My friend has a 2009 Fit Base with the five-speed automatic. It has nearly 32,000 miles on it and still has the original fill of ATF-Z1. I do plan to change the fluid soon.

When I was driving the car yesterday, I noticed the transmission shifts rather sloppily and the 1-2 shift is rather long and causes the car to buckle (a little) when 2nd gear engages. Even the other shifts (2-3, 3-4 and 4-5) do not feel crisp and smooth-- they feel sloppy. TCC engagement is smooth, however.

I was wondering if those of you who own an automatic Fit could comment on the shift quality. I have driven a '09 Accord and ridden in an '06 Civic, both of which have a five-speed autos that shift very crisply and smoothly. So, I'm not sure if this sloppy shift behavior is normal for the Fit or if this is something that I should have the dealer look at when I take it in for the laundry list of problems.

Thanks!

 

I don't know technical. I just drive and I know what I feel. It took a little bit getting used to the tranny for me. 1st to 2nd can be a bit quick and sometimes lug the engine [tranny?] if you're trying to drive conservatively. What I have found works best is to just drive the car and push it up to speed- not red lining, but normal accelleration. The gear changes behave perfectly fine this way. It may feel like you're jack rabbiting from stop- or even sound like you're pushing it too hard. But a constant foot pressure to get the car through the gears works best, and the car appreciates it- as though that's how the tranny was meant to be pushed in this car. Doing so has not hurt my gas mileage at all, either. I have not experienced anything that I would say ranks the tranny as 'sucks'. It perfectly fine for me- at 5,000 miles currently.

Dan

 

^ great summary above
I've had mine 5 days, and I'm starting to get a sense of that high rev. The car likes it!

In my short time of getting to know the car...
I feel like the shifts are very smooth, no jerky thud when the next gear engages.
I like the snappy response from the paddle shifter, much quicker than my legacy.
5th to 4th on the highway is nice. The car can pick up speed "quickly", without much howling from the engine.

 

im at 14,000mi and own a ge sport. the AT likes to be revved a bit higher than other bigger displacement engines due to the lack of torque on the bottom end.

the shifts occur around 3k when you get it just right on 1-2. the rest can vary from 2k-3k on the shifts.

i must admit the engine does lug when you take the throttle too lightly from a dead stop. my ge shift just fine, although i have been feeling abit of coarseness when the gear shifts. i should be changing out my atf soon because i drive my car pretty hard at times.

 

i think it's tuned (electronically) to shift, and responds better, to the style of acceleration that Shockwave is talking about. Don't baby the accelerator too much. get up to the speed you need to be at and then just cruise, maintaining whatever pressure u need to conserve gas once you get to that cruising speed. don't gurgle around too softly in the low gears. it'll just lug and then consume more fuel to boot. however, the base model's shifting pattern is tuned differently than that of the sport's.

 

I did drive the car like shockwave, if not a bit harder. I'm not a conservative driver by any means, and I'm especially more of a lead foot with this car due to the lack of power.

However, the 1-2 driver can best be described as the feeling you'd get from an amature stick shift driver-- the car lurching. Maybe not to that extent...but you get the idea.

 

I did not know that. Interesting.

Dan

 

I'm assuming you're living in the Himylayas or some other mountain range if it requires you to change the transmission fluid so early lol. Perhaps you're planning to do it yourself so it won't damage your wallet, but if you are going to the dealer get ready to pull your pants down and bend over when you agree to the "reccomended" transmission flush.

But I do think 30,000 miles is way too early. Theyre good for 100,000 miles and the manual says even if it's operating in extreme conditions it's still good for 60,000 miles. I say save your money for when you really need it.

 

ATF-Z1 is quite weak in the area of retaining frictional properties, as well in the area of oxidation.

So, servicing a Honda automatic at least every 30k (if using ATF-Z1) is inexpensive insurance. I'll service it myself so the financial burden will be reduced, but I'm considering a switch to a multi-vehicle type fluid with better basestocks.

 

I agree with changing the trans fluid that often -- Honda transmissions generally don't have a filter, and in my experience with older Honda's, changing out the fluid that often was typically recommended by other owners (some even went to 15k changes).

That being said, I've also read that ATF-Z1 is pretty different than most other trans fluids, so I'd be a bit hesitant to use anything else.

To address the original question, I think the shift quality is fine -- not as smooth as my friend's 07' accord, but a lot better than my old '97 Honda Odyssey . Like has been said, I also notice the shift quality is worse if you drive conservatively.

 

Lubrizol, which is probably the largest additive supplier to oil companies, has done extensive bench and field testing of their multi-vehicle additive packages. Here is more info:

Automatic Transmission Fluid Additives - Driveline Additives - The Lubrizol Corporation

If you click on the Lubrizol 9684 and 9680 links, they will provide you with more info.

I feel that for many of the "newer" transmission fluid specifications such as GM's Dexron-VI, Ford's Mercon LV and Toyota WS, using the OEM approved fluid is the wisest choice.

However, in older applications the multi-vehicle product may actually be an improvement over the OE fluid. Why? Because the multi-vehicle product is likely to be blended with higher quality base stocks than the OE fluid. For instance, Valvoline's Maxlife ATF and Castrol's Import Multi-Vehicle fluids are either synthetic or synthetic blends, unlike ATF-Z1. In addition, the additive package has been tested extensively to ensure adequate compatibility for most driving conditions. So I think for ATF-Z1, which is a product that is notorious for rapid oxidation and unstable frictional properties, a multi-vehicle product may actually be a better choice.

 

You should look in to AMSOIL Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid.

Link to product:
AMSOIL - Synthetic Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF)

I have used AMSOIL Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid in my EP3 and had no problems. 8th gen civic si have fcked up manual transmissions so many 8th gen civic si owners use AMSOIL Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid and report that their shifting has improved.

 

Ditto to other posts. Keep on the gas.

 

I've got a pretty new 2010 Fit base automatic. I think it's the smoothest / most predictably shifting car I've owned. Maybe you should take yours in and see if a tech thinks it shifts rough or not.

 

Spoken like a true bitogger! Welcome Critic!

 

I've had my 2010 GE (AT) since December, and the shifting on S mode so far has been really smooth and responsive for me. Don't really notice any difference even shifting at lower rpm. It might be worth getting it checked out.

 

What, Jackie... no comments about the "headlights" in this post? I've never known you to post without mentioning either the "USDM front-end" or the new "headlights"!

I was saddened to see no mention of them... uh... it! I always keep an eye out for, and on, your "USDM front-end" when you post!

 

yeah, i agree. just take it in and have them drive it; and if they say it's shifting "normally" then ask to take the same model for spin to see if it is indeed normal.

 

This thread is old, but I was wondering if there was a resolution to the shifting problem.

I have a new 2010 Sport Auto and am having a similar experience. It seems to get better when the engine warms up.

 

My experience is that the transmission needs to warm up a bit, and really its the first few 1-2 shift that feels odd. After that, its fine. Just let it warm up. And of course while the engine is cold, I also don't want to accelerate like I do while the engine is at operating temp, so that also exacerbates the problem.