Unfortunately, no. The battery module contains circuitry necessary for the DC-DC converter to operate and keep the 12V system charged.

 

If you go to car-part.com, you will find one in a junkyard. Expect to pay 300 to 500. And you can find out the mileage on the car it came from. Believe me, they are out there.

 

I found my way here for the same reason. My 2001 Insight recently had the battery pack completely fail. We have been driving it with the IMA light on for the past year... but it finally 100% failed.

Our dealership quoted us a price to replace the battery pack around $4500. They said the reason it is so high is that the early Insights now have several OTHER necessary parts that connect to the battery pack that must be upgraded to be compatible with the newer battery packs. What this means to us is that it wasn't worth it to us to put more money in to this car. it has been a good car but we decided to go with the Honda Fit.

So, we have a 2001 Automatic Honda Insight in good condition (tires are less than 2 years old, has been well cared for) but doesnt' have a working battery pack. Can anyone help me with how much I could try to sell this car for as a private sale? The dealership wouldn't give me much of anything on a trade in.

thanks!

 

NOTE:
Because of a class action settlement, the warranty extension coverage for the IMA battery module on 2002-04 Insights purchased or leased between April 13, 2002, and November 7, 2006, is now 10 years or 157,500 miles, whichever occurs first. For more information, refer to Service Bulletin 06-085 Warranty Extension: Vehicle Warranty Mileage.

To ensure continued reliability with the IMA system, American Honda is announcing an IMA battery module warranty extension for certain 2000-04 Insights. The IMA battery module is now covered for 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. This warranty extension applies to the 43 states not already covered by Service Bulletin 06-027, Warranty Extension: IMA Battery

 

You may want to try http://www.hybridhvbattery.com/

 

We talked to our Honda dealer last fall and they had no information about any warranty extension.
It seemed like we didnt qualify.
has something changed since then?

 

We bought our car in 2001,. So our warranty is finished becuase we have had our car for 12 years.

 

There are several reasons (trouble codes) that can turn on the IMA light.
My 2000 MT now has 140,000+ miles on the original hybrid battery.

I get the IMA light occasionally and have for several years.
Sometimes it is just a light with a code (replace battery soon).
Sometimes with very vigorous use in the mountains the IMA light comes on and assist and regen are disabled and a different code (ex. replace battery now) comes on.

I find disconnecting the 12v battery resets both types of IMA light and the car goes back to normal.

I can tell the battery has about 25% or 35% of the capacity it used to.
It can't give much boost on hills, and it can't take much regen either.
But it still works as a daily driver after 13 years..

Worst thing is to let it sit. The self discharge ratevon mine is pretty high now.
Sitting a week is ok two weeks is not.

HTH,
John

 

"The dealer is currently contacting Honda to get a firm price for the replacement and they will let me know on Monday."

Wow, the service writer, who has access to other insight records, as well as pricing of product and flat rates, can/should be able to give you a good estimate based on the diagnostics (Honda has great diagnostics) what the cost is. He told you around $5k. Ok, what more do you need, except to go along with the initial sticker shock, them letting you digest the cost and then add a few extra $'s since you're big in the hot water now.
Since that car is out of warranty, WHY are you going back to the dealer? You know now what the problem is, I would think you would be shopping around for the best deal on a replacement. Call around and let HONDA know what you can get it done for and let them price match. A new battery can only make the resale value of the car increase. Generally you can get this done for at least 2/3 of that price.