I just bought a 2008 Fit Sport with only 34,000 miles on it from an Italian Diplomat in Washington, DC. His British wife drove the car and it was mostly used as a grocery getter and little kid transport.

I am impressed with the vehicle. I sold my 1992 Volvo 240 station wagon, which I owned for the last 15 years and 234,000 miles, and now drive the Fit.

Over the weekend I changed the oil, drained the ATF fluid, and drained and filled the radiator. It was a pleasure to work on the vehicle. Everything was easy enough to work on. I will need to invest in some ramps to make working under the engine a little easer.

I'm looking forward to keeping this vehicle for 10-15 years. I hope the body holds up and does not develop rust.

I really enjoy the automatic transmission and how sporty/zippy it is. Paddle shifters are fun every once in a while. The car came with Eagle GT tires and it handles very well with not much body roll. Gas mileage last week was 32 mpg.

So far so good!

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Welcome.


Now you just have a little maintenance to do.

I'd look into cabin and engine air filters for the future.

Oh, and enter the VIN onto the Honda Owners link so you can see if any recalls are still required.

 

Thanks Carbuff2. The Fit has got to have the easiest engine air filter ever to replace. I pulled it out and vacuumed the filter last weekend. How difficult is the cabin air filter to replace?

Also, wondering if it makes sense to get the official Honda shop manual for the car? If so, where is the best place to order that on-line?

Thanks,
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Honda (like so many other companies) has ceased producing paper manuals.

You can temporarily subscribe to factory technical information at:

Service Manuals, Owner Manuals, Wiring Diagrams, Service Bulletins - Helm Incorporated

For not too much money.


But these days, it's always best to search YouTube first, chances are that someone has repaired whatever you need to do...

 

The cabin air filter is easier to replace than the engine air filter, believe it or not. The hardest part (for me, at least) is removing my stuff from the (lower) glove box. Once it's empty, unclip the stops at the sides that keep it from opening further (they can be pressed in to release them), swing the glove box down, and the filter slides in or out right behind it.

 

Thanks. I'll look into doing the cabin air filter this weekend.
Sounds easy to do.

 

The most difficult item in the Cabin Filter replacement procedure, is making all the glovebox stuff fit back into it, when you are finished...

 

Cabine and engine air filters are equally easy and a real no brainer. There are a few clips to depress on the sides of the cabin air filter and then a plastic bracket containing the filter slides out. Also, make sure you put it in the correct direction of airflow. Don't bother buying an OEM cabin air filter; they are expensive for nothing. I use Fram. I use the OEM engine air filter though.
The engine air filter simply has four metal clips that must be undone (by hand, easy) and then you can lift the cover up and pull it out of the rubber tubing it fits it. Then the filter is simply replaced. It's just a drop in filter!

I'd inspect the brake fluid and consider changing it yourself if necessary. It's easy and cheap. Inspect the level of the coolant to see if it needs to be topped up.