HID Retrofit cutoff, low beam, high beam shots

Low beam - inside car

High beam - inside car

Low beams - outside the car

Review: XPEL Yellow 30mil Protection Film for Honda Fit Fog Light

I purchased a 4"x8" sheet of XPEL yellow H9906-YLW headlight protection film. I believe the price was around $10 shipped. That is enough to cover the two fog light lenses. I removed the fog light, made a template pf the fog light lens (make sure you leave a little gap at the end of the lens on the fogs so the heat generated by the bulb can escape off the lens), cut the XPEL with the template, and then cleaned the fog light lenses with some alcohol and sticked the XPEL film on them. I left them alone for a night and then turned them on in the morning. Done!

They don't output as yellow as I would have wanted, but it looks nicer now when the fogs are not on and I know the fog light lenses are protected from rocks and other crap that might damage them.

Review: Skunk2 Short Shift Kit for Honda Fit

For less than $40, I bought this Skunk2 Short Shift kit on eBay. The Skunk2 Part# is 628-05-0200. It's a really simple kit. The kit is made up of, four longer bolts, 4 washers, 4 metal shifter bushings, 1 shifter extension and 3 little set screws. What it does it shortens the shifts by raising the actually shifter assembly up and making the shifter longer to compensate for raising the shifter assembly. Here are some pictures to give you a better idea of how it works and what it looks like.





Here's a picture of what it looks like once installed minus the bolts connecting the shifter assembly to the chassis. So you use your stock shifter and add that little extension piece to compensate for raising the shifter assembly up with the new metal bushings.





This Skunk2 Short Shift kit is worth the money. It makes the shifts more nice and crisp and its not very notchy like some short shifters that I have used before. It pretty much just makes your shifts noticeably shorter and makes them more solid. The installation is also pretty easy. I followed Skunk2's installation instructions and it took me about 30-40 minutes. Just makes ure you use some red loctite on those set screws so they dont come loose. I also recommend some white lithium type grease for the regreasing the little shifter extension to go back into the plastic holder on the shifter cable.


I may stick a DIY for this here. I have pictures that I took of the install, but I think once you get the Skunk2's installation instructions it was pretty self explanatory.

DIY: Honda Fit HID Retrofit with FX35 Projectors

DIY: Disclaimer
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I'll just put up the parts that are needed since someone on Honda-Tech.com asked for them. I'll add the rest of the info with pictures later. Cheers!

HID Retrofit Parts List

1. 1 x pair of Honda Fit headlights
   $360 brand new from Honda
2. 1 x pair of FX35 projectors (preferably clear lens for a super sharp cutoff)
   $70 used from eBay (frosted)
3. 2 x small Dog Bowls for the shrouds
   $10 brand new from Petsmart
4. 6 x 2" screws that fits the FX35 projectors
   less than $10 for all brand new screws, washers, lock washers, and nuts
5. 12 x flat washers
6. 12 x lock washers
7. 12 x nuts
8. Duplicolor Semi-Gloss High Heat spray paint or whatever color you want the headlights painted
   $5 brand new from NAPA
9. Duplicolor BondAid spray paint to help the paint stick
   $5 brand new from NAPA
10. 1 x roll of sponge tape to fit the dog bowls on
    $5 brand new from NAPA
11. 1 x butyl sealant to seal back the headlights properly
    $25 brand new from Nissan Dealer (you should be able to get this from any autoparts store for less called window sealant made out of butyl; I have not tried this so I can't guarantee that it is 100% the same)

I think those are all the parts you need to do the retrofit. For tools and such, you will need a screw driver, small wrench, dremel hardware, sand paper, painting space, and etc of course. I'll go into more details soon.

Pictures: FX35 Bi-Xenon HID Retrofit on Honda Fit

Front View.




HID's on with 5000K bulbs.




Close up of shroud and projector while on.




Close up of the semi-gloss black paint job.

