Honda CR-V Owners Accessories & Modifications

varmint

Stevek715 - You could try removing the seats.

bikeman47

I purchased the keyless entry for about 90 bucks from Handaaccessories.com and I am having a problem.

Does anyone know how to take out the CD pocket, so I can get to the connector?

The instructions say that after removing the screw in the back, you just pull it out, however I tried this, and I can't pull it out. There are several snap-in connectors,but I already slightly scratched the dash with a screwdriver to get the pocket out.

Anyone who figured this one out, I sure would appreciate your solution.

Thanks.

maryclover

I'm getting a new 04 CRV and have been costing out accessories. My dealer has met all the prices I've quoted him except for the cargo cover. He wants $208 for the cover including installation. Can it be that tough to install? The cost for the cover at handaccessories.com is only $131. I'm not a techie, but is there anything I have to watch out for if I decide to install it myself? And will the cover at handaccessories.com be the same beige color as the new 04 beige?

Thanks.

icvci

The color won't matter. I'm sure it hasn't changed enough to notice.

Charging for installation is a joke. There is nothing to install. You'll most likely take it in and out on your own numerous times.

cls6spd

Maryclover - I installed my cover last week. Here's how it is done. Below each rear side window, there is a plastic cover that prys out easily with a flat bladed screw driver. Once the covers are out, you afix an adhesive backed fabric strip to each surface where the cargo cover clips into. Now all you have to do is insert the left side of the cargo cover first then compress it slightly so it shortens enough to insert the right side. The forward portion of the cover clips to headrest supports at four places. The rear portion hooks to the grooves in the upper trim panel. It is that easy. DON'T PAY TO HAVE THIS DONE! By the way, it makes the interior quieter by damping out some of the road/tire noise at the rear of the vehicle.

dutchboy20874

I have kept the cargo cover in my garage since soon after having it installed. It is a little bit ugly. With the tinted windows on the EX you don't have to worry about cargo being in view of passersby.

Varmint: I bought my CR-V specifically to haul my two 100# greyhounds Dig and Max.

They love it as much as I do.

varmint

100 lbs each! Those are pretty big puppies. Mine are only 80 and 65 lbs.

Both of mine like to ride in the CR-V, but I think it's mostly because they don't like it when we leave them behind. Though, one of them constantly looks out the window with a thoughtful expression. I'd swear she's thinking about what she could have done to the competition if she had a CR-V while racing on the track.

marji1

i want to purchase a bike rack to carry two bikes.
id rather not buy a rack that attaches to the spare tire. i realize that i would have to get a hitch underneath my 2003 cr-v. the dealer charges a great amount for a cr-v hitch and installation. i may be able to get one another place for alot less.

not sure which bike racks would do best for my cr-v.
any suggestions from the knowledgable ones out there???

thanks in advance.

tomk17

Just joined the CVR "club" and bought an 04 EX auto. I know the towing capacity is 1500 lbs but what the heck does a pop-up trailer weigh? I don't own a trailer yet and I know the weight is typically posted on the trailer but surely someone is doing it now.

varmint

I believe only the smallest campers fall within the 1,500 lbs limit of the CR-V.

theracoon

I have a '99 CR-V, which has a recommended trailer weight limit of 1,000 lbs. The smallest, lightest pop-up camping trailer I've been able to find is just under 1,000 lbs. A little time researching pop-up trailers on the web shows the weight of a large pop-up can exceed 3,000 lbs when loaded with all of your camping gear.

You'll see two weights, unladen and gross. The unladen weight is the empty trailer with no equipment, no water, no propane in the tank, etc. The gross weight is fully loaded weight of the trailer, including the trailer manufacturers maximum recommended cargo load (for the trailer). The gross weight is the one you want to pay attention too, since it's very unlikely you'll go camping without ice chests/coolers, food, clothing, sleeping bags/bedding, and other camping gear. The gross weight is the amount your CR-V will be pulling.

