Dead Battery, and Putting the Fit Away... For now.

Well, I haven't really driven my Fit since I swapped wheels/tires. In fact, when I did try to start the car, the battery was comepletely shot. In fact I tried to revive it with a digital battery charger, but it's apparently completely dead.

A quick search on fitfreak.net will show that the stock Honda battery does not last long, and a lot of them suffer an early death. Many even before warranty is over. The unfortunate thing is, the small sized battery in our car is quite rare, and seems no one currently makes an aftermarket 151R Group sized batteries. So you're stuck to either purchase the battery from Honda, and possibly suffer an early death again, or as some owners have done, trimmed their battery tray, and installed a larger group 51R sized battery into their Fit. Depending on the brand, some are a tight fit, barely clearing the air box, while others are pushing against it. But at least it's an option. An option that's cheaper, more readily available, and with higher specs and capacity than the stock battery.

Anyways, since I wasn't driving my Fit these days, and my Sienna's insurance was up, I decided to transfer my insurance on the Fit to the Sienna. I then put storage insurance on the Fit and parked it in my garage. It was a bit sad, but currently I have no intentions of selling it. It's still a good little go-around. I'm sure I'll plate it again in the future.

EM1 (SiR) Wheels Back On

My goodness! I haven't updated this blog in a while.

Well, if you read my last post in January, you probably guessed that I've been a little bit pre-occupied with the new addition to the family. And to be honest, I've also been driving the Sienna a lot more than the Fit lately because it's just much easier to haul the baby and paraphernalia around.

In fact, there's a thread on Fitfreak.net that talks about how the front seats have to be moved almost all the way forward in order to fit a rear facing child seat in the back.

Anyways, I finally managed to put back on my EM1(SiR) wheels today. I miss these wheels on the Fit. The offset is just so much nicer and much more flush to the fenders. They've also got brand new Yokohama S.Drive tires I bought along with my General Altimax Artic winter tires back in November. Once I give these tires a good run, I'll post my review here.

Oops... baby needs a bath again... Gotta go.

Oil Change #13 (66997km) + Winter Tires Mounted

A Lot going on these days, and I was again a little late getting my oil and filter changed. But got it done today with the standard 5W20 and Honda oil filter.

The tires I ordered from JC Whitney I mentioned in my last post took a while, but they had finally arrived. I'm happy to say that it was as stated in their website; no additional taxes, duties, or brokerage fees were applied. I had them mounted on Tuesday when I had some free time, and will now list the stock Dunlop SP31 tires cheap as I will no longer need them with these dedicated snow tires on my 14" steelies.

Oil Change #12 (61651km) + Brake Job

A tad late on the oil change again. Plus with the moving and heavy use, the oil was a bit dirtier this time. Well, late for my standards, not the factory recommended, which is a lot later.

Standard affair again with the 5W20 oil and Honda oil filter. But I noticed a slow leak at the driver side front tire and found a nail in it a couple of days ago. So I just kept the nail in 'til today and plugged it while the car was up on the hoist.

I also asked my mechanic to check on the brakes since I can feel some grinding under heavy braking. Upon a quick visual inspection without removing the wheels, they looked ok. However, once the wheels were removed, he quickly realized that while the outside pads still had plenty of material, the inside pads were completely gone!! He said he's had another Fit that did the same, and also a Infiniti G35 coupe that also wore out the inside pads much faster than the outside. So keep an eye out on your inside pads.

Anyways, he put in new Nissin pads, the same stuff the factory uses. We noticed that the rotors were a bit grooved and also slightly wrapped, so he also machined the front rotors at the same time.

Oil Change #11 (56500km)

Time for another oil change again. A bit earlier on the interval this time since I was late last time. I'll slowly move my interval back to a nice round number. Easier for me to remember that way.

Standard affair, new oil, new oil filter. But this time I also put the SiR wheels back on with the new (to me) tires I mounted just before I put them away and put on the 14" steelies for the winter. I also replaced all 3 wiper inserts for the car since the two fronts were streaking and skipping, and the rear one was splitting.

And in case you need wiper inserts for your GD fit, the part numbers are:

76622-SLN-A01
76632-SEC-A11
76632-S2K-004 (rear)

Also, just realized I forgot to reset the oil change reminder in the dash. Hope I remember when I get back in the car next time. Although It really doesn't matter since I go my mileage anyways.