Review: My FX35 Bi-Xenon HID Retroft for the Honda Fit

I had a lot of fun learning about retrofitting and making it happen. It took me a while to get all the parts and figure out how to paint and mount everything professionally, but it was worth it and my first retrofit came out pretty good. You also retain the factory headlight adjustment with this retrofit. You can see the retrofit as my title picture up top.

Here's a picture of the second retrofit I completed for a FitFreak member.

The retrofit takes me two days to complete.

The first day, I take the headlights apart so I can modify the reflector bowl to house the FX35 projectors and I prep the headlight housing and reflector bowl for painting. Once all the cutting and sanding is done, I paint everything with at least 5-6 thin layers of paint waiting 15 minutes between each coat. I've been using the Semi-Gloss High Heat Duplicolor spray paint, but I can use any color and even match the reflector bowl to the original headlight housing/car color. After everything is painted, I let it dry over night so that I know the paint will not chip or flake in the future.

The second day, I go ahead and mount the projector into the reflector bowl and get it ready for cutoff adjustment. I have to take off my Fit's front bumper, disconnect my headlights, remove the headlights, and then mount the new retrofit on the car for cutoff adjustment. I do the adjustment at about 20ft away from the wall to make sure it is as acurate as possible. Once I am satisified, I remove the headlights and put my car back together and put the dog bowl shrouds on the projectors. Once that is done, I start putting the headlights back together. Before I put them back in the oven to seal up, I put a strip of OEM butyl sealant along the the whole edge of the lens of the headlight so that there are no worries of them ever fogging up. I've had my retrofit since October and I have had no fogging or any issues with the headlights.

I matched the retrofit up with an OEM FX35 HID kit and 5000K bulbs and the roads are so much brighter now. Once you got HID retrofit, you will never go back!

More pics coming soon!

DIY: Install K&N Air Filter Replacement for Honda Fit

DIY: Disclaimer
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To install it check out these installation instructions from K&N.http://www.kandn.com/instructions/33-2359.pdf

It takes 5 minute tops and that's including opening the box the K&N filter comes in. :)

You should also be able to use these instructions to install a OEM replacement air filter.

Check out my review on this product in the following link.
Review: K&N Air Filter Replacement for Honda Fit

Review: K&N Air Filter Replacement for Honda Fit

I bought the K&N filter online at http://www.autoanything.com/ for $35 shipped. The part # for the 2007 Honda Fit is 33-2359. For more info on the filter here is the direct link to the K&N website. http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=33-2359

For instructions on how to install the air filter please follow this link.
DIY: Install K&N Air Filter Replacement for Honda Fit

It made a difference for me. I was definitely getting 1 mpg more after I put in the K&N filter. With the stock filter, I was getting consistently 38-39 mpg driving 80% highway and 20% city and with the K&N filter I was getting 39-40 mpg on the same route, using the same gas station to fill up and always filling up until the first click. I think 1-2 mpg increase if I drove more highway or drove slower (60-65mph).

Overall, I think it is a great replacement for the OEM air filter. You can also clean the air filter and reoil with the K&N Recharge Kit.

DIY: Install OEM Honda Fit Fog Lights on Base Model Fit

DIY: Disclaimer
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I really wanted more light since I drove a lot when it was dark out. The fog lights give you a wider view up close. The install was very straightforward and the most time consuming part was getting around under the dash to plug in the harnesses and finding the harnesses to plug into. It took me about 2 hours from beginning to end.

The fog lights came with instructions from Honda and also the template that I used to cut out the holes for the fog lights. You do need a drill, two drill bits (3mm and 5.5mm), a hack saw, ratchet wrench (8mm and 10mm), and some other tools. Follow the Honda instruction manual for the install. It will show you everything you need to know. The pictures I have posted just gives you a better visual of how things will look.

Here's a link to the installation instructions from http://www.handa-accessories.com/ website.
http://www.handa-accessories.com/fit/fog.pdf

Outline of the cutout and drilled a few starter holes.


How it looks like after you have made the cutout for the fog light to fit.


