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I've seen that since then a few people have been quite detailed and helpful and I appreciate that.
Fitfight, I'd like to know the name of that lawyer please. I will probably be in that class action lawsuit.
So far I've called Honda customer service, they opened up a case for me, and they've told me I need to get a "fuel consumption" test from my local Honda shop.
I tried twice to do this, and both times they rescheduled, or I drove all the way down there and they said they couldn't fit it in.
I haven't been able to get it tested since I work and I can't afford to rent a car right now while they have some teenager drive my car around to test the mileage.
I will probably take it to another dealer but that one is an hour away and so I'll have to take a day off work to take it there.
I'll let you guys know the results of the test, and then what Honda said to me after I call them back with the results.
It could be something as simple as the fuel enrichment programming--when the engine is cold it's programmed to run rich. A faulty thermostat could be telling the ECU to dump extra fuel in all the time, which would (a) ruin your fuel economy and (b) eventually ruin your catalytic converter.
On the '09 model there's a blue light that tells you when the engine is in "cold mode"--is the same light present on the '08?
Since new I've kept track of mileage on my iphone and have a high of 34 mpg and a low of 22 mpg with an overall average of 30.5 after 12,594 miles driven.
I wish it was better and would happily give up the potential power this engine has for increased fuel economy.
Good luck with your troubles.
I bought a 2009 Fit and was at first happy to have the average MPG indicator. The trip counter was reset when I drove off the dealer lot (car had 70 miles on it), and I watched as my average climbed up from the low 20s to 37 mpg. On my first tank, with 60-70% of driving on the highway in dry conditions, no weight but myself, I ended up discovering that I actually went 235 miles using 9.3 gallons of gas. So, while the computer said 37, I actually got 25.2 mpg.
Even crazier -- I reset the trip counter when refueling (I'm keeping all receipts to prove actual mileage), the average MPG indicator reset, but this time, driving *entirely* stop-and-go in the city in my work commute, within the first 20 miles, the average MPG indicator had climbed to 45 mpg. In fact, in going forward and backward to get into a parking space, I watched as it went up from 44.2 to 44.5.
Problem #1: 25 mpg is not what I paid for. Assuming typical 15000 miles per year, that's 600 gallons of fuel as opposed to 483 gallons at the advertised 31 mpg. A difference of 117 at current pricing of $2.50/gallon is an additional $292/year.
Problem #2: The computer is inflating my mileage by at least 40%. On the second tank, unless the mileage in the city has dramatically improved over the first tank on the highway, the computer is inflating the mileage by 80%. The difference between 25 mpg and the reported 45 mpg adds up to $666/year, again assuming $2.50/gallon. In reality gas prices are almost certainly going to rise much faster than inflation over the lifetime of the car, so this could mean costs in the several thousands.
The problem with problem #2 is that it is consumer fraud. At a time when fuel economy is both an economic and environmental issue globally, well, Honda could be looking at a pretty serious liability depending on how many vehicles have this problem. Under the Lemon Law, I'd have 30 days to return the car for a full refund if it was defective (I actually received the car on Oct 2, however this is a case where I'd expect the dealer to give me a bunch of crap about how actual mileage may vary, the car needs to be broken in, etc., and if as it appears this is a problem with the Fit line, there's not too much the dealer can do about it. They could offer to "fix" the computer (in theory) so that it correctly reflects the 25 mpg the vehicle is actually getting.
What's particularly bizarre is that the computer *knows* how many gallons are in the tank and how many miles I've gone. I'm calculating mpg using the miles from the same computer. Gallons could be arguably slightly off as reported by the gas pump vs. the computer, but for the math to work out, the computer would have to be misreading 9.3 gallons as reported at the pump to be 6.3 gallons.
Is anyone aware of pending or prior class action suits against Honda?
My 2008 sport Fit has been through all the break in stuff they talked about
I have done the batter disc reset 2 times I have 18000 30miles per week day 26 of the miles highway so 87% of my driving is highway I am up from the high teens I was getting when the car was new now I am getting 27-28 on the highway the dealer has checked my car 2 times said the car is fine HUMMMMM I dont think so I hear all bout these people getting mid 40s
Well Honda must have figured the MPG with 100 cars in the 40s & 100 cars in the high teens to low 20s crazy
I first dorve this car the FIT in Brazil before they where here in 2004 loved the car & my friend in brazil Her car gets like 40mpg and she drive 50%-50% maybe 60% city
These readouts are just TOYS..
Get yerselfes a Scangauge, and you have a much more practical setup with calibration ability...
Suing over a gadget... Got nothing better to do?
Classaction, - you obviously don't know how worthless that is for the individual participants!!!
On the other end of the scale, I just returned from a vacation trip. My, stuffed to the gills, '99 V6 Ody wit an additional lbs300+ carrier basket got 24.5 mpg going at fwy speeds and making a total 4,000 feet climb. 300 miles from Los Angeles to Bishop. The CR-V ('05) got 28.5 mpg on the same run...
