Honda Odyssey Grille Insert

bigdadi118

Home Depot sells the gutter screen which is made of plastic. May need spray paint to match the color. Last time I saw they have white & brown color choice.

The metal one, aluminum, stainless steel in various pricing can be researched online. I personally ordered one from GrilleTech.com. It is a bit expensive but it is not much if breaking down the price by years you will own the car. There is another site GrilleGuy.com costs less but they may not have the late model ones. Also try EBay search.

Check around and see which looking you like most. They are all a little different in style, color, thickness.

bobber1

Not to belittle the people who have had problems, but I looked at my 08 Taurus front end and it's design isn't too much different than the Honda. It's pretty wide open and you can see the radiator and other cooling lines.

bigdadi118

Anywhere leaking on the pipe or radiator will make your pocketbook about $750 lighter because warranty won't cover it and it's treated as accident.

The precaution can cost a few dollars to over a hundred.

zgreat1

Alas, I'm another unfortunate victim of the dreaded road debris incident. Brought my 2007 van in for a/c malfunctioning and the service person told me the same "small debris" just like a broken windshield crap. I have just contacted American Honda to file my grievance. I told the customer service person what I really think, she apparently agreed and seemed to have heard about this "issue" the very first time?? Anyway, she lodged a case for the case manager to contact me within 48 hours....so wish me luck. I will definitely file a complaint with nhtsa.gov. Meanwhile, if everyone else in this forum would do the same and bring to the attention of nhtsa.gov that Honda has now installed front bumper grille on all of the 2008 Odyssey models; perhaps as a "defensive" strategy before nhtsa.gov or similar agencies demands a major recall due to design flaw. :lemon:

Thank you in advance for keeping the "recall" rolling!! :mad:

bigdadi118

Below is the Polished Chrome Grille Inserts for my 3 wks old 08 Pilot (traded-in 07 Odyssey due to certain things I don't like and 08 Pilot was in great discount).

Insert is online ordered from grilletech.com. 5 pcs overlay to OEM grille. No need to remove anything. Put the plastic tie in from front then use a hook shape paper clip to pull the tip from back to front to secure the insert. Use box cutter to trim the excess tip. Plastic tie is in black color so it blends in well and won't be seen. 1/3 of the tie process needs longer tie, so 2 ties joined together to get the job done. The whole process is less than 30 mins.

jmasone

Just had the same problem this past weekend on my 2006 Odyssey with only 33k miles. AC suddenly stopped working, brought car in to dealer and was told condenser had a leak, probably due to damage by road debris. Repairs (parts + labor + tax) cost $870

To date, has anyone heard of any resolution regarding complaints to Honda or nhtsa.gov . I was going to file a complaint with nhtsa.gov , but they only seem interested in safety complaints. Any other recourse available?

Also, noticed that Mr. Grille is having their website redesigned, and it doesn't seem to be working properly. Anyone have any dealings with them recently? I'm looking for the grill insert to prevent this problem from reoccurring.

jeff777al

I never heard anything, but have not been following this in a while. I was victimized by this two times. For the extra $1700 I've paid out, I might as well have gotten a Siena.

I solved the problem for $11. I went to Lowe's and bought some heavy wire mesh and cut it to fit the grill with heavy-duty wire cutters. I then took black plastic ties I had also bought and attached the heavy wire mesh to the inside of the grill. I made certain to attach from the inside and trimmed the extra black plastic tie back with the wire cutters. You can't even see the black plastic ties unless you bend down to look closely. No further road debris since doing this. The wire mesh holes are only about a 1/4 inch apart, far closer than anything you'll find on any car.

jmasone

Thanks for the quick reply. When installing the wire mesh, how did you get it in behind the existing grill/bumper. Did it require you to disassemble anything, or is there an existing opening to slide it through? Also, do you notice any problem with airflow to the condenser (i.e. any hit in AC performance)?

jeff777al

As I recall, I had to take raise the hood and remove all the many plastic items that hold the hard plastic over the AC unit. It's not hard to do, just use a flat-head screwdriver to pry them up.

You then drop the wire mesh down the inside. I would suggest jacking the car up (if you have a 2-ton jack). If not, you can probably still work with it from the ground. Regardless, I had to lie down on my back then and place the cut wire mesh into the grill. I then would feed the black plastic tie through one of the grill holes around the vertical pieces of the bumper, secure the tie, and then cut back the excess from the inside.

I have noticed no problem with airflow to the condenser. The AC has continued to cool for me just as it did before.

Good luck!
I

jmasone

Worked on it this past weekend. Installed a Home Depot stainless steal gutter guard which I spray painted black. Very easy, and looks good.

Thanks to you and everyone else on this thread that contributed. Good to know that if Honda doesn't have your back, fellow enthusiasts do.

oowie

For one reason or anothe I can not find the pics...gould you please respond.
Thanks.

bigdadi118

You can buy universal aluminum mesh grille
http://www.customcargrills.com/products.asp?cat=1

Plus Honda will fix the grille for free now. I received a letter Honda re this.