Hello,
I have a 2008 Honda Fit Sport model with the 6 speed manual transmission. 270,000 miles, over 110,000 of that since I bought it 3 years ago.
Pretty much all of the scheduled maintenance has been done at the dealership where Honda originally delivered it. They are telling me that it is due for a tune up soon. I have many questions:
1. What is involved in a tune-up on a modern car?
2. Is this something I can do myself or are they so computerized now that it would be better to get a shop to do it?
3. What questions do I need to ask of a shop? I don't want to pay dealership prices, but I haven't found a reliable mechanic locally.
Side note: the mechanics around here have been either sleazy or stupid. I've had a shop hide from me that the engine on my old Forrester was leaking oil, had another guy sexually harass my wife, one place finish wiring a car but never call to let us know it was done, another shop put a 2012 transmission in a 1997 Subaru Wagon and the hit a deer while test driving it. It's not been good.
The word "tune up" actually came about during the old days when cars had carburetors and mechanical spark plug timing with a distributor. Basically, those older engines would need a "tune up" every once in a while to ensure they are running smooth and efficiently. The mechanic would adjust the carburetor and/or timing as needed to get the engine running great. Of course they would also clean the carburetor and replace the spark plugs as well.
Nowadays our engines are managed by an ECU, and it makes the necessary adjustments for ignition timing, fuel injection, and many more automatically (yay). So now the phrase "tune up" for modern cars really means changing the spark plugs and possibly the ignition coils, cleaning or replacing the fuel injectors, as well as a scantool diagnostic of the engine to make sure all the electronic components/sensors are working properly. You can take it to a local mechanic instead of the dealer or even do it yourself if you are mechanically inclined already.
Okay, but the last time I did it myself was a 1984 Ford Fairlane Straight 6, so it involved adjusting the distributor with a timing light, and I rebuilt the carburetor at the same time. I suppose they want to charge $500 for replacing the fuel injectors and such. Would replacing the spark plugs and running a good injector cleaner be sufficient?
Does anyone have a link to a repair manual for this car?
As I stated, I really don't trust the mechanics around here. One of them was at least honorable, but they are the ones who tried to put a 2012 automatic transmission in a 1997 car. Everyone else has been dishonest.
Ok, so all you would really do is change the spark plugs and inspect the engine bay to make sure everything is in good shape (no leaks, no corrosion on hoses/pipes, fluid levels in the reservoirs are good, etc.). As for the fuel injectors, putting in a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner will do the trick. I've used it numerous times on all my vehicles and it works really good. Fuel injectors last quite a while actually, especially on Toyotas. Gasoline itself is a great solvent and will clean up some dirt on the injectors. The Techron additive is basically a more concentrated cleaner that will do a better job at cleaning the system. If your engine is idling/running fine, then most likely your injectors are doing good. But, of course, if you have experience with replacing injectors (very easy on port injection and on your vehicle), then it wouldn't hurt to put in a fresh set so you wouldn't have to worry about them in the future.
Thanks. I think I'll swap out the spark plugs myself and run some techron through it and see how it goes.
for a tune up change spark plugs clean fuel injectors
Department: Heads Up!
Before you start thinking about changing spark plugs on your Honda Fit, make sure you know how to remove, without damage, several parts from above the firewall. I don’t know exactly how it all stacks up on ‘08 Fit, … but I believe it is quite similar to the ‘09: … you need to remove wipers, some plastic trim parts, also the whole wipers linkage, … plus another large piece of sheet metal - all to get a half-arsed access.
Once all that is accomplished, … you still will have to be quite ambidextrous: harness, coil packs, plugs. Some stuff can be only handled with a right hand, … some other with a left, some with both, … and some with wishes for a third hand. All hidden from sight by a plastic valve cover.
Once plugs are in, … comes reassembly!
Best of luck, …
F.S.
Jeez! Is it really that big of a deal to change spark plugs on this vehicle? And I thought accessing the spark plugs on my BMW was a pain in the butt lol! Best of luck to the topic starter.