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Comments
The standard mats are fine--I wouldn't pay extra for the accessory cloth mats until you see how well the originals hold up.
carpet mats come with the EX trim. Maybe it's just the dealer, but that's the way it's been for me. The only optionals I would consider for my EX
would be the all rubber ones, which I don't have. My carpet ones have been really easy to clean though.
First, for 4 simple pieces of plastic, $30 seems like a more reasonable price. Plus, what, $15 for installation at $60/hour?
Second, seeing the car with and without them back to back, I don't think they add anything to the car. Sure, they make the wheel-wells look more flared and aggressive but they're also clearly tacked on plastic bits that stick out in the air stream so that's hardly impressive.
Lastly, I'm certain that these black splash guards look odd on Accords in lighter colors like beige, silver, or red so I certainly wouldn't try them on those colors (my car is graphite).
If I had it to do over again, I'd skip them and keep my car clean and stock looking.
Although, there is a marked decrease in ground-clearance with the splash guards on. If I ever drive off a curb, the splash guards will be history. Hopefully they won't tear up the rest of the car too much if they go "crunch".
On the other hand, I've read complaints that the standard rocker panel behind the front wheels is vulnerable to being brushed up against a curb during parking. It appears that the front splash guards protect that area nicely. If anyone driving my car ever has a parking goof, I'd rather replace a plastic splash guard than the entire painted rocker panel.
The main reason I got them was to cut down on road grime so I'm glad to hear they're helpful in that regard. Thanks for your input.
My '05 EX-L is silver and the black guards look ok. I've read some people say they paint the guards to match the car color. I saw an off white G35 the other day and I didn't like the matching splash guard color. It's all subjective.
Installation of the under-hood sensor and wiring harness wasn’t difficult although there were several tight spaces. The instructions don’t make it clear but the hood lock cover doesn’t come all the way out – you just need to pop the three retaining tabs to get room the run the wiring harness behind that plastic panel.
Installing the under-dash components was WAY harder than I would have imagined. First, the driver’s lower dash panel is attached with one screw and 7 metal spring-clips. Following the supplied directions, be sure to pull the panel straight out, putting the plastic mounts in tension only. Twist these parts and you could easily either break a tab or leave a visible mark on the panel. I still broke one of my spring-clips – easily replaced but what a hassle. The problem is that the clips have a shape which not only spreads itself in the slot but if they bind, they get tighter the harder you pull! Way too easy to screw up and break something expensive.
The directions (step 16) show how to use a screw-driver to help remove the lower-right clip. In reality, it’d be nice if you could ease out all the clips from behind but you can’t. On my car, the middle-right clip was stuck and it took me half an hour to figure out how I could just barely access it with the perfect screwdriver. The final, upper-right clip came right out on my car.
Step 20 was a tough one too – the empty 6-pin connector socket above the fuse panel is BEHIND the bottom edge of the panel. It took some contortion to get the unit’s harness plugged in. On step 21, I had to work the vehicle ground bolt loose in 1/8 turns due to the limited room available and then tighten it in the same small increments.
I wear a size large glove and found myself in several very tight spaces. This job would be really hard for someone with XL hands (or if some of your clips stick in the dash). On the other hand, I’d be equally nervous about letting the average mechanic do this job – a fair amount of care and fiddling is required to get this installation right. I’m surprised that Honda’s assembly methods made the job as hard as it was.
Works great though – glad I got it.
the security system in www.handa-accessories.com seems to be only compatible with 03 accord.
should I seriously consider a 2 way alarm (it's what I have) that will page you (within a certain distance of your car) if there is a problem?
how about aninternal motion sensor?
Thanks for helping me avoid future bumps!!
I figure this might have something to do with some armor all that was on the dash prior to the install, but the dealer supposedly used alcohol as the instructions say to remove any greasiness. Either that or the tape on the parts themselves really stinks.
Has anyone else had a similar problem installing the trim kit? Any suggestions? I am going to go back to the dealer who installed it to complain and see what can be done. Thanks.
That said, the dealer installer evidently did a sloppy job. It's a given that many cars probably have dashboard dressing, and average diligence would have had the installer completely cleaning the surfaces.
I'd have the dealer redo the job.
You probably won't have to do any drilling if you can run the wire through the same hole that carries the wire to the license plate lamps. After running the wire, I'd want to seal the small hole with some "silly putty" type material.
market, as the name suggests, but it can be obtained by some enthusiasts in the U.S. through after-market specialists.
If you are willing to talk about what you
bought, how you found out about this equipment, or what you'd like to get from Japan but can't, etc., please send an e-mail with your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com by Wednesday, December 22.
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I'm wondering if the difference would be worthwhile in daily, non-performance driving.
I am also curious as to what's involved in making the switch. I'd like to know if it can be done with the rear of the car up on ramps in the driveway.
Yes, I've read that you can install the rear sway bar in your driveway with the car on ramps. Obviously, the key with installing a sway bar is that the car be level left to right.
From what I gather, the biggest difference with the larger TL-spec rear sway bar is reduced understeer. I'm doubtful that the I4 Accord needs less understeer but I think the V6 has noticeably more understeer than the 4-cylinder does and thus might benefit more. Normally, I wouldn't even consider a performance mod like this but the parts look stock and the cost is only $40.
Thanks for your help and advice.
After checking your suggested reading I'm going to go with the Acura 20mm bar for FAR less than aftermarket offerings. The 2.4l engine is not as nose heavy as the V-6 but it could still use some assistance.
I just bought a set of new Acura 16" OEM alloy wheels (same size as the Honda wheels) for $330 delivered on eBay. They appear to be new, and are take-offs from someone who bought custom rims. The Honda wheels seem to run a little more - $400 to $500 delivered - but that's still a lot better than dealer price. Michelin Energy MXV4+'s (205/60x16) seem to be available for good prices as well, as little as $50 per tire delivered for new take-offs.
Different Honda and Acura rims seem to vary in offset from 45-55 mm, no one seems to know why or if it's just measurement error. Some list the Honda 5 bolt circle as 114mm and some as 115 - according to Tirerack it's actually 114.3.
Question about the magnetic bra now that you've had if for several months ... does it protect/cover enough area? I looked on the manufacturer's website, and it only covers the immediate front of the hood. There's a lot of other area that can potentially get hit (fender, body panels, etc). Have you found that to be a problem?
Thanks.
The bumper fascia resists chips better and the fenders are 99% out of harm's way anyway, so the logic behind the bra as "20% preventing 80% of the damage" (pareto principle?) seems to hold water.
I'd recommend it with these caveats: 1) accept that you'll have some small chips in the unprotected areas over time, and 2) the bra material isn't perfect; the top layer could perforate along the edges as you remove the bra (happened to me; vendor replaced it).
Also, thanks for the response about the dealer clear coat. They showed me an article with a picture of a front end badly scarred with chips and another picture without any chips and offered me the protection package. I know these things are big dealer profit items, so I declined. Given how much it would have cost me though, I'd be surprised if it really only cost them $15.
It appears that the dealer was indeed offering the film overlay protectant. Here's a link to that product's vendor for more info:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/levineauto/3mpainprotfi.html
I read somewhere that the film works best with lighter colors in the sense that it's almost invisible.
Good luck.