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The Fit Is Go! Part 2
By JD Bluefield | July 3, 2008
As a follow up to The Fit Is Go! Part 1, and after driving the Honda Fit for about a month, I’ve gone through most of the required maintenance and learned more about what it has to offer.
I’ve changed both the engine air filter, cabin air filter, engine oil, engine coolant and inflated/rotated the tires. Even when a seller has records of maintenance or said they performed it, I always like to do it all of this myself. In doing so, you learn a lot about the design and condition of your vehicle.
Engine Air Filters: The engine air filter is usually the first thing I replace. It’s often neglected and is actually the easiest of all regular maintenance. Air filter dirty quickly and should be inspected and changed regularly. The engine’s air filter will be located in the engine compartment, often in a black rectangular plastic box or a flat pancake shaped can, in some older model cars and trucks. Unclip or unscrew the cover, remove the old filter, replace with new filter and replace cover. Simple as that. I gained 6 mpg with this change alone, as the previous owner left a dirty mess in that box for me.
I prefer Fram replacement filters over expensive OEM factory or K&N “cleanable” filters, and can be found in the auto supply section of any K-Mart or Walmart. Some may swear that K&N brand filters increase performance and are cheaper over the long run, I’m not so convinced. I don’t want to chance excess debris getting in the combustion chamber and I’ve also read that excess oil from a K&N filter can slowly accumulate on your 02 sensor. This will throw off your engine’s timing and cost well over the $30 you save over the life of the car. I say toss the whole filter and start new.
Cabin Air Filters: These are a common feature on many newer cars. They are located behind the glove box and are also just as easy to replace. Remove all the crap contents from the glove box, push in the tabs holding the glove box in, remove the glove box and above the cylindrical A/C fan housing should be a box with a hinge or removable cover. That is where the cabin air filter is located.
You can purchase these filters from the dealer and do it yourself, saving money on labor. Or you can save even more by purchasing them online from ebay. I picked up two filters for around $10 each, much less than the $20 the dealer wanted, not including labor.
I’ve found the same non-OEM filters in a friend’s car who just got serviced by the dealer. So I suspect some of the dealers are pocketing the difference between the non-OEM filter they install and the OEM filter they’re charging you. It may only be $10, but after servicing thousands of cars, that savings adds up to some big bucks.
Tire Inflation: Self explanatory, but still often over looked. This has a big effect on performance, safety and fuel economy. Under inflated tires increase resistance and wear. Disclaimer: You should always insure tires are inflated to the manufacturer recommended pressure. With that said, there are people that over inflate their tires to achieve higher gas mileage. This decreases the contact area and the grab to the pavement and thus reduce rolling resistance. On the other hand, it may also increase road noise and negatively affect handling/braking. I do know several people who inflate their tires between 5 and 15 psi above the recommended pressure and report increased gas mileage. 15 psi is a little extreme, but I think 5 psi is good. Do so at your own risk. I personally believe it is better to be a little over than a little under, as the major reason for the high speed roll-overs years back were due to under inflation of tires.
Oil Changes: Many people shy away from changing oil, but I actually enjoy doing it myself. It also ensure that I’m getting what I paid for. No underhanded switcher-oo’s on paying for the $6/qt synthetic and getting leftover oil from someone else’s car. Its easy to find oil changing instructions, so I’ll just throw out some tips on how I save money and time.
- Buy a box of Nitrile gloves from Costco and use whenever doing engine work. Won’t keep you from getting dirty, but helps a lot. Throws some of those Nitrile gloves in a sealable plastic bag and leave them in the spare tire area for future use.
- Make your own oil disposal box: This will not only save you money, but actually puts good use to all that old newspaper, boxes and plastic bags. It’s practically “green”… not really. Anyway, get around half a dozen sturdy hole-less plastic bags and a low flat box. (Walmart and HomeDepot bags suck now, too thin.) Put all the bags one into another and set into the box. Roll over the edges of the inner plastic bag so it overlaps the outer plastic bags. Start shredding news paper and stuff it into the plastic bags. You could just tear strips with your hand, but I find that a cross-cut confetti document shredder saves your fingers and provides optimal oil absorbing surface area. Pack the paper down into the bag. When you think you have enough, add some more.
- Before your remove the drain plug, remove oil cap first and wipe clean. Do it the opposite way and by some chance the oil fill cap is stuck, now you’re really F-ed.
- Change the oil filter with every oil change. You spending $50-100 a week on gas, spring for the $5 filter every 3 months.
- Invest $30-50 on a car ramp. This will make oil changing a breeze. Its also a great aid for inspecting, repairing, maintaining your car in other ways. For instance it gives you access to check your CV boots and make sure they’re not torn or damaged. It also made changing the radiator coolant a little easier. Always make sure you block your tires once on the ramp.
Doing regular maintenance is the key to keeping your car in optimum operating condition. This is also the key to increasing engine performance and fuel economy. After changing the air filter, inflating, aligning and rotating the tires my gas mileage improved from 28 mpg to 34 mpg. After learning a little more about the car, how it handles and the 4th/5th gear engine cruising, my latest gas mileage is now averaging 36 mpg. Well, 35.87 mpg to be precise, but either way, that’s 12 mpg greater than my previous vehicle, a 50% improvement.
Topics: Travel |
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