[Billy]

Hi all; I am pleased to report I just picked up my 2005 Red 5 speed WITHOUT a/c! (saves 39 lbs) It just arrived in Seattle from Japan, and I was there the next day to buy it. When I got to the dealer, the first thing I did was carefully inspect the car for: all VIN #'s matching and in the right place, the rubber strakes stuck on properly, and no scratches; the paint was perfect. After telling the guy in the F&I office his extended warranty was too expensive ($2750), I was ready for the 255 miles drive back home. First I politely asked the service dept if I could use their air hose. I inflated all 4 tires from 35 up to 51 lbs.
Travelling I-90 eastbound and over the cascade mtns, the average outside temp was around 70 degrees, so I knew I could get decent mpg. Over 255 miles I managed 94.2 mpg, verified by GPS and fuel receipt. Not too bad, I guess, for an engine not fully broken in!
The Red color is beautiful! I plan to use this car ONLY for highway trips and also display it at weekend car shows all spring and summer. Therefore, my mods are already underway. Yesterday I had the windows tinted. I am removing both outside mirrors (video camera system) the rear wiper, the front hood "H" emblem, the rear emblems, installing excellent stereo system, and finally wet sanding the whole car to 800 grit, painting expensive urethane clear coat, then sanding up to 3000 grit, then buffing 2 grades of finishing compound for a brilliant shine. Should be lots of fun! Billy.....

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Congratulations! How about changing your avatar from silver to red, now that you have a beautiful shiny red Insight?

Impressive list of mods.

P.S. Don't all the clear coats and polishes negate the weight savings of the A/C?

 

[JustinGray]

If you could, please post some more details about your video camera modification in the Modifications section of the forum. I am interested to see what you came up with...

 

[Billy]

Thanks Mr. Smoothie........I estimate 6 lbs of paint weight, after all sanding & buffing is done. This is the 3rd Insight I have bought new; the 2002 and 2003 were both silver with a/c. I sold them to buddies of mine.
Yeah, I will soon post some mod details. I don't use a right side mirror anyway, so with the camera system, I am just trying to replace the view I had on my left side mirror. Billy.......

 

[lakedude]

Congrats on the purchase. My mileage is about 33% less than yours so you are surely doing something right. I don't know about the whole no AC thing, for me that is going too far. Not only does AC keep the car cool but it takes the water out of the air as well. How you gonna defog the windows with out air? Personally I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. My mom bought a car w/o air, I guess you don't need it if you live in the right area.

 

[Rick]

Bill, your crazy! Time to change your signature though too. Just how crazy are you going to get with the paint? Just the outside, or are you going to get in to the door jambs and everything... or even totall strip it down? What paint are you using?

 

[Billy]

Hi Dude; I get pretty good mileage because I've been practicing for many years. I put 502,000 highway miles on my 1987 CRX HF, then 112,000 on 2 Insights. Now with my 3rd, I know many techniques but I'm not as good as Excel or Rick Reese.
I live in a windy, desert climate, with only 2 or 3 months of hot weather. I seldom if ever used my a/c in prior Insights, so I decided to save $1200 and 39 lbs. Also, there is more room in the engine compartment to work, to route hot air hoses, or to clean! Your are correct, the receiver/dryer on a/c units removes moisture from the air, and defogs windows much faster. However, the relative humidity in my area is very low, and when "fresh" rather than "recirc" is selected, the windows don't fog much anyway. Billy......

 

[Resist]

Not only does AC keep the car cool but it takes the water out of the air as well.

I agree! After having a truck without it for 10 years I couldn't take it anymore and spent the $1k and had it installed. I will never own a car without AC again.

 

[George K]

Repainting new car

Why would you need to paint a brand new car ? I just purchased a 2002 red Insight and it still looks fantastic !

Does the 2005 have cruise control ? This is one mod that I am thinking of doing.

 

[Yves M.]

Congratulation!! This is the first 2005 tomy knowledge. Do geep use updated with the mirror mods.

 

[ethicalpaul]

What do the police think about your mirror removal idea? Does the law allow a camera substitution for the (I assume) required driver's sideview mirror?

 

[Todd]

So, the hood emblem is just a stick on type. I've been trying to find out but didn't know how without ordering a new one. Ok, tonight out comes the heat gun. I was also thinking these things need a good colorsanding and clear coat. I would like to do silver flames on mine but I think it would be too expensive. I'll have to shop around on that one. Good luck on the new car and post some pics of yoour new mods.

Todd

 

[Rick]

Todd, heat gun and some dental floss held between two small dowels will suffice for removing the front decal.

But I'd HIGHLY recommend against wet sanding your facotry paint. I'll admit it's got the normal amount of machine applied orange peel going on, but it's not worth the risk. Color sanding (isn't that an oxymoron with clear coats) is really only supposed to be done on a new paint job that hasn't fully cured yet. For fixing spot issues in the paint I'd say yes. Just keep in mind the most clear you can safely remove is in the .3 to .5 mil range, that's .3 thousandth's of an inch of paint, before you risk clear coat failure 6 months down the road.

If you have no below surface issues there are other very safe ways to make even older paint look stunning again.

 

[Billy]

OK here's the scoop with the paint. my goal is to have a show-quality shine. The factory red BASE is excellent, so I will not touch the red color. The factory clear is only 1 thin coat, so here is the procedure: remove both bumpers, washer jets, and tail lights. Carefully wet sand entire car with 800 grit paper. Mask and prepare car to paint. Apply Sikkens Autoclear III (quite expensive) with aprox 3 or 4 coats mixed with the hardener 100:50:30 ratio. Oven cure for 3 hours @ 120 degrees F (not too hot for battery & IMA) wait another 6 hours, then begin wet sanding with 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, & finally 3000 grit paper. Then machine buff with 3M Finesse compound & wool pad, then finally machine glaze compound finish using foam pad on the buffer.
This should make a huge difference, giving a shine with DEPTH and no scratch or swirl marks. Then after 60 days I can wax, using only white exclusive cloths made for the purpose. Meguires has great products to KEEP the shine looking good.
No, cruise control is still after-market. Concerning outside mirrors, the laws vary by state. I printed out my state (WA) codes, and it requires no right side mirror, but mandates a "mirror mounted on the left side of vehicle, capable of a 200 foot rear view". My plan is to mount the camera (does that qualify as a mirror?) flush through a 1 inch hole in the left tail light (it's waterproof & sealed) and have a 4 inch LCD color monitor on my dash. My camera system should arrive today. Sounds like lots of fun! Billy.....

 

[ethicalpaul]

Concerning outside mirrors, the laws vary by state. I printed out my state (WA) codes, and it requires no right side mirror, but mandates a "mirror mounted on the left side of vehicle, capable of a 200 foot rear view". My plan is to mount the camera (does that qualify as a mirror?)

Based on the police who I have met, the answer would be "no, now assume the position!!"

But it sounds like an ambitious project! Good luck!!

 

[Todd]

I got ride of those pesky emblems and stickers (front and rear) today. Now I just have to polish out the fine scratches from my finger nails. That 2 sided tape is tough stuff. I will not touch the paint myself other than hand waxing. I will have to have a body shop do the the work for me (if I do anything). It's all dependent on price. I just bought some Meguires wax and micro fiber clothes today to try.

 

[JoeMultihuller]

Billy... any sources for the 4" LCD video display and their mountings? JoeS.

 

[Billy]

Hi Joe; I ordered my video camera system from qualitymobilevideo.com and it arrived promptly. The small color camera is waterproof, and may fit inside the left rear tail light (I will try it in a few days)

This new Insight is a real beauty. The beige interior looks super! Billy.......