[bhpbhp]

Just declared a federal tax credit for having purchased my 2001 Honda
Insignt in 2002. Does Michigan offer a tax credit as well (need to
know asap)?

Also, when I first bought the car in May 2002, it got 48 to 50 MPG.
Now it gets 38-39 MPG (although winter now ) with my same pedal driving style. Per the owner's manual OK, I do have Valvoline 5W-20W in it now; does Honda 0W-20W have an effect like this?

The tail pipe is black, and does not appear to be a lean burn. Had the
dealer look at it and he said that everytinng was computer controlled
and there was no adjustment that they could make.

I will tolerate 48 MPG (although 56 was on the window), but not 39
folks. What can be done? It has an automatic transmission.

Thanks,

Bruce

 

[nnielsen]

i am only averaging 45.5 on my cvt. i have tried different kinds of driving and have not been very successful. i have noticed that on warmer days the mileage is better than colder days.

 

[ron]

MPG issues

You might check out some tips for getting the most mileage for your buck:

http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-index-driving.html

Lots of factors can effect your mileage that you may not have thought about.. like:
Air pressure, driving habits, terrain, temperature, payload, ...

Good Luck!

Ron

 

[Delta Flyer]

Bad Oxygen Sensor?

I had an oxygen sensor fixed recently. The milage declined, then the engine check light came on. It was fixed and I'm at 55.4 lifetime going 70-75 mph in Dallas traffic (Normal for this kind of driving on a 5-speed. I would probably get low 60s if the speeding were cut out).

The oxygen sensor controls the air/fuel mix for the best milage and performance.

 

[Resist]

Go back to the Honda 0W-20W oil. You bet that lowers your mpg!

 

[Yves M.]

HI,

The oil will not change the MPG, both are 20 so once hot they are both the same viscosity.

The winter tires might be the problem along with lower tempatures.

Tempatures really affect short drives (less than 30 minutes) and if your tires are not LRR then it is harder to push the car (this is more a problem at higher speeds, highway).

Yves.
MPG goes up when temps up.

 

[edv]

MPG goes up when temps up.

(until you decide to turn on the A/C!)

 

[Resist]

HI,

The oil will not change the MPG, both are 20 so once hot they are both the same viscosity.

If it didn't have something to do with it, then why did Honda use 0W-20W oil in the Insight?

 

[Yves M.]

Hi,

The 0 is for cold starting and for the auto-stop (faster oil pumping). Starting an engine causes wear as there is no pressure (no oil film on parts to slide on)

Yves.

 

[Ecfool]

hmm maybe I have been wrong all My years asa automotive technician but hmm 0-20 and 20-50 same once they get hot?? look at the figures again the first is the "rated" viscosity while on start up the second is at normal operating temps, so they arnt the same and if you check the 0-20 from honda is a synthetic based oil so why bother with any others?

 

[Tim Maddux]

Honda 0W-20 oil is not synthetic. It's always been a conventional petroleum product.

Yves was talking about 5W-20, not 20W-50.

0W-20 and 5W-20 are rated the same viscosity at high temperatures in testing, but their viscosity-temperature curves will be a little different across the range, with the difference increasing towards low temperatures (cold start). The Insight owner manual says 5W-20 is ok with some caveats about the grade (SJ, I think) and that it be labelled as energy-conserving.

 

[Insighter]

Tim is right...

The discussion was about 5w-20 vs. 0w-20, nobody mentioned 20w-50.

As far as why someone might bother with another oil, the Honda oil is not synthetic. If it was the Insight owner's manual would not state:

Synthetic Oil
You may use a synthetic motor oil if it meets the same
requirements given for a conventional motor oil: it displays the API
Certification Seal, and it is the proper weight as shown on the chart .
When using synthetic oil, you must follow the oil and filter change
intervals given in the maintenance schedule.

And there is even a difference among oils labeled as synthetic. Some are true Synthetics (like Mobil1, Redline, and Amsoil) and some are just highly refined conventional oils (I'm not sure which fall into this category, but I suspect most of the brands available at the chain stores). So even if Honda's oil laid some claim to being synthethic, that would be no guarantee it was a true synthetic.

It's fine to chime in, but why be sarcastic?

 

[Yves M.]

Hi,

Thanks for noticing the discussion on the right kinds of oil. I did not thougt it was necessary to write more precision, I try not to make long messages.
I use 0w-30 synthetic and I have not seen MPG changes. Honda technician told me that their oil is not synthetic but a blend made for Honda by a nondisclosed company.

Yves.

 

[Delta Flyer]

Oil is Very Important for Engine Life

Drive it Forever zealously when into detail why oil so important for an engine. It's at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 04-9106357

The author stated that the first ten seconds of a trip did as much engine wear as 500 highway miles once the engine was at normal operating temperature and well-lubricated with motor oil.

He went to explain four benefits of changing oil:

1. It purges the dirt, esp. for those that do off-road driving or use dusty roads.
2. Oil loses vicosity over time. In other words, 0-20W may become 5-15W after awhile.
3. Acid accumulates in the engine and degrades the parts.
4. Under the presures inside an engine, water WILL mix with oil.

 

[Rick]

Even though I am contemplating switching over to the Mobil1 synthetic 0W-20 here soon I found this on the faq honda owners link page since we are on the topic of oil.


Will using synthetic oil void my warranty?
If synthetic oil is used in your vehicle, per the precautions listed above, your warranty should not be affected.
However, if it is not changed at the prescribed intervals, or if it can be shown that the use of synthetic oil has caused the malfunction, warranty may be denied.

 

[grebe]

Some people extend their oil change intervals when using synthetic oil because some oil manufacturers state that you can go up to 25,000 miles between changes. I believe that's why Honda basically says go ahead and use synthetic oil, but continue to change it at the factory recommended schedule.

I've seen people extend their oil change interval and have their oil analyzed periodically to verify it is still usable.

I use Mobil 1 0w-20 but still change it at 7,500 miles (my preference).

Gary

 

[Insighter]

Look above...

Look at my post above with a quote from the owner's manual. Mobil1 will meet the requirements, thus you can use it without voiding your warranty.

I suppose any manufacturer could deny your warranty if any oil you used was not from them and found to be at fault. But at that point they'd have proved Mobil1 to be at fault, so you could sue them.

I wouldn't worry about the oil being at fault unless it was some fly by night company, and Mobil1 certainly isn't that.

 

[jameskb]

Like Honda Oil Better

When I bought my Insight, I had to drive it home about 600 miles. I suspect it had regular "10-30" in the engine. When I got home I had the local dealer do the oil change with the honda products (oil and filter). Things I noticed were:

- a few mpg increase
- a change in the engine sound: less "rattly"
- Only $25 for the oil change wasn't much more than the cost of the oil and filter itself.

Seemed like a great deal, especially since the local Valvoline oil change place wants $30 for a "plain" oil change.

 

[jameskb]

39mpg: Brakes?

FYI: I had a brake problem that was killing my mileage. The dealer diagnosed the problem and I got 10mpg back like magic.

JKB

 

[Rick]

Re: 39mpg: Brakes?

FYI: I had a brake problem that was killing my mileage. The dealer diagnosed the problem and I got 10mpg back like magic.

JKB

Yeah, that'd do it for sure. You might also consider having the allignment checked if your concerned about it. Not having it perfectly right will do a number on your mileage too.