I'm surprised you had so many issues with your S2000. The friends i've known who have had them loved them and they were mostly trouble free except for the convertible top latch that kept on breaking lol

The only Honda dealership I went to in Socal was World Westminster and they were pretty helpful both in sales and service. I had a small issue with the 12v plug and the service advisor (used to be a tech) fixed it in the check in line and sent the car back for a free wash and sent me on my way. Maybe things have been changing though, I don't know. I haven't been back to the dealership for three years.

Honestly though, I think my GE will be my first and last new Honda. Not because I don't like it, but because I don't think they'll make another car as free of defects or reliable as this one that was built in the motherland.

 

I haven't had any problems with my Fit (knock on wood) but I think my next purchase will be a Lexus or Toyota (I'm surprised a fair amount of Mazdas, Mitsubishis and Nissans are still made in Japan; I may consider either of those brands as well). Customer service with Honda over the phone was rather unpleasant when I was having trouble with a particular dealer. I know for a fact Audi or Toyota would've handled my issue differently.

 

The worst part about it is there shouldn't be nearly as many calls being fielded to Honda CS as there have been in recent threads. That alone lets me know it's time to look elsewhere. All of these issues should have been able to be handled at the dealership level, or the dealership should be calling Honda for you.

It's ridiculous they make you do the phonework on a brand new car at all.

 

I agree that all sounds horrible. I have to say I must have been very lucky. So far my car hasn't exhibited any of the problems discussed on this forum. It did have a scratch or a scuff on the driver door which the dealer addressed to my satisfaction. Looked like it had rubbed up against some sort of white plastic but came off easily enough.

Since I've been following this thread I checked on everything reported and didn't find anything wrong with the car. The doors and other panel gaps all seem correct. No clearance issues in the doors for sure. Weather stripping (door seals) are firmly attached. Visors are firmly attached. No gap in steering wheel mesh. My center console lid does not rub against the seat when opening (I have an EXLN). Wind noise is typical Honda (ie., much worse than GM products but par for the course). So far so good on the lane watch and back-up cameras--no black screens and no incorrect camera views.

I'm sure I'll eventually discover something wrong with the car but so far haven't found any defects. The AC blows cold in the Texas heat and keeps me comfortable with the fan on 2 and air on fresh with the Eco button engaged. The CVT doesn't seem overly loud for the segment. The paddle shifts are entertaining when used entering and exiting corners. And I'm averaging 40 mpg on my grocery store runs without much effort.

And unlike some remarks I've read on this board which, as a Texan (Texican?), almost seem a bit racist, I haven't noticed any issue which I would blame on Mexican workers. Seriously people..Mexicans are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Get over your bad self!

 

My Fit has only had one small issue, scratched paint (very small, on roof) on delivery. The dealer is 1 hour away and I told them I would only come on Saturdays (body shop will only take one day) because of the distance, they immediately said no problem and are paying for my rental with no difficulties whatsoever. So I have had a great experience!

Had a popped tire less than 2 weeks in, but obviously I just ran over something.

 

Man sorry to hear about your experience! I wanted a Fit and heard assembly was moving to Mexico so I picked up a 2013 Sport 5MT in late 2012.

Sadly some German cars are moving production to Mexico.

I think the reliability of the car will still be leagues better than anything German. They are expensive to maintain and not very reliable, but they are definitely built well! I just bought a 2015 Boxster S and the quality is impeccable, but my (Japanese built) Fit has absolutely ZERO flaws that I could find.

Thank you, honestly, for posting such a detailed account of the quality issues with the car and with great supporting documentation (pictures)

Now any possible thoughts I had about trading my Fit for a 2015 (to get the sunroof and other goodies) are dead.

 

I don't think not wanting your Japanese car built in Mexico makes you racist...I don't think anyone will really argue that Mexican laborers are better at building cars than Japanese laborers. Then there's zee Germans, who also engineer and build cars really really well. Maybe Acura should team up with Audi to bring me a German built Audi with a Honda engine and electrical components...

Mexican laborers not building the car as well also doesn't mean they don't work as hard. In my experience Mexicans are very hard working and family-centered people. There's nothing wrong with their work ethic or culture, but the Japanese and the Germans build much better cars.

The same comparison can be made to American workers. They don't build a car nearly as well as the Japanese either (for anyone curious now I was born and raised in the good 'ol USA, I am as American as they come, but I am just being realistic)

 

It's not so much a racist thing as it is a nationalist thing.

If you've ever worked side by side with Japanese workers you would understand. Their attention to detail is impeccable even to the point of obsessive to most Americans. The most stressful audits i've gone through at work were from Japanese companies. They expect the same attention to detail from American workers as they have there, and it's VERY difficult to get right. Are American workers hard working? Of course. But it's different, a completely different set of values.

I'd prefer a Japanese built car over an American built car.

Is that racist?

If there was a hispanic man that was born in Japan and was taught Japanese work ethic, I have no doubt his attention to detail would be the same.

 

And yet Mexicans do much of the body work at the best of the classic and custom restoration companies. Remember, Mexicans have been working with metal for years, even before they were forced to do so as slaves by the conquering Spanish. Metal working in Mexico is a very longstanding tradition.


Of course not the same as building a whole car, but it seems to me an easy extrapolation.

 

Got a call yesterday from the dealership parts department (yay communication, gotta be the first time the dealership called ME instead of the other way around).

The parts guy said that the spoiler for my 2013 Accord came in and is ready for install on Tuesday.

