This Honda Insight Repair Just Cost MORE Than The Car's Worth!

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#Honda #Insight #Battery

[@rightlanehog3151]

Andre, With all due respect, the only 'surprise' here is that you guys keep buying used cars without a thorough pre-purchase inspection. Despite the fact you have a terrific mechanic, you continue throwing good money at lemons. That makes for great comedy/drama so please keep it up ;-)

[@Kasi01]

I figured they were gonna take the opportunity to make something cool of this thing with a broken as it was.

[@aussie2uGA]

They're pretty smart. Hoovies garage has made a fortune buying the crappiest cars around ;)

[@TheBeatenPaths]

I think it's a tax write off for the channel. They probably make their money back too, on the views the video gets. KZbin business.

[@aussie2uGA]

@@TheBeatenPaths Oh absolutely. Road Chasers is quite expansive across many KZbin channels.

[@TeslaRoger]

I owned that car and I was surprised to hear you call it crappy. It was a great car if you want super efficient. 50mpg+ was unheard of back when it came out. Honestly I still miss mine but I've moved on to full EV so I'm not going back.

[@yamkaw346]

Honda crx got 50mpg 20 years before this came out.

[@TeslaRoger]

@@yamkaw346 Google says you're wrong. CRX only got 39mpg on highway

[@yamkaw346]

@@TeslaRoger look again. 1st gen Honda crx got 52mpg highway.

[@Wingnut353]

@@yamkaw346 And by the same metrics the Honda insight G1 gets.... about 75mpg...

[@chrisblust2243]

@@yamkaw346 That was the CRX HF model. I had two of the second gen ones and two Insights. The HF has incredibly tall gearing and feels slow compared to the insight. The CRX also has a steel body vs the Insight Aluminum body so with the CRX you're dealing with cars that rust out pretty badly. Also those EPA MPG numbers were done with 100% gas, no ethanol which cuts your MPG down now. I like both, the CRX has more trunk space but the insight gets better MPG and has airbags.

[@jppilotadventurez5251]

$1,500 isn’t bad at all for a battery replacement! Sucks the shop didn’t want to be on video, they could of potentially blew up with more customers after this video. Nevertheless, great video!

[@Wingnut353]

Yeah and LiBCM can be pretty much a install once and done for the rest of the life of the car... it cost a bit more but its better than replacing the NiMH pack and dealing with its quirkyness.

[@04dram04]

The battery pack in these is incredible small. So $1500 isnt cheap

[@jonathanvillalba3214]

@@Wingnut353 whats the LiBCM battery? I understand is a type of hybrid battery but from what?

[@chainedaddiction]

My first 2000 insight went to 483k and my second one is at 408k. Only 17000 or so insights made worldwide. Can only go up in value over time.

[@marksparks8852]

keep the high voltage cable & buy a charger. Routine cell balancing can greatly extend the life of the hybrid battery. If you find an Insight with the cable you've found an owner that cared enough to maintain the battery. The built in system won't balance the cells & they will fail prematurely if you don't periodically charge with a high voltage charger made for that purpose.

[@jonathanvillalba3214]

So the honda NiMH hybrid battery parts can be recharged, is there how to video on this process?

[@r.j.bedore9884]

Maybe you guys can find a Honda CR-Z manual for your next hybrid car project. They have a newer version of the Insight's hybrid system and were designed to be a sportier hybrid option.

[@Uneasyboosh]

I owned one for a few years super fun cars nothing like it, even though it was hybrid it didn't get hybrid numbers when it came to gas mileage but it used all that electric energy for fun low end torque. It was a beast under 35mph! They sell superchargers and all the fun stuff for them still even though it is a small market the people that have them really do some fun stuff with them.

[@Wingnut353]

The CR-Z kinda doesn't make sense though... it gets worse MPG and basically they could have just gotten rid of the hybrid system and probably gotten better performance.

[@jonathanvillalba3214]

@@Wingnut353 agreed, its trash once the IMA hybrid battery dies, the car don't work. It was stupid that honda didn't put an alternator to keep the underhood battery alive

[@thatdellguy]

Looks nicer than my clear coat fading 03 Insight with only 90k miles. Paying 2k for my BumbleBee battery was a drop in the bucket compared to the crummy cars they sell today. All these 1st Gen Insights need that charging cable to maintain the battery and make it last longer. These cars in good running condition are going at a premium here in California with our high gas prices. Someone is going to get a really nice Insight that could easily go another 200k miles.

