I have a Honda civic hybrid 2008. The IMA battery was replaced under the warranty at 90,000 miles. Now, my car is 150,000 miles and I am planning to give my car to my dad so he can bring it to France. In Paris, older cars are not allowed to drive on even days because of pollution. So with an hybrid car, my dad will be able to drive any day. But parts (and cars) in France are usually more expensive than in USA, so I'm planning to buy a new IMA battery and put it in the car trunk when the car will ship.
What IMA battery do you advice me to buy?
Online, I saw a remanufactured battery pack for $1200, one with 6.5 amp hour cells for $1800, and one with 8 amp hour cells for $2000. What benefits does the 6.5 amp or 8 amp batteries give over the one with the lower price?
If my dad stores it in his house for, let say 2 years, would the performance of the battery stay the same or degrade?

Also, I saw on eBay a grid charger for $190 that restores IMA battery performance. If I can save money, it would be good, but what are the disadvantages of using a grid charger compared to replacing the battery? time to do it? difficulty to do it? risk of electrocution?

 

I would make a different plan. Even with a new battery, if there's a problem there's likely no way to deal with it.

There is no guarantee a grid charger will work.

 

what other plan?

 

The other plan involves not sending the car to Paris.

BTW.. I missed it the first time around. Letting the car sit for 2 years will kill any battery put in it and void any warranty it may have.

 

The car would never sit for 2 years. I was just planning to ship the car with a spare IMA battery in the trunk, then store the battery in my dad's house. Whenever it's time to replace it, maybe 6 months, maybe 2 years, replace it with the spare IMA battery. So if I store the IMA battery for let say 2 years, is it OK ?
Cars in West Europe is way more expensive than in USA, especially hybrid ones, so it's really a good deal to ship one from USA to Europe, only if you don't pay taxes, which would be the case, because my dad would spend more than 1 year in USA.

 

You have a car with the second worst hybrid battery every made. It is not bad because the cells are bad (those same cells are used in some of the best packs out there), it's because the cooling system is horrible even in mild weather.

You see your car as an asset with value. It is not an asset. It is a burden.

If you let a battery sit for any signficant period of time, you may kill it. Letting a newly purchased battery sit will absolutely void the warranty and almost certainly kill the battery. The Honda manual states that it must be driven every 30 days to prevent damage to the hybrid battery. Sitting in a garage for 6 months is more than 30 days. Two years is more than 30 days. If sitting in a car for more than 30 days is prohibited, sitting in a garage for the same or longer periods is prohibited.

You would be better off buying a used 04-09 prius (recommend 06-07) with 150K miles, replacing the battery now with a brand new one from Toyota. You would likely have another 8-10 years/100K miles of trouble free operation with minimal maintenance. Total invested would be less than $7000 for the car/battery.

I've owned two HCH2. I loved the car itself, but Honda screwed the battery up completely (they actually designed it instead of the cell manufacturer and reliability plummeted). I've processed 15 of their batteries. They're junk.

If you were going to be in the state with ready access to replacements, I'd encourage you to buy a replacement battery. If you're shipping it to Paris where parts supply and maintenance will be far more challenging, don't.

 

In that case, do you think that buying a grid charger and using it on my HCH before shipping it to France would increase the life duration of the existing IMA battery?
The car would travel by boat from USA to France, so I could put the grid charger in the car trunk.
I usually go to France every summer, so I could use the grid charger once a year to extend the life of the IMA battery, if that works.
Also, is it ok to plug a US grid charger on a 220V outlet?
I have another question, not related. Next year, I'd like to buy a 1 or 2 year old Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. Do you know if this minivan has a good IMA battery?

 

(1) A grid charger may or may not work. There are no guarantees. With the older cells in the 00-06 Insight and 03-05 civic, they were generally pretty effective if they were used early, regularly and properly. An 06-11 is not going to respond as favorably because they sustain substantially greater cell damage than the previous versions.

(2) IF it works, this is likely not frequently enough. On an ailing battery, regular grid charging can be needed every 1-3 months with 1-2 discharges per year.

(3) You would have to check with the manufacturer. For the Hybrid Automotive units, I'm 99% positive their power supplies don't care, but I don't know if there are other components that may object. I doubt it, but best to make sure.

(4) "IMA" is a Honda trademark for "Integrated Motor Assist" and is accurate for that type of hybrid. Non-Honda systems do not have "IMA" and no non-Honda systems work like Honda systems - at least the older generation stuff we're talking about. I know nothing about the Chrysler Pacific Hybrid. I regard Chrysler products as very low quality, so I will never purchase one, nor do I have any interest in learning about them.

 

I just checked ads for used cars in France, I didn't know but they sell Honda civic hybrid 2008, it's not exactly the same shape in the back but very similar. For example, I see a HCH 2007 with 180 000 kms (which is 112 500 miles) for 4800 euros (which is $5940).
So from what you said, I think it would be better that my dad buys a used HCH in France, and me I will sell my HCH next year in USA. This way, there is no transport by boat to pay, no modifications on the car to be made in France so the car fits french standards (for example, installing a fog light in the back).
Do you agree with my conclusion?
Do you think my dad should buy a used Prius in France instead of a used HCH?
I think that importing a car from USA to France is better for american cars that you don't find in France like Mustang, Dodge, Corvette, etc.

 

I will put this plainly:

No one should buy an HCH2. Period. Battery failure rate is too high and expensive. CVT problems, $2500. A/C compressor goes out, $2000.