Got a call from American Honda today in response to my request for help repairing my defective VTC actuator. They said they would not help me. Their reason was that the car is too far out of warranty (5 years and 95K miles) and that I did not bring it in to a dealer to have the problem verified more than once. Both are good points. Other than the VTC noise, the only other times I took the car in were for recall repairs and a misaligned sunroof. I have done all my own oil changes. Since it takes much less time for me to do it myself rather than driving to a shop and waiting around while they do it. Also, if I do it, I know it's done right. But the upshot of that is that Honda has little record of the car's service history.
I wish I had been more aggressive in taking the car in repeatedly until a Honda mechanic could hear the noise. But the dealer was in another city, and I wasn't keen on repeated trips to the dealer. And noise did not occur too frequently until the last year or so.
I am disappointed but not surprised by Honda's response.

 

My 2015 experienced exactly the same gradual VTC issues as you experienced. By 80k miles (and 3 yrs ownership) I was getting them after the car was parked for more than a few hours.... even in the summer time. Issues started occasionally with a cold start in winter time. Rattles sound so crazy that you truly think the engine will either seize or experience catastrophic failure. I think that the oil drains out of the vtc back down and by the time it gets pumped back in.... makes those rattles. I had numerous starts with the rattles... with no adverse effects to fuel economy. (also a side note injectors were replaced at 17k under warranty). Apart from the rattles, the engine ran perfectly fine with the only other gradual problem being oil consumption (about half qt every 1500 miles or so) by the time i reached 80k miles and boaty feeling suspension. I was getting a bad feeling that the check engine light was going to go on again so I traded in before things got worst. I now roll in my mitsu mirage.... less power... less space... less everything ... on port injection with the 5 speed manual.... loving it.... great little car.

Personally I don't think that those rattles actually cause any damage but I don't know what the long term effects are. Even if you replace the VTC (as others did)... rattles may come back.... so I think it's a hit or miss. Anyway... I wish you do what's best for you and in the meantime I will stay away from the combination of "Honda" & "direct injection". I still think Honda makes some great vehicles and I still think the GK platform is really well designed overall. But Honda still puts out the 2 liter port injected motor in some civics so I may consider that in the future. Direct injection is more complex (additional high pressure fuel pump) and I think it's prone to throw codes when combined with short trips and dealers will blame it on 'bad gas'. But any of the couriers who rake up high miles seem to be doing fine with the GK and direct injection.... so I think the system is more suitable for that kind of operation. Port injection is a proven design ... can't go wrong with that. Another thing Honda seems to have done right with the GK is the CVT.... seems to be flawless. If it weren't for the injector problems... I would have kept my GK as is ... with rattles and all other issues.

 

I would agree. I'd guess Honda's trying to squeeze their costs down as much as they can because of the huge air bag recalls they keep having to do. It does show the importance though of going after Honda on every problem you have while still under warranty. Don't put things off.

 

I have my 2015 scheduled to have its VTC actuator replaced on 2/12/20. The estimate is $500 for labor and $500 for parts. The service bulletin says the replacement should take 3 hours, but the dealer says it takes longer. Their labor rates appear to be $100 per hour. Wow.
I have the same issue with oil consumption that CommanderSlug reports. I use about one quart per 3,000 miles or so. It varies. The engine has no oil leaks, so it has to be going out the tailpipe, which means either rings or valve guides. If it doesn't get any worse, I can live with it. I have had a two Hondas before this one, an Accord and a Civic, and I have not had oil consumption issues.
I have read on the Honda Fit forums that a number of other owners have had the VTC rattle. As the GK Fits fall out of warranty and owners begin to replace the actuators at their own expense, energy for a class action law suit may develop. Sign me up! An intermittent problem that starts at under 10,000 miles, as mine did, is clearly a faulty design, not wear and tear or the result of an occasional bad part. I wish the rattle had gotten as bad as it is now much earlier in the car's life so I could have had it fixed under warranty.

 

Report your failure at recall.gov site. As these reported issues mount, Honda is officially on the hook for action.

$100 is low for a dealership. Most are $175 to $225/hr.

 

Wanted to check in (years later) and see if you think this is what could be going on with my 2008 Honda fit? It's making the exact sound you're describing upon a cold start!

 

You kinda woke me up from a long slumber. I haven't posted on these boards in a long time. Yes, replacing the starter should be your first course of action. My second starter in my "Pontiac Corolla", or for you on the west coast, "Toyota Vibe" is now doing the same thing, even though I'm in a nice warm Florida climate year round. As soon as we get a chilly morning I am getting the bendix gear grind with 1 out of every 10 starts. So obviously they didn't fix the issue with the re-manufactured Denso starters. I ended up putting in a Pep Boys model in my Fit since it is tough to get at the part and get the bolts off, so now at least with that car I have a lifetime warranty.

