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Honda Fit Lighting and Electrical Questions

SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
in Honda
Honda Fit Headlights - questions, adjustments, issues
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  • hondaman25hondaman25 Member Posts: 9
    Does anyone find the headlights on low beam to have an extremely short lighting distance at night? However the high beams are great? W :mad: onder if the aiming of the headlights is my problem?
  • choro72choro72 Member Posts: 6
    Does anyone find the headlights on low beam to have an extremely short lighting distance at night? However the high beams are great? W onder if the aiming of the headlights is my problem?

    Yes, I noticed that! I felt like the headlights are mounted too low. They aren't too bad when I drive among other cars or in the city. But last weekend I drove it through a freeway with no streetlight through some hills (241 & 261 in Orange County), and I couldn't see at all! The highbeams worked wonderfully though. Next time I'll check the lights in a garage to see if my headlights are too low.
  • hondaman25hondaman25 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for your feedback concerning the headlights. I intend to issue this problem with the dealer soon. Maybe some Xeon headlights will the correct the problem.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    I also found the drop-off on the low beams sooner than I like, but I'm getting used to it. The high beams really are great and I think the fog lights (while not great) will do what I need them to do - provide more light to the side and right in front of the vehicle - I use them more for snow than fog, and it helps to be able to figure out where the side of our rural road is (no curbs).
  • hondaman25hondaman25 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for your input I talked with American Honda today concerning this issue and they assured me they would look into it and call me back. I am taking the car to my local Honda dealer tomorrow and have them check the lighting problem and will report back to this forum
  • fit_nessfit_ness Member Posts: 58
    I think it is being quite charitable to call the low beams "HORRIBLE"!

    The eyestrain they cause with that sudden drop off at 200 feet is HORRIBLE. It's like driving behind a shadow. Try driving on a busy rural highway when you can't use your high beams for the oncoming traffic.

    Please report back.
  • hondaman25hondaman25 Member Posts: 9
    :cry: You explained that exactly right! There's a complete drop off with a shadow bouncing back at you and personally I'm afraid to drive much over 60 for fear of running over something in the road.
  • fit_nessfit_ness Member Posts: 58
    You may be interested in this thread. Here's a picture of the headlight adjuster that is the blank next to the mirror adjuster in other (UK) markets!

    http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4852&highlight=headlight

    image">
  • johnnyvjjohnnyvj Member Posts: 112
    "You may be interested in this thread. Here's a picture of the headlight adjuster that is the blank next to the mirror adjuster in other (UK) markets!"

    Awesome. But is this thing in North American Fits? :confuse:
  • hondaman25hondaman25 Member Posts: 9
    Just left my local Honda Dealer and the headlight problem was the aiming of the headlight....about 4 inches too low according to spec. The headlight lense has a little dot embedded in it and the beam is supposed to align to that dot. Mine didn't even come close to the mark so I was told. Well next time I drive a lonely dark interstate I'll see if this worked......so for now The Fit is GO!
  • fit_nessfit_ness Member Posts: 58
    I took my Fit in to the dealer yesterday and they "checked it on their headlight alignment tester" and there was "NPF" - No Problem Found.

    I drove it last night on what was to be about 100 mile rural round trip. These things don't even illuminate the reflectorized signs along the road! I was home in 15 miles. I have to take a long night trip next week and it will be in my other car. :mad:

    So, for me, the Fit is NO GO at night (except in a bright city environment). But, I sure love to drive this car in the day around town! Talk about a zippy, frugal little timesaver! It hauls alls.
  • shneorshneor Member Posts: 66
    I've had problems on dark roads reading road signs, and I'd like to raise just the passenger-side low beam a bit. Does anyone know how to do this? There's a bolt that holds a metal notched ring at the end of the front light casing - might this have anything to do with that?

    TIA.
  • fit_nessfit_ness Member Posts: 58
    The dealer told me to call American Honda about the low beams..... Raising one is probably not going to help a lot.
  • thatsmycallthatsmycall Member Posts: 54
    >Does anyone know how to do this?

    You adjust the lights from the back, you have to go through the wheel well under the covering.

    The service guys will do it for free, just tell them. Have it done at your first oil change if you can wait, give them a heads up when you make your appointment. I need to do the same thing. GL
  • jrlncjrlnc Member Posts: 48
    I've had my Fit for only 1.5 weeks and have about 823 miles on it.

    Today when I was driving at lunch time this message appeared on the Maintenance Minder screen: CHECK FUEL CAP.

