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Comments
Put new tires on my Scion, it is much smoother. It had Goodyear eagle LS tires, otherwise awful. However, the tires did last 19000 miles. The new tires are Yokohomas.
From reading all of the posts earlier, the Goodyears on the Element is a mixed bag but most of it is not encouraging. I just may save some money and put some Michelin LTX M/S's on it (in time).
I have a Silverado also and it gets 15/18. It's a 93 with a 350. I can't wait to test the Element highway mileage.
Thanks
What arm rests are missing from the LX? All of them? Those on the doors? One on the right side of the driver's seat? One on the left side of the passenger seat?
A Honda accessories company, H and A, offers a storage/arm rest for the right side of the driver's seat (which involves the seat being cut into — a prospect that fills me with trepidation). Is this the only way to get two arm rests for both driver and passenger or must I save up an extra 2K for an EX?
The D3 is a good value but there is a catch or two. First, it only has one CD/DVD slot, IIRC, so you have to remove the map DVD to play your CD. I find that inconvenient.
Eclipse has units at this price point that are hard-drive based, so you don't have to choose one or the other.
Ask the tech what kind of outputs the D3 has. It may lack a low-level output for your subwoofer/amp, and that may be why they say it won't work. I'm not sure, just saying you should ask about that specifically.
It's an incredible coincidence, but I had a set that lasted 9 years, yet they blew within one week of each other. :surprise:
It was the same way with the PT Cruiser and the New Beetle - very long life cycles for stand-out designs.
1. The gas mileage on the Element is significantly lower than on the CRV, which doesn't make sense, since they started out with the same engines and the Element now has the 5 speed auto.
2. The rear seat is uncomfortable - the floor is noticeably higher in the rear of the cabin and my knees end up too high.
3. The rear seat only has 2 seating postions. I have 3 kids. Does not compute. :sick:
4. The payload on the Element is very low - 800 pounds of passengers and luggage total. Since Americans (although not me and my family) often run 200 pounds a piece, this is too light.
5. The suicide doors detract from the utility instead of adding to it. Besides requiring you to open the front doors to let the kids out - and having to keep them open in the process - they make it almost impossible to get kids in and out of the vehicle when parked in a typical parking slot - the front and read door open into a "vee" that prevents access. It shouldn't be this difficult to load passengers.
6. The suicide door set up is also stupid because it requires extra bracing, about 150-200 pounds worth.
7. If a car veers out of its lane and hits your door, a regular door flies forward and out of your way. If a car hits the suicide door, it closes on you and crushes you.
I'd be happy with the Element if they get rid of the suicide doors, increase the load capacity, and add a 5th seating position. I could live with the higher rear floor (I mean my kids could). The large, square hatch provides plenty of cargo access, they don't need the imaginary benefits of the suicide doors. Getting rid of the suicide doors, plus a little aero work (under carriage) might even out the gas mileage advantage on the CRV.
It would be nice, of course, if they could lower the rear floor.
But the suicide doors are the main mistake.
Change to regular doors and you have a "mini-Flex" which is not a bad thing at all. I still like the Element. It's a mini-minivan. It's low to the ground. It's...cute.
1. The Element rides lower, which affects available space in the vehicle and also the ease of getting in and out.
2. The Element is "square" which allows much more storage room in the back. The CRV has less space between floor and roof, and the roof slopes.
The rest of it is probably styling, although at one point Honda thought the Element was utilitarian enough (grey fenders, no carpet) to sell for a lot less than the CRV. However the Element has crept up in price, and I'm no longer sure that is true.
It IS nice to still be able to get a stick shift on the Element.
1) The reason the gas MPG are lower is do to that the Element's areodynamics are quite different than the CR-V's (if you couldn't tell). It is a box.
2) Yeah the backseats are uncomfortable but the functionality of them kind of make them that way. (ex. Folding against the walls, folding down making bed) I don't think that they are that uncomfortable though. Every one that I have had in the backseat says that it is comfortable just not the best in the world though. The floor in the rear is higher which makes the step up into the back a little difficult but just get the sidesteps and that would remedy that problem.
"The rear seat only has 2 seating postions. I have 3 kids. Does not compute."
3) Functionality purposes. This car was targeted towards young and active men. Not ones with kids. Sorry.
4) Payload is a problem, but then again, the Element was made for a young active guy and maybe another passenger with all their gear. (Driver 180lbs + Passenger 180lbs = 360lbs 800lbs - 360 = 440lbs of equipment)
5)The Suicide doors from my experience has only one negative... opening in a parking lot. But all you have to do is: Front passenger open door (and stays inside) back passenger opens door, hops out, shuts door, front passenger jumps out shuts front door. Problem solved.They do not detract from the utility. When opened they do not have that annoying vertical pillar in you way when loading items in. You get a HUGE open area for putting things in.
