What Does The Dashboard Wrench Light In My Honda Fit Mean?

Maintenance can sometimes become a hassle for the owners. Vehicles tend to accumulate problems throughout the years, and it’s never good news when you learn about them in the auto shop during a visit. What’s worse, if you don’t have a warranty, you will also have to spend money out of pocket to fix the issues. 

However, manufacturers foresee problems like that and come up with solutions. Most brands equip their automobiles with automated systems. They track mileage, how fast tires spin, and engine temperature to determine if your car operates optimally. These can also notify the owner if any maintenance is needed. 

Maintenance Light And Codes

Now, you should know this if you own a Honda Fit, but if you’re just browsing and looking into different options, this model comes with a handy system. It means that various sensors are installed throughout the vehicle to track performance and determine the optimal time for maintenance. Be it an oil change or something more significant; an illuminated wrench will always appear on the dashboard to notify you that some work is needed on the auto.

However, whenever the light goes off, a maintenance code will appear alongside it. Your manual should include all the necessary instructions to decipher it; with that knowledge, you’ll easily be able to track your car’s condition.

So, if it ever turns on, don’t be too concerned straight away, especially when code A or “item A” appears along with the light. It happens commonly, meaning you must change the motor oil and reset the system. 

Resetting The Oil Light And Life

All car manufacturers have their own systems in place; thus, resetting oil life is always a different process. However, Honda Fit and other models are equipped with an onboard computer and a screen, providing everything for you to do it quickly. There may be slight differences depending on when your automobile was made, but for the recent models, the process looks like this:

• Turn the car on without starting the engine. Make sure it’s in Park mode, and you’re in accessory mode. To do the latter, press the POWER button twice without stepping on the brake.

• Press the HOME button on the wheel. It’s just on the steering wheel, so you can’t miss it.

• Go to MAINTENANCE. Roll the left selector wheel until you reach the option.

• When Oil Life is displayed, press and hold the wheel.

• Use the wheel again to highlight “Item A Only” or “All Due Items” if you wish to clear out everything.

• Press and release the wheel. The oil life should now reset to 100%.

As you can see, it’s nothing that a few presses of a button can’t fix. However, we can offer a few recommendations on how to do due diligence on maintenance. 

General Recommendations On Maintenance

With the maintenance light directly reminding you when to service your vehicle, there’s only so much that can be recommended. Aside from looking at the code table in the manual, you should never truly ignore any potential problems and take care of whatever issue comes up as soon as possible. 

One of the routine items you should always keep up with is oil changes. You should do it every 7,500 miles, and, for due diligence, it’s also crucial for the mechanic to take a look at the filter. Major system checks generally occur every 15,000 miles, and you must ensure transmission, fluid, shocks, brakes, and struts are checked out. Last but not least, always ask the mechanic to take a peek at your fuel, engine, and air filters after you pass the 30,000 miles mark. 

Summary

Practically all modern Honda models have a system that tracks your vehicle’s performance. If it detects something is off, or you just pass a time marker in the program, a maintenance light will appear on the dashboard. It will illuminate and show a code next to it, indicating what item should be checked out. 

Usually, it will be an oil change (code A), and, in such cases, it’s easy to take care of this slight problem and reset the light. But if the code is different and indicates that you should go to the auto shop, you mustn’t ignore the wrench icon and get to one as soon as possible. 

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