I have to say the inserts on the Fit really don't hold up for more than a year. I think the annual replacement interval is about right. Kind of disappointed as on my 4Runner, the inserts lasts 2-3 years before chattering.

 

Don't use pliers, they will leave teeth marks.

Use flat-bladed ADJUSTABLE wrenches. This whole Kit is $16 at Harbor Freight.




As I said just twist them a LITTLE BIT, to stand the rubber blades up 'straighter'.

Once the rubber inserts have taken a set, you DO need to replace them.

 

The front wipers on my Fit are doing fine at 2 years and 32,000 miles. Actually, they've been on the car even longer, seeing the car was built in September of '14. To be sure, I had to replace the rear wiper insert last winter after the original developed a tear.

 

You're initial post seems a bit lacking in info regarding your Fit. How many miles are on the car? How old are the wipers and are they OEM Honda wiper blades? How many miles and/or years have the cabin and engine air filters been used?

From what I usually see, wiper inserts typically last 10 to 15 months in my area on a vehicle that is constantly exposed to the sun but not parked under trees. Frequent dry wipes (E.I. no water on windshield bit sprayer or rain), hardened tree sap, bug guts and more tend to shorten the life of the inserts... The opposite is true is the windshield is regularly cleaned of obstructions, rain-x'ed and the vehicle is parked in shaded areas of course. The springs for the wiper inserts can weaken too or be flipped backwards if they aren't integrated within the wiper blade assembly.

Replacement wise... wiper inserts are always cheaper than factory blades BUT even I would agree that 120 bucks is stupid steep for wipers. Did the tech or adviser quote wiper blades? Are you still running the Honda wiper blade assembles that feature serviceable inserts? Depending on the shop's labor rate, I would expect to see more around 50 or 60 bucks installed with parts and labor. Definitely question that, could be a green tech and/or service adviser... or a greedy one.

Air filters are a hit or miss thing in my honest opinion. Yes, you can save a LOT by going aftermarket but some aftermarket companies' products are made of such inconstant fitting and/or flimsy, low quality materials (like STP air filters).

As for drop in engine air filters I honestly vote either OEM Honda or AFE's pro dry reusable filter if its available... other than AFE and AEM's (not a drop in filter for stock application) filters, I haven't seen anything as of yet that comes close to OEM quality in dry flow form other than from those two companies (again, just honest opinion).

The cabin air filter you have a bit more room to play with so long as it completely fills in its designated slot for the blower motor...

The biggest factor in this though is labor that you're paying to have those goods installed because let's face it... the tech does have to get paid for their time to install them. Mind you, I'll all for saving a buck and encourage doing your own maintenance if you're comfortable with it but the person doing the work on the vehicle needs to be compensated for their time. It doesn't help that some dealers charge 110 or more per hour for labor, that's the part that really gets people ESPECIALLY in time intensive jobs like timing belt replacements for example!

Going from what you mentioned above; labor wise, I'm presuming that it would be about .7 hours of labor at that your dealer's labor rate plus parts to replace the cabin air filter, engine air filter, and all 3 wiper inserts? So you might be looking at say 60 bucks in OEM parts (what I used to see for my GD3) with 80 or so bucks in labor... You're looking at maybe 140 bucks before taxes with those installed.

Wiper inserts are only covered under 12 month/12k miles. Wiper arms would likely be 3 years/36k if proven to be defective.

Carbuff2 does bring a valid point up about how wiper inserts will tend to fold over with time in their prior post.

 

​​​​​​Car was made 12/14 and I replaced the whole set in January 2016. The fronts need replacing again because they're chattering, the rear is probably fine but I might as well do the set again. I park in a garage at home and mostly in a shaded area at work so I would think they'd last pretty long but alas they haven't.

 

I bought car during Jan,2015. I have close to 23,500 miles. I am gong to check with tech / american honda again about wiper issue and their recommendations. I bought cabin air filter from amazon for $10. Going to buy engine air filter later. Thanks for the help.

 

I will add that I am obsessive about keeping my windshield clean. It's not unusual for me to clean the windshield of bugs daily during the three seasons we have bugs. That may contribute to my longer reported life.

 

I almost freaked out when the dealer suggests replacing the "engine". That's what happens when "filter" is singular.

 

I night want to try and make one. Not necessarily out of plastic. Perhaps hardwood. There might also the possibility of securing the top of the filter case with a threaded fastener, rather than with a clamp. Perhapa s screw and a nut. You might have to drill a hole somewhere. I'd have to take a look at it to see what could be threaded to what. Can a hose clamp be used somehow?

 

I hate throwing away dirty filters so I prefer reusable ones as it's less wasteful and saves me money in the long run since I change and clean them myself and keep my cars for a long time. There really is nothing easier you can do yourself than changing the air filters. It even shows how in the owner's manual.

AFE and AEM make great products. I had an AFE on my Tacoma. I have an AEM dry flow filter on my AEM intake for my Mazda but for my Hondas only K&N drop ins were available (didn't want an intake) at the time.

AFE has since added a drop in for my 2015 Si. Nothing for the Fit yet though. The other thing a lot of people don't know is that K&N makes cabin filters. I have one in my Si and it's awesome.

I know some people say that the K&N oil can affect the MAF sensor but I routinely clean mine to ensure I shouldn't have that issue.

 

To OP. Realize that parts + markup is standard dealership business model.

You can replace both filters in 20 minutes. The hardest part will be when you tilt down the lower glove box and dump everything onto the floor. Or maybe the hardest part will be waiting for the parts from Amazon. Either way, it's very easy.

Wiper blades should be replaced every year. If you can't afford it, replace them when they don't work well. Generally you just need to replace the wiper surface rubber, not the whole assembly.

 

My wipers squeaked against the windshield from day one. I notices that the thin edge of the strips faced in one direction more than the other. After tolerating the squeaking for a few years, I decided to pull out the rubber strips, turn them around, and push them back in. That way, the thin edge would be the other way. The squeaking stopped!

 

After I buy set of new rubber inserts on-line maybe amazon maybe ebay i don't remember, the 2 fronts and the one rear, $20 for all 3, and put them on, no squeaking. I notice new blade have graphite embedded in the rubber. Comes off on hands. So yes, lubricant in new version of rubber insert, no lubricant in original rubber inserts. New ones work with less chatter and squeaking than original one, probably due to lubricant. But not pay $120, that's crazy. Pay $20 all 3 inserts. Takes minutes to put them in.

 

I replace my blades annually. Honda dealer charges $13.00 and installs them.

 

As for the wiper issue I recommend PIAA silicone wiper blades. I get mine from Amazon. The silicone actually self lubricates itself with each stroke. Also apply NuFinish occasionally to your windshield and I guarantee you won't hear any squeaking. I learned these tricks from the Scotty Kilmer channel.