[volvoic]

:shock:

I need to store my wonderful little car for 12 months in the garage. I live in NY, and the garage does get cold in the winter. Aside from a fresh oil change, and jacking the car off of its tires, what else should I do to prevent the car from acquiring problems? One of my concerns was leaving the battery unused for 12 mos....it can't be good for it. Should I leave it with a 100% charge, or should I discharge it completely?

I don't think anyone has brought this up.

Final note: The Insight is THE BEST CAR for me because:
1. seats are ultra sturdy and comfortable
2. fits tall people (me)
3. mileage is phenominal
4. Engine is built to higher precise standards than any other engine on the planet earth
5. the vehicle won't rust because of the aluminium&plastic construction
6. goes fast when it needs to
7. c'mon....73mpg!!!!
8. the increasing price of gasoline.
9. The necessary aerodynamic design will probably never be improved upon, because Honda went to the limit with the vehicle. The car will ALWAYS look cool!

I can add about 40 more points to that, but, its a start. I am always attracted to other cars, but none of them come CLOSE to the happiness my insight has given me.

Cheers,

Wyatt

PS: My parts want list:

1. Cruise Control setup that won't cause headaches in the future:
2. spare alloy wheels for summer tyres.

 

[Tim Maddux]

NiMH batteries will drain down to nothing if left alone for a long period of time, so you should anticipate that when you go to restart your car the first time. It won't hurt them; you will just have to charge them back up again. Reference:

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

Other than that you will have the same concerns as with a regular car, such as deposits in the radiator. Can you get someone to start the car up once a month for you while you are away?

 

[Armin]

12V battery

I'd be more worried about the 12V battery than the 144V. You should either find a trickle-charger for it or expect to need a jump start to get the car going when you come back. But after being dead for a year, you may need to replace the 12V battery, too...

 

[Rick]

I would say disconnect both batteries. Get a battery tender for the 12 volt, it will keep it charged, but not overcharge it. Then pull up the rear carpet to reveal the cover for the breaker, two 10 mm bolts hold it on, then once thats removed there is a plastic piece that slides straight up off the breaker then you can shut it off.

I would expect it might get a little wierd when first started, but after a few trips it should be recharged and figure out it's soc again.

One other thing you might consider is getting a car cover for it. Cover Craft makes a custom fitted one for the Insight.

 

[Guillermo]

Ideally your car will be driven on a regular basis or else don't turn it on at all. Don't have someone just idle the car for 5 minutes that's very bad for the engine. Idling causes combustion gases to work their way into the engine oil because the piston rings are not under load and the engine will not be up to proper operating temperature if not warmed up under load. These contaminants acidify the engine oil and corrode the engine if left stored. When the car is driven on the highway the load brings the engine up to the proper temperature where the acids will break down and get vented out.

Idling is bad and idling a stored car is the worst thing you can do to the engine.

 

[Kevin Dougherty]

You might want to read this thread:


http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... highlight=

 

[Armin]

Then pull up the rear carpet to reveal the cover for the breaker, two 10 mm bolts hold it on, then once thats removed there is a plastic piece that slides straight up off the breaker then you can shut it off.

There is no need to go that far, since the 144V is turned off any time the car is turned off anyway. There is a mechanical breaker in there, no need to flip the switch.