Fit or Jazz: why the badge matters
Honda sells this car new in Oceania as the Jazz. A Fit badge means it was made for a market that used that name, and since nearly all used imports here come from Japan, that's where most Fits started out.
That's no problem for servicing, but it changes the paperwork. Suzuki New Zealand notes a used import comes with a Japanese service manual and often without a traceable history, because cars change hands quickly in Japan. Equipment can differ from the New Zealand-new Jazz as well.
So give the mechanic the VIN and the kilometres, and if there's no record of past servicing, ask for a thorough first service. The Fit page covers the model itself.
The hybrid Fit's gearbox
Wikipedia says the Fit hybrid was the first Honda with its Sport Hybrid i-DCD system, which pairs the engine and electric motor with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. That's a different piece of engineering from the belt-type CVT in many other small automatics.
When you tell us the job, say it's a hybrid Fit and describe anything odd about the way it pulls away or changes gear. A mechanic who's had i-DCD Fits on the hoist before will know where to start, and the high-voltage battery and wiring are for someone trained to work on them.
Honda's warranty comes in two parts
Honda New Zealand's warranty booklet sets out a 3-year manufacturer warranty with unlimited kilometres, then up to 2 more years of distributor warranty, also unlimited kilometres.
The second part has a condition. It only applies if the car is serviced at an authorised Honda outlet from the day it's first registered, right through the warranty period. Service it anywhere else once, and those extra two years no longer apply.
For the first three years, the MTA's view is that a qualified independent mechanic should be low risk when servicing follows Honda's guidelines and specifications. So the real question is how much the distributor years are worth to you.
What a Honda service estimate should spell out
- Which service it is, from the schedule for the car's age and kilometres.
- The oil grade, and every filter being replaced.
- On a hybrid, a check of the battery cooling and the hybrid system's fault codes.
- Any extra item listed separately, with its own price.
- The service record updated or the book stamped.
Small things that help a Honda
You can
- Check the oil level on a cold engine every few weeks.
- Photograph the maintenance schedule if the handbook is in Japanese.
- Write down any gearbox behaviour that bothers you, and when it happens.
Leave to the mechanic
- Gearbox diagnosis, whether CVT or dual-clutch.
- Anything on the hybrid's high-voltage side.
- The scheduled service and the record that goes with it.
Our take on a Honda
On a newer NZ-new Honda, we'd decide early whether the two distributor years matter, because leaving the Honda network ends them. On a Fit import, we'd hand over the VIN and ask for a full first service, with the gearbox type and the oil grade written on the quote.