On the verge of Insight ownership! UPDATE: bought it - 2004 CVT

[MetroMPG]

Congrats on the purchase. 2K is pretty reasonable as far as these beasties go.

[SloMo6Oh]

2004 Insight: Bought the car Monday knowing the passenger-side "wunderbody" panel was hanging loose in the front. Well, we woke up to at least 10" of new snow the morning after I bought it. I need a quick fix to get on the road!
Thought I'd ask for advice before I suited up to lay down in the snow & figure it out. The panel is surely damaged on the front edge. I figure I can zip tie or wire it up for now so I'm not scooping up huge amounts of snow or getting stuck.
Read posts from guys who were screwing it back on. Since the original places where it was attached are probably messed up (and didn't work anyways) my question is can I use sheet metal screws and just screw into new spots on the frame?
Thanks in advance from a midwest newbie!

[MetroMPG]

Bring some sheet metal screws, maybe some pieces of tin, zip ties, and a rechargeable drill, and you'll be able to figure something out.

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FYI, I updated your thread title & moved this into the hybrid section where you'll get more eyeballs.

Good luck on the return trip!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Ryland

pretty sure only the 5 speed had lean burn, different ECU as well, the ECU on the insight with a CVT is different...

Just FYI, note the the battery management units (the two silver boxes bolted on top of the battery itself) are different as well.

[SloMo6Oh]

It's good to hear some positive feedback on the CVT! Everyone else was dissing the CVT and singing the praises of the 5-spd and lean burn. Although well deserved I think I found a pretty darm good deal on this '04 CVT just 5 miles from where I live.
Also, I can't help but feel some destiny involved. Two of my last three cars were manuals including a '93 VW CORRADO SLC (VR6) that I thought was cool as hell and even more fun to drive. Problem is my right knee (which been hurting since 1978) didn't like clutching. Also injured the ulnar nerve in my right arm/hand (have a 50% VA disabilty as a result) so, as much as I love being sporty and/or economical, shifting is a pain - literally!

[user removed]

Incidentally, when you get the battery replaced, ask them when the "in service" date occured. That is the day the car was delivered to the original purchaser. Your battery warranty begins on that date, and it should go to 165k miles or thereabouts. My guess would be you probably will still have the warranty probably for close to 1-2 more years. Also check the production date which tells you when the car was built. it should be between 9/03 and 8/04 for a 2004 model year car.

The issue with the CVT is the faces of the pulleys can get polished and create a "shudder" on acceleration. honda had a service they performed where they used an abrasive to create roughness in the pully faces to create more friction on the belt (which is steel segmented). It may have already been done, you never know.

If the transmission has not been serviced, have it done. My local dealer charged me about $100 and it only needs about 2-3 quarts of fluid. I think it has a transmission cooler, so be very careful about blocking air flow where it might make the tranny overheat.

Had you been given the car and had to pay the dealer to replace thee battery it would have cost you close to $1k more. My copy of the warranty claim was right around $3k and they replaced the battery control module as part of the warranty work. You want them to replace that part because it helps to prolong battery life.

You can coast in neutral with the engine running but NEVER coast in neutral with the engine off. My CVT Insight would coast in neutral (engine running) down to 16 MPH and still peg the instant fuel reading at 150 MPG, which meant at idle it was using something like .11 gallons per hour of fuel.

If you decide to cycle the battery down lower then just use the battery to pulse and then coast in neutral avoiding any regeneration. When the gauge gets down to 50% or a little lower then stop coasting in neutral and allow some regeneration to get the battery back to max level. If it stays near max then coast some to use more battery capacity. Eventually you will get it down to a precise technique depending on your traffic situation.

regards
Mech

[SloMo6Oh]

Thanks again Mech! Your input is encouraging and positive - I appreciate that.
I found out the dealership PDI'ed the car 12/08/03. The in-service date is 5/13/04.
They told me the IMA warranty extention is to 10 years/157,500 miles for certain VINs.
Did some work on the car yesterday. As I think I mentioned before, the the passenger side underbody panel was hanging down in the front and on the side. At first I casually broomed out some loose snow and ice - it didn't look bad. I wasn't sure if I was going to remove the snow & ice and reattach the panel or take it off.
Once I jacked up the car I could see the full extent of the snow & ice packed under there. I took some pictures just to document it. Gotta check the rules - don't think I've seen any pictures posted.
At any rate, I decided to take the panel off so I could drive it!
Needed some gas so I headed out. Notice she has some shudder when I take off. The Auto Idle Stop function doesn't happen. I guess that's for a number of reasons: a) the IMA isn't working, b) the ambient temp is too cold, and c) the car is not warmed up.
So I guess I'm just using the ICE 100% of the time.
When I decellerate I feel what I think is the regen braking kick in - but I don't know for sure. I try not to worry about it too much until the IMA warranty work is done.
Pulled up to a pump at the gas station, shut off the car, got out and realized I needed to drive around to the other side and the car wouldn't start. Long story short; the battery was dead. While I was going thru the car I had opened the doors and the hatch. I turned off the dome light but didn't realize there was a little light in the "trunk". After few hours in 20-some degree temps it killed the battery - which was probably weak to start with.
I put some gas in it and somehow, after sitting at the gas station for a few minutes, it started. On the 4-5 mile drive home I coasted in gear for a while. Again, I felt what I thought was the regen braking kick in but instead the car died. Luckily, I was only a mile and a half from home. Walked home. Grabbed the jumper cables, blah, blah, blah... Car started - drove home.
I don't have any fancy tools so I can't check the battery. I think I'll either buy a cheap charger or replace the battery and then drive it directly to the dealership to have them do the IMA warranty work.
The dealership will probably (hopefully) give me a list of things the think the car needs...
Then I'll go from there - Looking forward to getting on the road!