[@chrisblust2243]

I don't understand why someone would remove the charging cable. I left mine in when I got a replacement battery (also bumblebee) and would use it to continue conditioning the battery once a year.

[@Fire91ful]

Mine is at 170k miles I charge it every 2 months, car can last 2 -3 months with ima light on.

[@scubatrucker6806]

When I first saw this style of insight i fell in love with it.

[@xcaret-ns3pb]

Indeed it is one of a kind!!!👍👍🎌🎌🇯🇵

[@ThePoopsie321]

I think seling it might be a mistake. Keep it, do a longer series with it. Hypermiling, improving, restoring...

[@andr0373]

Mistake 1 $3900 purchase price. You can pick these up for around 2k. Mistake 2 $900 on oil change and suspension? I’ve have 3 of these at 250k+ miles. They are bare bones machines and easy to work on. With regular maintenance they need almost nothing. Mistake 3 - removing the battery tender. You just don’t understand these cars. They aren’t for everyone and you can get a lot out of them if you do a tiny amount of research in the community.

[@rg7145]

I agree, not enough research before purchase. My 2000 is fun, and it’s a hobby that I enjoy.

[@timcartwright4679]

Surprised the battery was that cheap tbh. I'm guessing it's a refurbished unit rather than an oem part.

[@NyaNymphali]

Oh yeah def not OEM. We quoted a new battery once for an 03 and it was almost 3k from Honda. Recon batteries, when done right, end up almost like a new one for less!

[@04dram04]

The battery in these is incredibly small. So $1500 isnt cheap

[@demiller74]

Trade it in on a Honda Ridgeline. TFL needs to have a long term Ridgeline.

[@ericspace121]

One day I'd like one of these. But right now I'm super greatful to have my 98 civic hatch given the gas prices, and man is it fun to work on.

[@johnrickard8512]

I recall when the battery failed completely on mine on the way to pick up a new one. Was surprisingly easy to DIY. Suffice it to say I love mine, CVT and all!

[@anthonywarren3656]

Roman and Tommy did Andre dirty making him do this video. LOL.

[@atmartens]

I think he deserved to do it..😂

[@anthonywarren3656]

@@atmartens Poor guy seems so defeated the entire video. HA.

[@liamvanderploeg1254]

So many insights with prematurely replaced batteries. Not only do these cars run and drive well without batteries, but charging and discharging keeps these things running for ever. My car has 250,000km and the battery is an OEM one replaced in 2013. Gives me a year between IMA lights. Worth it for 60mpg. People who don't understand this car need to stop buying it and talking shit online.

[@Kaldryf]

Do the Ike Gauntlet in it and show us the mileage it gets doing that :)

[@stever3953]

You should do another video on it before you sell it it’s kind of fun and interesting

[@cup_and_cone]

This money pit 100% needs rear shocks...you should call it the bounce house the way it handles bumps.

[@yodasbff3395]

I always wanted one of the early Insight's 👍.

[@Salvisol]

You should probably sell it. There is a community that loves these cars and are able to fix it properly. These are not the cheapest cars to upkeep due to the low volume and also hybrid battery. Its really not a car for somebody that doesn't want to turn a wrench.

[@zoltankaparthy9095]

I have a 2001 which I have had for five years now. I also have put a new battery in. And other maintenance. It has cost me about twice what I paid for it, $2000. Result? I have a nice, reliable high MPG car that I enjoy driving. All cars will cost money to maintain. And this is a classic.

[@jacksonbangs6603]

My parents used to drive a used Honda Insight. During steep climbs on long road trips, they said that they would have to keep the excellerater pedal floored. Even doing that the car struggled to keep up with traffic.

[@kevinblock2307]

Damn if I lived closer to Colorado I’d make an offer…I actually like it

[@MarcelHoskins]

😢 I’m debating between the Cr-z or the insight (2013)

[@04dram04]

Most of the time when the IMA battery light comes on for the insight, the battery doesn't need to be replaced. It just needs to be balanced. This is common on insights. You can balance the batter with a cheap device you plug up the the battery

[@FourDollaRacing]

BullSh💩t. Charging the 144 volt DC battery pack requires a $500 charger with a wiring harness to operate the onboard cooling fan. And, the cells aren't balanced, just cycled...

