was written off.
After only 3,200kms on my newly purchased Fit I must say, I am pretty disappointed in the build quality of this car. My family has purchased Honda's for over 20 years and they have NEVER had any issues with cars. Even as an avid motorcyclist, Honda has always had a great reputation for their reliability and quality they put into their bikes.
I thought I'd give you guys my pros and cons so far comparing the Fit with the Fiesta:
Pros:
Financed, costs me $100/month less than the fiesta
Better quality electronics
More features
A LOT more room
Better acceleration
Handles better
Nicer looking design (IMO)
Better fuel economy
more HP
Cons:
Driver side of the Dashboard has a gap, and it's getting worse
Bumper looks like it's sagging?
Crappy paint job, scratches easily
Worse sound system than the Fiesta
Terrible 'fit and finish' compared to the Fiesta
Overall, if I could get the Bumper and Dashboard fixed I'd be perfectly happy with it. Sadly, I am really anal about the way my cars and bikes look so I am feeling a lot of buyers remorse. After finding this website a few weeks ago, it seems that my build quality problems are pretty common, now I wish I found this site before I purchased the car.
Has anyone had any luck getting the Bumper and Dashboard problems fixed? I think I have only seen 1 other owner get his dashboard fixed after a 3 month wait. If anyone has any questions about the Fiesta vs. Fit, ask me anything!
Last edited by MotoFrost; Nov 10, 2015 at 02:25 PM.
Here are some pictures of the dash and bumper problems. The bumper problem isn't too bad yet, but some of you guys have me worried that it will get worse.
I just noticed now that the passenger side has a small gap, I'll keep an eye on it but I don't recall it being there when I cleaned the car on Saturday.
As for the paint, I don't have any pictures currently since it's raining. I have this scratch outline on the hood where the dealer had the plastic protector on from their lot. They claimed that it's just glue, but I'm pretty sure now that it's just one big scratch.
At least my car doesn't seem to be affected by any of the recalls yet. That's good news, right?
You might also check the engine splash shield under the car. After an oil change they have a tendency to loosen and fall off. This is a common and known problem. Solution: zip tie splash shield to the chassis.
Lose engine splash shield
Last edited by TorontoBoy; Nov 10, 2015 at 03:35 PM.
as for the engine shroud my hobby cars have similar covers. even those cars are notorious of loosing a few screws (or cross threaded) when the dealer does the oil change.
if you do your own change, just be sure to tighten the screws snug (not over tighten) before you lower the car on the ground. should be a non-issue if one puts a little care into their work. too bad most dealers have these high school level inexperienced kids working their quick lube bays non-ASE certified and all.
I'm surprised you didn't get another Fiesta considering how much fun it was to drive. I'm in favor of the Fiesta ST. Cool little car and I wanted one.....in Auto.
You might also check the engine splash shield under the car. ..
Hehe, yeah, thats my shield falling off the Fit a month or so after delivery before the first oil change. Really, about the only bothersome quality issue I've had to deal with thus far.
As for the 'fit and finish', I would say my Fiesta ST and Fit are similar, both have a small amount of sagging front bumper. Does it bother me? Yes, a little. Does it keep me up at night? No. Is it noticeable 10 feet away? No. Should the quality of the fit and finish be better? Absolutely.
Hehe, yeah, thats my shield falling off the Fit a month or so after delivery before the first oil change. Really, about the only bothersome quality issue I've had to deal with thus far...
Yes, this splash shield is the only thing that has been known to fall off and get destroyed. My car is so new that I don't know what will break first, but this shield is on my radar. I should have given you credit for your shot, which I'll do next time. Thanks for providing this photo for all of us.
Thanks for the comparison Moto. I seriously considered the Fiesta when I bought the Fit, and really, really, really, really wanted to like that car. I've been pretty loyal to Ford and have had good luck with their cars and experienced pleasant customer service from them, so it was natural to consider the Fiesta. I had test driven a few of them, and rented a couple as well to get more of a long term feel.
I loved the handling capabilities of it, the quiet cabin that kept noise to a minimum (even at 90mph at one stage), the solid feel, the perfect ride combo of not being harsh and not floaty, the smooth shifting manual, the fuel economy, the rebates Ford was offering, the ambient interior lighting, and in the green envy color (which yours probably was), the car was gorgeous.
But........I couldn't get over the limited space. For a car that's the same size footprint as a Fit, how did Ford engineers manage to get such little room. Not only does the Fiesta have 1/2 the cargo space of a Fit, but the back seat is a joke. The driver seat is equally tight; there was always a claustrophobic feel inside. My right knee was always against the console that was a few inches too wide, my left ankle would rub against the cupholder protruding from the drivers door (whoever designed this was a twisted human being), and the door armrest refused to acknowledge that I had elbows and didn't go back as far as it should've.
