So I just bought my 2011 Fit Sport M/T last week. This is my first new car purchase (my wife and I bought a new Accord last year, but she drives it most of the time--the Fit is all for me). I don't have as much time or skill as many around these parts for making extensive modifications, etc., but I do want to take good care of my new Fit and have fun with it.

That being said, I just don't know all that much about cars. (I must admit, for a 30-year-old guy like myself to say something like that on a forum like this, it sort of feels like coming out of the closet.) I've just never spent that much time with cars--at least, with their inner workings. So where is a good place to start? As much as I would like to take a community college adult-ed auto tech course or something like that, my work schedule likely makes that impossible, so books are probably a better way to go. Both "Auto Repair for Dummies" and Erjavec's "Automotive Technology" have received positive reviews on Amazon as being great starting points for beginners. Anyone have any experience with either of these?

Obviously, for Fit-specific issues, the owner's manual is a good resource, but want to get a more fundamental understanding into car mechanics and maintenance than an owner's manual can provide. Any helpful hints would be very much appreciated. Thanks all!

 

IMO the best place to start is looking at the many GE8 DIY's. Even if you just read them and look at the pictures, they will make you more familiar with your Fit.

Learning to change your own oil is also always a good start.

 

Haha... I'm 33, I'm not much better off.

The Fit is the first car I bought (everything else was "family") and the first to get even this much modding. In case you can't see my signature...

Mods/Accessories:
"Spyder" Dual Headlights | Swift Springs | Enkei RPF01 16"x7" +43 | Conti DWS 205/50/16 | Lower mesh grille
Coverkings seat covers | OEM All season floormats | OEM Center Armrest | OEM Door Visors

Prior to this, I put PNP HID in a Pathfinder and before that, I replaced the headlight and taillight in a Mirage (aka Lancer) and installed power door locks.

As you can see, the springs, wheels and tires are the first time I went for more performance handling.

In a month or two, my Fit will get getting it's 3rd oil change... and I'll be doing it, for the first time EVER! I hope.

If you really plan on going with auto repair for the Fit... I mean fixing stuff like blown gaskets and bust alternators, etc... you might want to buy the "shop" book for the Fit (service manual). It will give you a LOT of info about the Fit.

 

Welcome to FF's B&L I like your straight forward comment about car knowledge, If you have a Fit and can understand simple mechanics this is the place for you! If it's on a Fit we have taken it apart put it back together and made it work above and beyond "as designed"! lol. The Fit is a simple car to learn automotive "Skillz" on. I go by Big Mike here, anything ya got pm me and if I don't know I will send ya to a person that's been there-done that.
Big Mike

 

You'd do well to pick up the service manual as well. It talks about the specific steps to do pretty much everything.

 

If available, see if your CC's has at least a weekend workshops that just introduces the very very basics of car maintenance(oil change, checking fluids, changing a titires, maybe they'll do brakes). Sometimes these mini-courses are specifically targetted towards high school or younger students or towards women.

That will get you started. No matter how many books you read, having a hands-on guided "lab" in a full garage setup with an instructor by far the best way to learn.

Given the budget cuts and overall economic status though of the states, likely these weekend outreach programs may have been cut though and only the full-enrollment courses exist (should be a nighttime or weekend schedule as well). BUT If you cannot dedicate yourself to a full course, I suggest to just leave the spot to a needy student who may be counting on this for a job and can't afford a for-profit school. As you can imagine, given the budget issues and economy enrollment to all these courses are severely impacted.

Getting a modern textbook is still a very good idea if you're interested. Textbooks should explain the background and theories behind all the automotive systems and service. You may want to get the textbook that your local CC uses in their course and or give them a call to see if you can just get materials for self-study.

Service manuals are meant only as the list of specific steps for a vehicle (you can get online subscription to alldata or perhaps honda for pretty cheap); but will not include all the background and theory.

 

Diy
mod it like crazy

 

First thing I would recommend is to enjoy the ride!!!!!!!

Rub it in to all the SUV owners out there barely getting 18 MPG, when the fit can easily pull in double that on a bad day!!!!!!

Lowering the car on some springs will help to stiffin' the ride and aid in avoiding some "freeway / highway shakes" (I've noticed a big difference).

The fits are sharp right off the line but starting with some springs and maybe some minor exterior mods are usually the bast way to add the uniqueness to your ride, make it your own.

ENJOY THE RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Owner's manual is a great place to start. then begin searching your interests here on the forum and READ... simply READ. you will learn lots from a number of people on this forum. Others will not be as Knowledgeable but you'll figure out who knows their stuff. There are some relatively easy tasks to complete (like oil changes, tire rotations etc...) also when you have the hood open or wheel off the vehicle, look at the components. a good resource for general automotive info is HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works! It's not specific to the fit but can often times be useful. For example research how brake calipers work or how drum brakes work.

Welcome to FF.

~SB

 

I would caution against trying to learn things using internet DIY articles. Articles on the internet are written in a short form and you lose the forest through the trees, in other words you don't get a comprehensive systems view.

Instead, do read through a textbook to get the whole picture. If you can't don't want to pay for a textbook, you can borrow one from your local library.

