I landed an orange 2007 Fit Sport, automatic, yesterday with 95,000 miles for only $6,500. I bought it sight unseen since I had lost out on two other Fits due to dealerships buying up all the used cars, flipping them, and selling them for upwards of $4,000 higher than originally offered by the owner. I could tell from talking to the owner for 15 minutes that it was a great car, so I had him call off the circling vultures and offered the money over the phone. I am having the car fully examined by my mechanic to include switching out all the fluids. Having scoured over the car myself, here is what I have found after one day of ownership Perhaps you can help me with some of these questions:

1. I can operate the manual shift paddles in either D (drive) or S (sport?)mode. I don't understand what the difference is. The quick reference guide seems to indicate that I have to shift the car to S before operating the shift paddles. That is not the case.
2. Once I got home, I did find a small amount of water in the spare tire wheel well. The floors under the magic seats are dry. I have read all your posts regarding the hinges, dirt under the hatch seal, and possible entry through a weld under the spare tire. Is there a drain plug in the spare tire wheel well that I am supposed to open? I read a post about a TSB on the rear seal. I'm assuming a Honda dealer would not be willing to do that fix for free given the car is way out of warranty?
3. After registering with Honda, I see that there are three open recalls on my car that were never taken care of by the original owner.
4. I've studied all the notes I could read regarding potential troubles with this very reliable car. They are
a. water coming through interior holes in driver and passenger side doors
b. coil packs needing replacement should the car begin to shudder
c. valve adjustment at/after 100,000 miles
d. Any Others??

 

I have a pdf of the 07 owner's manual. It explains the different modes for the paddles in D or S. It's about 5MB - PM me your email and I'll send it to you.

How did you register with Honda (#3)?

 

People have found running the valves at 50,000 is the way to go not waiting until 100,000. There is a thread on here all about the water in the trunk well.

 

thanks very much EJ. I registered on the Honda Owners webpage at www.owners.honda.com

As for the owner's manual, I have the paper book, so I'll take some time when the car comes back from my mechanic to read it through thoroughly. Thanks for the offer though.

Loudbang: did you mean that owners are getting the valves adjusted at 50,000 miles?

 

Congrats on the your new Fit and welcome to the fit freak family. On the paddle shifters, check out the video on the Honda owners link. If it's not still there, I can explain the difference in using the paddles in both s and d mode. For regular driving in d when you want to up shift or down shift, you can use the paddles to override the automatic shift points. This is useful and fun when taking an off ramp at speed and you want to down shift on your own without waiting for the automatic. When you use the paddles you'll see the dash indicator light up showing which gear you are in. If you don't touch the paddles again, the automatic will take over again and do it's own thing. When in the Sport (S), mode it's a little different. When using the paddles in this mode, the transmission will stay in the gear you select, and will only shift when you use the paddles. This mode give you the most control over your transmission and more closely simulates a manual driving experience. I like this mode when driving around twisty roads. In any of the modes there is some built in logic that won't allow you to over rev the engine and cause damage. so don't be afraid to play around with it and see what it can do.

 

Great response Rampo. Who needs a video after that excellent write up. Thanks for taking the time. Everything you wrote makes perfect sense.

 

Congrads! Back in 2007 I wanted a BOM so bad but there was none on the east coast. I love the body style of the 2007 - hint - CF hood looks awesome on a BOM with black rims! Welcome to the Fit family - get those recalls taken care of and you should be in good shape. My 2007 only has 35,000 miles. Can't wait to see some pictures!

 

he, he....thanks CAT. Now the pressure is really on. I have to figure out how to post pictures. I know that normally involves posting to a bucket website, which I have never belonged to. I'll keep reading and figure it out. I normally don't get any work done at the dealer, so when I bring my Fit in for the three recalls, I'll try to work them over for a good price on the inevitable valve clearance adjustment. Since this is my first Honda, I'm not sure how you all feel about the VTEC engine and whether it should only be tinkered with by Honda instead of my normal mechanic.

 

For sure most people have found the exhaust valves with almost NO clearance at all around 50,000 miles. There is a DIY here if you have some skills.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...clearance.html

 

Thanks very much loudbang for your post. My skills were back in the day when I could literally climb inside my '69 Valiant to do work. Having crawled through the Fit I just bought, I can barely get my hand down to grab the transmission fluid dipstick. Actually, getting my hand back out is the problem. I thought the former owners of my car were going to have to call for the jaws of life to extricate me from the engine compartment. It sounds like you are giving my mechanic a vote of confidence to do the valve job, vice going to a Honda dealer. I'll ask my mechanic how much he charges for that service when I pick it up after his full check-up of my car. I'll then ask Honda how much they charge when I take the car in for the three outstanding recalls.

 

You don't need to post pictures of a stock Fit. We all know what they look like.