I'm going to list several dates and notes from my notes on this as it built up over the month of October. Really, this is unacceptable for a new car. I can understand if a several years old car was parked outside under a tree all the time, but it's garaged at night and parked in the middle of a bare lot away from any trees during the day. I really try to take care of my cars and been happy with all but this one.

I had brought the car into Jeff Wyler Honda of Colerain for service on this in late September as the smell had gotten to the point of resembling rotting meat and was really intolerable, but I have no record on me as they said they'd email me the service record, but didn't follow through on it. From now on, I'm going to insist on getting a printout before I leave the service department. Other than that, their service department has been very nice and thorough, and their staff very courteous and professional. At the service, the technician (Jake, I think, one of the assistant service managers), completely removed the cowl and cleaned out the entire area of a heavy layer of dust and crud he'd found. He also found the original cabin air filter wasn't the one listed for the 2015 Honda Fit, plus it was really mottled dark grey with some pieces of black stuff all over it. He replaced it with a new one from another 2015 Honda Fit in their inventory and the new one is bright white. He also treated the HVAC system with a foaming cleaner (the one they sell, if their parts department is willing to sell it, is quite expensive and I found several competitors that do the same thing but cost much less - just search for car evaporator cleaner and look for the foaming, self-draining ones). The smell of the cleaner was much less objectionable than the idQ cleaner and went away in only a 4-5 days instead of over a week. I really wish I'd insisted on a printout of the service record before I left instead of accepting an emailed one. Anyway, it got rid of most of the really bad smell, but the smell started returning again.

2014/10/04: Smell is strong for first couple minutes. Note is mildewy with some hints of rotting material (meat, not plant material). Smell becomes tolerable after blowing max heat with fresh air (no A/C) and windows open for several minutes. This really takes enjoyment out of owning this car and the minutes spent idling it before we can get in and drive off really cuts into the fuel efficiency, which was one of the main reasons I bought a 2015 Honda Fit (I liked the Subaru Impreza hatchback a lot more but its fuel efficiency is too low and I don't need AWD).

2014/10/06: Slightly musty smell for the first few minutes of operation in the afternoons, but my nose becomes stuffy unless I also have the windows wide open. My nose is not stuffy the rest of the day (i.e., I'm not in the car with the fan blowing and the windows not fully open), so something in the HVAC system is bothering me.

2015/10/07: Slight smell of cleaning chemicals return but there is less of a musty odor. My nose got stuffy again, but less so than yesterday.

2015/10/25: I noticed a slight smell from the vents after running the A/C. I had taken the car through a car wash (WashPro) on Friday (10/24), the day before.

2014/10/27: Smell from the vents is more noticeable but not objectionable to me (it is to my wife).

2014/10/28 (@ 6,500 miles): Musty smell is now objectionable to the point it gives me a sinus headache. It gives me a headache even with all windows open fully, so I can't run the fan at all, windows open or shut. This is a pain as the weather is starting to get cold and I can't drive around with the windows wide open with the cold outside air blasting through the cabin.

2014/10/29 (@ 6,554 miles): I inspected the cowl intakes, cabin air filter and blower box. Again, I didn't find the source of the smell in any of these locations, though the cabin air filter looked a little grey (not as bad as the late September service). I suspect the source must be in the evaporator box, which looks rather inaccessible.

2014/10/31 (and @ 6,589 miles): Brought the Fit LX back to Jeff Wyler Honda of Colerain for THEIR third attempt to correct the smells coming out of the HVAC system. I said I'd already checked the cowl intakes, cabin air filter and blower box. I agreed with the service manager John Morgan to pay if they didn't find anything in the evaporator coil as there is still a smell and it's the last place and I cannot easily get to it myself. I said the smell seems to get stronger after a rainy day when I ran the A/C or after I've taken the car through a car wash (I always get the underbody spray). They removed the cabin air filter and blower box housing so they could look through the blower port into the evaporator coil. They had to cut the dashboard trim between where the glove box hinges connect to pull the blower box assembly out. Jake, the head tech and assistant service manager, said they didn't find anything, but cleaned everything as well as they could (blower, cowl, what they could access from the port in the evaporator box). I'm surprised they didn't find anything. I suppose I'll have to buy a borescope with a flexible probe and try to access the evaporator through one of the center dash vents to try looking that way.

Anyhow, it doesn't smell as badly now, though I think it is still blowing mold or mildew spores at me as it makes my nose slightly stuffy. The only good thing is the weather has gotten cold and the air dry, so it should keep whatever growth there is to a minimum. I am not looking forward to a warm, wet spring, which is typical for my area.