I'm taking delivery of an Insight on Friday, and have a credit for $400 towards accessories. Question: what are the best accessories? Is the auto day/night mirror worth it? Do I need splash gaurds? Do the lower body panels need protecting? Is the "trunk" cover worth it? What would you get?
I'd thought of the side panels, to protect the doors from parking lot damage, but they are way over priced and I haven't had that problem so I decided not to get them. They have a nice low cost option of a strip of plastic attached to the door edge of your Insight.
I like the mud flaps. They'll keep that lower portion of the body from dirt and grim build up that has discolored my other cars after a year or two.
Cargo tray and cover are good and worth the $. And the rear applique is good for resting heavy loads with out scratching the back bumper....worth a little extra $ if there is heavy or odd shaped cargo in your future.
The day night mirror is expensive and not worth it, unless like me, you are easily annoyed by bright lights or high placed lights on trucks behind you. I've only driven at night once and the day night mirror's green color was most pleasent, as was the absence of glare from the one *&^% behind me on that trip.
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2010 Insight EX-Nav Clear Sky Blue. Driving the Blue Bird since May 30, 2009
I went for the all weather floor mats and cargo tray as others have mentioned. Also the mud guards, cargo security cover and the rear bumper applique. Passed on the fog lights...IMO they are more for looks than function.
BUT the accessory that I'm most UNEXPECTEDLY pleased with is the door visors. I never would have ordered them, but the car I wanted already had them installed.
In other cars, I've considered door visors "ugly", but in this car they "work" for me; I actually like the way they look installed. Besides, the visors are functional and a relatively "cheap" option.
Benefits:
1. Crack open all the windows an inch when you park the car and nobody outside the car can see this. The car stays MUCH cooler when parked in the sun.
2. No rain gets in when the windows are cracked open, and the windows are less likely to need defrost mode when traveling in the rain.
3. Wind noise is CONSIDERABLY less when traveling at highway speeds with the windows open a little bit, a BIG BIG bonus for me- I can actually still enjoy listening to the radio with the windows cracked open (usually, I just keep the two rear windows open an inch or so, but noise level is still quite tolerable even with all 4 windows opened an inch). I even forget when I have the rear windows cracked open, it's that different from the wind noise I'm accustomed to hearing.
4. Less need for A/C or defroster as a result of #1, #2 and #3. In fact, since I have good air circulation anyway, I leave the whole climate control system "off" unless it's really needed for cooling or heat. This seems to enhance the auto-stop mode of the engine. Good for mileage...I'm usually 55+ mpg.
PS I don't own any stock in the company that makes the door visors for Honda.
400 bucks isnt much, can you use this at any dealer? If yes, I would try bell honda in AZ, ask for Ryan he gives 25% off Honda accessories.
Id order a spare key, cargo tray, floor mats and window tint. The fogs are great if you have pea soup fog that you can not see anything through if you raise them up 1 1/2 turns.
The tint makes the car way cooler than without, even 35% onthe rear half which is legal in most states. If you opt out, you can always get pre cut film and its not that hard to install.
Mines came with floor mats, I bought the fogs, 6 oil filters, spare key, window film and tinted myself, led p194 bulbs for all the bulbs used in the car, windshield sun shade and bell make your own license plate frames that say honda insight hybrid.
Ive had vent visiors on my previous car, but it lowered the fuel economy. I removed the front ones and just used the rear of my xa. I see on this car both are curved and worry about their effects on aero. My xb they had no effect, the xa it lowered my fuel economy 3mpg.
I have most of the accessories that Honda is offering right now in the US. I was moving from a well equipped pickup and had to appease myself with swag on the I2 to soften the blow of not having a bed to haul or a powerful engine. So here is my review of the stuff I have.
Auto Mirror... almost completely worthless if you get your rear window tinted. With my rear window tinted at 15, it doesn't dim at all... but the headlights through the low window are still slightly bright to my night-vision adjusted eyes. I keep finding myself wanting to reach up and flip the mirror level, but wait... dang... it doesn't exist. People that come up on you with HID's that are poorly aimed... it does dim for those so there is some usefulness. Not worth the money IMHO.
Front and Rear "spoilers"... Looks sporty... but watch out for steep parking lot entrances. I grounded out the front one HARD the second day I had them on. Thankfully I have a black car... and the plastic under the paint is black too. :-\
Side molding... looks sporty... but I think it is too low to be an effective door protector. When is the last time you saw a beat up pickup truck with the crest of its door at 18" off the ground?
Door protector film... GOOD stuff. I have a bad habit of opening my car door up in the garage or against a tree all the way to the point of hitting the wall. My pickup had little chips all up and down the door. I have yet to see any damage to the door of my I2 or heard the dreaded scraping sound as I get out of the car with the door against the wall.
Window visors... SWEET stuff. I haven't had visors on a car since the mid-90's but decided to go with them this time. They have two benefits in my view... blocking some of the side sun... and helping me keep the AC off more often. Worth the money definitely.
Trunk edge protector... I haven't dropped a MTB chain wheel on the bumper yet... but I think it will protect decently. It isnt a piece of diamond plate steel... so don't expect it to be bullet proof. Worth the money... like buying insurance.
All-season floor mats... I got A-S ones because I am bad about pickup up dirt on my shoes from mountain biking, hiking, etc... but man do these things show dirt quick. I have been taking them out weekly to spray down with a hose. The drivers side stays place well (hooks). But the passengers (front and rear) crawl ALL OVER the place. I dont know why manufacturers just put attachments on the drivers side. I am on the fence on whether these were worth the money.
Fogs... I haven't had the chance to use them in real fog yet, but they are good at extending the sides of the low-beams. Now I can actually see the curb and where the ditch is when making a tight turn. A pricey solution... but worth it I think.
Splash guards... actually I can only talk about the front ones. My dealer had put on the guards before I spec'ed the car out, and when they put the rear spoiler on they left the front splashes on. They might help a *bit* but I still see a huge amount of tire spun dirt and mud on the door. Personally I think the gap between the tire and the guards is to much to effectively block as a *guard*.
I plan to get the cargo cover thing, but a roof rack is first on my priority list. I had a firebird a while back that would melt anything in the back hatch area. Maybe it was the convex window shape... but I am very cautious about putting anything in the back of the I2 because of this experience. I had a pair of Oakleys destroyed from only a 1/2 in the sun, a six-pack of Dr. Pepper explode, and the carpet in the back got soooo hot that it melted the glue that holds the carpet in and started to warp. So any protection I can get for that giant magnifying glass window the better.
I just went with the all weather floor mats, and the cargo tray. Those are the basic necessities, in my opinion. Not sure what I would have spent the extra $200 on. . .
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2010 Honda Insight EX Polished Metal driving it since April 7, 2009
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Best Accessories?