    I turned off the car, got out and re-tightened the fuel cap and started the car up again. The message still flashed in the display window. I called the service department at a Honda place near work and they told me it is hard to clear this error message. He said it did not represent a serious problem - just tighten the gas cap and it will go away.
    Well, this damned message kept flashing while I drove home and after I filled up the tank tonight.

    After I got home, I dug through the owner's manual and found that this situation may occur due to the gas cap being loose. Duh! Imagine that! It also said that tightening the cap would not immediately clear the message. It said it could take several days of normal driving for it to clear. If it doesn't clear, take it to a Honda dealer.

    WTF? The funny thing is -- the cap wasn't even loose in the first place!

    Anyone else run into this? I wonder if I should drive it through this coming weekend and wait for the error to clear, or take it to the dealer immediately. Any opinions???? If I take it to the dealer, this had better be covered under warranty.
  • boatfloydboatfloyd Member Posts: 29
    "I wonder if I should drive it through this coming weekend and wait for the error to clear, or take it to the dealer immediately".
    I would drive it a few days, like the book says, because the dealer is probably going to tell you to drive it a few days.
    boatfloyd
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    I haven't had this problem with the Fit, but I did have the same thing happen with one of the Wranglers, and it did take several trips before the light cleared (that one just has one check engine light for anything that goes wrong with the emissions stuff - it's nice that the Fit tells you it's just the gas cap). I've followed Subaru board quite a bit (I still like them, though I don't own one) and it wasn't unusual at one point for owners to have the same problem (they always said to make sure the cap clicks several times). I would definitely drive it through the weekend, make several trips to places and then see what happens on Monday. I can't imagine it not being covered under the warranty.
  • carfanatic007carfanatic007 Member Posts: 267
    I don't know if this is a problem or not. Is the Passenger Airbag Off Indicator supposed to come on when you start the car and then go off? Is it supposed to stay on all the time if the Passenger air bag is off? I have read the owners manual and am still confused. Mine comes on for about 1 second when no one is in the seat, or when my wife is sitting there. It does not stay on all the time.
  • earthearth Member Posts: 76
    Had same problem with my 06 civic coupe. After a week and the darn thing never turned off, I went to the dealership and had it reset. Found out later, that if you over fill your tank, beyond the automatic cut off at the pump, this could trigger the message and it may never turn off until it is reset. Just a thought for you all
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Passenger Airbag Off light should be ON whenever the airbag is not activated, e.g. no one sitting in the seat or a light load like a purse there. It should be off when the airbag is activated, e.g. when your wife sits there.
  • bprendersonbprenderson Member Posts: 99
    Backy,

    Please check that again. I suspect the Pass Air Bag light will only be lit, for more that a few seconds, when it is manually turned off. Thanks....

    Bubba
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    How do you know the occupant classification system (OCS) is operating correctly then? Suppose a small child sits in the front seat (yes, I know they are not supposed to, but I know it happens). What you are saying is that the OCS light will flash for a few seconds, then go off. But the airbag will not be activated. In every other car I have seen with an OCS light, the light stays on until the passenger airbag is activated.
  • gearhead1gearhead1 Member Posts: 408
    I'm pretty sure the air bag off light will only stay on if there is some light wieght in the seat like a child, and then it will light up and stay on. It will be off if no one is in the seat or an adult is in the seat.
  • carfanatic007carfanatic007 Member Posts: 267
    "How the Passenger Airbag Off Indicator Works: This indicator alerts you that the passenger's front airbag has been shut off because weight sensors detect about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less (the weight of an infant or small child) on the front passenger's seat. It does not mean there is a problem with the airbag. Be aware that objects placed on the front seat can cause the indicator to come on. If no weight is detected on the front seat, the airbag will be automatically shut off. However, the indicator will not come on. The passenger airbag off indicator may come on and off repeatedly if the total weight on the seat is near the airbag cutoff threshold." Question for other Fit owners: Does your Passenger Airbag off Indicator light come on when you start the car and then shut off within a second or so, whether or not someone is sitting in the passenger seat? I have never had advanced airbags like this, so its kind of confusing.
  • suetersueter Member Posts: 15
    I believe my light comes on briefly, like a lot of the other lights -- just to show that it still works. It then turns off unless I've thrown my purse/bags on the seat.
  • jrlncjrlnc Member Posts: 48
    This was the second day after that message came on. I had tightened the thing and drove normally back and forth to work 2 days and then filled up again this afternoon. The warning message was really bugging me so I called the dealer that I bought it from to see if they had any ideas. They told me that if I brought it in within 30 minutes they'd put me first in line.

