My maintenance minder B just popped and I'm considering going to my previous mechanic to do maintenance stuff. I'm just worried if they would know how to work with the 2015 Fit and its maintenance minder, considering it's still a pretty new design. And if they know they have to replace that crush washer after every oil change. I could ask them myself but of course they'll just say YEP, bring it in! My last oil change at the dealer was about $80 and not even Minder B. Anyone go to their local mechanic without issues? Or should I give him the list of maintenance items under the Minder B, without patronizing him?

 

do it yourself. not worth it paying dealer maintenance b service. its just basically an oil and filter change and check fluids, tires, suspension among other things. my mom just got a GK and I plan on doing her oil changes.

 

I'm not confident enough to even do an oil change lol, at least not yet. Plus, B service is inspecting stuff I've no knowledge of:

● Replace engine oil and oil filter
● Inspect front and rear brakes/service as necessary
● Check parking brake adjustment
● Inspect tie rod ends, steering gearbox, and boots
● Inspect suspension components
● Inspect driveshaft boots
● Inspect brake hoses and lines (Including ABS/VSA)
● Inspect all fluid levels and condition of fluids
● Inspect exhaust system#
● Inspect fuel lines and connections#

Just came across this thread about dealer costs for B service....
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...t-options.html

I might just get the oil change and forget about the inspections. I'm willing to pay a little extra for the oil change for piece of mind since it's a once a year thing for me, but will check with my mechanic first.

 

I suggest a good independent mechanic. I only use dealers when I have to, such as for warranty and TSB service.

The logic is this: Dealers hire mechanics fresh out of trade school. They're cheap to pay. Only a fraction of that $130/hr you pay at the dealer goes to the mechanic. The rest goes to pay the service writers, the service managers, and for maintaining that impressive facility you drove into.

As soon as a mechanic has some experience he will move to a better-paying job with an independent. At an independent you will pay quite a lot less for the labor but the mechanic will, paradoxically, earn more. They are also likely to do a more careful job because they make money on repeat business.

I once was given three free oil changes with a new Toyota. After the first change I went to pick up my car. As is my habit, I popped the hood and pulled the dipstick. It didn't show any oil at all!

I left the car in the drive went back in and found the service manager. He came out, looked at the stick, and said "Oh, the oil dispenser dial must have slipped again!" I asked him why the mechanic didn't check the dipstick and he said "There's no need, the dispenser automatically puts in the the correct amount of oil!"

The manager didn't seem to comprehend that his two statements contradicted each other. He was more concerned with getting his driveway clear so more cars could come in. He had a porter go into the parts department and get two quarts of oil which he put in the car. This just touched the bottom of the stick. Another quart brought it near full. That's a freshly-serviced car delivered three quarts low!

I left shaking my head.

A couple of weeks later I told this story to a friend and he stopped me right at the beginning, saying "Don't tell me...the dial on the dispenser slipped?" Yes, he had the same story told to him! His was only two quarts low.

So, I'd rather trust a independent mechanic for routine service. Anyone can look at hoses and boots because a failure in these is obvious. Same thing with rotating tires. There's nothing special about Honda brakes and any mechanic can change pads.

You can also easily specify the service you want, and you won't be pressured to buy the "Dealer Recommended services" that the manufacturer doesn't require.

 

If you are doing an oil change remember that the bottom engine shield needs to be removed. When you reinstall it you'll need to zip tie it on. Many owners have gone to their dealer for oil change, only to find the engine shield then falls off.

 

You don't NEED to zip tie it on, but you DO need to make sure the fasteners aren't damaged so they'll do their job. Mine hasn't fallen off, but then, I do my own oil changes and inspect/replace the two plastic fasteners each time. Dealers are unlikely to care, in my experience.

 

Try to find an independent Honda Specialist near you. (look for a lot stuffed with Hondas and Acuras)

These guys will know what you need, and the value of Honda replacement parts.

We have TWO such shops within 20 miles of me in NJ (though, I do most of my own work).

 

Can someone post a pic of the plastic fasteners? I need an oil change soon and I need to know what do inspect before and after. Thanks.

 

Do you post anything that isn't bashing dealerships??? I mean I know a lot of dealers suck but some of the stuff you make up is just ridiculous. But what do I know I have only been a service advisor for 12 years.

