Honda Car Forum

My daughter's new FIT Sport (auto trans) is the family's first Honda. It
drives and feels like a small Mercedes, and we agree with the favorable
articles regarding build quality and features. However, we've heard
unlikely stories about engine-trans longevity, and wonder if there's any
repository of such information.

How long should such a drive train last assuming proper maintenance, etc?

Thanks.

Ike <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote in news:UvCRg.6737$%i.2457
@tornado.socal.rr.com:

> My daughter's new FIT Sport (auto trans) is the family's first Honda. It
> drives and feels like a small Mercedes, and we agree with the favorable
> articles regarding build quality and features. However, we've heard
> unlikely stories about engine-trans longevity, and wonder if there's any
> repository of such information.
>
> How long should such a drive train last assuming proper maintenance, etc?
>


Half a million miles, easy. Given the right kind of driving that is.

For most people, you can expect about 300K max.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

TeGGeR® wrote:
> Ike <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote in news:UvCRg.6737$%i.2457
> @tornado.socal.rr.com:
>
>> My daughter's new FIT Sport (auto trans) is the family's first Honda. It
>> drives and feels like a small Mercedes, and we agree with the favorable
>> articles regarding build quality and features. However, we've heard
>> unlikely stories about engine-trans longevity, and wonder if there's any
>> repository of such information.
>>
>> How long should such a drive train last assuming proper maintenance, etc?
>>
>
>
> Half a million miles, easy. Given the right kind of driving that is.
>
> For most people, you can expect about 300K max.
>

I'm from an era when a valve job was necessary after 40k, and at 80k or
so the engine was shot. My 1949 Chevy followed that profile, but of
course gas was 24c/gallon and Earl Scheib would Paint Any Car for $29.95!

"Ike" <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:aXCRg.11236$rE5.6965@tornado.socal.rr.com...
>
> I'm from an era when a valve job was necessary after 40k, and at 80k or so
> the engine was shot. My 1949 Chevy followed that profile, but of course
> gas was 24c/gallon and Earl Scheib would Paint Any Car for $29.95!

Boy, I don't miss those days! I still hear the Merle Haggard song on the
radio, bemoaning the days when "a Ford and a Chevy still last 10 years like
it should..."

Most modern cars will give 200K-300K miles, with the possible exception of
some of the domestic designs. I had a Nissan that had fatal electrical
problems at 150K miles and an '84 Dodge that was completely used up at 95K
miles, but other than that 200K is sort of my baseline. I bought my first
Volvo with 190K miles on the odometer, although I had to rebuild the engine
because it had been torn up by detonation. My current Volvo turned 240K
recently, but my daughter's '93 Accord (bought at 163K miles) is gaining on
it fast. My son bought a '94 Acura at 130K miles last year, and I just
bought a 2002 Toyota Prius with 103K miles on it. My wife's 2002 Prius is
the baby of the family at nearly 65K miles.

I agree that 300K is about the limit for mainstream driving characteristics.

Mike

In article <UvCRg.6737$%i.2457@tornado.socal.rr.com>,
Ike <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote:

> How long should such a drive train last assuming proper maintenance, etc?

Well, my 92 Civic Si is at 150K miles and still on the original clutch.

Maintain it, fix things that break, and go on with your life. A Honda
is genuinely an appliance. A pleasant one, in that it's not breaking
the bank.

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in
news:elmop-8A13C0.18081224092006@nntp1.usenetserver.com:

> In article <UvCRg.6737$%i.2457@tornado.socal.rr.com>,
> Ike <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> How long should such a drive train last assuming proper maintenance,
>> etc?
>
> Well, my 92 Civic Si is at 150K miles and still on the original
> clutch.



Got 255,763 miles out of my original clutch. And the only reason it
needed to be replaced that soon had to do with the grease on the input
shaft splines. Had that not been a problem, my mechanic thinks I might
have got another 5 or 10K before both faces got down to the rivets.