[@rjherrera97]

I love how a whole youtube channel like TFL just keeps getting bamboozled by car sellers with all these lemons

[@TheBeatenPaths]

A lot, and i mean a lot, of people get more work done to their car than it's worth.

[@herbwheeler4470]

I know I've done it. I've spent $2500- 3000 on a old truck that was worth MAYBE $1000. at most. But I really liked that truck until it burned up from a faulty carb.

[@Zlin0035]

I just sold mine for a CRZ, I may have to buy another in the future as they are amazing little cars (especially for here in Scotland)

[@HybridBattery]

Also, 57 is about average for a new driver. Start driving it more smoothly (gently) and you’ll get up into the middle 60’s quickly.

[@EdgarRenje]

Well, it's not very surprising, that a high cost element like the battery is worth more than a small, old car.

[@zacbremner2357]

the engine sounds like it has some top end noise. as a mechanic personally, i haven't worked on one but honda's have adjustable valves. i would recommend having the valves adjusted. its an easy process.

[@thatdellguy]

Its valve lifter noise from never being adjusted. Simple fix.

[@jerryduffey1118]

LHT Performance offers a turbo kit for more power. Or choose a K20A swap with AWD

[@DrifterDavid]

Wait so if the high voltage battery wasn't functioning, why did the vehicle start with the electric motor and not the 12v starter....the battery probably just needed to be balanced.

[@jerryduffey1118]

Learn to drive it like a motorcycle. I did 2,200 miles in 42 hours in a 2000 Insight MT with a dead HV battery. It maintained 50 MPG and was no effort at all to drive. After the trip, I replaced the HV battery with 8Ah and new RE92 tires. It is in terrific shape and ready for sale. 1st gear to 35 mph 2nd gear to 65 mph 3rd gear to 95 mph Has 2 more gears.

[@Reality_Filter]

It would make a great commuter car. If I was closer I'd jump on it. Thanks for owning the faux-pas Andre, at least TFL can take a write off. Sometimes other people's blunders make for great watching. Happy Thanksgiving fellas!

[@paulalvaro6313]

Great way to start Ur depression on a Monday morning commute to work 😂

[@tres311]

Hondas are weird cars man, they make great engines and transmissions, but they take weird shortcuts to save money. Usually paint starts peeling in a couple years, the wiring they use is cheaper, the brake calipers are made for 10speed huffy and need new pads in less than 10k. Honda peaked in the 90s and have slowly slid back to 4th best automaker out of Asia.

[@mbiker345]

What happened to tfl bids?

[@anthonyc1883]

Closed. Didn't work out.

[@austinburley888]

Definitely a car worth saving. The gas mileage will pay for itself if you daily drive it haha.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

If you don’t die in a crash first. This thing is a coffin in today’s heavy traffic.

[@90sretroroaster]

Salutari din Romania!

[@zuesmondo1]

Definitely a really cool car

[@djkenny1202]

$1500? Repair it. Who cares the value. What can you Buy fr $1500 as efficient??

[@patmald]

You could have put in a k20/24 and actually profited lol

[@jacksonbangs6603]

Long climbs were not a strong suite of the early Honda Insights.

[@MiguelAngel-rg4xg]

How much are you asking for it? Could you share what mpg it gets?

[@JohnDoe-zr6bk]

Watch the vid, he has already answered it.

[@excaliburjohndeere7657]

Took the battery out of my car it gets better without the battery. I get over 100 mpg.

[@wargodsix]

Well 20 years tech has come along way so if you like the body a gut swap could be cheaper to do then replace I like the body

[@jdhiv4]

Its ok Andre, everyone make mistakes!..n yours wasn't even that bad!

[@Nightakula]

Why does the motor sound like its ticking

[@suspicionofdeceit]

Cause it’s gonna blow.

[@Dankcatvacs]

Lol sounds like it needs a valve adjustment big time !😀 Hopefully that's all it needs

[@PhillyDee215]

💥Honda's are worth it😎

[@PaddyBoy644]

03:00 it sounds like you’re using potato for a microphone!😂

[@k9feces]

$1500 isn’t bad for the battery

[@jaxandmore440]

This illustrates a very important point. As hybrids age, the hybrid-related componentry like the batteries and generator will fail and they're extremely expensive parts to replace. A friend of my mother was facing an $8000 repair bill to fix her Prius. Needless to say she ditched the car. That completely negates any fuel savings, not even considering the extra cost of buying a hybrid over a comparable ICE car to begin with. ICE cars are still the best value long-term, even with higher running costs over hybrids and electric cars thanks to lower long-term repair costs.

