I like having a list of what's due when. It seems the Fit has Maintenance Items and Sub Maintenance Items, with different indicators for each. Is that correct? I'm trying to set up a maintenance schedule.

The Owner's Manual says to see the separate maintenance booklet. We didn't get one with either Fit. The only thing close is a booklet that one of the dealers, with service due every 5,000 miles.

 

Well, it sounds like the dealer stole your maintenance booklet so they could give you one with a maintenance schedule that favors them (i.e., at the expense of your wallet).


Doesn't the 2015 Fit have a maintenance minder that tells you when to do stuff?


I think the dealer needs to be told to fork over what they stole from you before they delivered the car.

 

The 2015 goes by the Maintenance Minder system and all the items and subitems have variable intervals depending on driving activity. There's is no scheduled interval for any of it (other than the usual check tire pressure and oil level stuff). The oil life indicator on the dash can give you some idea of how long it might be between oil changes... but it varies based on how you drive. For example, I'm at over 4000 miles and it's looking like my first change will be due just south of 10k if I continue my current driving habits (longer highway/rural trips mainly).

 

We did not receive any type maintenance booklet with our 2015 Fit either. I did see in the owners manual where they mention one, but everything else is in regard to the Maintenance Minder system. When I had Volvo's, the maintenance booklet was simply a place for a dealer stamp, indicating (or verifying), the maintenance was done. Keeping your service records will do the same thing.

 

Yeah, but the dealer essentially stealing something that's supposed to be delivered with the car, presumably so they can sell you un-needed services, is pretty slimey.

 

None received by me either. However, I've been around the block a few times and know better. Maint minder is what we should go by.

 

Having lived in NYC for years, I haven't owned a car in 35 years. How often should I check the oil level? I'm checking the tires monthly.

 

I love how some of you assume the dealer "stole" it based on one sentence in a 400 page manual that was possibly written before the car went into final production by someone who translated either from a second language or into a second language.

There wasn't one in my car either and my dealer didn't give me any recommendations as to when to get the oil changed. Is he an asshole for not giving me the maintenance booklet, a good guy for not trying to get me to change my oil early, or just incompetent?

Does anyone actually have one of these maintenance booklets? A google search comes up empty. There isn't a maintenance manual on the Honda owners website either. Are we sure a separate booklet it even exists?

 

Good point, I take back what I said, pending further info.


But you can't dispute that dealers often, if not more often than not, recommend maintenance that isn't according to the manufacturer.

 

Maintenance info starts on page 353 of the Owner's Manual.

I recall having a separate maintenance log in my older Honda Accord, but not in the new one. I think that with the adoption of the Maintenance Minder system, that booklet has been retired.

Below is the Maintenance Minder menu from the owner's manual:

 

My dealer gave me his own maintenance manual that they had printed. It specifies oil change and other things every 5,000 miles.

 

Yes, it's not surprising the dealer would give you something like that. Surprisingly, neither of the dealers from which we bought our cars did...

To make it simple: follow the Maintenance Minder. That's what it's there for; if you do that and keep the service records, that will satisfy any potential warranty-service questions.

IMO, your dealer gave you their own maintenance manual because they're seeing the frequency of visits from cars with Maintenance Minders drop off, so they're seeing a drop in revenue/profit from the service department. They want to fool you into doing maintenance more frequently than necessary.

Using the Maintenance Minder, our 2009 traveled 10,500 miles between its last oil change and the one prior to that. It's varied between that as a high and about 7,000 miles as a low, presumably based on the behavior of the Nut Behind the Wheel...

 

Smells fishy. Give them one chance, though- call your salesman and ask him for the one that came from the factory. If he denies that one exists, thank him for his time. Then call Honda customer service and ask. Their number is 1-800-999-1009.

Then if your dealership was telling the truth or if they were lying, let everyone know at Honda Fit Dealer Reviews.

 

Manual states every time you refuel.

 

It must have been written in 1955.

 

For whatever it is worth my FIT came with a Maintenance Booklet. It was duly filled out with the pre-sale checklist, signed off, and packed in case with the Owner's manual.

 

Do you mean the "PDI and Final Delivery Checklist"?

 

Are you talking about what came with your 2013 second generation Fit? Perhaps yours is the last year they included the booklet. My 2015 came with a pre-sale checklist, but it was not associated with any booklet.

 

If the car is telling you when to service you don't need a maintenance book.

I don't doubt that some dealers are making their own manuals as oil changes are a good revenue generator for them. It lets them "discover" other work to do and also gets you close to those shiny new cars in the showroom. I prefer to do my own as I'd rather check things over myself and so I know what brand, grade, and quantity of oil was put in.

If you like to be more conservative with your oil changes there is no reason why you can't change it before it says to do so. Even with that, the maintenance minder system will allow you to be more economical about your changes.

 

The maintenance book is also a place to keep track of what work has been done.