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InsightFest 2019 – More Power: K Swap, Lithium and More!!

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InsightFest document pic from 2017

What:
InsightFest, the national gathering of Insight owners

***** 9/1/2019 Online Registration is closed. Looking forward to seeing all the attendees at the event!

Please contact Eric Powers at 608-729-4082 with any question. *****

Where:
Columbus, Ohio/ Marysville, Ohio

When:
– Friday, September 6 (King Collision. Columbus)
– Saturday, September 7 (King Collision. Columbus)
– Sunday, September 8 (Honda Heritage Center & Museum. Marysville)

Map: King Collision Auto Repair 2882 Brice Rd, Columbus, OH 43232
Map: Honda Heritage Center 24025 Honda Parkway, Marysville, OH 43040

InsightFest 2019 is a weekend filled with Insight conversation and camaraderie. See old friends and meet new ones. Put names with faces. Sell the parts you’ve accumulated. Buy the parts you need. Share your knowledge. Learn something new.

DETAILS
On Friday and Saturday September 6 & 7,  InsightFest home base will be at King Collision and Repair in Columbus, Ohio.
A big thanks to their owners for allowing us to be there!
– Demonstrations and discussion
– Kswap (Insight’s stock engine replaced with K Series Honda Motor)
– Lithium (Insight’s stock battery replaced with Lithium battery)
– General Maintenance
– Buy and sell swap meet
– Insight-only car show
– Much, much, more

On Sunday September 8, we’ll be switching it up as we head over as a group to an amazing event at an amazing location: Eibach Meet at the Honda Heritage Center and Museum.(Approx 50 min from the hotel.)
Eibach Meet is a H-U-G-E Honda/Acura event. People come from around the Midwest and beyond to show off their Hondas. Everything from bone stock daily drivers to the craziest customized Honda you can imagine. Here’s an article with photos from a past Eibach Meet Midwest eibach-meet-midwest-2017-crxs
We’d love to flood the event with our Insights and I’ve talked with event manager to get 20 spots for us.
Space is limited, so no guarantees we’ll be able to get any more than that, so the sooner we register, the better! You must arrive together with the group in order to park together.
Cars will be on site from 10am-3pm
The Eibach Meet itself is on the grounds of the Honda Heritage Center & Museum which houses a great Honda Museum with incredible displays.

No additional cost to attend the Eibach Meet as a spectator, but there is an additional $22 cost to park with our InsightFest group in the show area and display your Insight.
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REGISTRATION FORM
Click Here to Fill out the Registration Form

Online registration for InsightFest 2019 has closed.
Thank you for your interest.

InsightFest is not open to the general public.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Eric Powers at 608-729-4082

Cost:$60 per person
Optional additional $22 fee to park with our InsightFest group at the Eibach Meet portion of the weekend (Sunday)

Step 1) Fill out the registration form
Step 2) Pay via PayPal to this account: insightcarclub@gmail.com

Registration fee(s) must be paid in order to attend sessions, have car onsite at InsightFest, buy/sell items, attend Eat & Greet, attend Saturday dinner, or other associated aspects of the weekend as deemed by the organizers. Organizer reserves the right to reject any attendee for any reason at any time. Events are rain or shine. Fees are non-refundable.

Registration closes Saturday, August 31st at 10pm Central time, or sooner if necessary.
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Food
Other than the Friday night Eat and Greet, in general, the registration fee does not include food. Food costs will be on your own. There are restaurants nearby as well as great food delivery options. There will likely be group orders, but you will need to pay for meals.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with previous InsightFests, as well as those who are helping make InsightFest 2019 a reality!

Sponsors for InsightFest 2019 include:
* EV Powers | Hybrid Battery Service & Repair. Prius Insight Civic. 56 Corry St, Madison, WI

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SCHEDULE*
(Last updated 8/23/2019)

Friday
10am Setup
11am-11:45 Registration/Welcome/Housekeeping/Sign up for car-mini-inspections
11:30-1pm  Lunch. Self pay. Several restaurants nearby. Grab it and come back or get it delivered. Be ready for 1pm session!
1pm Maintaining a Honda Insight: Common Issues and Important things to look for – Scott Kulbeck (KLR3CYL)
1pm My Hybrid Battery is Failing, Now What?
2pm How I K Swapped My Insight – Steven Hill
3pm How I Did My Lithium Conversion – Jim Epting (jime)
4pm Building a K Swap for Champcar Endurance Racing – Claude Lawrence
5:30pm Dinner (Hosted meal onsite. No cost.)
Return to hotel for informal discussions, hanging out, and offsite fun