The work area.


Installation of the fog lights and running of the wiring harness.


Before


and after

Review: Progress Rear Swaybar for Honda Fit

After having upgraded to a 22mm ITR rear swaybar in my Integra in the past, I knew that a rear swaybar would be a beneficial modification to the Fit even though it already handled very well. Everyone on FitFreak.net also raved about it so I had to give it a shot as soon as possible.

I ordered from Progress Technology directly over the phone for $160 shipped and everything went smooth. I received my package on time and everything was packed very well.

This is how I received it from Progress.

This is what was in the box.

All the installation hardware was included and the install was a breeze. The rear sway bar fit perfectly and this is my favorite suspension mod for performance. I definitely recommend this to any Fit owner and for $160 shipped it is a steal.

I also wrote a DIY to install this rear swaybar in the following link.
DIY: Install Progress Rear Swabar for Honda Fit

DIY: Install Progress Rear Swaybar for Honda Fit

DIY: Disclaimer
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This is the best mods I have done to the Fit in terms of performance. It was just as good as when I upgraded my Integra to the 22mm ITR rear swaybar. The install is pretty easy and shouldn't take you more than an 45 minutes. I don't remember all the wrench sizes that I used, so I apologize about that. I did use red loctite for the nuts and bolts to make sure it doesn't come off in the future.

Here's a picture of what came in the package from Progress.


You need to take off the rear wheels first so you have more room to work with.

Then I jacked up the car with the 3 ton jack on the tow hook and placed two jack stands on the rear side jack points.

After that you need to take off the rear springs. It is held into this rubber piece to the metal bracket that it sits in. Once you get the spring out, you can see the mounting holes for the rear swaybar. You will use three on each side.

Insert the swaybar from the driver side to the passenger side. That seems to be the easiest way to get the swaybar in there.

Once you get it in there start with one side of the swaybar first and put the three bolts in from the top and then line up the swaybar to the bottom of it and put the washer and nuts on. Do not fully tighten it yet until you have both sides ready to be tightened. Do the same for the other side and then fully tighten all the nuts. I even used some red loctite, since I didn't want the swaybar to fall off one day.

Here's the passenger side of the rear swaybar installed.

Here's a picture of the driver side of the rear swaybar installed.

The swaybar is installed and all the bolts have been tightened.

After that you tightened the bolts and nuts, go ahead and reinstall the rear springs. Put your wheels back on and lower the car back onto the ground. Don't forget to tighten your lug nuts and you are done! Take it for a spin.

DIY: Install 6.5" Component Speakers using OEM Bracket

DIY: Disclaimer
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I tried to use the Metra 1" speaker spacer for 6.5" speakers but I could not get the door panel to fit back on because the 1" spacer was just too thick.

Instead of using the speaker spacer, I decide to trim the door panel interior with a dremel and cut out the stock speaker from the bracket with a box cutter and reuse the old bracket for the new components. This worked perfect for me and the door panel sits flush now.

Trimmed the speaker part of the door panel to fit the new 6.5" component speaker.


Trim off the same thickness as the lip on the component speaker.


Putting the OEM foam back on the trimmed speaker part of the door panel.


Zip ties holding the new 6.5" component speaker on the OEM bracket



Final results.

DIY: Install Sound Deadening/Proofing for Honda Fit

DIY: Disclaimer

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The eDead I bought on eBay from Elemental Designs, but you can get it cheaper from the actual website Elemental Designs and use the 20% off coupon that is floating around in their forums. It was about $65 shipped after the 20% off coupon for 60 sqft and I paid $70 for 60 sqft but also got a roller. You don't really need the roller, but it is nice to have.

The neoprene and adhesive spray I purchased from The Foam Factory. Here's a directly link Neoprene Sheets, Rubber, Poker Table Foam, Neoprene Pads. I got two rolls of the 72"x42" Neoprene High Quality 1/4" Thick. I paid $51 shipped for a total of 48 sqft of neoprene and one can of adhesive spray.

