[Bob Barry]

Hello, my cousin just passed down his 2006 Insight with CVT and a dead IMA battery to me here in Rhode Island.

I've changed the fluids and have to replace the windshield, but apart from the defunct IMA system and non-functioning A/C, it seems like a good little car. I'd like to drive it for a year to work out all the bugs, then perhaps one of my daughters will have a need for it and I can pass it on to them. It drives OK without the IMA, but I can certainly tell where an extra 30 ft/lbs of torque would help the driving experience, and if I'm to pass inspection, I'll have to have all the trouble-codes gone. I know there is the IMA bypass that would eliminate the codes, but I'd like to consider actually returning the car to its full performance.

I've been reading the forums and people's pages, and looked at the websites to identify the best options; the Cardone and Dorman remanufactured packs are cost-prohibitive, and I'd like to install a pack with NEW cells, rather than reconditioned cells, or reconditioning the existing cells. My cousin did that with the existing battery pack, which fixed the problem for a few weeks, but then other cells started going bad. At 13 years old, there's a good chance of another cell giving up the ghost, which wouldn't work well for my daughters who would be driving the car in a few years. I'm also not looking for using extra-performance battery packs; original-performance would be fine for my needs.

So, here are the options I've found; I just want to know if there are any other options I'm overlooking, especially ones up here in the Northeast?

Rebuilt packs with NEW cells: (sorry; forum won't let me post links for a first post)

Bumblebee Batteries: 1 yr warranty

• $1595+ $195 shipping

Green Tec Auto:

• $1695 including shipping
• This seems to be the better option, for both price and warranty

All other options seem to want to charge the above prices for rebuilt packs with reconditioned cells.

Are there any reputable rebuilders using new cells that I am missing, especially here in the Northeast?

Any caveats about the above suppliers?

Rebuilding the pack myself using NEW cells:

I cannot seem to find a straightforward supplier of new cells that I could use to rebuild the pack myself. I'm a skilled home mechanic, having rebuilt engines, transmissions and wiring-harnesses, so the task of rebuilding a pack does not dissuade me, but the price of twenty new cells that I could find on E-Bay comes close to or exceeds the cost of the above rebuilt packs with new cells.

Is there any reputable place that sells the new properly-balanced individual cells for less than $50/cell? Any more than that, and it would be worth the money to just buy one of the above packs.

Anyway, I thought I would ask what the latest is, as many of the threads I've seen are years old, and perhaps out of date.

And here's the little guy this all concerns:

 

[Bob Barry]

OK, just found two more options, but neither is compelling except for the ABC hybrids, which is local and I could pick up from there (though I can't find a price for a rebuild with new cells):

ABC Hybrids: Honda Insight 2000-2006 Remanufactured Hybrid Battery - 12 Months Warranty, Low Deposit Due At Checkout.

Amped Hybrid: Honda Insight Battery - 1999-2006 - Partially assembled

• $1895 + $200 shipping, but "We have replaced the cells with brand new ones that provide 40% more power than the original pack." I don't see an option for a rebuild with standard-power cells.

 

[Bob Barry]

If you are a decent mechanic, consider an LTO retrofit. Once you get the LTO packs installed, you won't have to worry about them for a LONG time.

I looked over the long thread, and that looks like far more than I'd like to get into at this moment.

I will be contacting Eli for a factory-spec battery replacement.

-Bob