 

My DIY Intake guide is a good place to start. It lead me down the road to nitrous and eventually boost. https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...e-cai-sri.html
Once you get started doing your own mods instead of buying preboxed junk from big companies you wont be able to stop.

 

I agree to a certain extent. The online DIY articles often give a good overview of how a general system can work (like info on how a caliper works in general) They should not be used as reference on how to fix your own specific problem or upgrade but can give you an understanding how how most systems generally work. There's no replacement for a shop manual but that sometimes can be overwhelming.

baby steps.

~SB

 

LMAO!

Lyon, man, you're gonna' get the guy to chop his filter box as a first mod, knowing he's a rookie with cars? Lol! Remember, this kind of stuff is like second nature, a mere afterthought, for those like yourself.

For people like him and I, well, of course I can't speak for him, but the thought of butchering my filter box still scares the crap outa' me, and probably him. Yup, even after coming to this forum for a year or so, and performing multiple mods. My problem is not only cutting up the box and possibly screwing it up, but I may want to put it back to stock at some point. Your mod pretty much kills that reversal.

Plus, what if he does it and can't handle the added volume your mod [or any similar mod] produces?

I was going for a Takeda -- they give cool extras with their intake -- until I rode with a friend who had one. That puppy added some major volume to my friend's driving experience. It sounded great, but it was LOUD!. I don't know if I can handle the extra noise on my GE, and the OP should consider that also.

Excuse the long-winded reply, but he may want to consider all options before jumping into a potentially expensive mod he won't be able to reverse.

Anyway, your mod rocks... you're one of the forum's "Mod Kings", for sure. But maybe the OP should start a little light and less intrusive for his first mod?

Again, I can't speak for him. Then again, maybe he WILL want to jump in with both hands and feet.

Lyon, don't think I've told you before... but I enjoy your posts, and mods!

 

Basic mechanics tool set, a service manual and some confidence should be all you need.

Start with easy stuff. Basic maintenance like engine/trans/rad fluid checks and changes. Change and gap your own spark plugs. Eventually work your way up to brake changes, and clutch adjustment (MT only obviously)

Then try some easy mods, like wheels, brake rotors, throttle controller, chassis bracing, springs or coilovers, stuff like that.

The Helm's service manual should be your first mod, as others suggested. It may be pricey but it is well worth it and will be your gateway to more involved work.

 

Good points, but I don't think shop manual's the way to go either, as that also does not give any history or background on Automotive Technology, but just the repair steps, specs and diagrams.

I was specifically saying Textbook, not service manual,so the general theories on Automotive Technologyand understanding what are common procedures and what are uncommon are understood.

Otherwise, what happens is a shadetree mechanic reads a DIY article or series of DIY article, they targetlock onto that article and think that DIY is the Most Important Thing they need to do. (Such as the above suggestion to DIY a CAI). There is no frame of reference of what really is important without understanding the background of automotive technology which you get from perusing a good textbooks.

If you have not actually fully read an Automotive Technology textbook (and/or taken a formal ASE course) then you might not even know how much you don't know.

 

I definitely agree with you on getting a sound understanding of the theory behind the practice but for joe commuter looking to do his own maintenance how do you propose they do the DIY stuff properly without the Manufacturer's shop manual to cross reference?

The first thing to get for anyone interested in modifying or maintaining their vehicle is the manufacturer's model specific shop manual. End of story.

Not a Chilton's or Hayne's manual, but the one you would find the dealer techs using, which in this case is the Helm's manual. I am not sure why that is even up for debate here.

 

Especially when we're talking about someone with a brand new car. For the first 20,000 miles all he'll need to do is change the oil and filter. After that, maybe change the brake pads. There's not a whole lot of complicated stuff early in a car's life. And it's all pretty simple stuff relative to later repairs or maintance.

 

Welcome, BlueAndWhite! I am right there with ya about not being a car guy, and I'm much older than you.

 

I generally agree, but a slight twist:
A first thing a MECHANIC should do is obtain the service manual. Although I believe if you use an industry leading Online manualsay from Alldata, that is good enough for basic maintenance.

I would recommend the first thing Joe off the street should do is read an Automotive Technologies textbook to understand Automotive Technology. You may have already taken this for granted, but at a very basic level, if you don't know what torque is, or different fasteners and how they are used, how to measure things, or how to use your tools, you need to know these basics first before you can even understand what a Service Manual says.


An analogy is cooking. If you are a cook already, you can easily follow a recipe (service manual) to make a dish.

But if you've never cooked anything before, you need to learn some basic techniques (automotive technology ).
Hand someone who never has cooked anything before a knife and ask them to chop an onion; or give them a pan and a stovetop and tell them to fry an egg and I guarantee it won't look the same as what you see on Iron Chef America.

 

There are different types of car guys.

1. If you want to be a general-knowledge-about-cars person try Jalopnik.com or autoblog.com

2. Change the fluids when they need changing. Just crawling under the car will inform you. Also, try following every driving control from inside the cabin to the wheels.

3. Read up on 4 stroke engines, transmissions, steering systems and braking systems.

Extra credit: Buy a rust-free old motorcycle in poor condition and restore it. The net cost after buying, restoring, and selling the thing should be under $300, and you'll learn more than you need to know about every system on a bike or car.