6) That is why you watch for traffic and not get out when another car is coming your way. And even easier approach would be just to have the kids get out the on the curb side and not on the side facing the street. Which is what I have the back passengers to do.
7) Who cares how much extra weight it has. If I get into in accident in my Element and get T-boned. Mine will get hit crushed and only a little hurt depending on vehicle, speed, etc. The Fit in just a regular crash test gets slammed and flown to the side. Results: Element 5-stars (even without side curtain Airbags ('06 and before)) Fit 3 star with Side Curtain. I'd rather be safe and live, rather than gaining a couple MPG's.
Also, the Element rides lower to give it better handling. It is a tall car and it being lower helps how it handles.
The Element was targeted toward young and active men. They did an excellent job. Yes there are some needs for changes, but not just for a Kid-friendly car.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=593
Good and Good (highest ratings) on front-offset and side impacts. The front offset test is weight dependent, it assumes crashing into an equal weight vehicle. The side test is weight INdependent, it assumes a crash into all vehicles from a light pickup truck, which is a more demanding test that the NHTSA test (which uses a passenger car height crash sled).
I can't get safercar.gov to work for me right now (returns a scripting error) but Consumer Reports indicates a 5 star front side impact result and a "good" (is that 3 star?) for rear seat passenger. I consider that very good.
In terms of overall model safety, since the Element was sold for several years without side curtain airbags with VERY bad side impact test results, I'd say from a certain perspective the average Fit is "safer" than the average Element in side crashes...check the side impact results on the Element if you have the non-side air bag model.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/head_restraints/headrestraints.aspx?honda
The Element was Poor until the 2007 model, when it improved notably to a Good score.
http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem.db847bd57e3dc1f885dfc38c35- a67789/?vgnextoid=c95df2905bf54110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=294
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=173
These are the ratings for the 2007 Honda Element:
http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem.db847bd57e3dc1f885dfc38c35- a67789/?vgnextoid=c95df2905bf54110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=173
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=865
The 2006 Honda Element, from the NHSTA, got 5-stars for all seating positions. The only problem was for a Higher Likelihood of Head Injury, which was cured with the 2007 Honda Element with the side curtain airbags. Which is why I bought the 2007 Element.
3-Star is not that great. Especially with a car that already comes with Side Curtain Airbags. My brother bought a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. It does not have side curtain Airbags but it also achieved a 3-Star Crash rating. I'd rather have 5 and know that I have at least done something for myself if I get in to a crash and that my passengers also will be safer.
With a side impact rating of 3-Star you have the likelyhood of 11 percent to 20 percent chance of serious injury. But with 5-star: 5 percent or less chance of
serious injury.
http://www.safercar.gov/staticfiles/DOT/safercar/pdf/BASC2008.pdf
Also what you have to do is compare the numbers on the safercar.gov website. I put them at the top. Compare the numbers and see how much more the Fit's are. If you compare it that way you will see that the Element is Safer.
The Fit also does not have Electronic Stability Control. The Element Does.
Don't get me wrong the Fit is a nice car. But in the eyes of safety, the Element wins. If your looking into buying an Element I would go with the 2007one and up. Because it has the side curtain airbags, ESC and anti-whiplash headrests.
I was just wondering if anyone has already put these on themself and have any tips for me. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Tail Light Guards - eBay - $69 + FREE shipping
The directions (which weren't that great) said it would take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Well.... it took us about 15 minutes for each. It was relatively easy but just takes a little time. First you take out the two screws that hold the tail light in place. Then all you do is pop out the taillight. Then we placed the bracket around the piece that pops the tail light in. Pop the taillight back in. Then fit the tail light guard over the tail light and bolt in all the screws. make sure they are on correctly or they WILL scratch your tail gate and hatch. Even when they are on as tight fitting as they can they still leave a tiny scratch but hey, its worth it! They look great!
Side Steps - HandA Accessories - $285 + $52.78 shipping
Next we did the side steps. These are the OEM Side steps. We just followed the instructions that came with them and they went on relatively easy. They look great and took about an hour and a half to put them on.
Hunter Brush Guard - eBay - $180 +$50 shipping
The instructions that came with these might as well not have even came with them. Nothing was labeled and took us about 20 minutes to even find out what we needed to do. We bolted on the headlight guards to the main piece first. Next we found the pieces of the plastic that we needed to cut out to find the holes to bolt the guard on to. We almost thought the pieces were not going to bolt on because of 2 reasons: 1) On the drivers side the bracket piece almost didn't have the right spacing for the hole on the frame. 2) On the passenger side the radiator was bolted or connected on the frame by the holes on the frame. So we had to move that to get the main unit connected. That took a while. After that we connected the main unit to the big brackets connected to the frame of the car and turned it up so it was in the correct position on the front of the car. then we took off the two caps under the hood near where the headlight is bolted in. Everything was tightened up and is extremely sturdy. It will not even move when shook. It is very nice. In all, for the brush guard, it took about 4 hours to complete.
