Hi there,

I just got HCH II (Mag Pearl) yesterday evening. So far so, I love it.

I have yet to go through my manual but I do have few questions and your experience as long time owner might help me out.

So here they are ...

• Is there any precaution I need to take in particular, as a new owner?
• Are there any techniques I need to know to get the best MPG?
• Use cruise control or not for 1st few hundreds mile?
• Should I have bought extended warranty ($1075 for 120,000 miles)?

Those and any other tips that you can think would might help me out.

Thanks, appreciate your help,
mikoo

"Is there any precaution I need to take in particular, as a new owner?"

yes, always keep your car clean!!!. jk aside. For the first 600 miles, dont race it. Try to keep the rpms fluctuating (not hard to do), and dont brake hard.

The manual says to go easy on the car for 600 miles (I think it was 600 anyway). The dealer said it didn't matter as long as you don't use the cruise control, but I generally don't trust dealers or salesmen. Just drive it easy and vary your speeds for the first tank or so and you'll be fine.

Welcome! I'm only 800 miles ahead of you on my new Mag Pearl. Here's the best article for getting good mpg:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1306


The dealer finance person offered the extended warranty, but it was about 50% more expensive than that! ($1550+) I told them that I was buying a Honda because of their proven reliability, so I had no interest in such insurance. She told me, "Okay, I'll give you that for the engine, but this is a hybrid. There's a lot of electrics that can go wrong there." I had trouble not laughing at that. ELECTRICS! LOL Extended warranties are a personal decision. But for me, the answer is always 'No'.

Enjoy your new car!

Rob

What's even more funny is that those ELECTRICS are covered by an 8/80 warranty already.

I am of the school of thought that says not to buy insurance against losses you can afford, but my wife is a big fan of warranties. Therefore, we have extended warranties on both the HCH and the MMH.

I really don't understand the "no cruise" suggestion. Unless you are driving with cruise on a flat road for a long time, your engine is going to vary in RPM almost constantly--that is the nature of a CVT. Besides, if you drive a constant engine speed WITHOUT the cruise on, wouldn't that be just as damaging as driving WITH the cruise on? I put about as much stock in that as I would when the dealer tells me that 3,000 mile oil changes are a good idea...

Commuter car, grocery getter, and summer road tripper--average 10k miles per year.


Winter road trips and ski trips, bad weather commuter and my wife's "daily" driver--expected average 4k miles per year.

I noticed that if I drive and keep the MPG display around 50 mpg..I actually get 50+ mpg on the trip.

Also, I have been averaging 62 MPG going no faster than 64 mph. When I am up to 70 mph, my MPG goes down...also, I do not use the AUTO for the A\C...I drop 10 MPG when I use the AC

Sean Symons
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www.seansymons.com

Welcome to the club my friend! My HCHII is barely a week old and I already have over 1000 miles on it from just trying to learn how to drive it better! :-)

Its a ton of fun to try and get the best mileage, although be careful to always pay attention to the road and your sorroundings. I have found that staring at the iFCD is an easy way to not see the guy in front of you slam the brakes on and almost miss hitting him... Not that I have done that a few times ;-)