Oil Change #10 (52025km)

Oops. Went over my own oil change interval a bit. I was preoccupied with the Holidays that I totally missed the fact that my 50,000km oil change was due. It was only because my friend told me he was bringing his car in for an oil change that I remembered. So I weaseled my way into his time slot and got my oil change done today right after his car was finished. He owes me that much. I was heading over to his new place to help him fix some touch-up painting that he somehow messed up (don't ask).

Other than going over a bit on the oil change (car's indicator still says 40% oil life remaining), everything is still very good with the car. Car is averaging around 500km per tank with the 175 tires, a bit more if I drive more highways. I'm sure my wife could get better mileage out of the Fit since she's got a much lighter foot than I do. But I'm happy with my fuel consumption. Especially since the car only needs regular grade fuel.

Oh yeah, noticed that the Stock Dunlop SP31's are S-rated for speed. Good for up to 180km/h (112mph). Most tires I've seen are rated at least T, but I guess for a stock Fit, this speed rating is good enough. (Again, don't ask. =P)

New (ish) Tires and Ready for Winter

Well, I officially put the motorcycle away a week ago. Changed the oil and filter, put the fuel stabilizer in the tank, pumped up the tire pressure, lubed the chain, took the battery out, and put the cover on.

As for the Fit, well, I mentioned I needed new tires in my last maintanence post. As luck would have it, I managed to find a couple of good deals on the local Craigslist. I picked up a near mint set of 195/55R15 Bridgestone Turanza EL470 that was taken off another '08 Fit Sport that's perfect for my EM1 wheels.

A few days later, I also found a set of OEM GD3 14" steelies with hubcaps and factory Dunlop SP31 in 175/65R14 size. they had around the same wear (about 20,000km) on them as when I took my originals off and traded them for some body parts that I ended up not using anyway. It's like getting my old setup back. And with the winter we had last year and me on my worn 195 tires getting stuck everywhere, I'm so glad to have these 175 14" tires to run this winter; even if they are all-seasons. After all, this is Vancouver, Not Winnipeg. And they got me through the first two winters with the Fit.

So today, I went to my mechanic, and got the tires replaced on the EM1 rims, and slapped the 14" steelies on the Fit for the season. And the best part, the total paid for the 15" tires, the 14" wheels and tires, and mounting and balancing of the replacement tires, was less than what I would have paid for one set of new 15" tires. Also, since the hubcaps that came with the wheels are already scratched up, I will be running the steelies with hubcaps on, unlike when I first got my car. So it'll hopefully look a bit better. It also means my Fit will pretty much look like a stock DX/LX on the road with the exception of the smoked LED lights in the rear.

One more thing. I noticed that since I've actually stuck to my guns and have not turned the Fit into a project car, Most updates here on the blog have been about oil changes and general maintenance items. I did a bunch of research when I just purchased the car, and still have some of them bookmarked or saved somewhere on the HD. I will try to dig up and look through what I have and update this blog with more information on parts and accessories that may be of interest to you in the future. Thanks for following this little blog, and stay tuned...

Oil Change #9 (45220km)

I was running some errands and got a haircut today on my day-off, and on the way back, I decided to stop by my mechanic's place to say hi and see when he can fit me in for my next oil change.

Turns out the bay was empty and so he just told me to drive it right in. Air filter was replaced last time, so just the standard oil filter and oil change. I was a tad late on my last oil change, so the oil life indicator still said 60%.

I also asked him to check some tire prices for me since I will need them fairly soon. It seems 195/55R15 is not a popular size anymore, and I have a very limited selection of tires. Add to the fact I need performance all-seasons, my choices are even fewer. It will probably be around 5 bills when it's all done even for something like Falkens.

That price is coming pretty close to a set of used aftermarket wheels/tires in 15 or 16 inch sizes. So I'm going to start looking for those as an alternative as well. Thing is though, I like how stock/low-key my Fit looks right now with the SiR wheels. Any car with aftermarket wheels will stand out. I would love to get my hands on a set of 16" HFP split 7-spoke wheels for my car. But they're more rare around here than real BBS LMs. And I'm not about to buy them new from the dealer.

Hmm... anyone got a set of take-off 16" GE sport wheels/tires for sale locally?

Oil Change #8 (41056km)

Aside from the normal Honda filter and 5W20 oil change today, I also replaced the air filter with a Genuine Honda unit as the last time we check it was getting a bit dirty. All is still good with the little Fit. However, I will need new tires by the end of the season. Keep in mind though these are the used tires I got with my SIR rims, not sure if the stock tires would wear out at 40,000km. I doubt it.