The 3M All-Weather Duct Tape cost less than $6 at your local autoparts store.

To make the job easier you may want some GooGone to take off the sticky mess that holds the plastic sheet to the door inbetween the door panel and the door. You also need some rubbing (denatured) alcohol to clean up the areas before applying the sound deadening. A measure tape, box cutter, and a wooden block also are helpful.

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I put eDead V1.2 in the following areas.

- Single layer inside and outside (door panel side) of front doors.
- Single layer inside of rear doors and just covered up the holes on the outside part of the door (door panel side).
- Single layer in entire trunk plus a second layer over the areas that had OEM sound deadening.
- Single layer over rear wheel wells plus a second layer on the areas that hard OEM sound deadening.

I put a single layer of closed-cell neoprene in the following areas.

- All the door panels
- Trunk
- Rear wheel wells

I bought 60 sqft of eDead V1.2 and 48 sqft of neoprene and one can of adhesive spray. I have some eDead left just enough to finish the rear outside of the doors if I wanted to. I am guessing about 5 sqft left. I may use it to do the hatch door since it is small. I have at least 15 sqft of neoprene left and half a bottle of the adhesive spray. I also decided to buy some 3M All-Weather Duct Tape and make sure the eDead doesnt fall apart on me. lol I used up 3/4 of the roll.

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The tools and eDead I used to sound deaden the car. The only thing missing in this picture is the roll of neoprene.


How the OEM Sound Deadening looked like before I put the new sound deadening over it.


First layer of eDead. You can put down bigger sheets if you are comfortable doing so. If you have any bubbles you can poke a hole and squeeze the air out that way.


Finished up with the neoprene in the spare tire well and rear fender area.


eDeaded the inside and little on the outside of the rear door since I didn't buy enough to complete the rear doors.


Neoprened the rear door panel.


The door in stock form. I removed the plastic sound deadening and the grey goo with some GooGone and paper towels.


The door after I cleaned it with a layer of eDeaded inside the door.


Pic of the holes I cut after laying down the eDead. It was easy to do it this way.


eDead completed inside/out


Neoprened the front door panel.




The amount of eDead I put down and neoprene was pretty good in terms getting all the parts to fit back on properly. In the rear I had some trouble securing the plastic back down since it was so much thicker with the eDead and neoprene layer, but it went in with some work and fits very snuggly.

I am pretty satisifed with the noise level in the car now. If I were to do any more sound deadening, I would do the firewall and probably add more neoprene to the rear area of the wall.

DIY: Putting the Honda Fit Headlights Back Together

DIY: Disclaimer

If you need instructions on how to take apart the headlight first please go to this link.
DIY: Taking the Honda Fit Headlights Apart

If you need instructions on how to paint the headlights please go to this link.
DIY: Painting the Honda Fit Headlights

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You need to reassembled the painted plastic cover and the lens of the headlight.

Do the reverse from DIY: Painting The Honda Fit Headlights

I ordered this butyl sealant for tail lights from the Nissan dealer. You can see the part number in the picture if you want to order it. Claymore from FitFreak.net also shined some light on this butyl sealant and you can get it from the autoparts store. It's the window sealant, which is also butyl based. This is the same stuff that is use as sealant in the OEM Honda Fit headlights.

I just found out from Earthmover84 on FitFreak.net more details on the butyl sealant at the car store.

- "you can put on your DIY that 3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer works to, just got some. it does contain polybutylene, and butyl. thought i might let you know. AutoZone and Advanced Autoparts both carry it. part number 051135 08612"

I dont know if you can tell, but I put a thin strip all around the crack where the butyl should go before I put the headlight back together and in the oven.

After I preheated the oven to 200C and turned it off, I assembled the headlight back together as best as I could for now and placed it inside the oven for 10 minutes. After that I took it out and just pressed it back into the crack and slipped the plastic clips back into their places. AGAIN, your oven may vary from my oven so check it in 5 minutes and see if any plastic is melting.

