So, I was cruising along in the carpool lane on my way to LA with my brother when my two-week-old Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Honda Fit lost power and died. It sounded like it was out of gas, but the gauge read a 1/4 tank. That stretch of freeway has tow trucks that will give you a gallon of gas, change your flat, or tow you off the freeway for free, and one showed up right away. After verifying that I still had gas, he towed me off the freeway.

I got it towed to the dealer to be checked out since I knew my warranty would cover whatever went wrong. However, the service tech called me after he'd had a chance to check it out and told me that the car was merely out of gas. Not only that, but the gas gauge read empty for him. I emphasized that I, my brother, and the first tow driver all saw that it had a quarter tank. The service guy put me through to the manager and the manager said he'd contact a rep to "see what they could do."

I'm worried that, since they can't find the problem, I am going to have to pay the $200 towing bill and the $100 diagnosis fee, but still be driving a car with an untrustworthy gas gauge. Is there any advice anyone can give me? What happened? And how do I convince the dealer that it really is a problem they should take care of if the rep doesn't say to fix it?

 

Of note, I had the gas gauge "stick" once. I had the car turned to position II on the column to read the odometer while filling up the tank and the gauge never budged (this was just before my trip and I had 2/3 of a tank full already - so just topping it off prior to the trip) I started the car and the gauge stayed at 2/3 (of note: I never turned the car to the off position , just started it from position II). I noticed it before leaving the gas station and was afraid that gas hadn't gone in the car but they had charged me for it so I turned off the car completely, then turned it back on. Gauge went all the way up to full this time.

May or may not be related... Just something I noticed.

~SB

 

Thanks, SB. I had turned the key to off and turned it back to on to try to start it and show the tow driver that it had gas. The needle rose from empty to a quarter of a tank when I turned the key, but the dealer has it reading empty once it got towed there.

 

I have a feeling that the fuel level sensor in the tank got stuck and the ride to the dealer knocked it loose.

your only recourse is probably to have the tow-truck driver contact the dealer and maybe get a signed statement from the driver & your brother that the gas gauge showed 1/4 full. Either way I'd recommend keeping an eye on the trip meter instead of the gas gauge and keep copies of any bills you end up with so that if this happens again, (and Honda fixes the issue), you can present them with this as well so they can reimburse you for the issue.

You can always present them with: Why would My brother, I, and the tow truck driver ALL bring the car here instead of adding gas if the gauge said empty?

Also, consider talking with the service manager. here you want to play it cool and have a good discussion. If this is your first trip to the service department, let the manager know that and although you may have purchased the vehicle from them, there are other dealers around who are willing to take the business. (again, in a respectful manner) Let him know that you know dealers often times get a bad rap but this is a large investment on your part and you want to be sure that you are comfortable that the right people are taking care of not only your car but you as it is pointless for a service department to NOT listen to the owner when it comes to trying to fix problems.

firm but respectful is the best way to approach a service department as realistically, you want to build a relationship of trust with them.

if that doesn't work... it's likely future service won't happen there so...
Going by your login name, I'll make an assumption that you are female. Depending on your personality, you can also play the; "what? you think I don't know anything about cars because I'm a girl?", card. My wife has had to do that at a dealer years ago. Start throwing out engine model numbers and vehicle specifications and they'll usually bump up the respect level a little bit.

While you are at it, have them check on the LMS recall and also make sure they have extra cowls in stock as there is a decent chance that there will be a broken clip. (knowing this - and expressing that you know this - may go a long way with letting them know you are an "informed" consumer and not just an "owner"

~SB

 

The dealer called and still couldn't reproduce the problem, but agreed to return my car to me without charge. If I end up having the problem again, then I'll take it back in and show them while it is still malfunctioning.

I am so pleased that I didn't have to go through a crazy bunch of hoops to get it covered. It would have soured me on my new car if I had to pay for repairs before I even had to make a regular payment. Instead I am happy, and considering that I missed two events that I was really looking forward to, that is an accomplishment on the part of the dealer.

 

That sucks, sorry to hear about that. I haven't had any fuel gauge issues with my 2011 Fit yet. It seems very accurate and consistent so far.

I did have a fuel gauge issue with a 2001 Civic once. After a fillup of 9 gallons, it still showed only 1/4 tank left. I initially thought the gas pump was at fault. But the next day, the fuel gauge went back up to full. The Civic fuel gauge was awful though, it would fluctuate a good +/- 1/16 tank each time I started the car.

I would suggest to use the trip odometer to decide your fillups until you gain confidence in the fuel gauge. It's actually a pretty reliable method.