[ElectricTroy]

Question:

Why do recalibrations bother Insight owners so much? I've had a few, immediately following heavy Electric usage (stop-n-go), but it's never concerned me. The battery meter charges back to full after a nice highway cruise.

The meter recalibration has never seriously impacted me or the car (since I rarely use the battery) so I don't worry about it. Why does it concern you guys?

 

[Delta Flyer]

A lot of recalibrations tend to mean a short hybrid battery life.

Some may know more than me, but the things that encourage recalibrations:
- Hilly terrain
- Very aggressive driving
- Frequent stop-and-go traffic (by far the one that gets me)
- Having a 12-volt battery that needs replacing and leaving the Insight idle a day or two This is bad because it can completely drain your hybrid battery and shorten it's life

While the computer attempts to prevent the hybrid battery from being overcharged or drained, it's good to take precautions to avoid excessive recalibrations or drainings.

 

[ElectricTroy]

- Hilly terrain
- Having a 12-volt battery that needs replacing and leaving the Insight idle a day or two This is bad because it can completely drain your hybrid battery and shorten it's life

- When driving in hills, I shift down to 3rd. I drove across the Colorado Rockies and never once had a recal, since I was barely using the battery.

- If the 12V battery is dead, and you leave it sit for a day or two, how would the car start?

 

[Delta Flyer]

On the 12v battery: A couple of times after the OEM battery was over three years old, I left the Insight in the garage for the weekend and the car would not crank. The battery gauge for the IMA (hybrid) battery was zero. I but the charger on for a few minutes and the car cranked.

My guess is the 12v battery went dead, and the hybrid battery tried to save it like a lifeguard, but went under. I replaced the battery not only for obvious reasons, but it's also bad for the life of the hybrid battery, which costs a lot more than $75 :shock:

 

[ElectricTroy]

The battery gauge for the IMA (hybrid) battery was zero.

That doesn't mean the IMA battery is dead. It could still be 100% full, but the meter automatically resets to zero when the 12V dies.

The damage to the IMA sounds similar to my recent Plymouth death. Battery worked fine when I started it for my road trip, but 300 miles later I stopped for gas, and the battery was dead. I jumped it, took it to the garage, and was told by the mechanic that I was "lucky" because the dead battery would have stressed/killed the alternator, if I had continued driving.

Sounds like the situation is the same with the IMA system...a dead 12V battery can stress/kill it.

 

[Foxpaw]

I believe that the reason recals are feared is not because they themselves are particularly harmful, but rather that frequent recalibrations may be a symptom of something expensive.

Kind of like when a car is making a "funny sound." It's not the sound that concerns people, it's what's causing that sound.

 

[Delta Flyer]

Most of the time I recal, the traffic is stop-and-go, 0 to 5 mph for at least fifteen minutes.

 

[david]

Sorry for the dumb question, but what are you talking about exactly when you say "recalibrations"? Now I'm curious about whether my car is doing it or not.

 

[Delta Flyer]

The battery gauge might indicate an 85% charge, then within a minute it drops to zero, regardless of what you do. That's a recalibration.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

And by design recals are limited to 5 speed versions only. CVT'ers haver something to glow about in sacrificing some MPG's.

Other than the inevitable symptom of deteoriating batteries and the ouch in the right rear hip pocket for their replacement the real issue is rapid loss of assist.
Which can be an unhappy suprise if your tring to thread a hole in traffic.