    I took it right over to Vann York Honda and sure 'nough the guy I talked to waved me right in to the garage area. Their staff seemed in a jovial mood before the holiday weekend and looked as though their daily workload had been whittled down already. Everyone was waiting for 5:30 to roll around. Anyway the Service Manager and a mechanic immediately started diagnostics on my car while I stood by and chatted with the Service Writer. A few other people came over and talked with me (employees and other Honda owners). Everyone was admiring the Fit and the color asking: "How do you like it?", "How is the handling ?", "How's the gas mileage?", "Is it smooth riding?", etc. This little visit gave me a favorable impression of the dealership's service department since I really hadn't dealt with them yet.

    I glanced over at my Fit and saw the Service Manager plug a small laptop computer into some receptacle under the dash. He was talking to the mechanic while the engine was running and I saw the mechanic open and then close the gas cap during their test.

    After about 10 minutes the Manager approached me and said there was nothing seriously wrong with my Fit. Neither the fuel system vacuum nor the sensor nor the gas cap were faulty. He said that if I had not sufficiently tightened the gas cap 1 time after a fill up it was enough to trip the sensor. His diagnostic check cleared the error. He told me in the future to turn the cap until it clicks SEVERAL times (10 or 20 just to make sure). Over-doing it won't hurt a thing.

    Anyway, I'm back to driving without that annoying message on the screen and happier than ever with my Fit. I just posted a new MPG update (36.85 MPG) which also made me happy. :)

    Later I celebrated by trying some tight turning circles and figures 8's in a nearby shopping mall parking lot. If anyone was looking, they probably thought I was weird. I've just always wanted to try that! Boy does that Fit have a tight turning radius and very nice steering and handling! It made me a little dizzy though! (It reminds me of the teacup ride at Disneyland.)
  • hungarian83hungarian83 Member Posts: 678
    The light on the dashboard comes on for a few seconds when you start the car. It will turn off (and stay off) if (1.) no one is sitting in the seat or (2.) a person over the 29kg weight limit is sitting in the seat.

    So far after 1300 miles the Passenger Airbag Off indicator has not come on at all, except for the first few seconds when I turn the car on.
  • boatfloydboatfloyd Member Posts: 29
    "So far after 1300 miles the Passenger Airbag Off indicator has not come on at all, except for the first few seconds when I turn the car on".

    I have about 1,100 miles on my Sport A/T Fit and the Passenger Airbag Off light only comes on for a few seconds, when I start the car.
    I will have to watch and see if it comes on, when My Lady's in the passenger seat. Maybe that's the ticket. Maybe the light will not come on at all if someone is seating in the seat?
    boatfloyd
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    If the light comes on when your Lady is sitting in the seat, it means the airbag is not activated--which is a problem.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    If the light comes on and stays on when Your Lady is in the car, I would guess that she's either a real light-weight or else there's something wrong with the airbag (I know, poor joke, but it's early enough in the morning that my humor is a little tilted).

    As far as my Fit goes, the light comes on briefly when it is started, then goes off again. It's done that under 3 different conditions - when unoccupied, when I'm the occupant (100 lbs) and when my hubby is the occupant (about 200 lbs.). I haven't had the light come on and stay on, though the most junk I've had on the seat (my other half is NOT junk!) is less than about 10 lbs. Has anyone had that happen yet?
  • sfinstersfinster Member Posts: 17
    My son is 65 pounds soaking wet. I let him try riding in the front seat. The "Passenger Airbag Off" light remained lit as long as he was in the seat, which wasn't long, much to his dismay. He's back in the back seat until he can grow a little more.
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    Boy does that Fit have a tight turning radius

    Really? I did a quick check, and Edmunds puts it's turning radius at 35.6 ft. My Elantra's turning radius is 32.5 ft, and it's technically a full size class up.