Good luck and have fun camping!

tomk17

I plan to purchase a cargo liner for my new CRV. Checking Autoanything.com, I see a Huskey liner for $68 and free shipping vs the Weathertech liner for $99 delivered. The only diff looks like a 2" lip on the Huskey vs 3" on the weathertech model. Any experiences would be appreciated.

longvusu

Has anyone come up with a solution for preventing, reducing, or eliminating the whistling sound of luggage racks installed on top? I want to know if it has to do with HOW it is installed.

tomk17

Sorry for the duplicate message, I've posted this same inquiry on the other more active message board but this seems like the more applicable place: -- I've seen that 40 mm clear plastic film advertised for use as headlight protection. Looks like about $69 for customer cut pieces for an 04' CR-V. Based on the size of the lenses on the V and the sand / salt used here in the Northeast during the winter, it might be a good investment. I'm not so much worried about lens breakage but minor chipping and pitting over time that would detract from the nice clear look they have now. Has anyone tried this and if so, pls direct me to any good sources. Thanks

tamber

HI all, I plan on buying a new CRV in a few days...Im not sure about some of the Options. Im looking at a EX. Auto. This stick is on the dashboard...anyone have any comments on this? Have you found it awkward? The seats look very cheaply put together...anyone?

Tami

stevedebi

The only difference between 2003 and 2004 is the color of the "saddle" interior and an extra door lock on the passenger side, so I'll comment here.

I like the shift on the dash - it is very convenient.

I find the seats comfortable, and they don't seem cheap to me. I often wish, however, that I had opted for dealer installed leather (but that is just because I wanted leater, not because I didn't like the stock seats).

maryclover

Hi all. I have a new 04 CRV and want to install a ski rack. Any suggestions. HandA offers a Thule rack and a Honda rack does anyone know the difference? Finally are they easy to install?

Thanks.

marislav

Hi all. Has anyone tried to install the leather seats on CR-V w/side air bags?
I'm asking this, because one of the dealers said it's impossible to do because it will interfere with side air bags. And other dealer said they could do it.
Please give me some advise on this and what will the cost be for leather seats installation.
Thank you all.

kizhe

Heated leather seats were included in my order when I bought my 03 EX.
We choose black color leather for our blck CR-V. Seats are under Honda warranty
but were installed them as aftermarket feature at the dealership. Cost $1400.
Looks and feels good and really jazz up the interior.
Plastic panels cover spots were side air bags are: just like in regular seats.
One problem: heaters in the seats were dead on arrival and I did not had time
to fix them at dealership during summer time. Now is the time... . :-).

varmint

Katskinz (I think I spelled that right) offers leather with laser-perforated stitching on the airbag side of the seat. This allows the airbag to delpoy by literally ripping itself through the seam (same as the Honda design). There may be other companies that offer this design. Katskinz just happens to be the one I recall.

marislav

In what state did you have your leather seats installed?
Thanks.

kizhe

Re: "In what state did you have your leather seats installed?"

To marislav:

I installed them at
Keenan Honda
Doylestown, PA

One thing: Leather seats comes with heaters (heated seats).
They installed non OEM switches and put them on plastic panels on the sides of the seats below. I found it not very convenient.
Switches are illuminated (red lights) but to see these lights you need to open the door. To put switch on/off you NOT need to open the door, of course. And it is not possible to operate passenger
seat switch from your seat.
I would prefer to have two on/off switches on the dash (like on Canadian models).
I suspect that this dealer simply did not have these OEM on-dash switches available
and they installed another type. CR-V has reserved space on the dash for heater switches
( see two plastic plugs on the dash on the right from steering wheel).
Leather seats itself are very good: they are firm, looks good and 'feels' good (black).

jennyraj2

Hi all,
  Has anyone added the Keyless entry system (from Hondaaccessories.com and others) to 2004 LX?
 The instructions do not match the actual 2004.
For example, should we remove the box? Where are the self-tapping screws on the box? In 2004 LX, I have a small door at the bottom - looks like it can be pryed open. But even then, the box itself is solidly attached to the car...How do I pull it out?

Any help would be appreciated...

barnone

I have a bike rack attached to the spare tire attachment. it has carried 2x cheap heavy mountain bikes for a couple of camping trips and a thousand mile trip.

the spare tire still holds up

dondada

Hi all, I'm trying to locate the body colored hard spare tire cover. Would really appreciate if I could be pointed in the right direction.
Thanx.

dondada

Forgot to mention, it's a 2004 EX...

varmint

Dondada - There are a number of places where you can order the OEM body-colored tire cover. Last time I checked, they ran about $300. Just make sure you find the correct color (not all silvers are the same, for example). Also, it doesn't matter what the year is. All CR-Vs have the same size tires.