Check Fuel Cap Warning

So, strange thing. I had my last fill-up maybe a week or so ago. I've not touched the gas cap since. However, yesterday afternoon when I started the car up, with around 1/4 tank of gas left, the odometer section started blinking the words "Check Fuel Cap". I was just going to my in-laws not 5 minutes away, so I kept going until I got there.

I turned off the car, and checked the gas cap. Seems to be on securely. I take it off and put it back on again. "click click click..." ok. Let's try again. Turn on the car, and the warning is still there. I tried driving around the block a few times to see if it would reset itself, but it didn't. However, I did find out that if the warning annoyed you, you can always press the trip button and rotate to the Trip A, Trip B, or Oil Life display. But the next time you start the car again, it will go back to the warning.

Like I said, I had not touched the gas cap for a week. So the only thing I can think of that might have set off the warning is the recent temperature change. We've had unseasonably low temperature lately until yesterday, when spring suddenly arrived. Maybe the temperature change caused a change in tank pressure and the car thinks the gas cap is loose? (My car is parked outside)

Anyways, when I went to start up the car this morning, the warning was still there. It stayed on the whole 40km of my morning drive. But when I started the car up again this afternoon, the warning was gone. Hopefully that was enough start-ups/running time/kms for the ECU to reset the warning on its own, and I won't see it again.

Oil Change #7 (35665km)

Another oil change time. It was done at 35665km even though the receipt says 36665km. I yelled out the wrong mileage to my mechanic as he wrote it. Oh well.

Standard affair once again with the OEM filter and 5w20 oil. No surprises this time around. Even remembered to reset the service reminder right away. I had just checked the tire pressure and so that was ok. Everything else looks good. The Fit is go for another 5000km.

I know the factory doesn't call for such short oil change intervals, and every time I do the oil change the service reminder usually still say 40%-50% oil life left. But with the timing chain system, oil pressure is used as hydraulic fluid to ratchet up the timing chain tensioner. If varnish forms in the timing chain tensioner bore then this system can fail and the chain will become loose and eventually break. The advantage is that if well maintained, the timing chain will never need replacing, saving you the $800 or more timing belt replacement every 100,000km or so.

Oil Change #6 (30985km)

Just looking back at my previous maintenance posts, and noticed that January 31, when I had my recall done, I was at 14,480km. Today, I just had my 30,000km oil change done. So I'm did a bit over 15,000km in 10 months or so.

Anyway, I noticed right away when I picked up those Civic SIR wheels that one of the rears was a bit off balance at above 110km/h. So I had all 4 tires checked for balance while I had the car in for the oil change. Sure enough, one of the rear was out of balance and fixed. Living across from a construction site sucks 'cause apparently there was another nail in my tire. but this time it was not near the sidewall so it should seal with the plug. We also rotated the tires front and back just because the rear Khumos were at least all-seasons, while the front front Bridgestones were not.

Also took the opportunity to put on polished closed factory lug nuts and wheel locks on the wheels in place of the open ended ones that came with my original stock steelies. Thanks to "Doc" for letting me borrow them off his car since they won't work with his custom polished Volk TE-37's anyways. *jealous*

Otherwise, just your standard oil and filter change every 5000km. Oil still looked pretty clean when it came out, but that's a good thing.

Oil Change #5 (25250km)

Yup, another 5000km has come and gone. Another oil change completed.

I have been noticing that the tire with the plug in it has not been holding pressure well. It was punctured within one week of ownership, and it's held up so far. But lately, It seems to be loosing pressure rather quickly. My mechanic tried to replug it and torched the plug to melt around the tire to see if it will hold. I will keep a close eye on that tire.

Another Oil and Filter Change Already? (20496m)

Another oil change already? Guess the 85km/day commute three times a week I do now is adding up faster. Still not too bad though. Considering the car is a year and a half old and I've only done 20,000km.

Just the standard affair with the proper weight oil and Honda oil filter. But this time while the car was up, I started to notice more wear on the front tires than the rear. So I asked my mechanic to rotate my tires while it was up there. No charge! Try that at a dealer!

Also took out the air filter element and checked it. Wasn't as bad as I had expected, considering all the construction that's going on around my house. So I just borrowed the air hose at the shop and blew the filter clean of debris and loose dust. Will check it again next time to see if it needs replacement.

