Just as a quick note.

AT-ZPEV is a standard set forth by the EPA, and is used in those states mentioned above. Other states use BIN 2, or SULEV, also set by the EPA. The only difference I believe is name, so technically you're right in saying they all are. Thing is, in those states, the extended warranty is forced onto the cars because of the laws. Thats just the cost of doing business in those states. Its meant to protect us, the consumers.

Hi, I just went to the Phila Car show, and asked the local Honda Dealer, how much to replace my battery cell. He said it would be about the same amount of money I got as a tax credit from Uncle Sam. Which was $2100.00.

I just now called my Dealer I take my 05 Honda Civic to, and asked the Parts guy Josh, how much for the Battery pack behind my rear seat. He quoted me a price on Feb. 11,2008 of $4878.41.

So now I know. And that does not include the installation.

I can confirm that price, anywhere between 4K and 6K (I'm not sure why the big price difference between several dealers). Check out these links:

For repair:

http://www.auto-careers.org/local_hybrid_shops.html

Of interest:

http://www.hybridcars.com/economics/hidden-costs.html

I currently have an '03 in need of a battery pack....

the battery was one of many reasons i got the extended warranty on mine. not to mention, they claim it covers all electrical components, and we all know, the HCH has quite a few. Only $100 deducitable from what I recall, which is still a steal if anything big goes out of factory warranty.

How many miles do you have on it?

Mine is a 2003, with 136K on the clock. I bought it used, the original owner had it serviced religiously (i have all the records). Not even a month after I had it, check engine light and IMA light came on. I called her, she said she hadn't had any problems with it.

To add just a little bit to the story, after I'd looked at the car, but before I bought it, I called American Honda, and suggested that the only thing that I was really worried about was having to replace the IMA battery pack. The rep that I talked with said, and I quote "if anything happens to it, give us a call and we'll work something out".

Well, when this problem did crop up, the new rep that I talked with suggested that she really didn't think that there was anything that they could do since it was out of warranty, but she would take the details down.

I won't judge American Honda yet, but she didn't sound too encouraging. And I do realize that I'm responsible for what I've bought, but a repair that could easily run over 4K would really make me think twice before buying a new one, or any other one for that matter. I'll update this link if and when they get back to me.

Jeff

I will be away often on business travel exceeding weeks and maybe over
a month. What do I need to do to manage and preserve the battery?
The manual mentions that permanent damage can occur when the car sits
for more than a month.

Is the only issue one of having someone stop by to check the charge
meter not dropping below 50%? If not what do I need to do?

Your biggest problem is the 12 V battery.

Either disconnect it, plug a battery tender to the 12V battery, or have someone drive the car once a week for 10 minutes.

The NiMH battery should fare OK for a month or so provided that the above is taken care of first.

Cheers;

MSantos

"Mine is a 2003, with 136K on the clock.....Not even a month after I had it, check engine light and IMA light came on."

Wow That's pretty rare, especially with only 136k miles. If anyone wants to know just how reliable the HCH is, go to Consumer Rerports. They recently featured the reliability of all the different cars and how they stacked up. The Honda Civic Hybrid was MUCH more reliable than all the others. The Prius and other hybrids also got signifigantly better scores than the rest.

THe reason I think hydrids are this reliable is because 1) Japanese car companies make them and 2) I think they are over-engineered because they don't want reliability issues to tain their hybrid nameplate.

From what I have read from forums and the like, it seems to me that a HCH II (SECOND gen.) would have the battery back replaced once over a lifetime of 300k miles over 10 years.

However, If you drive a HCH like a sports car in the mountains in the freezing cold, of coruse, you can expect the battery to die much sooner than that. But, under any normal conditions, I'd think that the battery back would last for a looong time. (Warning: this is just my opinion as an enthusiast. I do not own a HCH [yet])