[@anthonyc1883]

A Prius with an 8 grand repair bill is likely to be a very extraordinary example, I think. A refurbed battery pack, which is probably the right choice vs. OEM as the car gets old with high miles, is $1.5 to $1.8K, tops, with maybe $800 to install. I truly haven't heard of other expensive components taking a dump on any kind of a common basis. But 8 grand really sucks!

[@jaxandmore440]

@MJ that's simply not true. Hybrids are far more complex than a comparable ICE car. They still have an ICE, plus an expensive battery pack, plus an expensive generator, plus all of the additional high voltage wiring and circuitry. There is a lot more that can go wrong on a hybrid and when it does, boy does it add up quickly. Studies have already shown that just to break even on the additional cost of buying a hybrid over a comparable ICE car, you don't break even until around the 10yr mark. Longer-term, when hybrid components start failing, you're definitely spending more during hybrid ownership. The fuel savings just doesn't justify the additional costs. That $2k gets you a reconditioned battery pack, which means only the dead cells are replaced and the rest are old and on the verge of failure too.

[@jaxandmore440]

@MJ no clue, but I've heard reconditioned battery pack and generator run over $5k. At that point that's usually the value of the car, so not really worth it.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

This is why I bought a gas RAV4. It gets the same mpg as the hybrid on the highway and only a couple less in town. It’s much cheaper to own with all costs figured in. It’s also more powerful than the hybrid. The hybrid has more power initially, but a lot less once the battery is depleted. In addition the hybrid is heavier.

[@jaxandmore440]

@MJ I don't know what a legacy vehicle is, but ICE vehicles never need hybrid-related repairs.

[@saxjonz]

Lots of money to tune up a car... Just throw money at it. All you have to do is to drive it. I got 78mpg for 1500 miles without assist or leanburn in my non IMA powered insight. When I pulled the IMA out and replaced it I could pull 93 best 50 mile stretch and 87mpg. You are talking about a car you have no experience with, these cars regularly go for well over 300k miles. Many have 750k miles.

[@BlondieSuperdog]

I presume you sold it already?

[@garthhowe297]

Well... at least someone viewing this series cannot say they were not informed about the state of the car.

[@chuckersw]

If it says Honda, I guess it will start and get you there. Just not as fast I suppose. Lol

[@hearingaidguy6980]

Please sell me this car I’ll give you 75.00 take it or leave it final offer

[@atmartens]

Weird that the repair shop didn’t want to be recorded. Wondered if they were worried it’d come back to them… Also the whole story behind this car is funny. Y’all, mostly Roman, messed up buying this one.

[@ShawnSonnentag]

The electric motor does not aid in highway or freeway cruising, only accelerating.

[@xendeon]

lmfao im about to go buy one for 1k and if the battery is bad im not even concerned if i even spend 2-5 k kn that car most insight are going for 6k plus around me not to mention a manual insight in canada is a unicorn

[@WhittyPics]

Can't be many left? They didn't sell that many. Toyota has the best hybrid system.

[@davidthomas7651]

maybe it would be nice to find someone that actually works and needs a car to get to work and donate it?

[@snupermoto723]

K24 swap it

[@Doncan0823]

Neglected ? Yes. Crappy ? Not at all. Too bad I can’t buy it. I would love put it back in top shape.

[@robertfoertsch]

#TESLAWaterCar

[@jonzaremba]

That car is cursed.

[@us1fedvet]

You got off easy. What did you expect?

[@SOGCaptain]

3900 😯😯😯😯

[@trailladymtb7700]

Insight isEfficient, and will always be ugly! My neighbors Insight sitting inoperable in their yard a home for raccoons, mice etc. My brother once had the old 80’s Civic CRX..a cool zippy manual shift, was a gas powered car that got up to 50 miles per gallon.

[@trailladymtb7700]

@@allentoyokawa9068 the insight not crx 👍

[@Beyondthe5thPanel]

My 2022 Insight is awesome! It’s very sleek looking and not as difficult as the Prius is to see out the windows.

[@pernell4351]

But I will buy it if it was a five seater.

[@bornwestusa]

All aluminum made in Japan... no other car like it. And with a good battery it is worth that much more than it was, great cars! I don't approve of the cheap 1 year warranty high voltage battery, what's the point of a rebuilt battery that only lasts one year? Get a NEW HV battery with a 3 or 5 year warranty instead.

