[Doogie]

What gives? I just bought this car a month ago. Straight from the dealer, about 240 miles on it when I took ownership. I noticed the oil life was at 30% when I took delivery (I wasn't sure if that meant 30% Used or 30% left....)

I read on here about how the oil sensors keep track of the oil life, no longer relying on just mileage...since the ICE doesn't run the same way as in a regular car.. so I figured... eh? The oil life must be where it's at when I picked up the car because of the many test drives it endured with people stomping the gas to see how it performed....and that probably contributed to the wierd oil life setting.

But now, at 1245 Miles, tonight the Maintenance light comes on and the oil life is at 15%? Huh? I drive very economically, (love the free battery charge I get coming to a paddle shift coast down a long hill .

Hiccup? Or something more serious? Obviously I'll be calling the dealer tomorrow...

Thoughts?

Doogie

 

[insightfully]

Maybe the 'original' maintenance minder wasn't properly set/reset from the factory...? Or maybe the oil life calculation algorithm is off (e.g. software glitch)? 30% means oil life left (vs oil life used). The Insight tracks factors indirectly and has a calculation algorithm; it does not do any monitoring of direct oil chemistry or properties.

Keep us posted on what you learn from the dealer...

 

[andrew28]

What gives? I just bought this car a month ago. Straight from the dealer, about 240 miles on it when I took ownership. I noticed the oil life was at 30% when I took delivery (I wasn't sure if that meant 30% Used or 30% left....)

I read on here about how the oil sensors keep track of the oil life, no longer relying on just mileage...since the ICE doesn't run the same way as in a regular car.. so I figured... eh? The oil life must be where it's at when I picked up the car because of the many test drives it endured with people stomping the gas to see how it performed....and that probably contributed to the wierd oil life setting.

But now, at 1245 Miles, tonight the Maintenance light comes on and the oil life is at 15%? Huh? I drive very economically, (love the free battery charge I get coming to a paddle shift coast down a long hill .

Hiccup? Or something more serious? Obviously I'll be calling the dealer tomorrow...

Thoughts?

Doogie

Check the driver's door jamb label for the manufacture date on your Insight. Also check the oil quality and level with the dipstick.

 

[Doogie]

Check the driver's door jamb label for the manufacture date on your Insight. Also check the oil quality and level with the dipstick.

This might be it. Manufactured 5/18. Wow.. must have sat on the lot a lot longer than I thought! I guess the percentage is due strictly to age/

Wonder if I can get the dealer to spring for a free oil change. I mean really? 30 days after purchase? We'll see...

 

[andrew28]

This might be it. Manufactured 5/18. Wow.. must have sat on the lot a lot longer than I thought! I guess the percentage is due strictly to age/

Wonder if I can get the dealer to spring for a free oil change. I mean really? 30 days after purchase? We'll see...

Would you mind telling us what the last 6 digits of your VIN is? With a manufactured date of 5/18 you probably have one of the first batch of Insights made as production started. Interesting that we are currently discussing with @JK919 whether he should go forward with buying a 1 year old new Insight sitting at the dealership lot.

 

[insightfully]

This might be it. Manufactured 5/18. Wow.. must have sat on the lot a lot longer than I thought! I guess the percentage is due strictly to age/

Wonder if I can get the dealer to spring for a free oil change. I mean really? 30 days after purchase? We'll see...

Ah - I think this confirms my theory on the "time counter" part of the oil life calculation, trumping any other measurements for distance or use. https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/153-powertrain-technical-discussion/194-1st-oil-change-7.html

Hope you get a free oil change out of this. But try to identify and agree upon what type of oil you'll be getting. We believe cars come from the factory with a special oil formulation containing high molybdenum content (800 ppm, anti-wear additive) for the break-in period. Ask for the Idemitsu Synthetic.

The following threads are long (multiple pages), but worth reading to try to avoid mpg decrease after oil change:
https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/153-powertrain-technical-discussion/2678-significant-drop-mpg-after-1st-oil-change.html
https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/153-powertrain-technical-discussion/194-1st-oil-change-2.html

 

[JK919]

My oil was at 100% when I picked the car up today, so I think they changed it out. AGM battery was replaced as well. Build date of 8/18, bought it today 7/20/19.

 

[Verdier]

It really seems that Honda didn't push the sale of this car as hard as they should. I really think we could have seen a lot more of them on the road if Honda had been more agressive with sales on this car.

 

[Wifey'sInsight]

This might be it. Manufactured 5/18. Wow.. must have sat on the lot a lot longer than I thought! I guess the percentage is due strictly to age/

Wonder if I can get the dealer to spring for a free oil change. I mean really? 30 days after purchase? We'll see...

