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I have a 2010 Insight. Servicing is no different from any other Honda petrol engined car.
You can go by the variable servicing or just stick to the 1 year / 12500 miles routine. The latter may be easier if you take it to garages other than the main dealer or wish to go to the dealer infrequently. On variable servicing - the ECU takes account of usage condtions and calculates when an oil change is needed. This can be anything from 6-7k miles ish for mainly short journeys to 16.5k for mainly long journeys at motorway speeds.
An advantage of taking it to the dealer is they have acces to software updates (but that's the same for any Honda). Mine had 3 updates done in October. The updates cured a slightly lurchy CVT and made battery assist much more predictable up hills after a cold start (where previously it would often force-charge rather than assist). Very recent Insights should already have up-to-date software.
In order to keep your warranty intact be careful if not using the main dealer - you will have to be fastidious at record keeping and make sure everything is done to spec and properly receipted. Make sure Honda parts are used and this is shown on paperwork.
One thing to keep in mind is long term use of the car. Honda are pretty good at providing goodwill after expired warranties - if you stay within the dealer network for servicing. The Insight originally had an 8 year, 100k mile warranty on the IMA system (including batteries and motor). For the last year or so that's been reduced to 5 years, 90k mile.
Now, for what it's worth, Insight 2 IMA systems have been very reliable to date. I've not yet heard of a failure but they've only been around since 2009 (I frequent the forums at www.insightcentral.net). There have, however, been reports of a very high failure rate of Honda Civic IMA batteries, including recent model years (1 in 5 failure rate for US 2009 models - http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/03/consumer-reports-blasts-honda-civic-hybrid-reliability.html). Reports also indicate that Honda have been giving significant goodwill contributions (even sometimes paying in full) for failures outside of warranty - but only for cars with most of the service history at Honda. I believe it's currently just under £2k if you have to fork out yourself
The Insight 2, Jazz and CR-Z have a redesigned, simpler and lower voltage IMA battery than the Civic Hybrid so should hopefully have fewer problems. The reduced number of cells in one of these batteries should mean cheaper replacement costs than a Civic (I would imagine we're still talking well upwards of a grand though). I would feel much more confident about running a Honda IMA car outside of warrantly with a full Honda service history than without - if you want any help from Honda if and when the IMA battery does fail.
Edit: Oh yes - Honda recommend 0w20 oil for the Insight (as stated in the manual), which will supposedly give slightly better fuel consumtion than thicker oils. I was surprised to find that 5w30 oil had been used when I collected the car for its first dealer oil change. You would think Honda dealers would service cars to the manufacturer's recommendations - but no. I complained and was given another oil change with 0w20 free of charge - so keep an eye on things even if taking to the dealer.
Further edits: Have heard of CVT problems developing if anything other than Honda's recommended CVT fluid is used. Normal automatic transmission fluid is a definite no-no. CVT fluid changes are quite frequent - 2 years or 25k miles. You're looking at about £65-90 to have this done at a main dealer.
Edited by ear8dmg on 28/03/2013 at 14:41
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