 

Thank you so much for letting me know! I'm deciding whether to keep/sell my car (I'll need to replace start + new tires) . . . trying to decide how long I can trust the current starter. Any advice on that? (I've got some camping trips coming up in May and I don't want to get stranded!)

 

I have many questions while attempting to answer your question.
1. Since the first generation Fit is one of the only cars in history to be virtually perfect in reliability, why would you want to give it up? While it is too tiny for me to drive and while I consider it to be a commuter car, unless you have some new found wealth or unless it is time to treat yourself to something modern, I'd put the money into getting a starter, even before I ask you question #2:
2. how many miles do you have on your '08? These cars are proven to be good for 300,000 miles
3. if you want to keep your Fit, again, I'd get a starter put in at Pep Boys, where you can get a lifetime warranty on the part. I did that for our Fit simply because it is a bear to get the original out, especially when the bolts are rusted on.
4. how many times a week are you getting the grinding noise at startup? I didn't worry about it until it was happening 3 times a week. That's not a scientific number, just a "time to ensure I don't get stranded" feeling. You also can bring along a heavy iron object like a hammer in case you need to tap/whack the starter into compliance during your camping trip. Unlike the alternator, the starter is not likely to get you stranded. Moreover, if you have a manual gearbox, you can roll it downhill and clutch start it if it comes to that.
In short, you have a near bulletproof car which has proven worthy of putting money into basic repairs. I certainly would not give up on it unless you want to treat yourself. As for tires, if you need to get new ones cheaply, check walmart.com from time to time. They have clearances on tires which are unbeatable. I picked up some Mastercraft tires for my Fit. The install price was a joke; they were practically giving them away.

 

Final report: I had my Fit VTC actuator replaced at a local Honda dealer yesterday. The labor cost was $400, and the parts cost was $315.19 (the actuator itself cost $227.92). With shop supplies and tax, the bill came to $728.55. I was VERY happy with the price and the service. The original estimate was $1,003. Great dealership, as far as I can tell.
I am mightily relieved to have this problem fixed. It certainly would not have cost Honda much to give me some help with the bill, but I suspect they don't want to set a precedent of being unnecessarily generous. And I also suspect that they will have a substantial failure rate for this VTC actuator from model years 2015–2017. Thanks for the advice and commiseration you all offered. I'm out.

 

One thing I forgot to mention. My Fit fuel economy had dropped substantially in the last several months. I was averaging about 36–38 mpg instead of 40–42 mpg. On the way home from having the VTC actuator replaced, I got 47.5 mpg (20 mile drive). The route was all highway and I was driving about 50 mph most the way, but it's a route I take nearly daily and often that slowly, so I think it's a fair apples-apples comparison.
Part of the VTC procedure is to adjust the valve lash. If the change in fuel economy continues, I will be tempted to attribute it to either something with the VTC itself or the valve adjustment.

 

There are no highways near me where 50 mph it's a safe speed to travel lol

 

@2Rismo2: Highway 101 is two-lane with few passing opportunities most the way along the Oregon coast. The speed limit is 55, but lots of people are sight-seeing or just inattentive. You're lucky if you can do 55. Even one person going 50 means that everyone goes 50. I have learned to relax and enjoy the views, even though I've seen them over and over. And, as it turns out, the slow pace really increases my fuel economy. It's not exactly a win-win, but I'll take it.

 

To answer your questions: 77k miles, and it's happening about 2 out of 3 of the times I cold start my car (I only drive a few times a week and of course it's starting just fine every time I try to record the noise!)

Thanks for the tip re: pep boys and the tires at walmart, I do love this car! I'm very attached to it!

 

Sounds like a nice road, but I think I'd go bonkers getting stuck behind the sight seers.

 

Brian, it ought to be mandatory that in every dealership, in addition to the sign that says "like it or not, we will charge you a fee of $399 for 10 minutes worth of paper processing," there should be another mandatory sign that reads "failure to regularly bring your car in for unnecessary, overpriced, routine service will result in a NO from Honda of America when you ask us for a good faith repair on parts we know are defective." Dealerships are a joke. I still cannot believe they exist now that it is 2020. I expected car vending machines on every corner by this time in our evolution. Cheers man.

 

I have a 2017 Fit EX 6 Speed Manual Transmission which began to exhibit the "grinding" sound intermittently for fraction of a second during start. I took it to the dealer and they were able to replicate the symptom. The dealer will be replacing the VTC actuator and "chain" under the 5 year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. Hopefully, this repair will fix the issue.

 

The defective VTC part ends in "003" while the replacement part ends in "013" which should all be covered under the 5-year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. This is what was replaced on my 2017 Fit EX just recently.

 

Is there any risk of engine damage if this is left alone? Our 2015 just started making it, but we are out of warranty. Have only owned Hondas.
i wonder if anyone using full synthetic is having this issue?

 

Although the noise may increase over time as far as I know and from what I've read, no one has suffered engine damage from this. It's more of an annoyance issue.

Everyone with a 2015+ Fit should be using full synthetic oil. Are you not using synthetic?