You can always send the oil off to Blackstone for analysis. It isn't free, but it's invaluable information.

Blackstone Website

 

[Doogie]

Would you mind telling us what the last 6 digits of your VIN is? With a manufactured date of 5/18 you probably have one of the first batch of Insights made as production started. Interesting that we are currently discussing with @JK919 whether he should go forward with buying a 1 year old new Insight sitting at the dealership lot.

Sure, 001254

Honestly, Had I thought to check the manufacturer date I would have been more aggressive in my offer, but 21,500 was acceptable to me. It only had 240ish miles on it, and was in the showroom. No idea if it was there for the entire year or not, but was 1 of 2 red ones in the city, so I pretty much decided to buy it before I got there.

I friend told me to bring up "PPI" or PrePurchase Inspection or something like that, to get the free oil change. To be honest, I'm kinda relieved it's just an age thing, not "The Crankshaft is grinding itself through the bearings and the oil sensors are picking up on that" :grin:

Now to install a camera under the hood or mark the oil filter somehow to make sure the dealer doesn't just "Say" they did they free oil change... :grin:

 

[insightfully]

Honestly, Had I thought to check the manufacturer date I would have been more aggressive in my offer, but 21,500 was acceptable to me. It only had 240ish miles on it, and was in the showroom. No idea if it was there for the entire year or not, but was 1 of 2 red ones in the city, so I pretty much decided to buy it before I got there.

Great news that it was in the climate-controlled showroom for (at least) some of the time while on the lot... that's practically garaging it overnight for you, before purchase.

 

[andrew28]

My oil was at 100% when I picked the car up today, so I think they changed it out. AGM battery was replaced as well. Build date of 8/18, bought it today 7/20/19.

You should also ask them to give you a free brake fluid change. It's recommended by Honda every 3 years but yours will be due in 2 years if they kept the original factory brake fluid. Did they also give you fresh gas? I'm curious how your Insight will do without the factory oil so keep us updated on your ownership experience. Congrats on your new Insight and enjoy it!

The one I ended up buying had actually only been on the lot for a few weeks so he got top profit off of it and he still didn’t want to sell it. So weird.

Check the window sticker to see which dealership is listed as the original intended dealership. It could be a swap from 1 or more dealerships. Swaps are done by an employee driving the vehicle from one dealership to the next. So it could had bounced around from more than one dealership and racked up some miles. The dealership that sells a "swap" car doesn't get the holdback(2% of MSRP, 3% if car remains unsold for 3+ months), only the original dealership gets it, so another reason why they might not want to sell it(hoping to swap it for a more profitable car).

Sure, 001254

Honestly, Had I thought to check the manufacturer date I would have been more aggressive in my offer, but 21,500 was acceptable to me. It only had 240ish miles on it, and was in the showroom. No idea if it was there for the entire year or not, but was 1 of 2 red ones in the city, so I pretty much decided to buy it before I got there.

I friend told me to bring up "PPI" or PrePurchase Inspection or something like that, to get the free oil change. To be honest, I'm kinda relieved it's just an age thing, not "The Crankshaft is grinding itself through the bearings and the oil sensors are picking up on that" :grin:

Now to install a camera under the hood or mark the oil filter somehow to make sure the dealer doesn't just "Say" they did they free oil change... :grin:

I didn't want to repeat myself but some of my replies above can apply to your situation. :smile:

You got Insight #1254, which I think is the lowest VIN reported here for the US so far. :surprise:

 

[Doogie]

So, Good news, the dealership was very nice and absolutely said they will replace the oil and filter, and give me a coupon for a free 2nd oil change to boot, and run it through the Pre-Delivery Checklist again. THey mentioned checking the brakes and all the fluids, and replace all the engine air filter and cabin filters. (not sure how deep they'll go with that, but they were super friendly, even apologetic a bit, so I'm satisfied they made it right.

I did find the pre-delivery checklist (from June 2018) in the Glovebox, signed by a tech at the dealer, and it was only half-completed (or he only half checked off the list). They said that cars that go in the showroom don't always get completed because sometimes the batteries are left disconnected because it's inside. Normally, once a person buys the car, they come back to pick it up after the loan is approved a few hours later, and that is when the car goes through the final part of the checklist.

We paid cash, and they literally moved some chairs and tables to get it out of the dealership lobby for us to take home. (But not without taking it up to the local gas station first to fill up the tank)

So all in all, I'm happy.

Doogie