[@anthonyc1883]

Why do you state that the battery will last only one year? Don't the vast majority of products outlast their warranty periods?

[@thatdellguy]

Never buy a used battery for these 1st Gen Insights. They get past the first year of warranty and fail. He got scammed and that's why they didn't want to be on camera.

[@anthonyc1883]

@@thatdellguy But is a refurbished battery "used?" I would define a used battery as one coming out of car in the junkyard. Anyway, lots of owners of very high mileage older Prius opt for a refurbed battery vs. the much more expensive OEM, and they seem to work fine. Maybe it depends on the company doing the refurb?

[@thatdellguy]

@@anthonyc1883 Refurbished is used matched cells from several packs. They test each individual "used" cell stick and match them for capacity. What you get in the end is a "used" pack of same capacity cells. Since they are not new, the sticks tend to get out of balance much quicker than a new pack. Hence the 1 year warranty. When a pack gets out of balance it throws a code and the car doesn't charge the 12v battery. Then after a few hours or days when the 12v battery gets low things get wonky and the car doesn't start. I'm not familiar with Prius.

[@anthonyc1883]

@@thatdellguy Thank you. Regarding not being familiar with Prius, what application are these battery packs you described used for?

[@the_jarmel]

1st... HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY EVERYONE

[@flight2k5]

Never could understand why everyone says that. Who really cares.

[@TheRamGuy]

Amazing accomplishment!!!! I mean it has to feel good knowing you are the first person to comment without watching the video. Truly outstanding

[@gasolinefumes]

My $300 Insight is much crappier! I'm getting over 60 MPG without a hybrid battery.

[@kwenger7088]

Sell that thing so you can make more i3 videos…

[@HybridBattery]

Without the hybrid battery, the car is just as efficient. The hybrid system simply makes that tiny 1L engine feel Ike a bigger one when you accelerate. The hybrid system does nothing at cruise or when decelerating. The hybrid motor only adds 20 lb/ft of torque.

[@AkioWasRight]

If you say yes now, I'll give you ₫22,000 for it.

[@diltzm]

The Honda Insight used a 144volt battery, definitely not high voltage.

[@minivanmaster]

the labels say High Voltage, lol

[@snarky_user]

So many displays of ignorance in this video.

[@mattr85]

And this is why you k20 swap it

[@rd4660]

There will be a massive amount of EVs that hit the junkyard early in their life once the owner finds out a battery replacement will cost more than the value of the car. And then when you try to junk the car and the junk yard want YOU to pay THEM to accept the car because of the hazardous materials in the battery, Be very careful and think hard if you are interested in an electric car. The downstream costs may bite you in the ass.

[@rebelcitysports1outlook713]

Very well stated. People that claim no maintenance on EV's are regurgitating propaganda.

[@anthonyc1883]

You're sure? Using a Prius as an example, which admittedly is not a full-on EV but does have a big battery pack, those packs have value even at end of life because there are companies that do full refurbishments. I've seen two how-to-replace videos in which a dead Prius battery is turned in for a decent credit on a refurbed unit. Junkyards know that there's a market for old battery packs and I don't think a consumer is going to have to pay them to dispose of a car.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

I think EVs and probably even hybrids will completely flop in the coming years. Once the batteries lose capacity and drive units wear out EVs will be junked on the side of the road with the tags and VIN plates removed.

[@anthonyc1883]

@@user-tb7rn1il3q The Prius hit the market 21 years ago, and while admittedly not many of the original generation were sold in the first 2-3 years they started selling like hotcakes almost immediately thereafter. So in your estimation, how soon are we going to see all those early 15-18 year old models "junked on the side of the road with the tags and VIN plates removed?" Honest question.

[@markwilliams5654]

Yer cos you guys don't know how to work on a car your just a journalist it's funny to watch don't even have any car qualifications...

[@kc0lif]

within 15 years the hybrids and electric cars will break down people realize that electric cars and hybrid is a fad. #hellcat

[@Fire91ful]

You do realize that car is 23 years old and still running the streets with 70mpg

[@markwilliams5654]

You get a thumbs down for this fake content 🤣😂

[@FordTough2013]

I'm not first, but definitely early.

[@williamdrijver4141]

A car not worth fixing or making a video about. Just get rid of it!