Intro post - few questions

[prew]

Hi everyone,

I was actually inspired by SeaBass's first post to make my own. I am picking up my first Insight tomorrow morning and am really excited. I am buying this car for the sole purpose of driving it cross country all September, about 10k miles.

The car I chose is a 01 MT Monte Carlo Blue Pearl with 115k miles and a in service date of 5/8/01. As far as I know the hybrid battery has not been replaced.

What is strange about this car is the cluster was replaced by Honda under warranty in 2008. I confirmed this with the dealer that has done all the service on the car. Is this a common problem with these cars? I only ask because this is the second one I have found with inconsistent mileage. I am a little concerned that if the hybrid battery dies within the next year this will be an issue with the 10yr/150k.

My other question is what else should I check on the car before my trip? I am picking the car up about 7 hours from home tomorrow. I plan to pump up the tires to 50psi and fill up immediately and see what kind mpg I can achieve on the way home.

I will have the car for about a month before I leave. I will do an oil change, check the brakes, get it aligned and that sort of thing. Other than that is there any thing I should check?

Thanks!

Steve

[red1dr]

Originally Posted by prew

What is strange about this car is the cluster was replaced by Honda under warranty in 2008. I confirmed this with the dealer that has done all the service on the car. Is this a common problem with these cars? I only ask because this is the second one I have found with inconsistent mileage. I am a little concerned that if the hybrid battery dies within the next year this will be an issue with the 10yr/150k.

I haven't had any problems with mine and have not seen reports like that here. There have been a few reports here of tripmeter button failure, but not an epidemic.
If the dealer replaced the cluster, Honda probably has the relevant mileage info in their database, so I wouldn't worry about the extended warranty.

Originally Posted by prew

My other question is what else should I check on the car before my trip? I am picking the car up about 7 hours from home tomorrow. I plan to pump up the tires to 50psi and fill up immediately and see what kind mpg I can achieve on the way home.

Check all fluid levels obviously. If the tires are not the OEM Bridgestone Potenzas you can expect an mpg hit. Higher speeds will reduce your mpg as well.

Originally Posted by prew

I will have the car for about a month before I leave. I will do an oil change, check the brakes, get it aligned and that sort of thing. Other than that is there any thing I should check?

If you do an oil change, be sure to get 0W-20 synthetic. Many people here use Mobil 1 or Amsoil or Honda's oil. You may have to buy it on your own: my dealer normally uses 5W-30 in their shop.
Be aware that these cars have special alignment settings, notably zero toe for less drag. Many shops, even Honda dealers, may not be aware of this.

[Leeper]

My .02 worth is this - replace all fluids (engine w/0-20 synthetic, brake fluid, coolant, trans), sparks plugs, air filter, oil filter, pump up the tires including the spare, oil all the hinge points, later check the brakes, check hoses, then you'll feel confident. Not for a minute do I trust others, whether that be previous owners Or dealerships to do work right unless I can watch them do the work myself.

Regarding your cluster - this is not a none issue . The fact that yours was replaced I would not read anything odd/strange into that myself. As mentioned, Honda will have a record of the mileage should that become an issue with the battery in the future.

[gaush007]

Hello friends even I am new to this forum and willing to make new friends to receive good information about the vehicles.