My suggestion would be to do it yourself. You can buy an OEM plain grey hard spare tire cover for about $160 and paint it yourself. Paint and primer will cost you about $30-40. That's how I did mine.

varmint

Here's a site that lists both (no endorsement, though I have been pleased with this vendor). I'm sure you can find other sites.

http://handaaccessories.com/crvext02.html

body-colored = $391
plan grey = $94

dondada

Will definitely look into it

desertman

Hi all,

I finally test drove a CR-V at Showcase Honda in Phoenix. This dealer pre-installs an accessory package on all CR-Vs in its inventory, adding about $1000 to the price.

The package includes color-coded tire pressure monitoring caps, pinstriping, a security system (must be an alarm or something since the CR-V already has the ignition disabler standard), door guards, and some sort of paint coating or polish that they called Auto Mate. Does anyone know what this is? I can't find it anywhere on the web.

scname

Just tell the dealer you want none of it and walk. He will drop it real quick.

The whole package cost the dealer maybe $30 ,I assume the added "alarm" is nothing more than a little horn.

stevedebi

I have to disagree, the items listed probably cost the dealer at least $250. However, you should insist on not having them installed. If the dealer disagrees (says they can't be uninstalled), then request that they reserve the next CR-V that comes in for you, without any modifications. That is what I did with my CR-V.

varmint

Ditto that. Just ask that your vehicle not have those items installed. They may try to convince you otherwise, but a firm "no thank you", should be all that is required.

I have no problem with the dealer adding aftermarket items to their inventory, but if they refuse to sell without that stuff, walk away. A dealer who forces stuff like that onto a customer is gouging. If they are willing to resort to those tactics, then I wouldn't trust them with my business. Who knows what else they'll do?

gary_william

When I bought my '03 EX, I went to several dealers in the Atlanta area. With luck the very first dealer I went to had a young salesman who gave me a written quote for the vehicle with the mud flaps, pin striping, and a few other niceties but failed to charge me for them. I was shopping for a bare-bones off the train vehicle with NO additives or preservatives and nobody in the area could (would) beat the price quoted to me by the one with the written estimate. The squealership did honor the price, even though the salesman made a mistake. Still I am sure that they made a lot of money on the deal, but I got what I wanted. One dealer even tried to strong arm me into taking one that already had been "processed" by aadding about a grand worth of options that I didn't want, saying that they didn't know when they would get another one in since they were so popular. *puh-leeeze*. The other dealers whom I visited while shopping couldn't match the price at first, but they started calling back a week later asking for my business. Sorry guys, be straight the first time through and you will get the deal.

So just say no, walk away from the deal, and find someone who will give you what you want. Remember, you also have something that they want; your business. Without it they will not survive long.

icvci

Driving, make that sliding, home yesterday. I'm going down a hill with a 90 left at the bottom. V won't stop. V won't turn. (*@&^%!@#$&^@#($^!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Slid for about 25 feet, then down a small embankment and ended up using tree bark for brake pads. Another @$#%(*&@$%(*@)$%@$!!!!!!!!!!

It left a small dent in the hood, cracked the mounting bracket on the drivers headlight (not the lens), ruined the AC compressor and the radiator. Inital damage report...$2270. @#$%(*@$^%(*&!!!!!!

I figured the roads were just in really bad shape. Until I went back to the site in my P5 (5 minutes later) to take a second look. My P5 had no problems stopping, steering, accelerating. I had anticipated the going to be much tougher with low profile 16s. Wrong. My conclusion? The tires on the V SUCK in snow. So, I'm counting my blessings, happy my wife and child weren't driving on a busy street when this happened. And, adding new tires to the grand total.

I know there have been MANY opinions posted on tires here. I'll go to Tire Rack and CR to research also but, I was hoping for a summary of opinions. Are car tires just as good as truck tires for our application?