Every car I've owned which had an onboard trip computer with fuel economy readout never varied more that +/- .5 MPG from the old fashioned way of calculation mileage. So, something must really be wrong with the algorithm used in the computer, or the sensors.
I know that I would be upset with 25 to 27 MPG with a Fit, as our minivan with a 3.8L V6 gets over 28 MPG on the highway consistently. Moreover, I have a friend in the UK with a Honda Jazz (the European Fit equivalent), and he gets over 40 MPG.
I'm not driving it like a loon, and even if I was, theres no way in hell driving it like a crazy person would cut the mileage by 60%.
I've kept it under 3,000 rpms. I've stayed below 70, I've accelerated slowly and glided into stops. Did that for entire tanks of gas... didn't make a lick of difference.
I Have The 2009 Sport With 6,000 Miles..No Trips As Yet..Can Only Get Better!!
Are you saying that you are driving with cruise control on, before you completed the break-in of the car ? :surprise: The wear patterns on your "virgin" engine are still being established and I personally would take some additional care and NEVER drive it with cruise control for the first 1000 miles.
I have been struggling to complete my break-in miles by continuously varying the RPMs while not allowing it to cross 4000 rpm. I have another 400 miles to go, before I can start driving at a constant RPM for better mileage. Even with the fuel-sapping break-in driving, the mileage is a little over 35mpg, which means that with more constant rpm driving, the mileage should be significantly better.
Interesting. This is because I calculated the mileage versus what was being displayed on the computer and found that my calculated value was roughly 1mpg below the average displayed by the computer. The calculated value was a little over 35mpg, while the computer indicated a little over 36mpg.
Mine is an 09 Fit Sport Manual Trans.
PS: I typically ignore the dealer fill and as soon as I get home, I go to my favorite Shell or BP gas station and fill it till the first click (at a specific pump to make it more exact), set the trip-meter and calculate the mileage from there. To calculate the mileage, I divide the miles driven - since the last tripmeter reset - by the gallons filled till the first click (at that specific pump, in that specific gas station)
PS1: For whatever reason, I am seeing better mileage from my 09 MT Fit Sport than my previous 08 MT Fit Base, even though according to the EPA numbers, the figures should be reversed. I will allow some more miles to accumulate before I can be definitive here. But as it stands, even with the fuel-sapping break-in driving with constantly varying RPMs, I am getting over 35mpg (most of it is stop-and-go city driving), which is just fantastic.
I have a Base 09 Automatic.
I always fill with Chevron Gas, 91 (used to have a Mercedes--can't help it)
I have 3000+ miles on it since new.
I drive in Los Angeles.
I usually have between 15 and 30 lbs of stuff in the cargo area and usually no passengers.
One day riding around the city with A/C on and stop and go, cutting in and out of traffic=18 MPG
Another day on the clear freeway for 200 miles back and forth to San Diego (110 each way)=39.5 MPG
I really have not noticed any change in gas mileage since the first days I drove it but I will keep an eye on it given the problems people are reporting.
Thanks.
I am finding that the 09 Honda Fit is also continuing the trend in getting me better mileage in MIXED driving than the EPA's Highway number.
PS: I have not been able to better the highway mileage number for my other 7-seater vehicle (09 Subaru Tribeca) however, and I am solidly between the City and Highway number with the same type of driving as the Honda Fit (majority of the driving in the City with a lot of stop and go and a little bit of highway mixed in). I am hoping that the Tribeca's number will improve as I accumulate more miles (currently at approximately 1500 miles).
Over a year ago a Tahoe with a trailer backing up scraped and dented my rear door in a parking lot boo boo. Body shop ordered a new door skin from California and the silver paint matched well. No problems. Getting a little brake pedal shake if stopping hard, which I will have inspected soon.
I use a program called GasUpLogger on my Windows mobile phone and enter the data at every fill-up. The trip computer is constantly 4-7mpg high and it is because of a bad calculation in the trip computer and has nothing to do with not calculating drive train loss. Honda has a TSB out for it for the '09s as it is already fixed in the '10 model year. It's a quick computer update and all real world tests show mostly within 1mpg of error (usually less). I'll get it at my next service.
~SB
Could it really go down by 20% due to the colder weather? I don't remember it going down that much last winter.
I also just bought new tires (just replaced the factory original), so could that really reduce MPG by that much?
Otherwise the car seems to be running fine, but I'm wondering if there is some underlying mechanical issue affecting the MPG.
I had that happen with my favorite pump. It started delivering less gas than the dial indicated.
If you are using different pumps at different stations, it could be the "luck of the draw" or bad fuel. Try a few tanks of Shell or Chevron. They have better than average "Cleaners", or so they say. :confuse:
I switched to Shell, from an independent, and mileage went up more than enough to pay the extra few cents per gallon.