 

Your Fit is still a pretty basic vehicle. Any reputable independent facility should be able to do most or all of your maintenance. My suggestion is to use Honda and only Honda oil filters. If they are good enough for 800+hp endurance racing engines made by Honda they are good enough for your car. Just make sure you keep all your records of all the maintenance. Btw $80 for an oil change on any Honda Excluding the S2000 is high even on the left coast. My dealership charges $39.99 for 0w20 full synthetic oil changes (A service) including wash and vacuum. Do yourself a favor and shop around at different Honda dealers(if there are any where you live) and independents. I have clients come in all the time with written estimates for maintenance and repairs from independents and chain service centers that are higher than giraffe nuts. DO your homework and keep all records. Remember not all dealers are bad. Those days are coming to an end.

 

Just 2 cents.. Using a part for racing has NOTHING to do with driving on the street when it comes to quality, I'e supported auto racing teams in the pits for about 20 years and racers are the cheapest bastards ever.. Honda uses that filter because they change them between every session and since its their product they get them cheap. (Also in case a photo op picks up the filter... ) They have them made by the lowest bidder to their spec. Just like every body else..

I once had to impound a factory race teams hauler truck to make them pay for their fuel, THE FOLLOWING SEASON!, they came in and wrote bad checks, had the receipt in had the following year and booted their hauler.. (This was not Honda, but it was a world team...)
The crew ended up divvying up the bill on their personal credit cards cause corporate wouldn't get the money to them.. They were hauling over 5 mil in race cars and truck around and couldn't pay a 2500 dollar fuel bill..

 

that's cool, xxryu. Congrats to your mom. The way they oriented the oil filter on the GK, be prepared for a messy removal. lol I did my wife's a couple of weeks back. I do all my maintenance on my cars too.

 

Anyone can do the routine maintenance on the GK. if your local mechanic is nice and convenient, just let him/her do the work. resetting the oil life counter is easy too... just start the car and press/hold for 10 sec. then it will flash, press/hold for another 10 sec again.

 

Yes. Quite a lot, in fact.

I guess the posts other folks have made about sloppily-reinstalled oil filter covers falling off and dealers dreaming up their own service requirements is made up too. There is no lack of dealership horror stories here!

Hence your bias. One does not bite the hand that feeds!

Yes, everything might be wine and roses with your employer, but it's a pretty sure bet that your dealer's hourly rates are markedly higher than your local independents and that the mechanics are, on average, less experienced.

The bottom line is that, except for warranty and TSB items, independents are a better deal than dealers. Fewer non-mechanics sharing the money and a closer connection to the person actually doing the work yields a better result for both shop and customer.

 

The nearest Honda dealer is 65 miles away. This is the dealership that couldn't be bothered answering several emails or returning phone calls when I was looking for a Fit MT to purchase. I'll have to use it in order to have another key made, but I intend to have my trusted local mechanic do all my maintenance work. They were great servicing my Toyota Matrix, and I expect they'll be just as great with my Fit.

 

yah, there is absolutely no need for the dealer to do these routine maintenance.

plus, those express lube services done by the dealer is no different than going to those jiffylube places... yikes.

 

I don't think I've ever seen an oil filter installation that didn't make a mess removing it. The worst was the filter on my ex-wife's Chevette. The filter was mounted right above the engine cradle crossmember. oil would spill on the crossmember and drip off the full length of it. There was no drain pan big enough to contain it.

 

I have a 4Runner with the 1GRFE engine and it's a smart design of the placement of the oil filter. First it's right on top of the engine bay, and second it has a smart little catch with a bung for tubing in case any does spill out. You can see it here, to the left of the battery

 

I work at a dealer, too. They do my oil changes in the winter, when I really don't want to do them.

My ramps and drain pan paid for themselves after a couple oil changes.

 

That sounds a lot like my first car, a '88 Mazda 626. The oil filter was directly above a frame cross-member, on the back of the engine towards the passenger side, and could only be reached by snaking one's arm between the air filter housing (a big round one with lots of pollution control hoses and gizmos attached) and the starter motor while leaning in from the left side, chest next to the battery. About a third of the time I would dislodge the wire to the starter solenoid and have to fish it back on the terminal to have the engine start again.

My next car, a '96 Geo Prizm, was better. The oil filter was in plain view from the front, nestled between parts of the exhaust manifold. I did get a couple of minor burns on my knuckles from that.

I recently bought a pair of oil filter pliers from Harbor Freight. They're by far the best tool I've ever used to remove an oil filter, assuming you have room to manipulate them. You can apply plenty of torque without slipping and without the wrench binding onto the filter.