My Element looks AWESOME now, in my opinion. I already had a few Element owners turning their heads watching, just on my 10 minute drive back home. It almost looks like a totally different vehicle. I really am liking it a lot!
You can see a better picture of the Element here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA-ELEMENT-3-LIFT-KIT-2003-2009-4WD-2WD-EX-LX-- - SC_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem3ca5102b0bQQitemZ2604673- - 37995QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_987wt_939
I have been waiting for one of these for months. 3" is a little more than I wanted. I was looking for more of a 2" lift but this one looks pretty sweet. I am really considering buying this for my Element.
Has anyone else bought one of these or a kit like these? Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Foresters had lift kits like that, 2" lift from springs, another 2" by adding spacers to the base.
2" was no problem, but folks that lifted them the full 4" had troubles with the transmissions - difficulty shifting and getting in to gears. The angle of the rear driveshaft changes dramatically with a 4" lift.
My concern with an Element would be the same - tolerances are fairly tight for these unibody based vehicles.
I talked to someone that did a lift on his, he used this CCM Offroad lift kit. He hasn't had any promblems with his yet, and he has had his for quite a while. No problems with shifting. The only thing he said is that once you get it done you have to find a place that can give it a really good 4 wheel alignment. That was about it. His looks so awesome. I can't wait till I can get it done on my Element
If anyone else has any other suggestions or anything, please post them.
Thanks
So I recently bought one of those DC splitter that I can plug in to the DC socket so I can charge my GPS while my daughter watches video. After a few hours of driving, I notice my remote lock is not working --problem #1 (at first I thought I needed a new battery for my remote lock/entry). Then I tried opening the door using the open/close button on the side of the driver seat and it's not working (problem # 2). Now, I have to use the key every time, I want to open/close the car. I also notice on first entry the internal entry light is not coming on (problem #3). The radio is not working as well (problem #4). I noticed however when I turn on the engine, the open/close button on the side of the driver seats work including the internal entry light. But the radio is totally dead. I haven't noticed any problems with my headlights and flashers. I thought I'd also share that I jammed a pair of sneakers under the passenger seat. I noticed there are wires under there and maybe I disconnected something. I also thought it could be a fuse but strangely enough the DC socket (lighter) where I plug in my GPS and my daughter's DVD player still work. It could another fuse??? Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you,
MaynardHE2006LX
So I recently bought one of those DC splitter that I can plug in to the DC socket so I can charge my GPS while my daughter watches video. After a few hours of driving, I notice my remote lock is not working --problem #1 (at first I thought I needed a new battery for my remote lock/entry). Then I tried opening the door using the open/close button on the side of the driver seat and it's not working (problem # 2). Now, I have to use the key every time, I want to open/close the car. I also notice on first entry the internal entry light is not coming on (problem #3). The radio is not working as well (problem #4). I noticed however when I turn on the engine, the open/close button on the side of the driver seats work including the internal entry light. But the radio is totally dead. I haven't noticed any problems with my headlights and flashers. I thought I'd also share that I jammed a pair of sneakers under the passenger seat. I noticed there are wires under there and maybe I disconnected something. I also thought it could be a fuse but strangely enough the DC socket (lighter) where I plug in my GPS and my daughter's DVD player still work. It could another fuse??? Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you,
MaynardHE2006LX
Noone was hurt, that's what matters. Well, except Bambi's dad.
The bummer here is that your bumper wasn't really allowed to do its job. I imagine the tail gate hit you at grille level and it was metal vs. plastic, metal wins.
Does anyone else have this on there Element?
I swear they're better than OE.
I had it on my 91 Escort, which was totalled in 1998. I actually removed it and put it on my 98 Forester. Kept that until 2007.
So basically it lasted 16 years, and still looked new when I sold my Forester (the buyer liked it and wouldn't let me take it off!).
That's actually pretty cool. Is it custom/fitted?
This is where I bought it from: link title
And since it is from Honda it is custom fitted. It is quite nice. I don't think is selling them any more for the 09-10 years. I went on there site to get you a link but it is no longer on there.
An aftermarket spray can't match factory paint, at least not for a lot of cost.
Think about removing all the trim to cover it all, and then the rattles you'll have when you put everything back together.
Honestly it may be cheaper and easier to just upgrade to a 2010!
Never thought about the rattles...Thanks