the evil IMA battery light
 

I have a 2004 Civic Hybrid. 162,000 (with mostly freeway) miles. No complaints since no other mechanical problems, but hoping to not be at the mercy of the dealer. Any ideas on what I should expect to pay for an IMA battery? Are remanufactured batteries ok?

Still getting about 40 mpg. A local mechanic cleared the light, and it has been staying off, so I am not rushing in for the dreaded operation, but it does not seem to be acting quite as smoothly on charging cycles.

Thank you.

Re: the evil IMA battery light
 

David, I've heard/read that the main battery packs in the hybrid cars (mostly Nickel-metal Hydride) have had super reliability - some are 10 years old and still doing fine. I think the hybrid manufacturers have done a great job in monitoring the battery pack - mainly insuring it doesn't get too discharged or overcharged and also battey temp, etc. So, I wonder if your pack is really going bad.

I've heard that getting a used pack from a salvage yard usually is okay but it really helps if they can tell you how old the car was and how many miles it had when it got wrecked. Anyway, I think I'd watch things and if your MPG hasn't dropped, I'd wait.

My good buddy and his wife have a Civic hybrid (maybe an '06) and his wife gets over 50 mpg in city driving (sometimes 55 mpg!). But she has learned the hypermiler techniques and is manic about them. She chews out my buddy if he drives the car and drops the ave mpg. :shade:

Re: the evil IMA battery light
 

Hi John,

Thank you for your reply and for the good input. My FE is down maybe 5-10%, not enough to run out and spend over $3000. And I am still seeing the green and blue bars changing during various points of acceleration and deceleration.
I will check on the salvage yard option. You never know ...
Over 50 in the city! That is impressive. I seem to average in the low 40's with my Civic. Do you know of a good site for basic hypermiling techniques.
Obviously, I am doing my best to be light-footed on accelerating, but not familiar with other options.

Thanks again,

David

Re: the evil IMA battery light
 

David, what has amazed me, is that my buddy's wife isn't technical AT ALL! She doesn't know a thing about mass, momentum, drag, kinetic energy, regen concepts, etc. BUT, the car's feedback (mainly the tach, and the inst and avg FE displays) has trained her on what to do (or what works best). And she's become really good at it!
Many of the folks on this forum can give you great tips. I've only had my HAH a few months. But, there are a few things I've learned (by reading posts here or from my own driving): keep your rpm's low - try to stay under 2k if possible; limit your AC use - I think the AUTO mode works best but you might need to experiment; accelerate moderately and always be looking ahead (especially in city traffic) to try to limit how much/often you slow down; and when you have to slow down, try to maximize how much regen you can do - this goes back to watching ahead and trying to time traffic lights (both for the green AND red). Some hybrid drivers have also had decent FE improvement by increasing their tire pressure and also make sure you have LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE type tires - if you don't know hopefully your tire dealer or an internet search can clear that up.

I hope these tips help and I hope you DON'T need a new battery pack!!:omg:

Re: the evil IMA battery light
 

Great tips, indeed. I appreciate your help.
Maybe, with these skyrocketing gas prices, more drivers will go Hybrid : )