[stickboy3k]

So, I've had my 2001 Blue Insight for a year and love it. I've just come up on 62000 miles and my maint. light came on. In addition to that, when you use the lock switch on the drive side that locks both doors and then close the door, the driver's side comes unlocked. Also my autodown on the drive side has never worked and my passenger side window has started sticking on the way up. We had tried to get the autodown fixed last summer.. they said they'd order the part and call us, never called us but by then it was getting colder so we forgot about it.

Well last week a loud rattle started coming from my passenger door. I'm assuming something connected to the window has come disconnected.

Well we purchased the extra 3 year warranty from the dealer (big mistake) so I had my wife take it in today to see about getting the problems fixed, get a recall done (headlights) and get a price on the maintenance.

Here's where I get confused/upset. Service guy says:

a. Window autodown just needs to be programmed. He pulls out the owners manual, looks at it for 5 minutes and finally says "Yep, maybe we need to order a part." My wife explained that to him before he even looked at the manual, but he wouldn't listen.. ah well that's problem 1

b. Door lock - "Oh that's a feature of this car so you don't lock the keys in the car" WHAT!? Is this true? If it's true, fine I'll use my transmiter to lock the doors, if it's not then wth.

c. Pass. window down and rattle - "Oh it's a lightweight car, it's gonna rattle" WTH!

d. Maintenance - Says it's going to cost a little over 400.00. Can this be right? He gave her a list, I'm not home yet so I haven't looked it over but she read most of it to me, it was basic stuff. Change oil filter and oil, change air filter, change fluids. Can that possibly add up to over 400.00?

Thanks all, sorry if I'm ranting on and on but this stuff just doesn't make sense to me. I may have asked before but anyone know of a good service place for the insight around Ann Arbor? This place is in Monroe.

Stickboy3k

 

[stickboy3k]

Dang.. I just looked over my post.. for a car that I love I seem to overlook a lot of problems LOL If I had any other car that had half of these problems I would hate it.

God bless the Insight. LOL

 

[lee_rimar]

On door locks: The dealer is right. You need the key or transmitter to lock it from the outside, and it DOES reduce the incidence of locking yourself out. Something I've come to appreciate!

On cost of maintenance: Dealer maintenance is always expensive. If it was $400 at every oil change I'd squawk - but a bill like that around 30K or 60K intervals isn't unusual for a lot of cars or dealers. If you can do the work yourself or find non-dealership service you trust, you can save a lot.

On the auto-window thing, the AUTO function does need to be reset after reconnecting the battery or installing the window fuse. Here's how to do it:

Start the engine. Push down on the driver's window switch until the window is fully open. Then pull back on the driver's window switch to close the window completely, then hold the switch for an additional 2 seconds.

On rattles: How bad is it? If it's REALLY bad and started suddenly, the dealer should have taken the door apart and looked for something loose. But up to a point I'd agree with the dealer: A small car, lightweight, with a good number of miles on it is gonna develop some rattles. All you can do is take things apart and put them back together, maybe several times, to see if you can get better/tighter fit. Labor intensive (read $$$) and you have to decide how much rattling or expense you can take.

 

[Holicow]

Dang.. I just looked over my post.. for a car that I love I seem to overlook a lot of problems LOL If I had any other car that had half of these problems I would hate it.

God bless the Insight. LOL

Hey, at least it's not a Vega.

In my early driving days, I was conditioned that cars break down every time you got more than 15 miles from home. (no, not a Vega).

Things aren't so bad in that light.

 

[Rick]

Spend $15 on a tube of Shin Etsu silicon grease from the dealership, apply some to the window run channels and it will fix the slow window problem. As far as auto down there is a reset procedure that sometimes works, but the regulators do burn up and might need replaced. This is not a cheap or easy fix unfortunately.

 

[Resist]

I'd do the maintenance your self, since it's mostly changing fluids. Not hard on this car. Most of what the dealership charges is for labor.

I have a rattle in the glovebox area. When I push it in or push on the dash above it, the rattle stops. I don't want a dealership messing with this as they would have to drive the car and most likely scratch something. I'm more concerned right now about having them fix my headlight peeling issue.

 

[stickboy3k]

Thanks for the tips. I'll be doing the fluid changes and airfilter change myself, and I'll try the tips on the autodown and now understand the door lock thing.

The rattle I'll still have to get checked out though. It started suddenly and is very loud. You can actually feel something heavy bouncing around within the door. I've also noticed that my passenger window starts to go uneven as it goes up, so maybe the glass has come disconnected from something and that something is rattling around.

Thanks again everyone

 

[Resist]

You don't need the key or FOB to lock the car. You can lock the car by pulling the inside door handle, holding it and pushing the door lock in. Both doors will lock, close the door and both stay locked.

 

[b1shmu63]

Resist, I use that door locking trick too. It works 99.5 percent of the time. At some point I will get distracted and lock the key in the car either on the seat or in the ignition. :lol:

 

[lee_rimar]

You don't need the key or FOB ... You can lock the car by pulling the inside door handle, holding it and pushing the door lock in...

Cool, I didn't know that.

Um... why would want to? Seems like you're going out of your way to lock yourself out

 

[Resist]

It's just another way to lock the car without using the FOB (saving the FOB's battery). This is the only way I lock my car.

 

[cakley]

The service is why I sold my Insigt

For the maintenace. The dealerships normally have a set $$$ amount for a set service ie 60k service. Don't request an 60k service because you'll get the stealerships service which they include all the extra stuff thats not needed or included in the insight service manual.

example I took my car in for the 30k service. When I got the bill :twisted: :twisted: I went straight the heck off. They charged me for fuel cleaner treatment then the.10 manhours it took to dump in the tank. I was heated. I demanded to see the manager. I was told that I requested the 30k service, that is that I requested xxx dealerships 30k service. Even though the HONDA INSIGHT manual says do not use gas treatment.

From then on: I requested each item as per the manual. Also when they do the oil change part of that is free inspection of basic items.


Door locks. My right door would lock as soon as I would unlock it. Couldn't even get in the car for a few minutes. It only needed to be adjusted. The dealer fixed that OK.

Also don't take crap from them. Call honda of america and complain. They need to know the lack of service Insight owners are getting.

 

[Resist]

Believe me, complaining to any manufactures customer assistance does no good. These people don't even know the cars and can't make a dealership do anything. As useless as they are you might as well be talking to the Better Business Burea....another useless organization!

 

[bug_girl]

if you do get a good recommendation for a service place in Mid/East Michigan, please PM me! I am a new insight owner, and will be seeking someone good. it will NOT be local honda dealership.

 

[NewInsighter]

if you do get a good recommendation for a service place in Mid/East Michigan, please PM me! I am a new insight owner, and will be seeking someone good. it will NOT be local honda dealership.

I know I'm digging up an old thread, but..............................

I'd also appreciate a good recommendation for a service place in Mid/East Michigan

 

[atikovi]

This must be a new record or something.

 

[jime]

This must be a new record or something.

i suspect that he used the search engine - like we encourage folks to do

 

[AlexSalvage]

"c. Pass. window down and rattle - "Oh it's a lightweight car, it's gonna rattle" not an appropriate response . you should be concerned. for his safety. LOL

 

[KaityVoivre]

Good thing he necroposted (Which I don't care as long as it's relevant and not crap to just increase post count) because it helped me fix my auto window issue, even if the instructions were written a decade ago.

 

[samwichse]

10 years, 28 days. That is a record as far as I know.

Funny in a sad way how all the original owners have moved on. Don't recognize any of those usernames.