I have a 2005 Honda Insight which I have regularly...

I have a 2005 Honda Insight which I have regularly had serviced at Honda of Pasadena ever since I got it (used) at the end of 2005. This car has been great for me. Although the gas mileage has steadily declined -- in the first few years it was always over 55 mpg, and now I feel fortunate if I get 50 mpg for a tank of gas -- it's really been a great car overall.

In December of 2012, the "check engine" light came on along with the "IMA" light. (IMA stands for Integrated Motor Assist.) I knew that couldn't be good.

I went to Honda of Pasadena right away to have it checked out. Connie Chan was my service rep. After having the car looked at by the technicians, she came to tell me the bad news: the IMA battery was degraded and needed to be replaced. The estimated cost of the repair was upwards of $3,000 -- not for the labor, but for the cost of the IMA battery.

The car had around 85K miles on it and I wasn't sure at the time whether it was under warranty. I told Connie that I wanted to go ahead and get the repair done, and that I would find the warranty and call her back. She ordered the part (it takes a few days to get this part, apparently) and I called her back to tell her that the warranty had indeed expired (75K miles / July 2012).

Connie had hinted earlier that the service manager might be able to "help me out" with the repair, but I didn't really pay much attention because I didn't know what she meant by that. Later that day, she called me to let me know what she meant ... that the Honda of Pasadena service department was going to cover the cost of the replacement of the IMA battery. I was sure that I had misunderstood. "Why?" was my question, and she answered "Because I asked." Huh? I still didn't get it, but wasn't going to argue ...

When the part came in, I took the car back in, and they replaced the IMA battery. I thought I would be paying for labor, at least, but in the end my total cost for the repair was $0.00.

Connie explained that it was partly because the Insight was something of a concept car for Honda. It didn't feel right that the IMA battery should expire a mere 5 months after the warranty did. The service manager described this as a one-time good-will gesture on behalf of Honda and the Honda of Pasadena service department. (I think they're telling me not to expect free repairs in the future. But why would I?)

I have always liked having my car serviced at Honda of Pasadena because I can work in the "quiet room" and they have free wi-fi. They've always dealt fair with me. But this particular experience was above and beyond.

Many service departments would have been delighted to take my money for this repair, even if they had some kind of special leeway for a hugely expensive part for a car that Honda isn't making any more. Honda of Pasadena's service department deserves a great deal of credit for doing the right thing.