We're supposed to pick up our fit next week.

Is there a summary somewhere of what modifications people feel were important right after delivery? Our focus so far has been on keeping it healthy more than upgrading its performance & handling but all suggestions are welcome.

Our own list of "immediately necessary" items includes:
- "Corrosion Free" rustproofing (though Krown seems a decent 2nd choice)
- Protecting the wheel wells from stone chips (probably a hard undercoating)
- Adding 3M VentureGuard to the hood, etc. to avoid stone chips.
- Better floor mats

On our would-be-nice list:
- Tinting, to keep the car cooler.
- A dead pedal
- Sound dampening (audimute, dynamat, fatmat, etc. -- haven't decided yet)

Despite all these changes we'll need to make, we really are excited about the car. It's a nice little car... it just needs a little love to help it be great!

Does anyone have other suggestions?

Thanks,
Colin

 

No summary but to start with -

I would use and aftermarket undercoating like Krown vs Honda. Likely a bit cheaper.

Wheel wells I would not be too concerned with.

You can get a hood deflector from Honda here in Canada.

Definitely get it tinted. Nice and dark on the rear and won't need a cargo cover or worry about cars behind at night.

No dead pedals on the newer ones.

Order Weather Tech mats soon as takes a few weeks to get them in. Excellent product.

Here is my list of Mods to date


Sport badge added on rear

Painted calipers and drums blue

Added "C" piller strut aka clothes hanger

Tinted glass

Added Interior faux wood trim kit

Stainless A B and C piller covers

Gas pedal spring mod - best one

Added blue licence bulbs

Wheel and rear H logos in blue vinyl

GE Nighthawk headlight bulbs

Added blue LEDs in trunk

Installed Accord horn

Added Door sill covers

Installed Yellow fog lens covers

Clazzio leather/vinyl seat covers

Bought new Honda Steel wheels and snow tires

Civic plastic repo wheel covers - since replaced

Installed blue keyring light

Added blue LED in dome light

Installed JDM Tailight lens from Bangkock and sold originals to Jakarta.

Installed body side molding

Added HKS Exhaust

Installed Shark fin antenna

Painted the rear lower diffuser on bumper black

Paint H surround in front blue

Had Swift Springs installed

Did Rear wiper mod so it is upright

Added Window visors

Installed Mirror covers with winkers

Had winter wheels and center caps powder coated

Installed Throttle controller

Added Spacers under front of seats

I-VTEC decals

Added Center console (a China repro)

Recovered all four doors.

Installed Heated front seats. Hi-Low/off Buttons by Aux plug on lower dash

Installed pedal covers

Installed leds under headlights (Replace with ones in grille)

Installed button covers on door handle screws.

Installed LED 3rd brake light

Installed brighter tail/brake bulbs

Installed LED backup bulbs then removed

Installed new white headlight bulbs

New wheels Rays/Gram Lights then sold them

Install stainlees cover on gas door

WeatherTech mats in front

Fit Freak decal

Paint lower grill/bumper

Chrome center caps for steelies and paint steelies black

Install arrows on mirrors

Install Honda Lasers on bottom of front doors

Install white LED under door handles.

 

Go to the partsstore and buy several cans of the $5 black rubber undercoating and after thoroughly cleaning the underside of the car, attack it with the undercoating. Avoid bushings and bolt heads, and avoid spraying onto wiring.

The extra weight will cause wiring to droop down over time, and covering connections will of course make it hard to deal with later on in the cars life.


Also, go to homedepot or lowes and buy several cans of plastidip. Remove interior paneling everywhere in the back (dont worry about pillars or roof) and spary several coats. This has reduced road noise by quite a bit, will improve car audio if you choose to upgrade with some bass in the back, and also allows the car to stay warmer or cooler, depending on climate control settings

Plastidip is thermal, sound, vibration, and conduction proof/resistant. All depends on how many layers are used. I went thin in teh back with only 3 layers, and it has made a good effect. I may add 3-4 more layers in the future. Best part? all this undercoating and plastidipping will add up to less then 20 pounds in weight, so no issues with that. Some people on here will argue it is a noticable gas mileage killer. I know it does not!

 

Wow, that's some great stuff!