After all is pressed back together, put the three screws back into the back of the headlight.

Here's a pic of a completed vs incompleted headlight.

DIY: Painting the Honda Fit Headlights

DIY: Disclaimer

If you need instructions on how to take apart the headlight first please go to this link.
DIY: Taking the Honda Fit Headlights Apart

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Here's a picture so you get an idea of how the Honda Fit headlight looks when disassembled.




After the headlight is apart you need to take off the two screws that hold the painted plastic cover to the lens of the headlight. Then pop off the amber reflector and the clear running light cover. Be careful not to break the tabs on these.






I used VHT Nite-Shades spray paint to smoke the amber reflector and running light cover. I prepped them by taping up the areas I did not want any paint on and cleaned the surface that would be painted with some alcohol to make sure I got all my grease finger prints off. I then did three light coats of the smoke spray and it came out pretty good.








I used some Bond Aid spray paint that I had left over and Duplicolor Engine Enamel Semi-Gloss Black DE1635 to paint the colored plastic headlight covers. I also cleaned them with some alcohol and covered the running light area with painters tape. I sprayed a light coat of bond aid before spray painting. I did five light coats so there were no runs.










I recommend letting it dry overnight before putting it all back together.

If you need instructions on how to put the headlight back together please follow this link.
DIY: Putting the Honda Fit Headlights Back Together

DIY: Disclaimer

Disclaimer:

The following DIY at this site is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself, nor Blogger endorse, recommend, encourage nor take any responsibility for the outcome of someone else doing the following. You follow these DIY steps at your own risk!

Also, all the DIY are performed on a 2007 Base Model Honda Fit so if you have a different year or model some things may vary.

DIY: Taking the Honda Fit Headlights Apart

DIY: Disclaimer

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Here are the steps I took to take apart my Fit's headlight. It was very easy and on my first attempt (headlight was not warm enough) I mest up the black plastic a little when I was frustrated. My second attempt things went smooth like butter!

Instructions:
1. Prepare the headlight by taking off the small dark grey nipple on the black of the headlight and also the three screws you see on the back of the headlight.
2. Preheat oven to 200F. I actually had mine at 210F and mine is a gas oven. It all depends so I would recommend anything from 200F to 225F. Once the preheating is complete, turn off the oven, and place the headlight inside the oven on top of a tray with a baking sheet.
4. Let sit for about 10 minutes. I had mine in for about 11 minutes and then took it out.
5. It should be warm enought so that you have to use a mitten for the first few minutes.
6. Pry around the back of the headlight with a screwdriver or butter knife. Both the black sealant and black plastic will stretch nicely when it is warmed properly.
7. Once you have seperated the plastic and lens you have enough leeway to use your hands and pry the two pieces apart. Take your time and you will see the black sealant stretch. I used a screwdriver to seperate it once it was stretched out and kept pulling the lens and plastic apart and repeat until the whole thing was off. There are a few clips that hold the headlight together that you need to pop out while pulling the headlight apart.
8. If you are having a hard time, put the headlight back in the oven and let the sealant soften up.

Here are a few pics so you get the idea.

Where to start prying.

Slowly prying the headlight apart.

If you need instructions on how to paint the headlights please go to this link.
DIY: Painting the Honda Fit Headlights

If you need instructions on how to put the headlights back together go to this link.
DIY: Putting the Honda Fit Headlights Back Together

Honda Fit Pros and Cons

Everything has its pros and cons and for the Fit the pros definitely outweight the cons. I am going to list what I think are the pros and cons of the car and their importance to me.

