Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Hi,

I just bought a 2008 HCH yesterday (taking delivery tomorrow!) from a Honda dealership, so it's a certified used car. I've been browsing this site and a few others to figure out what I need to know going forward, so I thought I'd ask here.

So far, I know I need to figure out if the rear control arm has been replaced, and I probably need to get some better tires before winter. What else do you think is important to consider?

I'm also curious to know if there's a best practice for resetting the car's various meters. That might be something I'll find in the instruction manual, but I'd appreciate any input!

Thanks!

- Kevin

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

If your tire wear seems ok I wouldn't get to excited about that. We've never done anything to our control arms, no problems with tires. It might be an issue, but don't assume it has to done.

Check the tread depth of what you've got, and post what the tires are that are on now. They're likely the OEM tires, and if the mileage is not too high will serve you fine for another year or two.

If they are down to 4/32" tread depth remaining, considering the time of the year, it might be time. If a bit more tread depth, but your area gets a fair bit of snow, you might consider getting separate snow tires on steel rims. Regular Civic rims are your best bet.

Snow tires are almost guaranteed to impact mileage due to higher rolling resistance, that's a given. But if you're looking to replace the OEM's with something comparable, I would research the Low Rolling Resistance options, or again you will take a mileage hit.

We just replace our OEM Bridgestone Insignia SE200-02 with Bridgestone Ecopia EP20. They are described as LRR, have identical tread pattern to the OEM, and worked out well so far. We got ours at Costco.

Regarding resets, most is done via persistant press of the SEL/RESET button. First mention on page 64 of our '06 Owners Manual. Maintenance Minder resetting is described on page 179, at least in our '06 manual.

1. Make sure you're registered with Honda, so that you will get relevant notifications.

2. There's a very recent software update just released that likely applies to your vehicle. It changes the car's behaviour, attempting to protect/restore the IMA battery. For starters check with the dealership; they can see if you have it.

Then, determine if you want the update. There is a lot of debate on the subject. FWIW, we've got it. My thinking is that:

a) It might help
b) Not getting it might be an argument for Honda, to disallow a warranty claim if our IMA battery fails.

3. Just generally look over the usual mechanical maintenance issues. The Owners Manual spells it out. See if you can get info regarding the car's service history. Check the current state of the Maintenance Minder (check in Owners Manual). Have a peak at the engine and cabin air filters. Check fluid levels, and so on.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Most of all, just enjoy your new ride and the great FE you should achieve. H

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I would highly recommend you find all of the Honda Technical Service Bulletins for your car. If you experience any of the issues, get them fixed while under warranty. Even if a TSB falls outside of warranty, it clearly states the dealership can contact the Honda zone director to get approval for a goodwill repair where Honda will pay the dealership a reduced amount and there's no cost to you.

Regarding the control arms, I had bought my 2006 HCH certified pre-owned in 2008 with 68,000 miles. I had to pay out of pocket for the control arms because I didn't notice the issue until after the 12m/12k limited full warranty. This is because it can typically take about 15,000 miles before you hear the significant road noise and notice the cupping on the tires. I believe it is a defect and you should get them inspected while under warranty.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Get ready for Hybrid Battery problems.

Oh Welcome to the "your screwed world"

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Soar grapes with all cars! H

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Lol treat your battery well and most likely it will return the favor. Don't let it run under 2 bars or keep it fully charged and it will last for a good long time….also never let your car sit longer than a couple weeks without driving it… that's another huge killer of hybrids...

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Well said and right on the money. :shade:
its too bad many never think bout it but there's mountains of good advice and plenty of examples of how to do it right. there's no good reason for bad advice unless you want new hch owners to repeat your misery. look for advice from those who got it right and you will be smiling for many years to come too.

ks

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Good reason to get the latest up-dates. The IMA is managed well with these! At least I feel it is. Without the up-dates it is very difficult to keep the SOC at ideal? H

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

yeah... and careful what you call a recal cause from what I read they don't happen for the same reasons they hapened before the updates. seems they will be the norm even for people who got a new ima battery. it all makes sense to me and my results make me love this car even more.

ks

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Well the update in my opinion neuters the car, and makes it much harder to abuse the battery. I have driven them with and without the update now and my butt dyno can tell a difference. I'm guessing a solid 12 sec 0- 60 after and my car can pull 9.7 sec 0-60's right now I want to stay under 10 for these nasty southern ca. onramps lol.

I feel if I am aware of my battery and it's special requirements, being undersized and all and treat it right, I should get similar usage time out of it and still have that extra oomph Honda was initially going for in order to compete with prius.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

My 06 feels no different than when new. Still has got the same power as it has always had. I think it is good for a 1.3 ICE. H

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Well its good to know it doesn't effect cars with good battery packs that way….. The one I drove was on it's last leg and the Honda dealer told them it would fix it, which well made things worse.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Top five things..

#1 as another said...get ready to be disappointed. Many have left these forums as owners after disastrous dealings with Honda over their batteries. If I could get rid of mine, I would...but they won't even fix my car sufficient to CON someone into thinking it's running normally - despite having several years and many miles left on my extended OEM warranty. Those that remain here are generally not experiencing the problems that so many of us have had to endure.

My car was flawless for 4 years and then went south in a week to the 28mpg golf cart that it is today.

