Greetings from Atlanta!

I recently (as in last night) purchased a 2008 Fit Sport (Storm Silver Metallic, I believe) as a replacement for a 2008 Hyundai Accent SE that was totaled last week courtesy of a 16 year-old kid who wasn't paying attention in Atlanta traffic.



I have always dug the Honda Fit, but the Hyundai, when I purchased it, was such a good deal, it was hard to pass up. And I really did love that little car. However, I feel like I got a pretty good deal on mine, and I'm sure I'll enjoy this one at least as much for different reasons.

51,000 miles with all oil changes and scheduled maintenance documented, new tires, etc.

I look forward to gaining lots of knowledge here, and will hopefully be able to pass some along as well.

 

Wow! It's like I'm seeing our double We have a 2008 SSM Sport manual just like yours. Had it since new and not a single need for a trip to the dealer yet. Fun to drive, efficient, and extremely dependable. I'm sure you'll love it!

Oh...and welcome!!!

 

Thanks!

Although, it's almost a double. I forgot to clarify that mine is a AT. I would have loved to have a 5-Speed (which is what the Accent SE was), but with my work commute and the traffic sometimes involved, an AT isn't such a bad thing.

 

I can appreciate the benefits of an auto in Atlanta. Every trip we take to the airport reminds me of how much I hate driving in Atlanta. Road closings, construction, wrecks, potholes, etc. Atlanta is one of the worst cities I have driven in.

I would guess that the average auto has been driven more gently than the average manual. A plus when shopping used.

 

nice. sorry to hear about the accident..hope you and the idiot 16yr old (that's kind of a given for kids) wasn't hurt.

 

Sounds like you got a good deal... car purchase, not the accident. Welcome aboard!

 

Maybe it's the angle, but it looks like your rear spring(s) are sagging. Better get some Swifts ;D

 

You know, I sort of noticed that the rear end looked a little low compared to other photos of Fit's I have seen, but then again, there's a speaker box with two 12's, 3 amps and a capacitor in the cargo area that is probably weighing things down back there. All of that stuff came with the car, interestingly enough. I have already picked out a single 10" box that is way smaller than what is back there now. Not only will it (and ditching at least one amp) obviously help with the cargo space (which is non-existent currently), but that's probably a fair amount of weight back there right now.

 

That's what I am hoping for.

Although, I am hearing that "gurgling" sound from behind the dash that is apparently related to the cooling system. I have read about Technical Service Bulletin 08-096, so it appears that I will need to take it to a Honda dealer to have that looked at. I tried running the engine until warm with the radiator cap off, but that didn't seem to work. Odd that a car with the service record history that this car has wouldn't have gotten that fixed, but I suppose it's possible.

Jury is still out on the "efficient" part. I calculated 26.8 MPG last night when I filled-up, but I know that this first tank isn't going to be completely accurate. I reset the trip meter before I left the dealer lot, but the mileage back from whatever gas station they used wasn't accounted for. Plus, my wife drove it around the neighborhood after I got it, and I ran it at idle for at least 10 minutes while trying to bleed the air from the heater core. So...hopefully the next tank will be better. I was averaging 32 MPG in the Accent, and got as high as 37 MPG with it (in the summer with the A/C running). I know that the automatic mileage won't be as good as manual, but I certainly hope it's better than 26 MPG in mixed driving.

We shall see.

 

what i usually do is race the engine to 3K rpm for 10sec at a time do that like up to 10x to burb the system. keep an eye on the water temp just in case. i know these cars dont actually have a water temp gauge but that stupid icon..

 

Yesterday morning, I removed the radiator cap to attempt to bleed air out of the cooling system. The coolant/antifreeze level wasn't up to the neck of the filler tube, but obviously I couldn't see the level in the radiator. There was coolant in the reservoir tank, though. Somewhere close to the max line from what I can see.

I started the engine and let it run for at least 10 minutes with the HVAC temperature control all the way on "hot". I didn't hear any bubbling, and after about 10 minutes, I turned on the HVAC fan, and it was blowing out warm air. It was chilly, so the cooling fans never kicked on. I replaced the radiator cap and drove it around the block.

When I started it up this morning, I heard the gurgling again.

I called the dealer from which I bought the car and explained what was happening. They said they would take care of it. However, I am going to top off the radiator tomorrow morning before work and let it run for a bit and see what happens.