Cons

• No dead pedal. It isn't a big deal for me since I am not getting knee pain or anything from it as some other drivers are.
• Car doesn't heat up very fast for the winter and the windows stay fogged up. It's annoying, but I guess that is what you will expect with a tiny 1.5L engine and light weight car (not heavily insulated). I don't drive much during the winter anyways.
• Radio reception isn't the greatest, but it is doable. I have an aftermarket headunit now and listen to mostly CDs and my MP3 player.
• The inside of the car gets pretty loud from road noise when driving 70-80 mph on the highway. It was so loud it was hard to hold a conversation with a passenger. This was important to me so I ended up sound deadening/proofing parts of the car which helped extremely.
• The colored plastic interior scratches easily. Lower quality than expected. I just need to be more careful that's all.
• Power door lock button for front passenger side. It is just a common to have it for driver and front passenger.
• No lumbar support or adjustment. It's something I would really like to have, especially on long trips.
• Small, light weight car. It doesn't FEEL very safe when driving it especially if the weather is very windy.

Pros

• Great gas mileage. I've had 44 mpgs on one highway trip driving 65mph most of the way. When driving 80% highway and 20% city I would get 38-40 mpg. Great to have, I like to safe money and the environment at the same time. The savings practically pay for the car itself over time (depends on how much mpgs your current car gets compard to the Fit).
• Super reliable. I don't have to worry about being stranded or paying for maintenance bills. Very important to me.
• The car has a 5 star safety rating. Very important for me.
• The car handles well because it is light weight and has a rigid body. This is nice to have.
• The car was well priced for a brand new, reliable, and good quality car.
• The different modes the car can be used in is a great utility to have. This was definitely a perk when I purchased the car.
• The fit and finish of the car is not the best, but it definitely holds up against its compact car competitors in terms of quality. I would give it a 8 out of 10.

I will add more pros and cons to this list as time goes on and I notice new things. Currently, the pros definitely outweight the cons otherwise I would have not purchsed the car in the first place. It's nice to have a car that gives you a peace of mind.

2007 Base Honda Fit Specs (Manual and Automatic)

Quick Specs of the Base Fit I copy and pasted from http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/.

Engineering

Engine Type: In-Line 4-Cylinder
Engine Block/Cylinder Head: Aluminum-Alloy
Displacement (cc): 1497
Horsepower @ rpm (SAE net, Rev 8/04): 109 @ 5800
Torque (lb.-ft. @ rpm): 105 @ 4800Redline (rpm): 6500
Bore and Stroke (mm): 73.0 x 89.4
Compression Ratio: 10.4:1
Valvetrain: 16-Valve SOHC VTEC®Multi-Point Fuel Injection
Drive-by-Wire Throttle System™Front-Wheel Drive
CARB Emissions Rating: LEV-2Direct Ignition System with Immobilizer
100,000-Miles-or-More Tune-Up Interval*

*Does not apply to fluid and filter changes. Exact mileage is determined by actual driving conditions. Please see your owner's manual for more details.

Transmissions

5-Speed Manual Transmission Gear Ratios
1st:
3.462
2nd:
1.870
3rd:
1.321
4th:
0.970
5th:
0.757
Reverse:
3.231
Final Drive:
4.290

5-Speed Automatic Transmission Gear Ratios
1st:
2.996
2nd:
1.679
3rd:
1.067
4th:
0.756
5th:
0.550
Reverse:
1.957
Final Drive:
4.560

Body/Suspension/Chassis

Unit-Body Construction
MacPherson Strut Front Suspension
Torsion-Beam Rear Suspension
Stabilizer Bar (mm., front): 21
Electric Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering (EPS)
Steering Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock: 2.41
Steering Ratio: 12.8
Turning Diameter, Curb-to-Curb (ft.): 34.3
Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Rear Drum Brakes (in., front/rear): 10.3 / 7.9
Wheels: 14" with Full Covers
All-Season Tires: P175 / 65 R14 81SCompact Spare Tire

Interior Measurements
Headroom (in., front/rear): 40.6 / 38.6
Legroom (in., front/rear): 41.9 / 33.7
Shoulder Room (in., front/rear): 52.8 / 50.6
Hiproom (in., front/rear): 51.2 / 51.0
Cargo Volume (cu. ft., seat up/down): 21.3 / 41.9
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 90.1Seating Capacity: 5