No matter how many times I drove one, I couldn't get comfortable. I'd rent one and feel cramped, enjoy the driving experience, return it at the end of the rental term, and think back several days later that "maybe it was all in my head that it was cramped". Do the same cycle all over. A five hour drive in a rental Fiesta just felt miserable, and my 6'4'' husband swore that he wanted me to get anything but a Fiesta due to the tight passenger seat.
Too bad, I loved everything else about the car. I always say that if the Fiesta had anything close to the space of a Fit, or a Sonic, that it would've been an easy choice.
So it's interesting seeing what you experienced. Consumer Reports ranks the Fiesta near the bottom for reliability of all cars, but it's mainly due to the dual-clutch automatic (I would've bought the manual, so no problem there) and electronics (just avoid the Ford MyTouch). As far as quality and workmanship, the Fiesta does feel like a better product having much time in them. The Fit's workmanship is pretty sloppy and cost cutting is obvious.
I haven't had the sagging bumper yet, but the trim on the dash is badly misaligned. I don't regret not buying the Fiesta, because it just wasn't pleasant to sit in, but I do wish my vote of confidence in Honda turned out a little better
I didn't have the sagging bumper when I bought the car. It happened last summer when I crossed a piece of "gouged out" pavement in a construction area (wasn't marked). Unfortunately, the Fit's bumper attachment hardware can't deal with the decrepit road conditions in upstate New York (only the Albany area has decent roads upstate-wonder why?).
Like festboi, I REALLY wanted to like the Fiesta, but it's just too cramped inside for me. Not only am I borderline claustrophobic, but I frequently carry guitars and amplifiers and other music gear in the car, and the Fit is more like the Tardis-bigger on the inside than the outside (or so it seems).
I love the car, I really do. That's probably why the quality issues bother me so much. Fortunately, the important stuff (engine, transmission, electronics) have all performed without a hitch so far.
Thanks for the comparison Moto. I seriously considered the Fiesta when I bought the Fit, and really, really, really, really wanted to like that car. I've been pretty loyal to Ford and have had good luck with their cars and experienced pleasant customer service from them, so it was natural to consider the Fiesta. I had test driven a few of them, and rented a couple as well to get more of a long term feel.
I loved the handling capabilities of it, the quiet cabin that kept noise to a minimum (even at 90mph at one stage), the solid feel, the perfect ride combo of not being harsh and not floaty, the smooth shifting manual, the fuel economy, the rebates Ford was offering, the ambient interior lighting, and in the green envy color (which yours probably was), the car was gorgeous.
But........I couldn't get over the limited space. For a car that's the same size footprint as a Fit, how did Ford engineers manage to get such little room. Not only does the Fiesta have 1/2 the cargo space of a Fit, but the back seat is a joke. The driver seat is equally tight; there was always a claustrophobic feel inside. My right knee was always against the console that was a few inches too wide, my left ankle would rub against the cupholder protruding from the drivers door (whoever designed this was a twisted human being), and the door armrest refused to acknowledge that I had elbows and didn't go back as far as it should've.
No matter how many times I drove one, I couldn't get comfortable. I'd rent one and feel cramped, enjoy the driving experience, return it at the end of the rental term, and think back several days later that "maybe it was all in my head that it was cramped". Do the same cycle all over. A five hour drive in a rental Fiesta just felt miserable, and my 6'4'' husband swore that he wanted me to get anything but a Fiesta due to the tight passenger seat.
Too bad, I loved everything else about the car. I always say that if the Fiesta had anything close to the space of a Fit, or a Sonic, that it would've been an easy choice.
So it's interesting seeing what you experienced. Consumer Reports ranks the Fiesta near the bottom for reliability of all cars, but it's mainly due to the dual-clutch automatic (I would've bought the manual, so no problem there) and electronics (just avoid the Ford MyTouch). As far as quality and workmanship, the Fiesta does feel like a better product having much time in them. The Fit's workmanship is pretty sloppy and cost cutting is obvious.
I haven't had the sagging bumper yet, but the trim on the dash is badly misaligned. I don't regret not buying the Fiesta, because it just wasn't pleasant to sit in, but I do wish my vote of confidence in Honda turned out a little better
Same here. I wanted the Fiesta, but when I drove it, it felt REALLY small and cramped on the inside. Couldn't tolerate that, so got the Fit for a whole lot less money, too. Quality on the Fit is lacking to say the least. 3 recalls on mine alone this year. NEVER had a car with more than 1 recall before.
I am surprised that the Honda worshipers have not shown up to trash anybody on this thread. Anything negative about the H, and they attack the poster. See how long it takes for them to show up.
I am surprised that the Honda worshipers have not shown up to trash anybody on this thread. Anything negative about the H, and they attack the poster. See how long it takes for them to show up.
I'm also pretty happy with my Fit too. But I don't think I've had the issues that some people have.. especially the one where the doors rub one another when opening.
