CaptchaPhrase

Hi guys, please excuse the length of this post but I really need some help.

I was recently in an accident that totaled my car and the pay out from my insurance really limited my choice of replacement vehicle. I've never leased a car because I believe in only buying what I can afford outright. I really like small cars, my previous car being a Scion xA, so when I saw this Fit for sale I absolutely fell in love even though I'm not a fan of black cars.

So long story short, I did everything you're supposed to do when buying a used car. I test drove the car twice. Did an AutoCheck/Carfax. I checked for recalls. I spent three days reading consumer reports, reviews, and reading through forums. Most importantly I got a complete pre-purchase inspection and then took the time to go over it, question the mechanic, and look up anything I didn't know from the report. I was very assured in buying the car only to find out three days after buying the car that I had been duped.

The check engine light came on the second day of my owning the car and since it was a Saturday I took the car in Monday. O2 sensor needed to be replaced. During the repair the mechanic found that the Catalytic Converter had been irreparably damaged and instead of fixing it the owners had cut the wires on the O2 sensor and used some kind of spacer so they could clear the check engine light before selling the car. The owner pretty much screamed "as-is" the minute I tried contacting him even after I told him "as-is" doesn't cover situations of fraud.

My mechanic pulled up the inspection report (??) and found while in their possession the car passed emissions which he assured me it wouldn't have in the current condition, meaning the damage happened after inspection. I contacted a lawyer but in the end it seemed more of a hassle to pursue with no guarantee I would get my money back since it was a private sale. So along with some miscellaneous maintenance less than 5 days after buying the car I've spent over $1000 in repairs.

Now, some new problems have sprung up and I honestly don't trust the mechanics I've taken the car to as one kept saying he couldn't feel or hear anything and the other said changing my transmission fluid would fix everything. It hasn't. So here's the things I've noticed:

1. When I start the car from a cold start, there's a loud sloshing noise. It seems to go away after a awhile or at least the engine noise drowns it out until I'm stopped at a light for more than 2 mins.
2. There is subtle shake again from a cold start that goes away once I start driving.
3. The car jerks while driving or coming to a stop. I explained it to my mechanic as a hiccup and honestly that's the best description I can think of. It's like the car can't change gears (it's an A/T) without a small jerk. I also notice this jerk when accelerating.
4. I can't cruise in this car. I don't mean cruise control but if I am going a certain speed and take my foot of the gas there is a sudden and sharp drop in speed. Like a driving instructor constantly stepping on the brakes to keep a student from driving too fast. Strangely doesn't really happen if I am going really fast.

I was hoping replacing my plugs (and maybe coils) would help. The Honda dealership suggested "maybe" a tuneup at the wallet friendly "estimated" cost of $900+ would fix the problems. This of course would include new plugs but not coils. At this point my only choices are fix or sell. I would rather just go ahead and fix it and hope it lasts me for a few years, I just don't want to throw away good money after bad (or is it the other way around?).

What do you guys recommend? Is there any one in the Philadelphia area that could recommend a mechanic that has experience with Fits?

claymore

Sounds like your garage "Got you good". The use of the spacer is a common fix and doesn't harm anything or damage the converter. One can install non honda sensors and they work fine IF it was bad in the first place.

You don't say the mileage but if it is about or above 50,000 your problem with drive ability can normally be solved by adjusting the valve clearances.

The sloshing noise is nothing major a lot of them do it. It can be eliminated simply by purging the air out of your coolant system.

CaptchaPhrase

Thanks for the reply Claymore. That sounds disheartening. Honestly I don't know much when it comes to cars. I can change a tire and I've replaced the head unit on my Scion. That's about it.

At best, I am probably not explaining it right and, hopefully, at worst he came to his conclusion based on the hack job they did. I would hate to think he was lying to me. He came highly recommended and he even took me into the garage to show me "what they did." He also gave me the old part and the warranties for the new part. I'll try to post a pic of the part when I get the chance.

Either way though, I'll take it in today or Friday and get the valve clearances adjusted. Hopefully that'll help with my problems. Should I phrase it just as you have? I find that some mechanics can be really patronizing or dismissive when you ask for something to be done to your car that they consider unnecessary, especially if they think you're trying to tell them how to do their job.

Also, on a completely full tank of gas I managed 138 miles before the gas light came on. That seems really poor to me especially compared to my old Scion. Would the valve adjustment also help with this problem?

Oh and the Fit is the 2009 Base model and it has 148k miles. That's high I know but I only need the car for 2 years and i wanted to spend what I could without dipping into my savings.

foumer

Thats pretty bad mpg. Do you have any more CEL codes? Go to an autozone and have them check the codes and give you a printout. This way you have a base of whats wrong with the car and not buy parts that you dont need. I know mechanics have to eat but most of them are shady even the recommended ones.

CaptchaPhrase

Currently my check engine light is off but I'll stop at the nearest AutoZone today after work and see if they find anything. I just checked my pre-purchase report again and under the ignition section it lists the coils and plugs as in "excellent condition" but notes that the wires "are cracked." Can I get the wires changed without having to change the plugs or coils? Maybe that can help with the poor mpg?

foumer

I dont know what the mean with the wires been cracked. You can not change the plugs that connects to the coils as they are part of the engine harness. You would have to get a whole new engine harness.
Watch this video below. They diagnose bad coils on a fit

CaptchaPhrase

Yeah. That's what my mechanic said today. I honestly had a moment of doubt and I even called the Honda service center near me but they said the same thing. It seems the mechanic that I got to do the initial pre-purchase inspection didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Unfortunately the car was located too far away for my regular mechanic to make the journey so I went with a recommended mobile mechanic service. Lesson learned.

This is part of the inspection report he gave me.