Exterior Measurements
Wheelbase (in.): 96.5
Length (in.): 157.4
Height (in.): 60Width (in.): 66.2
Track (in., front/rear): 57.3 / 57.1
Curb Weight (lbs., MT/AT): 2432 / 2514
Weight Distribution (%, front/rear, MT): 61.8 / 38.2
Weight Distribution (%, front/rear, AT): 63.3 / 36.7

EPA Mileage Estimates*/Capacities

5-Speed Manual (City/Highway): 33 / 38
5-Speed Automatic (City/Highway): 31 / 38
Crankcase (qt.): 4.4
Coolant System (gal.): 1.4
Fuel (gal.): 10.8
Required Fuel: Regular Unleaded

*Based on 2007 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Actual mileage may vary.

All values subject to change without notice.

Safety

3-Point Seat Belts at all Seating Positions
Front 3-Point Seat Belts with Automatic Tensioning System
Adjustable Front Seat Belt Anchors
Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side Curtain Airbags
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Side-Impact Door Beams
Outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
Child-Proof Rear Door Locks
Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System

Exterior Features

Roof-Mounted Antenna
Body-Colored Power Side Mirrors
2-Speed/Intermittent Windshield Wipers
Rear Window Wiper/Washer
Impact-Absorbing Body-Colored Bumpers
Multi-Reflector Halogen Headlights with Body-Colored Bezels
Tinted Glass
Body-Colored Door Handles

Comfort & Convenience

Air Conditioning with Air-Filtration System
Power Windows with Auto-Down Driver's WindowPower Door Locks
Adjustable Steering Column
Beverage Holders, Front and Rear
Door-Pocket Storage Bins, Front
Passenger-Side Seatback Pocket
Headlights-On Reminder
Driver's Vanity Mirror12-Volt Power Outlet
Cargo Area Tie-Down Anchors (4 total)
Cargo Area Storage Pocket
Rear Window Defroster with Timer
Cargo Area Light

Seating

Reclining Front Seatbacks
Adjustable Head Restraints
Fold-Flat-Capable Seating
Rear 60/40 Magic Seat®

Audio Systems

120-Watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 4 Speakers
Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC)

Instrumentation

Maintenance Minder System
Blue Backlit Gauges
Tachometer
Digital Odometer and Digital Trip Meters (2)
Fuel and Coolant Temperature Indicators
Door-Open Indicator
Low-Fuel and Low-Oil Pressure Indicators
Front Passenger Airbag-Off Indicator
Front Side Airbag-Off Indicator

My Honda Fit's History

I purchased my Honda Fit on May 22nd, 2006. I purchased the Fit with the intent to replace my reliable Gen3 Acura Integra. The Fit I purchased is actually built in Japan and imported to the USA just like my old Acura Integra. It's also not the first year ever that the car has ever been sold. The Fit is also called the Jazz and has been sold for a long time in other countries. It is known to be a very reliable car worldwide and also one of the best selling autos in some foreign countries. This made me confident to plop down the money for a brand new Fit even though I would have prefer to buy a used car.

The car has been running great since day one. I did have two safety recalls though. The first one was for the airbag where they spent about 45 minutes reprogramming the SRS unit so that the airbag deploys at the right time. The second one was for the SRS wire harness where they beef up the wiring harness for the SRS underneath the driver's carpet so water doesn't penetrate it and cause the passenger side and front airbags to malfunction.

The first time I changed my oil and oil filter was when the maintenance reminder was at 30%. I have changed the oil at 20-30%. I always change the oil filter when I change the oil and I used Valvoline GTX 5W-20 oil and Purolator One oil filter for the past 33K miles. On my next oil change I plant to use Extended Performance Mobile 1 Synthetic oil and a NAPA Gold (Wix) oil filter. I also rotate the tires at every oil change. It doesn't take much time and helps the tire to wear out evenly.

So overall, the Fit has been a very reliable car and I have more time to enjoy it than worry what might go wrong next.