[J0j0yum]

Anyone have suggestions for protecting the car from. The scapes of parking?

The Insight is slightly longer then my husbands Nissan Rogue but his car is higher. If I get too close in parking spaces, the bottom hits the cement block and I hear a nasty scrape sound backing out. I’ve noticed that other SUV’s and crossovers are able to park beyond the cement block and still have clearance.

If there is something in place or that I can do to protect the area, that would be great. Don’t want to mess up something.

 

[tylers65]

It's just something you have to get used to. You have to park further back from the curb in a car than in an SUV as ground clearance just isn't there. Wife already put a scratch in hers because she was used to driving a Ford Explorer.

 

[J0j0yum]

It's just something you have to get used to. You have to park further back from the curb in a car than in an SUV as ground clearance just isn't there. Wife already put a scratch in hers because she was used to driving a Ford Explorer.

It’s already at the end of the space line when I do that. 😳😮

Guess it’s ok for places I go often and just need to be extra careful with places I go for the first time or less often.

 

[48laws]

or you can back the car in

 

[Mr. Natural]

or you can back the car in

lol!

 

[insightfully]

Just experienced my first curb scrape today, while aligning myself in parking spot next to other sedans right next to me. Apparently many other sedans (not just SUVs) have better clearance than the Insight. :sad:

I'm seriously considering backing into all parking spots from this point forward. I hoped the parking sensors would help, but they are mounted too high to trigger a warning.

Link to similar thread on "ground clearance" is below, since it's not showing up as related:
https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/7-2019-honda-insight-general-discussion/636-ground-clearance.html

 

[BILLBOGEY]

I just got my first curb scrape several days ago. My last 2 vehicles were a Honda FIT and HRV so curb scrapes not occurring. I agree that backing in when you must with curbs seems best idea. I try to park where I do not have to back up, parking lots are dangerous places to drive in. Look twice, move once.

 

[andrew28]

I had this happen to my car recently(see attached pics). Discovered it(Monday) when I was drying my car with a towel after exiting out of a car wash. I thought it was the car wash that caused it but after reviewing video footage and walking through the car wash with the manager. I can't definitively say it was the car wash and I'm not even sure where I could had scraped it where it could had made 3 deep cuts like that. As of right now I'm waiting for an estimate from a Honda certified collision center. Pains me to see this happen to my car after only 1 month of ownership. The only thing positive about this right now is that I can't see it when standing, only when kneeling down towards the car, so I might leave it as-is depending on the estimate. The rest of the car has no damage including the front bottom, just the front right, and left bottom side.

 

[Honda2019]

I had this happen to my car recently(see attached pics). Discovered it(Monday) when I was drying my car with a towel after exiting out of a car wash. I thought it was the car wash that caused it but after reviewing video footage and walking through the car wash with the manager. I can't definitively say it was the car wash and I'm not even sure where I could had scraped it where it could had made 3 deep cuts like that. As of right now I'm waiting for an estimate from a Honda certified collision center. Pains me to see this happen to my car after only 1 month of ownership. The only thing positive about this right now is that I can't see it when standing, only when kneeling down towards the car, so I might leave it as-is depending on the estimate. The rest of the car has no damage including the front bottom, just the front right, and left bottom side.

Ouch! Sorry about the damage Andrew. Looks like something dug into the plastic underside of your front fender and marked it up like a cat claw taking down prey. I think that is just the plastic part of the fender, so you shouldn't have to worry about rust if I am not mistaken should you decide not to repair it. I have been very cautious when parking so as not to go over the concrete blocks at the end of parking spaces, but given how low the Insight rides, it is just a matter of time before we all experience something similar to what you have (even running over road debris at highway speeds is likely to do this).

 

[andrew28]

Ouch! Sorry about the damage Andrew. Looks like something dug into the plastic underside of your front fender and marked it up like a cat claw taking down prey. I think that is just the plastic part of the fender, so you shouldn't have to worry about rust if I am not mistaken should you decide not to repair it. I have been very cautious when parking so as not to go over the concrete blocks at the end of parking spaces, but given how low the Insight rides, it is just a matter of time before we all experience something similar to what you have (even running over road debris at highway speeds is likely to do this).

Yeah, I was told by the employee at the collision center that it is just cosmetic. No rust will happen due to that part being plastic. I can't really see it when standing but just knowing that it is there is bugging me. It just depends on if it is bugging me enough and the chance that I would scrape it in the future vs the estimate cost of the repair. I have experience driving my previous Civic(made so many mistakes on that car) so I have been really careful when parking with the Insight(I don't pull all the way in, will park car, and move it again if I'm too far out. Park away from other cars and shopping carts when possible. Always use the right passenger mirror when parking near a curb on the right. Open driver door to check curb when parking on the left side.). Not a single scratch on my wheels or the front bottom bumper. Just the far left and right bottom side of the bumper... The only thing I could think of is when I went up an uneven entry way into a shopping plaza slightly faster than I should have 2 weeks ago. I'm still confused as to what could had made that cat claw like scratch even if that was the case. :sad:

 

[insightfully]

Yeah, I was told by the employee at the collision center that it is just cosmetic. No rust will happen due to that part being plastic. I can't really see it when standing but just knowing that it is there is bugging me. It just depends on if it is bugging me enough and the chance that I would scrape it in the future vs the estimate cost of the repair... The only thing I could think of is when I went up an uneven entry way into a shopping plaza slightly faster than I should have 2 weeks ago. I'm still confused as to what could had made that cat claw like scratch even if that was the case. :sad:

Wow, that's pretty gnarly... and so unfortunate given the lengths you took to protect the finish. I can't even begin to guess what causes those 'claw' scratches, but I'd think there would be a pretty wrenching sound that accompanied those marks which you would have noticed. Maybe something happened while digging out of the snow/plowing, while you weren't around -?

