[The Citrus Smoothie]

I am relativelyt new to the Honda Insight experience and have a couple of minor queries.

Firstly, does anyone know why there is a 'cubbyhole' behind the rear registration plate? Is it there for a reason or is it just because my reg. plate isn't big enough?

Secondly, I have been trying to join the Owners register on this site but it refuses to accept my VIN, which I believe is ZE1-1000257. I e-mailed Site Admin (Benjamin) who suggested double-checking inside the windscreen or door jamb; but I cannot see anything. The VIN I quoted above is stamped inside the engine bay but my paperwork quotes this as the chassis number (any difference?). The car is a Japanese import so may have a different numbering system. Does anyone know for certain? Is there a spot on all Insights that will definitely have the VIN stamped on?

Thanks very much.

 

[Tim Maddux]

http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclope ... ialno.html

What you quote sounds something like the VIN, but missing some digits. You could just try adding the missing ones until it gets accepted. Note that it doesn't say what some of the digits are (like the check digit or the digit for 1999 model year).

 

[boogetyboogety]

VIN # follies

Your VIN Number is at the very base of the windshield on the driver's side (read from outside the car), as well as on the driver's side door jamb.

VIN numbers are easy to decode. Write down your number, and check it out when you have a minute... Here is the key:

1st character- Identifies the country in which the vehicle was manufactured. For example: U.S.A.(1or4), Canada(2), Mexico(3), Japan(J), Korea(K), England(S), Germany(W), Italy(Z)

2nd character- Identifies the manufacturer. For example; Audi(A),
BMW(B), Buick(4), Cadillac(6), Chevrolet(1), Chrysler(C), Dodge(B),
Ford(F), GM Canada(7), General Motors(G), Honda(H), Jaquar(A), Lincoln(L), Mercedes Benz(D), Mercury(M), Nissan(N), Oldsmobile(3), Pontiac(2or5), Plymouth(P), Saturn(8), Toyota(T), VW(V), Volvo(V).

3rd character- Identifies vehicle type or manufacturing division.

4th to 8th characters- Identifies vehicle features such as body style, engine type, model, series, etc.

9th character- Identifies VIN accuracy as check digit.

10th character- Identifies the model year. It may be a letter or on newer cars, a digit. For example: 1988(J), 1989(K), 1990(L), 1991(M), 1992(N), 1993(P), 1994(R), 1995(S), 1996(T), 1997(V), 1998(W), 1999(X), 2000(Y), 2001(1), 2002(2), 2003(3), 2004(4)...

11th character- Identifies the assembly plant for the vehicle.

12th to 17th characters- Identifies the sequence of the vehicle for production as it rolled of the manufacturers assembly line. Honda Insighters usually identify their Insights by the model year, followed with the last 4 digits of their serial number (Our Insight is '01-2554).

Hope this helps...

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Thanks for your replies on the VIN number. No-one has replied to my query on the 'cubbyhole' behind the rear registration plate. Does anyone know what it is for? Does anyone store anything in it?

Yours curiously

 

[boogetyboogety]

Cubbyhole...?

Maybe I'm not quite sure what cubbyhole you are referring to, there is some empty space right behing the license plate/registration plate, inside the bumper, but it is a void area with no reedeming storage value... I went out to our Insight and reached back behind there, and found... not much of anything! If you mean inside the hatch area, there is a nice rectangular hidden storage space with the spare tire (that's tyre to you :wink: ) hiding underneath, but I'm sure that's not what you meant... is it?

Or maybe it's where the Japanese designers of the Insight keep their cubbys...

And in my last message, for some reason, the Saturn digit code turned into a smiley. It's actually "eight", as in "8"...

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Thanks BoogetyBoogety. I did mean the space behind the registration plate - at least I now know that other people have it. You're right, the space doesn't have any redeeming qualities (except smuggling?!?); that is what puzzled me in the first place.

 

[boogetyboogety]

Smuggling cubbyhole?

Smuggling? Hmmmmmmmm... Now if I can only figure out (1) what to smuggle, (2) where to smuggle it to, and (3) who would buy it to make my smuggling worth my while, I've got it made! NO ONE would ever look back there, I imagine even customs agents are too interested in the coolness of the Insight to bother to look beyond the engine bay...

 

[Hambone]

Re: Smuggling cubbyhole?

NO ONE would ever look back there, I imagine even customs agents are too interested in the coolness of the Insight to bother to look beyond the engine bay...

Well, unless any of them happen to be Insight owners and/or readers of the threads on this forum!