I have an '07 Honda Fit throwing a P0420 code at me which suggest there might something wrong with the cat.
Now I know that there is a Federal Emissions Warranty for
8 years/ 80,000 miles and I wanted to know if that still applies if the vehicle
holds a salvage title.
My car has roughly 72k, but I'm a little reluctant to take it in to the dealer without any prior knowledge so please anyone that knows or has dealt
with a problem similar to this I'd like to get your advice.

Will they honor the warranty or not? If not, why not?(besides the fact that it's a salvage title vehicle)

I don't want to hear any nagging about the salvage title though, I knew what I was getting myself into before I bought it.

Thanks for taking the time to read

 

BUMP
Any advice form anyone????

 

K so the light went off...but I'm pretty sure it will come back because it has done this before.
Thoughts????

Also BUMP

 

P0420 Error Code: Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)

 

Try higher octane, retard spark will over work the CAT, unless you ran racing fuel.

 

Alright I'll try that next time I fill up at the pump.
I've been using 87, is there any advantage to using
a higher octane??

Also, what is retard spark?

 

When the knock sensor detects knock it will retard the timing causing most of the fuel going out the tail pipe overloading the CAT at the same time adding more fuel resulting in lower mpg. Try adding a fuel injection cleaner but be sure not to use to much with premium gas. Less cleaner is better.

Higher octane allows the engine to run more efficient. There is a lot of posts if you type in premium gas in FF search and check out Klasse Act mileage post. My last post has a link that explains why regular is the way we went even though the tests said 91/92 octane unleaded was the best for most cars.

 

First, unless there's been a change the fed waranty is 50,000 miles, not 80,000. Some dtates require annual testing.
Second, the cat warning merely means you have to fix it because its listed under wear items like spark plugs.
Third before you rush off to see if Honda will replace the cat temp sensor (they might free of charge) you need to use an OBDll tester to remove the signal and then drive in 3rd gear for 10-15 miles at highway speeds to eliminate the signal. Often low speed running builds carbon on the sensor which makes it think the sensor is too cold and thus failing when it really isn't. Higher rpm running burns the carbon off as we have found in several cars with P420 codes. When you remove the code it takes from 25 to 200 miles for the ECM to begin monitoring again so you can't just reove the code and go get an inspection if required. The inspection station knows when the ECM is not monitoring any code. More often than not higher rpm running mnot only improves the temperature sensor reading but also cleans up the spark plugs. Shades of the old days 'blowing out the carbon' annual 'test'.
PS they don't need to know the car is rebuilt salvage. In many states a severe inspection is required to reinstate the vehicle for use on public roads. If yours did and you passed the inspector has no grounds to reject the car for that reason. Otherwise, if you don't tell them they shouldn't know.

 

Thanks for the replies SilverBullet and mahout
I tried SilverBullet's suggestions with the fuel injector(used Gumout with Regane) cleaner and using a higher octane (89).
And mahout, I got my info from here although I'm not sure where to find the most current laws on this.
I did notice the light turn off after I drove uphill and the rpms were higher than my usual driving. I'll remove the code and try it on my commute tomorrow.
How would you keep it in 3rd gear if you have an automatic?? I have the sport model so I could use the paddle shifters but idk how the former would do it.

Side Story if your interested in reading:
I already got my smog test done, but before it happened the light appeared so we disconnected the battery and entered the radio code. We ran the car down the highway as the owners manual suggest for at least 90 seconds of continuous highway speed and drove back to the place. Total round trip was about 30 miles and light did not appear so we got the test done and it passed. Idk what to infer about that, I was pretty sure it was going to fail.

Once again thanks to the posters and readers and sorry for my ramble :P

 

I had a manual but do you have a Drive and Drive3 on the auto selector? You can use the paddles in sport mode too. Troubleshooting P0420 Catalyst Code

 

I believe the 80,000 refers to kilometers. 80,000 km is 50,000 miles.
Since I have an automatic and use the paddles regularly (hey, I can pretend to be Sebastian Vettle) I use the paddles to heat the cat sensor just as the manual shifters.
Thanks for your confirmation that running at higher rpm and load rejuvenates the sensor just as our customers have demonstrated.
I find a 25 plus mile trip does it here as well.
If your like most you will find the light will reactivate but the length of time not determined. Probably has to do with how gently you drive. Honda has an updated priogram but not sure how worthwhile unless they change the sensor which is a lot more involved unless the program actually uses the sensor not as a low limit but as an actual temerature measurement which the program could be adjusted to lower the low temperature limit.

 

8yrs-80k miles is correct for the emissions warranty and cats are covered. I had a cat crap out on my old civic SI @ 70k miles due to excess blow-by at one point in the car's life and the dealer replaced it free of charge. I would say bring it in. The worse that could happen is they reject it and maybe charge you a little for the diagnostic. Considering that oem cats cost upwards of $800, itll be risk worth taking.

 

Alright so I finally grew some stones to visit the dealer. Made an appointment, brought it in today so they could verify the CEL. They ran my VIN and saw it was in a collision before, so my heart sinks, so I asked if the cat is at fault will it still be covered under federal warranty, his reply was yes as long as the part was OEM and had not been tampered with it would be covered under the 8yr./80,000mi. warranty for the cat.

Bottom line from the Honda FAQ:
If my vehicle has a branded or "Salvage" title, is the warranty still valid?
Honda vehicles with titles that have been branded as salvaged, scrapped, or dismantled are no longer covered by the new car warranty, with the exception of some emissions warranties and safety recalls. For further information regarding the branding of vehicle titles, please contact your state's department of motor vehicles.

Maybe my dealer was just nice, but either way I'm super ecstatic I didn't have to pay for this out of my pocket and got the emissions warranty work on my salvage title Fit.

 

I had a P0420 at one point which turned out to be a damaged header/converter gasket.

Also, great info on driving in 3rd gear! I don't have this code right now, but I do have trouble getting it to learn the long-term fuel trim. I may try this out.