 

[andrew28]

Wow, that's pretty gnarly... and so unfortunate given the lengths you took to protect the finish. I can't even begin to guess what causes those 'claw' scratches, but I'd think there would be a pretty wrenching sound that accompanied those marks which you would have noticed. Maybe something happened while digging out of the snow/plowing, while you weren't around -?

I normally have music playing at volume of 10 when driving but nothing loud comes to mind that would had made me pull over immediately to check it out. The only time where I heard a scrape sound was when I entered that shopping plaza with the uneven/bump pedestrian sidewalk. I underestimated that bump cause snow/ice was covering some of it. I did do a walk around(without kneeling down) right after parking but didn't see any damage. I'm just thankful whatever scraped that area didn't damage my tire or the rest of the car.

 

[andrew28]

I just got the estimate for the repair. It will be around $700... I'm leaning towards leaving it as-is cause I can't see it when standing and there's a good chance I will scrape it again in the future.

 

[insightfully]

I just got the estimate for the repair. It will be around $700... I'm leaning towards leaving it as-is cause I can't see it when standing and there's a good chance I will scrape it again in the future.

Sorry to hear! It's times like this I wish there was an "un-like" button, for the $700 amount. The dealer replaced my front and rear bumpers to complete the parking sensor accessory a few months ago. Too bad the spare bumpers aren't still around to offer you the spares...

 

[andrew28]

Sorry to hear! It's times like this I wish there was an "un-like" button, for the $700 amount. The dealer replaced my front and rear bumpers to complete the parking sensor accessory a few months ago. Too bad the spare bumpers aren't still around to offer you the spares...

That's interesting... I thought they just drill holes in a few places on the bumpers to install the parking sensors.



I will probably go ahead with the repair in the summer. I should be more familiar driving the car by then. Still kind of iffy on how wide the car actually is when driving it. After thinking about where I could had scraped the bottom of the bumpers. It could had been at this parking garage where the road is really compact with 2 raised sidewalks and I had to make a curve towards the ticket machine. Probably misjudged the curve of the raised sidewalk, along with how wide the car is, and scraped the bumper. This was within 1 week of buying the car so probably expensive noob mistake right there.

 

[ScottyWM]

Sorry to hear! It's times like this I wish there was an "un-like" button, for the $700 amount. The dealer replaced my front and rear bumpers to complete the parking sensor accessory a few months ago. Too bad the spare bumpers aren't still around to offer you the spares...

I, too, thought they just drilled the holes for the sensors. Are you saying they replaced the bumpers with ones already having the sensors installed? (I've been wanting to add the parking sensors.) So if you don't mind, how much did it end up costing? The sensor package seems to be about $500, then if they add ~ $700 for bumpers, then add labor?

 

[insightfully]

I, too, thought they just drilled the holes for the sensors. Are you saying they replaced the bumpers with ones already having the sensors installed? (I've been wanting to add the parking sensors.) So if you don't mind, how much did it end up costing? The sensor package seems to be about $500, then if they add ~ $700 for bumpers, then add labor?

The installation process is pretty involved - check out a video at this link for time lapse perspective of self-install by AMCooper63, comments from a parallel forum, and the 45-page installation instructions:
https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/564-2019-honda-insight-accessories-add-ons/448-parking-sensors-3.html
https://www.insightcentral.net/forums/honda-insight-forum-3rd-gen-discussion/122979-dealer-installed-parking-sensors.html
https://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/insight/2019/parkingsensors.pdf

Several things could go wrong so most people recommend that the dealer install. My dealer ended up ordering replacement front/rear fenders and subcontracting to a body shop. The dealer admitted they didn't have/use the right tools or angle to drill the holes, and weren't familiar with the process since the design is new (sensors mount from backside vs outside of fender). YMMV as to experience level of your dealer, whether they subcontract to body shop, and if you'll get new fenders. In my case, I had fenders to spare since the dealer replaced front/back to ensure the sensors were flush with the exterior. So to clarify, there isn't an option to order/buy fenders with the sensors already installed.

Regarding cost - the sensor parts are $300-500, but installation labor is an additional $700-1000. I included the sensors in purchase price for $1100. (I've seen dealer cost sheets ranging from $1500-3500 for these parking sensors.) I find the sensors very useful, since the Insight is much longer and wider than my prior cars. It would have been better if they were already included, as the same design is offered pre-installed on the Accord Touring and Odyssey.

 

[AMCooper63]

The only special tool is a hole punch. 16mm if I remember correctly. I had to buy it special order. All the bumpers have markings on the inside where you drill the pilot hole and then use the punch tool. If you have any mechanical ability, it is not a difficult job. I can also save you time. The procedure has you remove the radio. It is not necessary. The only reason is to pass a ground wire from the driver's side to the passenger side and ground it. The two most difficult part are the front sensors have extremely short leads. Makes it very difficult to put the bumper back on and plug in the sensors. Second issue is following the procedure to initialize the system. You must be very meticulous reading and pressing the correct buttons.

 

[richinsight21]

Front Bumper Anti Scrape Guard

I noticed some unfortunate posts of Insights scraped/scratched from under the front bumper, either due to driveways or sidewalks...I've scraped several times but when I checked I guess the dealer or factory installed a thick rubber guard under the front bumper. So my bumper itself is actually fine, :smile:

 

[insightfully]

Helpful to hear another physical check! Your finding sounds similar to AMCooper63's in this "Ground Clearance" thread... in that the underbody has molded plastic panels directing air flow for aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

But even knowing this... it's STILL traumatic to hear the scraping sounds! It makes my stomach drop...