Saturday
9am The Insight DC/DC Converter: How I Learned to Cut the WHT/GRN Wire and Not Ruin Gas Mileage – John Sullivan (mudder)
10am K Swap Mounts, Racing Insights, and More – Brian Gillespie of Hasport Performance and VTEC Academy
11am BCM Replacer Project Discussion – Peter Perkins (RetepSnikrep)
Noon Lunch Break (Lunch on your own)
1pm K Swap panel discussion
2pm Lithium panel discussion
3pm Insight Q&A roundtable discusion
4pm Wrap up at King Collision. Housekeeping info for Dinner and Sunday Eibach Meet
6pm Dinner at O’Charley’s Restaurant & Bar – Group Reservation (Payment on your own)

Sunday
8:30am Gather in Best Western parking lot
8:45am Leave for Eibach Meet
9:45am Arrive at Eibach Meet (Honda Heritage Center & Museum)
11- 3pm Vehicles on display, Tour Museum, Informal sessions
3pm InsightFest ends
6pm Unofficial afterparty for anyone still staying the night.

*All times and topics are subject to change
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WHERE TO STAY
Official HotelBest Western Columbus East
Best Western Executive Suites – Columbus East
Map: 1899 Winderly Ln, Pickerington, Ohio 43147

Mention “InsightFest 2019” for the Group rate
$99 per night
Room with 1 King or 2 Queen
Indoor Pool, Complimentary Full Breakfast
3.5 miles from the Friday/Saturday Events

Camping
(As of 9/1/2019 no further information has been brought forward about camping)
Looking for someone to please research this for the group.
Contact me at 608-729-4082 to discuss
We will post your results here.

Saturday Dinner at La Fogata Grill –
Group Reservation (Payment on your own)
1849 Winderly Lane
Pickerington, OH 43147

Past InsightFest Links
InsightFest 2018 – 5 Year Anniversary (Madison, WI)
InsightFest 2017 – Transmissions and More. (Madison, WI)
InsightFest 2016 – The Big One (Indianapolis, IN)
InsightFest 2015 – Summer Camp Edition (Sauk City, WI)
InsightFest 2014 – Inaugural Year (Madison, WI)
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Toyota Increases Warranty on Replacement Prius Hybrid Battery. Now 3 years, 36,000 miles

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EV Powers Prius Hybrid BatteryAs of 1/1/2016 all purchased Toyota OEM replacement Prius hybrid batteries (non-fleet) come with a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty.

This is an increase from the 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty previously being offered on replacement Prius hybrid batteries.

While I currently do not have any written documentation, I independently confirmed this information through several Toyota sources, including calls to multiple dealers, Toyota Corporate, and Toyota Warranty Department.

The Prius hybrid battery warranty increase information originally was identified in an email that went out to dealers in late December 2015. Admittedly, some dealers may have missed the email or inadvertently been left out of the mailing, so don’t be surprised if you find a dealer that is initially unaware of this update.

The hybrid battery warranty increase applies to more than just the Prius. All Toyota hybrid batteries are included: Prius hybrid battery, Camry hybrid battery, Avalon hybrid battery, etc.

The first hint I had about the increase in the Prius hybrid battery warranty was because a user on Priusschat mentioned it in a post. Hat tip to Mark and his eagle eyed parts department folks.

EV Powers has installed plenty of replacement Prius hybrid batteries, and none of them have ever had any issues.  The increase in the Prius hybrid battery warranty will ease the minds of many Prius owners.

If you have any hybrid battery or hybrid car questions or needs, feel free to call EV Powers at 608-729-4082! I’m always happy to help.

Honda Insight Hybrids – Broken Ground straps

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When I hear of Honda Insight owners having unusual electrical problems one of the first areas I check is the car’s ground straps. Nearly every high mile Honda  Insight that comes into the shop for the first time has at least one broken ground strap.

These wires are crucial to keeping the car’s electronics in good health. Without them all sort of electrical symptoms can occur.

The straps are made of copper and corrode over time, often from the inside out.  So although they look fine visually, when you give them a gentle tug they simply crumble apart.

The straps themselves cost about $10 apiece so it doesn’t cost much to keep the electrical gremlins at bay.

 

Watch out for mice and rodents in your hybrid!

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With the weather turning cooler I have been seeing more instances of rodents bedding down in hybrids. Sometimes their nests can lead to severe damage.

The latest one I saw blocked the fan so badly, it was certainly a contributing factor to the ultimate demise of the battery. The fan was so blocked that the battery overheated and was damaged beyond repair.

Blocked hybrid battery fan

Blocked hybrid battery fan