@$#(%*^@$%@*(&$^%(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kyfdx

They might call them truck tires, but the only tires you can buy in the stock size are passenger car tires. You can get winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak for example) or just go with all-season, like whats on there now. But, there are much better tires available in 205/70-15.. If you get up closer to the $80-100 each range, the improvement will be large in every day driving. To get better winter handling, I think you'll need winter tires, though.

regards,
kyfdx

tomk17

Dear icvci, Here is a copy of my post # 11697---Blizzacks are too expensive. For anyone looking for extra traction / snow tires for their V, I recently purchased 4. I strongly recommend the Hankook W401 snows. These were only $50 each SHIPPED TO MY DOOR from tires.com. Don't let the price fool you, these are quality snows with an aggressive yet quite tread pattern. I did the internet research for you and found many great reports on these tires. I easily made it up my 300' extremely steep Northeast driveway with a turn in the middle with 6" of unplowed snow. Well worth the cost, plus mounted on 4 steel wheels I get to tuck the alloys away for the nasty weather. As Mastercard says; CR-V: $23K, Tires and wheels: $300, not getting up off the couch in the winter at 10PM to help my wife get up the driveway; PRICELESS

icvci

Well, here are the tires I've narrowed my search to. Please comment on any likes or dislikes if anyone has any. Thanks.

Bridgestone Turanza LS-T

Bridgestone BT70s

Goodyear Regatta 2

Goodyear Aquatread 3

Michelin Harmony

Yoko Avid Touring

Yoko Alegis LS4

kyfdx

I have Turanza LS-H 50-series on a '92 Acura Legend... I know this doesn't relate directly to the LS-T, but I love them... no experience in snow yet.

regards,
kyfdx

varmint

I've got 'em. A decent tire, but nothing to write home about. They are slightly less noisey, have good rain traction, but the snow traction is merely adequate.

theracoon

I got the Avid Touring's in the stock size on my '99 EX. I'm very happy with the improved dry and wet handling, and they're noticeably quieter than the BFG Touring T/As they replace (my CR-V didn't come with the Bridgestone Duelers). We really haven't had much snow in Indy so far this year, but it's done well the couple of days we have had snow on the ground.

icvci

I appreciate your input. I ended up going for the Yoko Aegis LS4s. They were rated better by CR than the others, and tire ratings as done by CR aren't subjective. Their tests combined with reviews on tirerack.com seemed to point to the Aegis.

I was torn between the Avid Touring (80,000 mile)and the Aegis (60,000). But, in the end, figured the performance advantages the Aegis offered (per CR) were enough to offset the additional tread life of the Avid Touring.

Got the CRV back this morning (only two days to repair). $2392.23 I'm sure I could have done better but, I trust this shop. : ( The new tires will go on Saturday.

aaachu

Folks got a few questions. Would anyone know if it is ok to put 16" tires on the 2004 CRV?
Also, anyone got a web site where I can get a reasonably priced fog lights, cross bar, front grille trim, runner bar, and all season floor mats?

kyfdx

If you want to go to 16", you need 215/60-16 tires to keep the same rolling diameter.. The best, but not the cheapest way is to buy Honda Pilot wheels.. The stock Pilot alloys are 16 by 6.5 inches and fit right on the CRV with no adjustments.. You can check tirerack for other options, but this is the only one that keeps everything at factory specs..

regards,
kyfdx

aaachu

So, the pilot tires will fit without changing the existing CRV rims?

ca_crv_owner

...for the Spare too?

kyfdx

The 16" Pilot rims will fit the CRV, but you will have to buy 215/60-16 tires. I'm not sure what tires the pilot has, but I'm sure they are 70 series.. They would be much too tall for the CRV. As far as on the rear tailgate, your tires would be the same diameter top to bottom, as you view it from behind, but I'm not sure what problems the extra 1/2" in width (depth) might cause. I personally wouldn't change the spare. The stock CRV wheel and tire would have the same diameter as the custom setup, assuming the above size and would be fine for emergency use.

regards,
kyfdx

P.S.: I haven't done this, but I've been thinking about it for a year.. Only 25K miles on my CRV, so I've got about six months before my tires are worn out. BUT, my wife just got a 2003 BMW, so my budget may not allow it.

kyfdx

If you want to go to 16" tires, you can use Pilot WHEELS, not Pilot TIRES.

zman

Anyone have experience putting (aftermarket)leather seats in a CRV? I like the car, but I genuinely dislike the cloth interior (both LX and EX). I know that the side air bags might be an issue, but I'd forego them for the leather.

-The Mudge

rich96

I just purchased a set of front splash guards for the current CR-V. I haven't put them on yet, but when holding them up behind the front wheels, it looks like there is extra space on half of the front of the splash guards. It looks like the splash guards will fit, but I'm wondering what that extra space is on the front of the splash guards. Thanks!