Yes I know that, but even with driving it like... 100 miles a week, which is around 5k miles a year, if the batteries die in 5-7 years due to degradation (from time not from inactivity), that'll only be like 30k or so miles. Which is why I'd love to hear if some people drive the same mileage as me, but haven't had their batteries die on them yet due to age.
Yes I know that, but even with driving it like... 100 miles a week, which is around 5k miles a year, if the batteries die in 5-7 years due to degradation (from time not from inactivity), that'll only be like 30k or so miles. Which is why I'd love to hear if some people drive the same mileage as me, but haven't had their batteries die on them yet due to age.
I think you are missing what Varak was trying to say. The reason why the batteries with lower mileage on older cars are going is because their owners are parking them which causes the situation that Varak just mentioned. Many people who don't drive a car very many miles have them sit, sometimes for a month or more at a time, for the miles to be low. In which case they die prematurely. NiMh lasts a long time on the shelf but when the self-discharge causes them to lose balance while the car isn't being used to keep them at least somewhat in check, they die. There is usually that connection of low miles and having the car sit around.
Answer this: 100 miles per week. Is this just one 100 mile trip for a day, or is it spread out over, say, 5 days of the week? If you use the car every day, the chances are that the pack will stay happy.
If you use the car once a week, you might want to do a search for the grid charger/balancer thread, which you could use once a month or so and keep the battery happy that way. ...but either way, it might be a good idea just to use one anyway once a month or so just to keep the pack balanced to help ward off any issues for as long as possible.
Mike D is planning on putting a universal grid charger up for sale once he is done with his development. The rest of us who want one are building them ourselves at this point.
I see, I drive around 40 miles 2-3 times a week on average. So yea i can see how this can keep the batteries happy. By the way I heard when the batteries are fully charged using the grid charger then they can stay alive for 10-13 years, is that true? That would be awesome if it was.
I found a 2002 cvt insight for 5.2k with 120k miles, and i have been looking for one for a while now, just need to make sure i'm getting a reliable car, that would need costly changes every 4 years considering the low miles I drive.
By the way do you see the price of battery replacements dropping in the next 4-5 years, or do you think they're at the low point atm.
This is quite a change from a lexus gs400 Interesting to see how these car turns out for me.
From what I know about batteries, I agree with what has been said on this thread. However, you would be best off contacting Ron Hansen at hybrid-battery-repair.com for all these questions.
My advice would be to buy a very inexpensive 30-40mpg car (civic type vehicle) being that you only drive 5k a year. The advantages of an Insight are greatly improved with greater use. I drive 20k+ a years and save a lot. A single battery repair would likely eliminate any savings you could accumulate. Of course, if you love the car, you love the car (like most of us here). If that it your situation.....get one....and then you'll be highly welcomed to the "club". Best of luck.
__________________ "Is your car man enough to wear a skirt?"
TPS mod; Scanguage; K&N air filter; Window Tint; Engine block heater; 100% gas (recently)
The issue with batteries is it's like another engine every 5-6 years.
Engines go for a lot more than a thousand and a lot of hassle. Ron refurbishes the Insight(and other) batteries for a thousand or less.
That '02 likely had nearly two years of manufacturer extended warranty left, what's to worry? I just spent more than a thousand on a timing belt for an old SUV, and that was only preventative maintenance not fixing something broke.
I only see good things for batteries. Like Ron's inexpensive refurbs and grid chargers there are lithium packs available now which will only become more affordable in the future in my opinion.
Gas savings will only increase with the sure to come higher gas prices.
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New Formula Red 05 MT 116784m
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I've been reading up on the Honda Insight battery issues and how the Ima battery goes out frequently. I'm wondering if i purchase a 2002 insight with 120k miles, and the battery goes out after the 150k mile or 10 year, is there any repercussions to run just on a 12v battery other then the assist?
The car will not pass inspection in many states with the battery bypassed. That's about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vmirjamali
Also any body been through a crash with one of these, are they safe?
This car was hit and then rolled over twice. The passenger was unhurt and the driver had only a minor injury.
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
It's good that the occupants were able to walk away from that situation, from the view of the hood, it appears that it can handle the rollover very well, I figured that there would be more crushing and broken back glass. Good to see that everything seems to be well engineered in that respect. Out of the crashes that I've seen here, I feel confident driving mine.
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Interesting to see how these car turns out for me.
