InsightCentral.net Exclusive: Insight Owner Reaches 350,000+ Miles
Complains when he "only" gets 40 mpg in the winter; friends "look at him funny"

February, 2008 - Insight owner and InsightCentral.net Community member Larry Jensen has reached 355,000 miles (US) on his odometer, getting up to 90 mpg in the summer months. He reportedly complains to anyone who will listen about "only" achieving 40 mpg during the cold months, prompting his friends to find him slightly strange.

Larry and his wife commute five to six days a week with round trips of around 150-200 miles between their home and the city of Winnipeg MB, Canada, where they operate a retail store (Michael Rodent's Bed, Bath and Kitchen). They also frequently travel to Minneapolis and Chicago for trade shows. The Jensens initially had a larger car and spent $500/month on gas. Then, they purchased an Insight, resulting in a monthly fuel bill of $100-125.

Bellow, you will find excerpts from our interview with Larry, including his maintenance tips and the issues he has encountered over the years.

Larry's Insight on one of those warm Canadian mornings

Benjamin Young, for InsightCentral.net: What first prompted your interest in the Insight and why did you choose it over other vehicles?
Larry Jensen:  When we were starting our business, we need to reduce our expenditures and have a reliable car. We searched and found the insight as the best option for us. We waited patiently for them to be available. Ours was the first one purchased in Manitoba. Our biggest concern in the car was leg room. As we are both tall [and] would be in [the car] 3+ hours a day, we needed a car that was comfortable as possible.

IC.net: You are the first owner of your Insight. How long have you been driving it, and have you completed any modifications?
LJ: We bought the Insight from a dealer in Winnipeg. It was the first one sold in Manitoba, Canada. We have done nothing to the car to modify it. It is as we bought it from the dealer. No extra speakers, cruse or anything.

IC.net: The first Insight in your area!
LJ: Number 62.

IC.net: Who is the primary driver?
LJ: I do most of the driving. My wife never drove a standard before we purchase the Insight, so it was an adventure for her  initially.

IC.net: After 350,000+ miles, has your mind changed at all about the Insight and what are your top reasons for owning this vehicle now?
LJ:  We are please with this car and if we had an accident and needed to replace it, we would buy another one. I use the Insight as a truck. As a small business owner, I watch my pennies. I stock merchandise for my business at home and use the Insight to move it back and forth from our store. It is amazing how much I can pack into the back. The fuel economy is amazing. I complain to people that we only get 40 miles a gallon in the winter storms and they just look at us funny.

IC.net: What are your favorite/least favorite features of the car?
LJ: I like the auto stop feature; wish they had electric air so it could be used more in the very hot parts of summer. I also like the spin start to get the car going even in most  cold time. I can tell it was winter overnight when the start is used. It is nice and light, so pushing is easy. Snapped a drive shaft this summer and had to push it back to home and the garage. Was easy to do.
The tracking of the narrower wheelbase on the back wheels can be a problem  on some roads, but once you are used to it you can figure out where to drive to reduce the problem. My  main problem is that the original items on the car were much better quality than replacement Honda parts. The under skirts for aerodynamics are now very light and break too often. The original ones were a much heavier plastic. My wife went though too large of a puddle early on and pulled them off. The replacements have continued to be a problem. But you really need them [as the] mileage really goes down when you do not have them on. 

IC.net: What interesting questions have people asked about your Insight and have you encountered any misconceptions about the car?
LJ: We always get asked about the car. When we first had it we have 3 or 4 TV interviews about it. Usually they want to know where it plugs in and how far it goes on a charge.  At the pump people ask how far on a tanks or "I didn't think you need to fill that up."

IC.net: When you demo your Insight, what do you emphasize?
LJ: Always talk about the auto stop. Spin start of the motor is fun to talk about. I like to start it up, and people ask if it is actually running.

IC.net: Tell us about some of your Insight trips: what was the longest, most interesting, most unusual, …?
LJ:  We have driven to Chicago 3 times with the Insight. 800 miles each way. We usually drive this in a day and a morning, so the car can drive all day and not have a problem. Have done Minneapolis and back in one day as well. Not too long after we bought the car we did a trip from Emerson through the USA to Calgary alberta. Left at 6:00 am and arrived well after midnight. This was  our first long trip. A two lane section and we were able to see how it could pass trucks etc. Drop it down to second and just go like crazy. The car handles 80 + miles an hour with no problems. Also fun were some of the up and down hills in Montana. We used the fuel cut out when coasting to be able to go over 2 miles without using a drop of gas on the down  hills and flats before going up another hill.

IC.net: You mentioned you use your Insight as you would a truck--can you give us further details?
LJ:  The Insight is always overloaded from the recommended capacity. We have gained some weight since buying [editor's note: welcome to the club!] and I am always hauling stock so the loaded weight is always more than the 170kg (374 pound) load limit.

IC.net: What are your usual driving conditions (terrain, weather, etc.) and their effect on MPG?
LJ: I would say that 70+ % of our driving is on highway at speeds of 100-120 km (60-75 miles/hour). Flat terrain, but the highway conditions are poor due to little maintenance  on our highway. Summer temps can be 90+ and winter can be -35 and lower. Winds are a big problem, cross winds are the worst for mileage, more so than headwinds. Tail winds are great, we can do 90+ mpg in the summer with a tail wind.

IC.net: Do you worry about how you drive in order to maximize mileage or to preserve the car? Or, do you drive the car as you would any other?
LJ:  When we first purchased the Insight we drove to max mileage  Now, many times my time is more important than the mileage Once you get over that 65 miles an hour, the mileage really does not go down that much. You know, 60 mpg vs 50 on a 10 gallon tank [is equal to about] 100 miles less [per] tank, [on a tank] that goes a long way. It's not that bad. On a bigger car, it might [make] a huge difference.

IC.net: You've had your Insight longer than most owners. What problems have you encountered over the years, and how did you fix them?
LJ: The usually early problems with the IMA battery charge system [which Honda acknowledged and covered under an extended battery pack warranty]. We had our battery pack replaced 2 times under warranty early. Now it is fine and had no problems. Cat converters are a problem. Had to replace them twice. Drive shaft (long one) snapped just out of our drive at the first stop sign. Easy fix, $60 labor plus the part. The dealer in Grand Forks had it for us in 2 days. [Our] #1 biggest problem [has] not been with the car, but the service departments at the dealer level. The dealer we bought from went through 4 service managers in our first 2 years of the car. [A] nightmare. We have found a good dealer in Grand Forks ND and are very happy with service now.

IC.net: What steps did you perform to keep your Insight running past 350,000 miles? Please share any maintenance-related tips.
LJ: Maintenance is important, I think. We change the oil ever month [because of] the miles we drive. I use standard Honda 0w20 oil. No synthetic or fancy stuff. We change all the fluids on a regular basis. Brake fluid, clutch fluid, transmission etc. every 1 to 1 1/2 years. We are on our 3rd set of plugs. Air filters and cabin filters at least yearly or more. When we do the large road trips, we change the oil before and when we get back.