2008 HONDA FIT Owners Manual

134
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Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .136
.................
Fuel Recommendation .136
.........
Service Station Procedures .137
....................................
Ref ueling .137
Opening and Closing
................................
the Hood .138
...................................
Oil Check .139
.............
Engine Coolant Check .140
...............................
Fuel Economy .141
...
Accessories and Modif ications .144
.............................
Carrying Cargo .146
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
135
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Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
During this period: Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contactyour authorized dealer f or service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 % ethanol by
volume and up to 15 % MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. We recommend using quality
gasolines containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.
Break-in Period Fuel Recommendation
Quick Start Guide
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
136
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CONT INUED
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. Leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f iller with a tether. Put the
attachment on the fuel fill cap into
the slit on the f uel f ill door.
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
Outside of the vehicle, open the
f uel f ill door by pulling its notched
edge.
even though the tank is not f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapor f rom going into the
atmosphere. Try f illing at another
pump. If this does not f ix the
problem, consult your dealer.
1.
2.
3.4.
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
Service Station Procedures
Ref ueling
Bef ore Driving
137
ATTACHMENT
FUEL FILL CAP TETHER
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If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated.
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle under the lower lef t
corner of the dashboard. The
hood will pop up slightly.
Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up to release it.
Lif t up the hood.
Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
the malf unction indicator lamp
maycomeon(seepage ).You
will also see a ‘‘CHECK FUEL
CAP’’ message on the inf ormation
display.
Close the f uel f ill door. 1. 2.
5.
6. 231
Service Station Procedures
Opening and Closing the Hood
138
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
LATCHGasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
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Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
Holding the grip, pull the support
rod out of its clip. Insert the end
into the designated hole in the
hood.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then let it drop. Make sure it
is securely latched. 1.
2.
3.
3.
4.
187
Oil Check
A dding Engine Oil
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
139
SUPPORT ROD UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
DIPSTICK
CLIP
GRIP
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Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeon page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant. Refer to
on page f or
inf ormation about checking other
items on your vehicle.
190 184
Service Station Procedures
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
140
MAX RESERVE TANK
MIN
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µ
µ µ
µ
Fuel economy is not a f ixed number.
It varies based on driving conditions,
driving habits and vehicle condition.
Theref ore, it is not possible f or one
set of estimates to predict f uel
economy precisely f or all drivers in
all environments.
Provides an estimated annual f uel
cost, based on 15,000 miles (20,000
km) per year multiplied by the cost
pergallon(basedonEPAfuelcost
data) divided by the combined f uel
economy.
For more inf ormation on f uel
economy ratings and factors that
af f ect f uel economy, visit(Canada: Visit
)
Represents urban
driving in a vehicle in light traf f ic. A
range of miles per gallon achieved is
also provided.
The EPA f uel economy estimates
shownintheexampletotheright
are a usef ul tool f or comparison
when buying a vehicle. EPA
estimates include:
Represents a combination of city and
highway driving. The scale
represents the range of combined
f uel economy f or other vehicles in
the class.
Represents a
mixture of rural and interstate
driving, in a warmed-up vehicle,
typical of longer trips in f ree-f lowing
traf f ic. A range of miles per gallon achieved is also provided.
www.
fueleconomy.gov www. vehicles.gc.ca
Actual Mileage and EPA Fuel
Economy Estimates Comparison.
Estimated Annual Fuel Cost
City MPG Combined Fuel Economy
Highway MPG
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
141
Combined Fuel
Economy (Sample U.S. EPA label shown) Estimated Annual
Fuel Cost
City MPG Highway MPG
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