The new tires may not be as efficient at rolling as the old ones were. If they are not the height, calculated mileage will be affected. If wider they will have more rolling resistance.
Kip
I am replacing my tires presently and read reviews on tire rack about oem tires dunlop sp37 i believe. it said they excel in gas economy. so I am expecting lower economy on my new tires which are not on yet.
That said, I found about 4 mpg decrease over the winter with the same tires. Approximately 35 mpg down to 31 mpg.
any
I am driving it mellow but would guess aggressive mixed driving would put you in the 29mpg area. Not bad.
Normal driving, plus some "spirited" excursions down some twisty roads to check the handling. Pretty much normal driving. Results: 377.7 miles on the first tank, 9.3336 gallons to fill it. 40.46 MPG on paper, 40.7 average reported by the car's average MPG gauge.
My measured mileage at 50 with cruise control is 40-43 mpg. At 70, the best I can get is 34-37. The dash indicator is consistently above that, I mentally slice off 10-15% any time I look at it.
I have been reading these MPG posts for some time, and it seems like FIT owners gas mileage is all over the place and that makes sense--Poor MPG is less likely to be a mechanical problem with the FIT than caused by other factors--some controllable and some not. On a small light car like the FIT, MPG is going to be more sensitive to tire pressure, are you using the air conditioner, passenger and cargo weight, on board weight location, wet or dry roads, ambient temperatures, idle time, heat or cold, how fast on highway, and highway or city driving.
I have a 2009 Base FIT with 11K+ miles on it and at its worst MPG (approx. 23) I was sitting in stop and go Los Angeles traffic with the air conditioner on all day. A few weeks later, I filled the tank up and headed to San Diego, Sunday morning, no traffic for 125 miles and MPG was 41. Some months later traveling to San Francisco from LA, 39 MPG up using the full tank and 42 MPG back using another full tank. (More downhill going from SF to LA.) Over 11K miles, my combined usual highway and city driving gets me approx. 30 MPG.
Looking at and reading now my Base FIT Sticker EPA: City is 28 (23 to 33 range), and highway is 35 (29 to 41 range). So my experience thus far has been right on target. Now most FIT owners reading this have the Sport model, which due to wider tires and heavier suspension and equipment weight gets 2 MPG less I believe it is. So factor that in too if you have Sport.
Lets turn to tire pressure--the FIT MPG is very sensitive to tire pressure. I learned this when my average MPG a few months ago dropped from 30 to 27-28. It took me a month or more to find time to check the pressure and I then discovered that every tire was approx. 3 to 5 lbs under recommended pressure just from normal use over a few months. After pumping the tires, the better MPG returned.
Weight--I always keep approx 50 lbs of stuff in the hatch area and clothes hanging weight in the FIT. I like and need the convenience, but I know that I am paying for it in 1-2 MPG probably. You are less likely to notice weight MPG effect on a large vehicle than a small one like the FIT. On a 2 person, 2 bike, 2 suitcase trip to Tucson and back from LA, highway tank MPG was at best 38 MPG simply due to the weight. The trip to SF and back was better: 1/2 the extra weight.
Other things I do, because that's just the way I am, but you certainly don't have to is Synthetic Oil Changes at the dealer and 91 octane or more fuel always. It's not required--but I just do it. I traded in a Mercedes for the FIT--my happiest day and still is, so when the Honda dealer tells me that it's 50 for an oil change, I want to hug him, because it used to be 125 for the Mercedes at the same interval.
After years of the Porsche and then the Mercedes, you don't know how lucky you are to own a FIT. I have so much more free time and peace of mind on the road. One year on my ML 350, with only 40K miles in it, the Mercedes service advisor did so many warranty repairs and was so accommodating to me, that I bought him a nice gift certificate for Xmas. I was at the service bay so much talking to him, that we almost became best friends.
Enjoy!
PS. Some folks have written that they think the FIT MPG gauges are all broken and off by as much as 4 MPG. It’s not broken. Honda would not install an important instrument that is highly inaccurate.
link to Fit mpg TSB
Bottom line was it took me about three weeks to find a buyer even for $3000 less than I paid, but during that time I averaged 33 mpg on regular gas. However, considering the awful handling and braking, even if it had got 100 mpg I would still have wanted out .
Moral is that saving money sometimes costs. The other lesson I learned was never to buy a Honda anything ever again.
All those test reports are wrong?. WOW!
Didn't you drive it before the purchase?
What did you replace the Fit with?
Kip
The Honda literature and website clearly indicate the differences, and you took the word of a salesperson rather than check for yourself? And I'm with Kip--why not test drive first, then buy?
Sorry, man, but it sounds like you made an uninformed and very expensive decision. Better luck next time.