Three weeks ago, I bought my new Aegean Blue LX. I'd been eyeing the Fit since the 3rd Gen was first announced, but couldn't really justify it until my 1999 CRV was totaled.

Got a great Internet quote, went to the dealer to see the car and test drive it. Really liked it and bought it right there.

It wasn't until I had brought it home that I noticed a little bump on the hood... like an inverted dent, right in the crease on the hood. So I brought it back, they agreed to fix it, and gave me a rental.

Because it was "body work", they wouldn't do the work themselves but instead would sent it out to a body shop. Ok, fine, whatever. I have a rental, so I don't really care all that much.

Anyway, it takes nearly TWO WEEKS to get my Fit back. All for a little bump. I don't know a whole lot about body work, but I feel like it shouldn't have taken that long. And paying for two weeks of a rental car seems excessive.

I got home, and opened up the hood... no VIN label on the new hood. They didn't actually do body work, they just swapped out a new hood! Which, honestly, seems like a preferable option to me... but then why did they need to hold onto my car for TWO WEEKS to swap out a hood? Even if they had to order a new hood, it seems like they could have let me keep my car in the meantime and save money on the rental.

Anyway, I just thought it was a strange way to do things.

 

Very strange. I'd check the odometer to make sure the mileage is accurate and look the entire car over to make sure there aren't any new blemishes. Did you question the dealer as to why it took so long?

 

Trust me, I did go over everything. The dealer basically told me that they had no control over the body shop's schedule, since they aren't owned by the dealership. But it seems like a simple hood swap could be done in-house.

One thing I noticed when I got the car was that I guess they disconnected the battery, as I had to reset the clock and the audio system, and redo Bluetooth pairing with my phone. I haven't verified the odometer yet but I know it's my car. (I did inspect the VIN in the windshield)

I also feel like I'm getting worse gas mileage on this tank (I'm only on my second tank) but I figure maybe it's because it had been idling for a while while being serviced or something. I'm not going to worry about it unless it persists.

 

that's odd. first how that high point got on the hood in the first place. did someone close the hood while there was a tool on the engine bay?

if there was no damage to the paint, a PDR tech could've probably knocked that down in literally minutes.

 

That was my guess... that they left a tool in the engine bay. But from what I could tell, there was the liner between the engine bay and the sheet metal where the bump was. It's entirely possible that it was just something that happened in production, I guess. Unless the metal is so thin that it popped out when they removed the protective film. (The film was still on it when I test drove.)

Nope, no paint damage at all. Just a bump, smaller than a silver dollar, inside the crease. It really was only visible at certain angles.

 

It's likely that the dealer themselves didn't know what the most economical way to do the body work would be. Once the car was at the body shop and you were gone with a rental it was probably decided to keep the status quo. It's likely that the new hood took longer than expected so your time with the rental was extended.

Imagine if they had said "Your hood won't be in for a week or two, bring your rental back and drive your car, then come in again to get the work done. Most people want to minimize the disruptions to their schedules.

 

I was actually thankful I had the rental... while I had it, somebody came into my apartment's parking area and slashed the tires of every car in the complex. Fortunately, I had the rental instead of my new Fit so the rental agency dealt with it!

 

You should probably move.

 

Normally it's NOT dealers who decide which is economical way, it's the manufacturers who decides that since they are the ones actually PAY for the warranty work especially when the cost is over certain amount ($500 is norm). In those cases (>$500) dealers must call manufacturer and get an authorization before starting the work. At that time manufacturer tells dealer how the repair should be done (most economical, logical, efficient, effective, etc, considering several factors). I know this because I work in a vehicle warranty related industry.

 

No kidding!

 

The new hood cost was probably cheaper than the labor to fix the old one. Sounds like the entire ordeal worked out to your advantage, congrats.

 

You sure the dealer billed Honda? The dealer typically signs for the car from the transporter as free of body damage. Seems like this is something that had to have happened on the dealer's watch. Wondering why Honda would be willing pay a claim on this. OTOH, if this were something like a factory paint defect, yeah, Honda would eventually honor that--but the district guy might come take a look first. But body damage is something else all together.

 

From experience with other non-Honda dealers, I can tell you that the dealer probably paid for that hood repair, not Honda. The OEM's position is that a car would not have left the factory with that blemish, so it HAD to happen at the dealer (or in transit).

I would ask them about a written warranty on the repainted piece. Just in case the finish deteriorates in a few years. BTDT too.

EDIT: Dick W and I had the same idea!

 

congrats, welcome to the the your-brand-new-fit-looks-like-it-was-in-an-accident club.

The dealership inspector on mine told me mine looked like it was in a frame-bending accident. That was the only way he could justify in his head why all four of my doors were sticking out at odd angles and one of my wheels wobbled.

If I were looking for a used Honda fit, and looked at yours, without the VIN sticker I would assume you had a front end accident and the hood was replaced. I suppose you have the paperwork for the new hood, I hope. And it says REPLACED WITH NEW HOOD.

How is the paint match?

I just reread.
YOU paid for the rental? Not Honda? Why so?

 

Paint match is perfect. Paperwork just says "dent on hood needs repair"... I'm not even sure the body shop told the dealership that the hood was replaced.

 

You want paperwork that says the hood was replaced. Without it I would DEFINITELY think something was immediately fishy.
No reported accidents? VIN-less hood? Red flag.
Despite the fact nothing really happened, your next potential buyer would have no idea and if they are smart, assume the worst.