3rd Oil and Filter Change (16747km)

Noticed that my self-set service service interval was up (5000km), so I called my mechanic and had my oil and oil filter changed today. just the usual, Genuine Honda filter with the recommended 5W20 weight oil. Because the Fit engine uses a timing chain instead of a belt, fresh oil is important to prevent build-up on the guides, sprockets, and lessen wear on the chain itself. Keep it clean and the chain should last the life of the engine.

I actually remembered to reset the service reminder this time. It said I was at 40% oil life, same as last time.

Second Recall Notice: Floor Wire Harness Corrosion (14480km)

I had received this 2nd recall notice for the Fit probably over 2 weeks ago. But I was very busy at the time and this recall didn't seem like a really big deal. But I did eventually call the dealer to make an appointment to bring the car in today.

Although I only have the carpeted floor mats, no corrosion was found, and all they had to do was the two splices. No harness replacement needed. It took a couple of hours, but I picked up my brother-in-law's 2004 TL Premium with Nav the day before so I could still drive around and work that day, so I didn't pick up my car until 1/2 hour before service closed.

As a side note, the TL is huge!! But it's a nice cruiser. Not very sporty feeling even though it has 270hp, but it sure gets you to illegal speeds quickly and quietly. Voice command navigation/radio/ac is a fun little toy. Since he was nice enough to let me borrow the car, I replaced his cracked/separating wiper inserts for him, so he should be able to see in the rain/snow again. =)

2nd Oil and Filter Change (11215km)

First oil change was done at the dealership because I had a free one with the purchase of the car. But for the second and future oil changes, I am going to my regular mechanic/friend. I had my second oil and filter changed today with genuine Honda oil filter and the recommended 5W20 weight motor oil. As soon as my mechanic started to remove the old oil filter and it started creaking, he knew the dealership service guys did not put oil on the filter before threading it in. Just more reason why I'd rather bring my car to someone I know and trust. They also checked my air filter, antifreeze strength, and adjusted my tire pressure for the now colder temperatures. I was a little late on this oil change because my parents were visiting, and since we only have one vehicle in the family, I waited until they left.

And of course, I forgot to reset the oil life reminder in the dash until just now. So when I go out later, I will reset it. For those who don't want to dig out the owner's manual from storage, or the bottom of the drawer, the procedure for resetting the service reminder on your Honda Fit can be found here.

First Maintenance Appointment (5487km)

I have finally reached 5000km on my Fit, after nearly 7 months of ownership. I called to setup a service appointment with my dealer via my salesperson because he had a parking light bulb he had ordered previously for me, and I wanted to replace the burnt out one the same time I did my first service to make things easier for me. He was able to fit me in the next afternoon.

Aside from the first oil change, which was free at my dealership, I also had them perform the SRS (airbag) software update as I had received the recall letter in the mail. And besides replacing the burnt out driver side parking light in the front (apparently a $10 bulb, but covered under warranty for the first year), I had them check for a rattle I've been experiencing under the car. Unfortunately, the service techs could not hear the rattle on their test drive. They did however tighten up my exhaust heat shield as another tech who owns a Fit had experienced a rattle from that area. Unfortunately, that wasn't the source of my rattle, as I can still hear it coming from underneath the car. I'm guessing a loose skid plate under the gas tank possibly.

One thing was that the dealer forgot to reset the service reminder in the dash. But the owners manual does tell you how to reset it yourself. Now I've just got to remember to do it next time I get in the car. Not that it really matters though, I plan to be changing my oil around every 5000km anyway.

My Fit Reaches 1000km

Finally, over a month since I first picked up the car, my Fit reaches the 1000km mark.

I've never had any of my other cars take this long for me to drive the first 1000km. I suppose the big snow storm didn't help since I kept my Fit parked for most of those days while driving the old Mazda with the snow tires. I also made a trip down to Sea/Tac airport and back, but drove my sister's car instead she was tagging along to go to the outlet mall. The main factor though, is that these days almost all of my driving is very in-town. Many times I don't even leave my local municipality of Richmond. And really, from Richmond to downtown Vancouver only takes 20 minutes without traffic. I can see this being a very low mileage vehicle when it finally comes time to sell.

Because of all of the really short trips, I've tried to take it very easy on the engine unless I'm certain it's been warmed up. While I did try to vary the engine speed to promote proper seating of the piston rings, I've kept the engine rpms under 4000rpm. Today, after hitting the 1000km mark, I have started to vary the engine speed higher to near redline. No, I'm not driving at redline. I'm just continuing the break-in procedure, up to a higher rpm.