It's been a while, y'all... and I feel like the Fit is suffering. This is going to be a winding road of a post. Bear with me.

I bought the fit while living in Virginia where I had a massive driveway and tools and supports and catch pans and... all the things one needs outside of having an actual garage to work on one's car. I prefer to do a lot of my own routine maintenance and most other work that doesn't require a lift / drastically raising the car. Fast forward and I now live in Los Angeles, in a canyon nonetheless where the road is less than 19 feet wide with a wall of stone and dirt on one side and a guardrail + precipice on the other. I was only able to bring so many tools with me (hand tools only) and am now at a loss for working on the Fit myself. I've researched some reputable shops and am biting the bullet while swallowing my pride / enjoyment of not doing the work myself.

My driving has gone from rolling hills and lots of cruise control in Virginia to steep canyon climbs (1st gear for a solid 1/4 mile) and hot, stop-and-go LA traffic. On top of that, LA roads and especially canyon roads are terrible. New Orleans has the worst roads in the country, but LA is hot on its tail.

I've attached my service records for insights. The Fit is running well, though, gas mileage has dropped (I keep records). Lately, there has been some... knocking/rocking/looseness being felt in the suspension. I know my shocks and struts are shot. None of the suspension equipment has been replaced. I fear that I've broken another motor mount due to the lack of dampening or something of the like. I know I'm due for an oil change and new transmission fluid (and will be increasing the tranny fluid changing frequency).

Some questions...

1. With the new climate, is 5W-20 still my go-to oil? I also post over on Bob Is the Oil Guy re: oil. I've been getting Blackstone labs to run the oil tests every year and everything so far has been stellar. Currently running Pennzoil yellow bottle 5W-20 and Fram Ultraguard filters (let's not get into that debate here).
2. What all is involved / should be included with an overhaul of the suspension? I looked through the RockAuto catalog and it seemed that there were multiple options for kits / struts / etc. I'll be having the shop do this work, but, will be trying to source my own parts if I can find a shop to allow me to do that. Have always been a fan of Moog, but curious if any other manufacturer does well for Honda.
3. With what you see below and with that I've stated above... what all else would you make sure you do to this car to keep it running well, well into the future?

 

Yea, guess there was too much in there for anyone to focus on.

So, in an effort to condense, what should I be looking for in an estimate from a shop for a suspension refresh?

 

I have no idea, but I’ve done my suspension (shocks & struts, springs, sway bar links) all in my driveway with hand tools a jack, a mind 2 jack stands. if your handy enough to do some of those items in your spreadsheet, you coukd handle it!

actually, I needed a sawzall to cut the end links off...but I live in New England where the winter is hell on cars and exposed fasteners.

and sonething like lower control arms would be more involved. But you’d really need a proper diagnosis to find what exactly is worn and what truly needs replacing, and the actual cost of that.

 

Thanks for providing detailed record.
While not answering your question, I have few questions myself:
When shop replaced the idler and belt , what brand of parts did they use? what was their labor rate? was the roller noisy?(I've swapped bearing)
Do you have before / after alignment printout?
Where are you buying B-A air filter? I using Napa medium grade (Made in Poland)
In terms of oil recommendation (I've changed oil since the leasing period ended in late 2009):
I use 5W-20 Valvoline premium conventional or Quaker State oil of same viscosity and Honeywell (-02) genuine oil filter typically change at 20 to 15% of MM
There is no yellow film so far under valve cover (my typical drive is 30 minutes each way but mainly [speeding] on the city streets)
The engine developed piston slap around 45,000 miles
If you would not mind driving to Los Alamitos, I can take a look on your suspension (contact Mister Coffee for references), PM for more information.
The components on my list to be watched for are:
rear wheel cylinders
master brake cylinder
condenser cooling fan
thermostat and radiator
windshield wiper linkage
front lower control arms
Starter swap before winter

 

Thanks for the reply, doctor J. Here are my answers:

1. Not sure what brand of parts they used. It was my go-to shop in New Jersey (Miles Auto Service in Turnersville for anyone in that area. I shed tears that I'm so far from that shop, they're so good) and while I asked lots of questions (and was given answers and shown the old idler pulley whose bearing was shot), I didn't ask about part manufacturer. Their labor rate is $80 or $90/hour and they did it same day I called, squeezing me in end of day. Man, I miss that shop. I've attached audio recordings of what that idler pulley sounded like before it was fixed.
2. I'm sure I have it in the file, but, don't have the file with me at the moment. Why do you ask?
3. Air filters:
   1. Engine:
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010HNPYA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010HNPYA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   2. Cabin:
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRMD5T4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRMD5T4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the offer... Los Alamitos is a bit of a haul, but, will shoot you a PM. And thanks for the list of things to keep an eye on.

 

Alignment reading s "before" may help to diagnose suspension and steering components

 

Ah, noted.

I'll see what I can dig up.

 

Took the Fit up to T&T auto in Studio City this morning and was pretty pleased with the shop and Edwin, the owner. See details here: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-...ml#post1433858

Now, I need to source some components.