[JK919]

i wish they didn’t put that orange tab on the end of the dipstick. I can’t read that thing.


Will the car display a warning if the oil is overfilled? Just curious.

 

[hasarad]

i wish they didn’t put that orange tab on the end of the dipstick. I can’t read that thing.


Will the car display a warning if the oil is overfilled? Just curious.

I totally agree about the orange tip on the dipstick - horrible choice. There is no overfill/underfill warning as far as I know. When I change the oil, i add exactly 3.5 quarts (includes filter change w/o prefill). The level is exactly in the middle of the dipstick range. I've done 7 oil changes between two Insights, and it's worked perfectly for both.

 

[andrew28]

Will the car display a warning if the oil is overfilled? Just curious.

Warning available for low oil pressure only.

 

[AllBlackTouring19]

I totally agree about the orange tip on the dipstick - horrible choice. There is no overfill/underfill warning as far as I know. When I change the oil, i add exactly 3.5 quarts (includes filter change w/o prefill). The level is exactly in the middle of the dipstick range. I've done 7 oil changes between two Insights, and it's worked perfectly for both.

I dont know what the complaint is about the orange dipstick, works perfectly fine. Its better to not fill the full 3.5 initially, to avoid overfilling. I fill about 3.1 quarts, drive the car for a few miles then shut it off and check the level. Then top off to near the full level. The orange dipstick works perfectly fine, just make sure to dry it really well after removing it, then reinsert it and take it back out to check the level. Wherever the dry point is it at top of the orange plastic, is where the level is at.

 

[Jacob M]

1) What oil did you use?
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1/mobil-1-advanced-fuel-economy (5-qt jug available at Walmart)

2) What oil filter does the insight take?
Was using K&N PS-1010, but I've switched to genuine Honda 15400-PLM-A02 since I found a deal online on a lot of 6 a month or two ago.

3) What brand of ceramic coat did you use? Did you diy that or have a shop do it?
9HMR-FIX. Bought online (forgot where). I did the application myself in September of last year. I garage my car at home and park under cover at work, so the coating hasn't really been abused. Specs say I'd need to reapply every 6 months. So far, the initial coat is still going strong.

Any mpg gains with AFE? Or can I go amsoil as aswell

 

[DiegoFrogs]

On my first oil change I started by decanting 1.5 quarts of the 5 quart jug into a high quality 2 quart container for storage for the next change, and used the original container to transport the used oil back for disposal.

During that interval I noticed that the cheap $4 one gallon (4 quart) jug of windshield washer fluid that was jostling around in my trunk over 6 months was actually pretty robust, leak free, with the locking cap, and made of high density polyethylene (HDPE), which is reasonably chemical resistant. Purchasing such a jug in low volumes without the fluid would likely be several times more expensive. Jug was similar in quality and construction to the 2 quart jugs I had bought to store various automotive fluids in the garage of my elderly parents where I do this work.

This most recent time I emptied the remains of a jug of washer fluid into its reservoir, water rinsed the jug and allowed it to air dry for a week or so. Then I marked it with yellow tape and labels and used it as the return jug, which my local store insists that you just leave on a cart for them to handle, and then bought another gallon of cold weather washer fluid. The 3.5 quart volume is approximately 88% of a gallon, so it works perfectly for transport and there were no drips in my secondary container in the trunk. Now I have three quarts of leftover good oil in the OEM jug for the next time in six months.

That's one of the nice things about the low 3.5 quart volume requirement - I reuse something that would otherwise be trash.

 

[vekayo]

I live in a rural area, and end up doing all my own routine maintenance on my vehicles (both out of necessity and a desire to see things done correctly). I've been looking into the Insight engine's needs in preparation for servicing it.

The Honda 15400-PLM-A02 is a average-quality filter made by Honeywell. It is semi-universal and used by a lot of Honda's engines (for instance, the same filter is used in Honda mini-vans, Acura NSX's, and on both small 50 hp and large 225 hp outboard motors). The "marine" version of it is the 15400-PLM-A02PE (PE for "power equipment").

It has unfortunately replaced the 15400-PLM-A01, which was a better built filter made by Filtech. There are still a few online retailers selling the Filtech model (which is still made for international markets). As others have noted, there are also knock-off filters of unknown quality painted blue and sold on Ebay and Amazon as direct replacements. If you can find them, there are also some very, very high quality Japanese-made Denso filters with the same model # (usually painted black).

On my car, I will likely switch over to the equivalent Mobil 1 or the high-end Fram UltraGuard filters Mechanic service (but not Fram's low end filters) when I begin tackling maintenance. Wal Mart carries both and they usually run $8.99 and $9.99 (living rural, my retail options are limited!) IMO, both are higher quality than the Honeywell filter.

Yes, you can definitely do your own oil change on the Insight. There’s a plastic underbody panel (splash shield) you’ll need to remove or partially drop to access the drain plug and oil filter. It’s usually held in by several plastic clips or 10mm bolts. Once you remove that panel, the drain plug and filter are easy to reach—both are located near the front-center area of the engine. Having a small trim removal tool helps with the clips. Once it's off, the process is standard. Just be sure to replace the clips properly to avoid rattling later.