I bought a 2004 HCH 1 5-speed this week from a dealer. It is silver.

It has 113,500 miles on it. There is an occasional shudder from start, there is a wheel bearing that will need to be replaced soon, and the CEL is on with a P0404. Auto-stop works correctly, the IMA seems to charge and discharge appropriately, and there are surprisingly few creaks/rattles/etc.

I have always been concerned that the extra initial cost of a hybrid system, plus the additional maintenance of that system, would outweigh any efficiency gains. But I needed something efficient, and this was my choice over the other Civic-Corolla-ish things that I drove.

I'll update this thread with my economy and maintenance experience as the miles go by. For reference, my daily commute is roughly 30 miles each way, with two 500' elevation changes and some more gradual ups and downs. I live in zip 01011 and commute to 01111, and average about 25,000 miles/year.

Still on my first tank of fuel, so not much to say about that right now, though the dash tells me I have averaged 45.7 mpg over the last 175 or so miles. Not sure how accurate that is.

I'll keep you posted.

Chris

 

I'm at 250 miles now, about midway through my first tank of fuel. The dashboard says 46.1 mpg average. Oddly, that mpg indicator seems to jump in intervals of .4 mpg. I thought it would go up or down by tenths, but it doesn't. Strange.

I ordered a set of snow tires for the car, and will pick up four General Altimax Arctic (non-studded) tomorrow from the TireRack warehouse in Windsor, CT. No shipping is always nice.

Tire pressure on the current tires is set at 32 psi. The snows will be set at 42, and so will the summer tires when I take off the snows in the spring.

The shudder from start seems to be related to super-low rpm take-offs. Not sure if it is a flaw in my driving style and I just need to get used to the car, or it is a flaw in the transmission.

Chris

 

I've never heard of anyone experiencing a shudder with a manual; usually it's the CVT that's infamous for that. Sometimes a transmission fluid change helps a bit. Or maybe you'll see a change when you put new tires on the car.

I think you'll like the Altimax Arctic snow tires. I have Nokians on my car, but I put Altimax Arctics on both of my kids' cars, and they are really nice tires. I usually keep my tires at about 40-42 PSI.

It sounds like your car is doing well. I'm not sure what the P0404 code relates to; if I remember I will look that up.

Wishing you good luck with your new car.

 

Thanks.

The P0404 is an EGR code that is covered under the warranty from the used car dealer. In MA, the dealer needs to ensure that all cars over $700 pass inspection. No biggie.

When I have the tires mounted this week I will have the transmission fluid flushed and changed.

 

46.3 mpg from my first tank. Pretty fun to watch the dash indicator clicking up and down.

Snow tires are being installed tomorrow, along with an oil change and transmission fluid change. I did not adjust the tire pressure on the first tank of fuel - tires were at 32 from the dealer - but on the new set of tires I will set it at 42 psi.

Chris

 

Make sure they use 0-20w motor oil. Since I have a CTV, I don't know what type of trans fluid applies to the manual trans.

Good avg for your first tank!

 

Quick update from the OP.

I have driven 4,500 miles or so, and the car is still fantastic. The EGR was fixed, and there are no issues with the car now at all.

Lifetime average for me is at 44.6 mpg. Most of these are on snow tires, which are not LRR, and in winter temps.

I'll be curious to see how the efficiency changes during warmer weather and with greener tires. Snow tires are designed for grip and friction, after all.

Chris

 

Congrats on your 'new' HCH, sounds like you are getting decent MPG numbers considering the cold and the snow tires.

Curious as to which tires your car came with, as I noticed a 10mpg drop in mileage after I let a tire dealer talk me into buying a new set of tires (which I returned, as the tire dealer promised I would see an improvement in my mileage with his recommended tire). I'm back to the original factory tire type. In warm weather I get 60+ mpg at 60mph, but I milk it for max mileage. Winter temps cost me 5-10 mpg, but you're in a colder area.

Are you still experiencing the shuddering from start issue? Does it occur only while releasing the clutch, which would indicate a worn clutch? Otherwise would like to hear what it turned out to be (that bearing you mentioned?, a CV joint?).

Have fun, it's a nice car.

 

I am running General Altimax RTs for the summer. Good tire, and the jump to an LRR tire was not cost effective.

The shudder at startup turned out to be a loose mount on the front end, and was fixed after tightening a bolt. There has been no further issue.

My CEL and IMA lights came on about a month ago, when the car hit around 130,000 miles. Battery capacity has slowly gotten worse, and the charge and assist has dropped to almost nothing. I brought it to the dealer today and was absolutely shocked to discover that the warranty on my IMA battery covers me for 11 years or 170,000 miles. The dealer ordered a new battery and I should have it back sometime next week. For a used car I paid $4250 for, this is fantastic news!

Chris

 

Update from the OP...

I have 191,000 miles on the car now, and it still runs great. Dealer replaced the IMA battery about 60k ago, and I have had no further problems with it.

It has been a great car!

I rent it out on www.relayrides.com in Phoenix, and have made quite a bit of $ from it. I still drive it myself occasionally, but ride my motorcycle or bicycle most of the time.