  • jrlncjrlnc Member Posts: 48
    Honda's official number for the Fit turning radius is 34.4.
    I felt that it was pretty good compared to my old Altima. Your Elantra has a VERY tight turning radius. It's even better than the Toyota Yaris (32.6). My perception is that the Fit is much more maneuverable than my previous car in parking situations.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    How old is your son? Anyone that small should be riding in back anyway, which you recognize.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    The car is saying the oil is down to 30% so I'm starting to think about going to the dealership. Other than adjusting the low beam headlights, I can't think of anything else to bring to their attention.
  • carfanatic007carfanatic007 Member Posts: 267
    I really noticed the low beams last night coming home from work. We had a power outage on part of the Highway. It seems as though they only go about 70-100 feet and just die! Has anyone had there low beams raised? If so, did it improve the low beams?
  • sfinstersfinster Member Posts: 17
    He's almost 14, but he's small. I made his sister ride in the back until she was 15, because she was small, too.
  • atomzatomz Member Posts: 4
    I was in the dealership very interested in purchasing the Honda fit, when i noticed how easy it was to lift up the rear seat. I might be thinking way too much, but doesnt that seem dangerous that it requires maybe 5 pounds of pressure to lift it? I was even able to sit in the seat lift with my arm and dislodge it. If an adult were to have his legs in the space provided under the seat and there was an accident do you think he could pull it up with his legs there by dislodging it, and do some real damage to his back, neck or head? There is a lever to bring the other part of the seat down, why not the bottom? I really like the car but for some reason this is bothering me.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    Just my observation from my own car, but when the bar of the seat bottom is in place and the seat back locked in place, it's there pretty solidly. I've always had to release the seat back to lift the seat bottom, so I don't think your scenario is that likely in mine, especially if the back passenger has their seat belt buckled. Their rear end would remain where it is, at most their knees might meet their chest. Can't see any possibility of them hurting their neck or head just because their knees come up. It's not like the whole seat bottom can come loose, the back of the seat bottom is fixed.
  • atomzatomz Member Posts: 4
    It is funny you should say that about needing to release the seat back first because the first 2 dealerships i went too that was the case too. But this dealership the 2 fits i tried I didnt and it was easier to lift than opening a refrigerator door. That is why i was asking, what people thought about the safety of it and if it could become a serious problem.
  • chimaera2005chimaera2005 Member Posts: 5
    I am not a parent, and definitely not a safety expert, but based on NHTSA's crash tests, it seems to me your son would be better off in the front passenger seat or in the middle seat of the rear. The rear side impact test only received 3 stars as opposed to the front's 5-star front and side scores (the rear seats don't have side airbags (torso), only side-curtain (head)). If the front airbag is disabled when your son rides shotgun, I would think that the side and side-curtain airbags would protect him more in the event of a lateral collision. Any other thoughts on this or am I way off base in my logic?

    -Jonathan
  • atomzatomz Member Posts: 4
    Where did you read that it recieved a 3 star rating? The NHTSA website only has a front and rear side rating so far both at 5 stars.
  • chimaera2005chimaera2005 Member Posts: 5
    http://safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3844.html
    or
    http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/cars/3844.html

    Where did you see the 5-star rear side impact?
  • atomzatomz Member Posts: 4
    I am sorry i was referring to the frontal for the driver side and passenger side. It was automotive.com. The website u listed was more detailed. The side impact rear seat with only 3 stars makes me even more concerned with that rear seats ability to flip up with very little effort. I am going to go back to one of the other honda dealers and check the seat out again.
  • els2023els2023 Member Posts: 29
    Dear My Fit Family,

    Is anyone else getting fed up with American Honda not doing anything to fix the low-beam headlight issue which is a real safety issue?

    I am putting in PIAA H4 bulbs to replace the standard bulbs. Has anyone else done this?
  • crimsonacrimsona Member Posts: 153
    Or just do it yourself. It takes like 15 minutes. Why bother waiting?
  • els2023els2023 Member Posts: 29
    My original message was asking if anyone else has experience with aftermarket PIAA H4 bulbs to replace the factory headlight bulbs in the Fit? Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea. I am not having good luck with the illumination of the low beams and they are supposedly aimed correctly. This is a real safety issue.

    Also, If anyone can point me to a place that tells me how to change the bulb that would be great.

    Many many thanks.
  • els2023els2023 Member Posts: 29
    Dear My Fit Family,

    Is anyone else getting fed up with American Honda not doing anything to fix the low-beam headlight issue which is a real safety issue?

    I am putting in PIAA H4 bulbs to replace the standard bulbs. Has anyone else done this? Does anyone have experience with PIAA H4 bulbs to replace the factory bulbs? Will this help?
  • jonniedeejonniedee Member Posts: 111
    I had a set of PIAA's in a CRV and they didn't last. (though they sure helped over the stock bulbs in low beam)
    Found the Phillips Silverstars worked as good, cost less and lasted MUCH longer... :D
  • sfinstersfinster Member Posts: 17
    I think he probably would be safest in the center of the rear seat. I'd have to think about that one, though. Do the side torso airbags turn off based on weight as well?

    The best would be if he'd get through his current growth spurt and gain some weight so he could sit in the front without turning off any airbags!

    Mostly I'm by myself commuting to work so it's not an issue. Tomorrow I get to drive my daughter 3 hours to camp... my first real road trip. :shades:
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