It's not every single car, but if it winds up being yours...you're screwed.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I purchased my 2008 with 18k about 6 months ago from a local Honda dealership. I guess not knowing any better and keeping an eye on the mpg gauge, I learned how to drive the car a certain way (grandma it pretty well accelerating, feather your foot until you find the sweet spot to maintain speed between 30-60mph, coast / lightly brake as much as possible, avoid the highway, etc).
After a few hundred miles, my average mpg was about 47, then I read about "the update". Terrified, I called my dealer and it turns out the car had already had it applied! It actually explains the whole story, whoever had it first must have driven it a certain way, got the update, their mileage went to s**t so they traded it in. It really does seem the update is not a big deal provided your battery was healthy when it's applied. I've since gotten a little better at driving it and I average 48-50 most tanks. Winter hurts it by 4-5mpg, but I live in Florida so that wasn't much of a stint.
Also it's flat as hell here, I think hybrids are made for flatland, I can't imagine owning this thing in Denver or somewhere hilly.

Good luck with your car!

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I bought a 2008 and had a very similar experience. Love the "golf cart" analogy.
Many on this site like to blame the drivers for the HCH's failure to achieve anything close to the fuel economy and performance of other hybrid cars.
Instead do this, ask some Prius owners how *drastically* they had to modify their driving habits to even get 40mpg, which many post-update HCH owners could not even dream of getting.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I think most HCH owners would agree that Honda's hybrid system inherently requires more driver involvement and expertise to maximize the car's fuel efficiency. While that is a distinction between the Prius and the HCH, it is not a design flaw per se.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I agree with Two Tom. I for one do not appreciate some on here making assumptions that I or other HCH drivers are somehow responsible for the decrease in fuel mileage. I have seen the performance drop on my 2009, I have had one battery crash and the second is also crashing, so don't sit there and tell me it is my driving. You sound like a Honda service tech.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

It is your driving. Why??? cause in the beginning I drove my car like every other brickhead around me and that is why my battery pack started acting on me even before I got the update.
then I found the good advice (ignored the whiners) on this site and others and made a few changes to my driving cause if others can get there money's worth out of there hch2's then I'm sure not too stupid to do it too. So I begin learning about how to make my soc healthier and also become a better driver; one thing lead to another I even with the constant recalling my FE went up. my driving got better and I was more money.
then I got the software updates that made everyone go nuts, and my car started recalling almost every day and I was pi$$ed ; I decided that instead of complaining I would listen to those who always give out the good advice cause if it worked before then it would work for me again, right? I understood what the updates are for and I even helped the software do its thing. Now my battery pack is doing much better and I get better mpgs. There's no other explanation and my results are all I need to know why some have better results than others.

by the way I'm still learning and steven is right on the money too. :shade:

ks

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Just a sec: Honda's design is not bullet proof enough that driver behaviour can break the battery? That goes back to Honda's doorstep. Driver behaviour will effect mileage, for sure. But it should not toast the battery.

Honda's mis-step, imho:

Their battery is too weak, and vulnerable, for it's purpose. And their design taxes it too much, in an attempt to salvage decent mileage.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

its already old news that the honda design is not bullet proof cause thats what the hch experts been saying for years; but they also said the driver can do a lot to make sure the battery is not killed to early.
I know whats like cause I used to drive my hch like a know it all jackass, cause a car is a car. sure stupid me for thinking that way. like others the dealer never told we how to drive the hch properly and then it took some reading and a lot of learning to figure out why they build and sell the hch with all those hybrid gauges???
what I am saying is that if it works for me and others like me then its gotta work for anybody who's got half a brain and money tied up in the car. just whining and complaining is not gonna fix anything unless thats all we do when things dont go our way.

ks

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Given the hit that the firmware "update" has exacted on the HCH's performance and fuel economy, I wonder whether this might also affect the HCH's qualification as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV.)

Any California HCH owners out there who can figure out how to broach this with the California Air Resources Board (CARB?)

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Be very, very careful with tire replacement. Several users have reported substantial (4-8 mpg decrease) if replacement tires are not low rolling resistance.

At 45K I replaced with the same tire that came with my car when new. Dunlop AS31. I have been very happy with the replacement tires.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

I agree with this 100% my hybrid came with stock 2009si rims and at 37 pounds each plus the tire I know i'm losing over 6 MPG. I did the math and it breaks even to buy new rims and tires now with gas at 3.89 per gallon, I wish I had someone to trade the rims with but nobody wants these sadly.

I guess I will wear out the tires then look to buy ultra lightweight racing rims the ones that weigh in at about 14 lbs for a 15" rim and then some LRR tires. I can't wait to see my FE skyrocket! Now to find some mountains so i can scrub the rubber off of these tires! .. j/k ....

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Clearly that's your fault for not driving the car properly. You should be sitting on the edge of the seat and leaning AGAINST turns. Be sure not to turn the wheel too much during the first SIX MONTHS of driving on the new tires, because the new tires need to LEARN YOUR DRIVING PATTERNS and be programmed accordingly...otherwise your new tires will go bad very quickly and it will be your fault for driving your car just like any other car.

Fackin retawded...that's what this is.

Re: Just bought a 2008 HCH, what are the top five things I should know?
 

Your not very helpful but youre still funny. :D

anyways, that's what many people and the mpg experts say and I can vouch for that. that's why my replacement tires are the same kind the car had on when it was new. don't forget to air them up for much better mpgs too.

ks