Black3sr:
I'm particularly interested in the brighter lights, interior lighting and my wife will be over the moon if I can install heated seats! Do you have a recommendation for aftermarket heated seats? (Our dealer wanted $1200/ea.)

Also: Not to duplicate a different thread I started, but: why no concern over the wheel wells? I'm a total n00b here, but they seem like they'll get torn up by stones and rust in no time without protection.


13fit:
I've only just heard about plasti-dip. Sounds cool! Is it safe for interiors? My wife has asthma so we're always doing what we can to keep air quality high (a new car is probably a chemical stew as it is). How long does it take before any smell from the PlastiDip goes away?

This may be a really dumb idea, but: Has anyone ever tried filling the car's body cavities with Roxul Safe & Sound?

 

Interior floor lighting is easy. Just get a couple of 12 LED strips on Ebay in the colour you like and hook them up to the dome light circuit. It is the plug with the pink and purple wires in the fuse box area.

My heated seats were less than $100. Now I do have Clazzio seat covers which makes it easier. The heating pads I got off Ebay for less than $100. I peeled my seat covers back and put them on. The wiring I did to the Aux circuit. Here is the thread.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ted-seats.html

And they were toasty this morning as the Clazzio leather gets cool.

Wheel wells are built to take that crap so I have no concerns leaving mine the way they are. I am not sure what the dealer did when having mine undercoated. In future I would not under coat. Just a matter of washing every couple of weeks in the winter.

Where are you in the GTA area? KW is not that far away.

Bill

 

Great, thanks Bill! I'll start googling all that and figure out how to proceed (well, once we get the car).

If you got the undercoating from the dealer then you're right; Your wells are covered. Without it though, half the well is exposed (not covered by plastic -- why honda, why?) and is just painted metal (imagine how long your hood would last with a tire firing stones at it all day -- eek).

We're in the beaches (well, a little west of there but people know the beaches, so...)

The new fit is a Turquoise LX we can pick up as soon as I can sell my PT Cruiser (which is taking a bit longer than expected).

 

Plastidip smell went away after a few hours, maybe a full day.

I didnt re install the paneling until the plastidip was completely dry to touch and able to run a finger acrosst it without getting any residue

EDIT Its dry to touch after less then 10 minutes. I consider it fully dry after at least an hour, and perhaps "cured" after a full day

 

What you've said about Plasti Dip as insulation sounds great.. I have been considering truck bed liner.. I think it would work better as far as durability but I'm not sure it would absorb noise in the same way... I don't plan to put in an expensive sound system but the road, drivetrain, tires and exhaust noise wears one down pretty bad on a two or three hour drive at 75 and 80.. From 3000 RPM to just under 4500 RPM it's so unbearable that I drive under 60 or over 95, or (and) wear silicone earplugs.. Most of the noise is from the cargo area, so do you think I could get much benefit from heavily coating the area with Plastic Dip?

 

Another vote for the Accord horn (a 10 minute easy upgrade). I'd also do the plastic mesh in the front bumper opening to protect the A/C compressor.

Consider Clazzio seat covers too--I waited 14 weeks for my special order, but Bean Garage will take of you.

 

As a first ad on for any car I'd buy in the future I'd get Vent Visors..

 

I noticed a difference with just 3-4 thin layers. I bet you could do 5-6 layers and get a bit better result. No sense in drenching it with plastidip though.


Set aside an entire day, play some music, make sure you shake the cans really good, and every few spray strokes, and it will come out nice

Like I said, Lowes or Home Depot!!

 

Where do you find the yellow fog lens covers? Here in CA it's illegal to have amber fog lights now even though from prior experience I think they're more effective than the white. Being able to put on and take off yellow lens covers would be great.

 

^This!! it will save you

and as far as fog light film, this is what I have and have had no problems

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/merc...ml#post1211276

 

If you're trying to insulate the cargo area, you should check out the DIY cargo liner on this site. I just made one using a slightly better grade of rubber backed carpet runner. It was pretty simple, cost me about $40 and looked amazingly good. I got the carpet runner by the yard at Lowes. It comes in black and blends in perfectly. It was enough to make an overlapping mat that covered the back of the rear seats when folded flat. When not in use I roll it up tight and store it under the rear seats.