I've been on this forum for over a year now and I've never heard of the Check Engine Light coming on for anything but a failure code of some kind. The Maintenance Required light does come on to remind you for oil changes.

Also if the SRS light is on there is a failure in the air bag system and they will not work. All of these could cost you a lot to get them fixed so need to be careful.

 

LOL, that's a bunch of BS right there.

However, that doesn't mean it's a lemon by any stretch of the imagination though. See if you can take it for a test drive... to Autozone. They'll pull the CEL code for free. Then whip out your smart phone, post the codes here, and we'll fill you in.

 

Also, if he says that the IMA battery was recently replaced by Honda, then he paid for the replacement because his car is far out of warranty. The battery replacement would have cost as much as his asking price which is suspicious to me. Ask for receipts that show the replacement.

Also, if possible, find out what diagnostic trouble codes are causing the check engine and SRS warning lights to illuminate. If you have an OBCII reader, plug it into the OBDII socket which should be near the floor on the passenger side of the center console.

$3000 might be a fair price, but you need to know what problems need to be fixed.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I smelled fish too, but my hope is not completely lost.

I don't have a reader, so I'll drive it down the road to the auto store. I'll post the results tomorrow.

Thanks again!

 

SRS light could also be (No air bag) possibly activated in a crash, but not replaced. Check the vehicle for any hidden crash damage.
Good luck
Willie

 

Maybe what he meant to say was the maintenance light comes on. Mine came on flashing for a few seconds and I think that is the oil change which requires a simple reset, but hold the trip button down when the car is off, and holding it down when turning it on for about 20 seconds after the maint. light stops flashing.

SRS light, who knows? It's a used car, for $3000 it's going to need a few things.

 

Still haven't had the chance to see the car. He rescheduled due to Thanksgiving. He said we could meet today, but he hasn't answered my call or text yet. The saga continues...

 

Where is this vehicle located?
Maybe someone knows the complete story.
Willie

 

Just got back from drive, its pretty beat up, minor front end damage when someone backed into it, frame is straight, looks like its just cosmetic. Front bumper has some scratches. That explains SRS light.

I got the code read, and it shows P0420.

It has 141000 miles. Hybrid battery still original, never replaced. Charges ok I think, but its my first time in an insight.

They went down to 2900. Good buy???

 

Huh.. I thought the car had 300k miles and a new battery?

If it only has 141k miles, I'd go ahead and buy it, though the SRS light shouldn't be on from a minor fender bender.

Immediately find out when the In Service date was, as there's a small chance the car is still under warranty.

But it's hard to lose with a $2900 Insight. Fix her up! It's doubtful that you would have to spend more than $3000 to get her into tip top shape, and that would make it a $5900 Insight which is still within their nominal price range.

 

They have documentation showing "DELIVERY DATE....02/05/2002" "MAINT EFFECTIVE DATE: 02/05/2002"

Is the hybrid battery still under warranty?

 

Anyone kind enough to carfax?

JHMZE13731T001133

 

Yes!!! It's still under warranty until 150,000 miles or 2/5/2012, as long as the title is clean(not salvage).

Is the IMA light currently on?

 

There is no IMA light... I couldn't get the battery bar charged up fully in the test drive, but I only drove it 15-20 mins.

What can I do to get it replaced?

 

All you can really do is drive it and hope the IMA light comes on. Use heavy assist and regen. You have 2 months.

What color is it? If you don't buy it, I may be interested...

 

Hah, buy and let it sit undriven for a month, then abuse the battery as Eli said, that'll REALLY do it

Assuming you DON'T get a replacement out of Honda, then you're looking at 2k for a BetterBattery + whatever it takes for the front end damage... but if you think it could be fixed for $500-600, it doesn't sound too bad, but especially if Honda replaces the battery in the next 3 months.

Sam

 

Its silver, but don't get any ideas! LOL

I wonder if I raise hell at the stealership they'll change it.

So here's the low down and dirty:

-tires are not OEM potenzas
-bumper took a seemingly small hit, small dent in bumper with paint chipping
-rear view mirror fell off
-hatch struts don't hold weight anymore
-P0420 CEL code

The good:
-new 12v Honda battery
-new brakes all around
-aftermarket stereo
-only 141k miles, barely under warranty still

I think I'm buying it.

 

Yeah, buy it. Those are all minor issues. $2900 is a good deal, especially with the chance that you can get a new battery in the next 2 months. I'd invest in a Carfax just to make sure there isn't anything funny with the title which could invalidate the warranty, but it sounds like a good deal all of this considered.

There is a fix to make the P0420 go away, look up "spark plug no foul mod".

A dealership can't do anything unless the car has a P1447 or P1449 IMA error.

 

Thanks for all your help Eli.

Do you know the best place to buy re92's at?

 

Do you know the best place to buy re92's at?

Call a local Firestone tire dealer. They have a price match guarantee and may be able to find 4 165/65R14 Bridgestone Potenza RE92's in a warehouse. A Honolulu Firestone dealer found 4 old (2009) RE92's in a local warehouse and sold them to me at Costco's sale price.

 

Costco has an excellent deal until 11/30, but it seems that the RE92 is on international backorder.

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum...-forum-1st-gen-discussion/20976-costco-70-30-off-deal-back-till-11-30-11-a.html

I assume they will take your order and honor the price when the tires come in? I'm not sure though.

 

I bought mine for $2900 with a CEL light on, cracked wind shield, bad paint on the hood, and 1st/2nd manual transmission syncro's worn out due to high milage of 240K. I've since got about 5K into it total and love my little car. Plan on putting more money into it, if you are good with that then probably a good buy.

 

^^

I called costco, nothing in stock. Then, I called firestone like you suggested, and they had a set of four in house, and they matched costco's price!

I am going to get them later this afternoon for 357 installed!

 

Excellent!

 

Craaaap.

Just took the car home, full battery meter went down to zero, lost charge/assist, lost autostop, and the IMA light just came on.

The thing is, the title showed up as DAMAGED in 2005. Will that void the warranty?

Recap: 141k miles, 02/05/2002 maint effective date.

 

Digging through the carfax, no mention of "salvage".

 

Hmmm. I am not sure what "DAMAGED" means in terms of a title? It certainly doesn't sound good, but it may not mean that the car was totalled?

The only thing that should void the warranty is if the car was written off as a total loss and has a salvage/rebuild title.

Only thing you can do is try. Take it to a dealership and see what happens. The TSB you need to reference is 06-057.




It was probably just an accident then? It should be pretty clear if the title is branded. Take her in! May be your lucky day.

 

Jamesk where are you located? Different states vary as to what is deemed a salvaged, damaged, etc. vehicle,

Willie