I currently have 274,791 miles on my '91 'Teg. Oil consumption at the
moment is about 1,600 miles per US quart. After a huge amount of
investigation, research (and some expenditure), I have come to the
conclusion that my short engine lifespan is due to undergearing. The
Integra was marketed as a "sporty" car, and Honda geared it low for
spirited acceleration.

I spend about 85-90% of my driving on the highway at speeds between 75
and 85 mph, common velocities in my area. This means my little mill is
buzzing along at around 4,000rpm most of the time, with the attendant
high piston speeds those revs entail. The rings don't last very well
under such stress, it seems.

Cars without sporting pretensions have much higher gearing. The CR-V
engine, for instance, is turning roughly 3,000rpm at 80, so I'd expect
its rings to have a longer life.




>
> Maintain it, fix things that break, and go on with your life. A Honda
> is genuinely an appliance. A pleasant one, in that it's not breaking
> the bank.
>
>


The new ones seem to have problems the old ones didn't. Lots of the
usual new-style EVAP issues, cats, and alternators. All of those really
add up in expenses. Mind you, all but the alternator seem to be endemic
to ALL makes, and you can thank the federal EPA for them.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

In article <Xns9848BA89DF99Ategger@207.14.116.130>,
"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

> > Maintain it, fix things that break, and go on with your life. A Honda
> > is genuinely an appliance. A pleasant one, in that it's not breaking
> > the bank.
> >
> >
>
>
> The new ones seem to have problems the old ones didn't.

That's true. Auto transmissions, anyone?

A 4 cylinder manual transmission Honda, though, is a jewel to
behold--and to last forever.

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in
news:elmop-F9D536.18381524092006@nntp1.usenetserver.com:

> In article <Xns9848BA89DF99Ategger@207.14.116.130>,
> "TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:
>
>> > Maintain it, fix things that break, and go on with your life. A
>> > Honda is genuinely an appliance. A pleasant one, in that it's not
>> > breaking the bank.
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>> The new ones seem to have problems the old ones didn't.
>
> That's true. Auto transmissions, anyone?



Well, only '96 to '00, really. And only certain engines and VINs. And
Honda is pretty lenient with warranty replacements, so...



>
> A 4 cylinder manual transmission Honda, though, is a jewel to
> behold--and to last forever.
>
>


That's a good point. My 5-speed tranny is entirely original, with the
same mileage as the engine. The bearings are a bit noisy, but nothing
that would demand attention within the next year or two.

Could you have imagined such a thing in 1970? An engine and transmission
combo that would last 300K? My dad had a '58 Dodge Regent (Dodge Royal
in the US) with the 318 and 2-speed push-button Powerflite. He got
140,000 miles out of it by 1971, which was an astonishing mileage for
the time. But by then the car was at the end of its life.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

TeGGeR® wrote:

>> Maintain it, fix things that break, and go on with your life. A Honda
>> is genuinely an appliance. A pleasant one, in that it's not breaking
>> the bank.
>
> The new ones seem to have problems the old ones didn't. Lots of the
> usual new-style EVAP issues, cats, and alternators. All of those really
> add up in expenses. Mind you, all but the alternator seem to be endemic
> to ALL makes, and you can thank the federal EPA for them.

And let us not forget the increased use of electronics for throttle, auto
tranny, and numerous other things. Electronics do not necessarily make
things more reliable, especially when bugs are discovered after people buy
them. And again, this applies to all car manufacturers.

In article <Xns9848C12582CEAtegger@207.14.116.130>,
"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

> > That's true. Auto transmissions, anyone?
>
>
>
> Well, only '96 to '00, really. And only certain engines and VINs. And
> Honda is pretty lenient with warranty replacements, so...

They are lenient, but it's the 98 through 04 auto trans hooked to V6
engines that were miserable.

And that's not only one transmission, but two different
transmissions--the first was the 4 speed unit where they extended the
warranty, and the second was the 5 speed unit that cost them $360
million to fix.

Those transmissions are the legacy of the days when Honda let the
beancounters take over from the engineers.