[Tzepish]

Hi guys. I just got my 2006 Insight (5-speed) yesterday, and I have a question about the MPG guage. Is the number in the upper left the average MPG between now and the last time it has been reset? It's currently sitting at an unimpressive 27MPG and goes up very slowly (presumably as I drive it my definitely-higher-than 27MPG is factoring into the average and raising that number). I guess my questions are...

1.) Why would it be so low initially? Were the dealers who put the first 50 miles on it that bad at driving it, or is there something wrong with my car, or does it just get low MPG for the first hundred miles?

2.) How can I reset this number? (If possible)

3.) Can I switch the digital readout to show my instantaneous MPG (instead of average)?

Thanks

 

[Resist]

I suggest reading the owners manual. It's all in there.

 

[masscommuter]

How many total miles are on the odometer ?

A dealer worked on my car shortly after reset of a "Trip Meter"
and MPG had dropped drastically when I picked it up.

For a new car - sitting and idling,
having the engine worked on,
probably caused this low MPG.

You could reset one of the trip meters & see how that goes.

If you're new to the High MPG game - the methods are all here,
and 1st is probably: avoid jackrabbit starts & stops.

 

[Tzepish]

There were 50 miles on it when I got the car - there are 75 now. I'll look up how to reset the thing and then drive it for awhile and hope it's not a problem with the car itself. Thanks.

 

[psuinsight]

New Insights seem to come from the dealer with crummy mpg readings.
There is probably a lot of idle time and heavy acceleration to test out the IMA.
My new 5 speed Insight is about 2+ months old and my lifetime mpg reading is now up to about 56 mpg even with the initially low mpg reading. I think it read about 25 mpg when I picked up my car. It averages out in time. On my first fillup I had about 51 mpg, second fillup 59 mpg...haven't got to the third fillup yet with over 1300 miles on the car.
It did seem a bit scary at first, but just keep driving using the tips on this discussion group and all will be well!

 

[Dougie]

It's not worth resetting it. Just keep driving it as is and watch the mileage go up. I bet most people here generally keep their odometer on the segment display anyway, since as you get more miles the lifetime average number hardly budges.

 

[Tzepish]

Well, I've been resetting it before every trip, and it's helped me to compare how I'm doing. The highest average I've gotten so far was 56mpg or so, so I guess it wasn't a problem with the car itself .

 

[Dougie]

I think we're talking at cross purposes. There are four MPG gauges on the Insight. The main odometer that records the total mileage of the car has an MPG gauge associated with it, as do each of the two trip odometers. Then there is the special "segment" odometer and MPG gauge. The way I use them is as follows:

- Main odometer & MPG gauge: Pretty much ignore this one except when bragging about lifetime MPG.
- Trip A: For recording specific trips, like vacations.
- Trip B: Reset at each gas stop to see what's going on on a tank-by-tank basis.
- Segment: This is the one I use most actively. I reset it pretty frequently, and pretty much at random depending on what I'm thinking about. One week I might use it to keep track of commuting, another maybe on a "what happens when I go up this big hill and then come back down" experiment.

The point is that ALL of these MPG gauges can be reset, as can all of the odometers except for the main odometer. Some people, when they get a new-to-them car, go through contortions to reset the main MPG gauge so it reflects "their" lifetime MPG, not the cars. What I was saying is that with a new car, there's no point in resetting the lifetime MPG gauge because after a few hundred miles the initial idling at the dealership etc. will be overwhelmed by your actual driving.

Summary: Use button on left side of dash to switch between main odometer and segment odometer. All this is described in the manual and in the insightcentral.net encyclopedia, available at the top of your screen.

 

[Fred]

- Main odometer & MPG gauge: Pretty much ignore this one except when bragging about lifetime MPG.
- Trip A: For recording specific trips, like vacations.
- Trip B: Reset at each gas stop to see what's going on on a tank-by-tank basis.
- Segment: This is the one I use most actively. I reset it pretty frequently, and pretty much at random depending on what I'm thinking about. One week I might use it to keep track of commuting, another maybe on a "what happens when I go up this big hill and then come back down" experiment.

Been using Trip "A" to record daily MPG and miles per day driven but using Trip "B" to record tank-by-tank - never thought of using "B" that way. Nice tip! Thanks

Fred

 

[Insightful Trekker]

The buttons intergal with the gauge pod have had a couple of failures as reported in these forums. Which requires replacement of the gauge unit $800+ as the repair. Of course a skilled DIY'er could probably disassemble the unit and fix just the switch(es), but IIRC its not been tried.

Just another good reason to minimize their usege and switch the most frequently used to the FCD button.

If you also use your headlights during the daytime for safety and or SoC management they you'll want the gauge lights peskiness mod too :!: (see my web pages, link in sig)

HTH!

 

[siai47]

When I picked up my new Insight it had 12 miles on the odometer and a lifetime MPG of 7.5! That must be an all time low. At least the battery SOC was full. It takes a lot of miles to overcome that initial low mileage but it has been climbing every day. With 350 miles now, the mileage is over 55 and rising. Great car.

 

[kari]

I picked up my insight with 200 miles on it and about 26 mpg. I should have reset the lifetime mileage, but didn't even think about it until a couple of weeks later and felt like it was too late then!