...

I cross verified it was supposed to be for me, and it was. So they have now ordered the needed B pillar part again. They marked it urgent so its supposed to arrive before Tuesday (Not sure... Monday is a holiday...)

 

Thanks for giving the last 5 of your VIN since that is the build sequence code. My yet to arrive VIN is 22335 unless there is some kind of switcheroo!

 

Sorry to hear about all the trouble you're having with your 2015 Fit. I would have never driven the car off the lot with all these issues. I am so thankful my 2007 Honda Fit (made in Japan and took 3 months to get) has had no issues or major repairs at all except for a hand full of recalls which were promptly addressed by my dealership. In fact my avatar picture is from 2 weeks ago. My 2007 Honda Fit was pulled at a large car show with nearly 200 cars entered in the Top 75 Judges Picks plus pulled as the Best Tuner. Not bad for a daily driven Fit that is 7 years old and has over 42,000 miles on it. I know the mileage is low but I have a short commute everyday. Hope you can get all your issues fixed so you can enjoy your Fit.

 

*edited* i just want to drive my fit. this sucks.

 

So the end of the saga. For now, because I am too fed up with it to deal with it anymore.

The car went back in on Tuesday, they gave me another rental (Red Cruze this time)
Took two hours to get the rental.
I called, was told to pick up the car at the end of the day. Drove there, was told the sticker specialist was not able to make it. So they kept the car overnight.

Wednesday I was told to come pick it up at noon. I arrive there, sticker dude hasn't arrived yet, told to come back at the end of the day.

Wednesday, end of day, come back, car is done. No scratches on the other pillars this time.
They did manage to nick the weatherstripping on the drivers door somehow, but its a very small cut.
The black tape is also installed rather crooked, but I don't really care anymore.
Those stickers are VERY fragile. I figure I will just plastidip it if they get damaged again.
They also mangled the interior rubber strip right behind the B pillar black tape, it is touching the forward edge of the rear window. It is all warped and stretched now, because they had to pull it off twice. The same can be said for the outer window moulding (the black plastic piece that runs along the lower edge of the window). It is loose now and rattles, because they had to pull it off twice.

The door gapping is okay, the gap between my front door and rear door is about 5mm+ now. You can stick your pinky finger in there.
The rear passenger door is hopeless. They cannot pull the bottom portion in anymore (it sticks out still). The top is now pulled in too far (it is sunk in 2mm from flush)
Drivers side gap between doors = 5mm+, Passenger side gap between doors, 2-3mm
The drivers side door no longer hits the rear door.

They did nothing about the streaked hatch paint, or the scratched headlight, or the steering wheel gap.

Anyways, the car is back, TPMS light turned back on while driving home, but I don't really care anymore. I figure I will drive it for a couple years, get rid of it before it completely falls apart, and never buy another Honda again.

I spent approximately 30 hours, with all the driving, back and forth, phone calls, etc, on this. That's 75% of a work week, which for me, would easily be 2-3k. That money is the difference between this car and a Mazda 3. In response to a previous post where I was told that I should pay for the gas I use on a rental, I have thought about it (that bugged me for some reason) and when the majority of that gas is spent driving back and forth to the dealership, I think I shouldn't have to pay for gas. While waiting 2 hours for the rental I went and test drove the Mazda 3 again, and examined several cars on the lot. The build quality and finish on those cars was perfect. Serious buyers remorse now.

 

ah, i went through that a week ago. 25 year honda owner, first rough experience. i will try and stick it out for a bit, will do my best to make lemonade out of lemons...

whatcha think of the mazda 2 and mazda 3? depending on what happens with my fit, i may just take the depreciation hit and drive one of those home.

 

Since you've already done all the hard stuff, I'd say now do the easy stuff. It sounds to me like you've been more than patient with this dealer and Honda as a whole here. Before you give up, look up your state's lemon laws. These exist to protect consumers like you in cases where a defect or defects cause impaired use, value, or safety of a new car and are not remedied in a set number of repair attempts. I'm no lawyer, but if you've got a shot, it'd be under the "value" aspect of the law, assuming your state includes this.

Edit: Also, tweet your experience to @HondaCustSvc - simple enough and they might help.

 

I'm sorry you have had to go through so much trouble. To experience so many problems with a Honda is almost like finding a winning lottery ticket on the ground. It just doesn't happen very often.
I base my car purchases on reliability. So I understand how disappointed you must feel. Maybe it will get better.

 

Go to corporate. A new car should be at least 95% perfect. And they should work with you until you get that. Once a dealer has sold you the car they don't have much to gain from you so a crooked dealer will just screw you over rather than lose money. So go to corporate who cares about their reputation.

If you got a defective car it is just a defective car.. my 2015 Fit is almost perfect, had a few paint scratches that the dealer is getting fully repaired. So my Fit will be perfect once it's repaired. Dealer guy I'm working with is stupid and doesn't communicate anything to me, frustrating to work with, but they are honest and taking care of any problems. Go to someone who cares, maybe the manager or corporate itself and nicely complain until the situation is rectified. A new car should be nearly perfect.

 

Hello Bigbadvoodooguru,

We are very sorry to hear about your experience with your brand new Honda Fit. We would like to look into your concerns to see what we could do to assist you. Please contact us via private message with your VIN, mileage and dealership so we can better assist you.

Thank you,

Social Media
Automobile Customer Service
Twitter: @HondaCustSvc

 

nice! i get the feeling they will have a PM inbound from me soon...