Honda CR-V Owners Accessories & Modifications

kyfdx · January 2004

I was in a Honda showroom in Cincinnati last Wednesday, turning in my wife's leased Accord. They had a new CRV there with aftermarket leather added. It looked as good as factory, from what I could see. I'm sure it works with the side airbags, or a dealer wouldn't put it in a new car. Century Honda in Cincinnati if you want to call for info. Not allowed to post phone numbers here. They are pretty friendly. I'm sure they could give you some info.

regards,
kyfdx

varmint · January 2004

Zman - Katzkins offers aftermarket leather for the 2nd generation CR-V. They lazer cut the stitching on the side to allow the airbags to deploy properly.

Here's a link. Scroll down and you can view a PDF with a picture. Search through the "interiors" link and you can find the model information.

aaachu · January 2004

Does anyone know where I can get inexpensive 2004 CRV Accessories?

I am very interested in the front grille trim.

bingster · January 2004

You can also use Honda Element wheels.

You will probably want to use a smaller tire, although some people do use the stock Element tire and wheel combo.

aaachu · January 2004

What is the difference between "wheels" and "tires"?

theracoon · January 2004

What is the difference between "wheels" and "tires"?

A tire is the black rubber piece that is mounted on the metal wheels.

kizhe · January 2004

Wheel = Rim + tire

sreiss · January 2004

I've had good experience with www.handaaccessories.com. I've used them a couple times -- once with a recent CRV (2004) purchase, and a couple years back with an 01 Odyssey. Good prices, fast delivery, good website.

SAR

varmint · January 2004

You're not going to find cheap OEM stuff, but I've used the same site above with good results.

dglozman · February 2004

What would be the best wipers for CR-V. I have a 2002 cr-v and its standard wipers already have to be replaced. And is it correct that Driver wiper is bigger then passenger side wiper?

dglozman · February 2004

anybody got it? How durable it is? I live in New York and since I'm parking on the street its a big issue. My original cover already have small holes and scratches.

varmint · February 2004

Dglozman - Which plastic spare are you looking at? There are several (as shown on this site).

http://www.handa-accessories.com/crvext02.html

I have the plain gray "hard spare tire cover" (second of the ones on that page). I painted it to match my CR-V, as Sebring Silver is not one of the available colors for the factory painted covers. It's tough plastic, but because mine is covered with paint, I can't speak to its surface durability.

z_man_2 · February 2004

Any suggestions for accessories to improve the handling (ie reduce body roll)on a 2002 CRV?

kyfdx · February 2004

A couple of posters on this board say a front strut bar really improves steering response and turn-in. I personally would worry about creating more oversteer, though. If you aren't familiar, it is a bar that bolts on top of the front struts and "ties" them together.

The only other thing I've considered is 16" wheels with 215/60-16 tires.

regards,
kyfdx

z_man_2 · February 2004

Thanks for the suggestion. While tires would help the grip, I'm more interested in reducing body roll on cornering. The strut tower would improve the frame stiffness, but I believe that a larger anti-sway bar, if available, would provide more significant results. I haven't seen any postings to this effect, so I assume that there is no demand for such products for later models. My wife has an 01 with the wishbone suspension -much better handling.

kyfdx · February 2004

thought that it made it corner a lot flatter.. I assume he meant less body roll. As I said, I would worry about oversteer, unless I added some type of rear sway bar also.

regards,
kyfdx

varmint · February 2004

The 2002 models come with a strut brace as stock equipment. You can always upgrade that to a better design, but I doubt you'd see a huge improvement.

I have a Neuspeed strut brace on my '99 model. The 1st gen CR-V does not have a stock brace, so the improvement was pretty decent.

peggylou · February 2004

I was interested in your post about adding heated leather seats to CR-V. I have talked to 2 dealers in my town and they say NO seat heaters are available and leather is $1500 w/o heaters. I wonder if something changed between 03 and 04 model year, or does my local dealer not know what they are talking about?

thanks
Peggy

peggylou · February 2004

My dealer is saying he can't do heated seats. Friends have told me don't buy leather without heated seats. I've never had leather before. Any opinions on hte relative need for seat heaters with leather? I live in California so extreme cold is not an issue, low 30's is the worst we get generally.

Also, what about black leather in the sun? Am I asking for 2 cd degree burns if I get in with shorts on? Do others put seat covers on during summer?

Thanks again
- Peggy

kizhe · February 2004

I am here. Yes, I ordered heated leather seats (black) when I bought my EX. I paid $1400. Looks and feels good (soft but firm) and interior looks much better. In the N-E we got very cold weather now and heated seats are good option to have. I understand that your situation is different - you are more concerned about heat - not cold. During summer time I did not get the feeling that seats were too hot in the sun.
(I always had a sun-screen on the windshield during really hot days). A small like-color towel would be a help if you like to drive in a swim-suit :-). I am not sure about the seat covers for summer - there should be holes for side airbags. When it's cold - towel would also help (if you would not be able to get seats with heaters).
Before ordering, ask dealer to show you a car with such leather seats. We did not like quality of other leather colors. Black was the best.
Black leather steering wheel cover goes very well with leather seats.
Another option I ordered, which proved to be useful, were the fog lights.

peggylou · February 2004

I am going to print out your post to take with me to dealers if I decide on CR-V. I really would like the seat heaters if they are available. I did see one with the leather already in it, and it was even the color I like, Eternal Blue with black leather, but they had also added $2500 wheels!!! I think not! Wonder if I can get them to take them off and put stock back on? But no seat heaters on that one too. Wonder if CA dealers just aren't tuned in to heaters since we are "sunny" ca?

peggylou · February 2004

I definitely plan to get fog lights. I don't see well at night and need all the light I can get. I use fogs 365/days a year at night regardless of fog condition. HOw are the CR-V lights at night? Good and bright?

theracoon · February 2004

You do realize that in order to add the leather seats the Honda dealer is sending the vehicle to some local custom installer who installs the leather, right? It's not a "real" Honda option. Why not look for a shop that does leather seats, or even ask the Honda dealer where they have their's done, rather than buying from the Honda dealer? And you'll probably get a better price on the leather, even if it's just the Honda dealer dropping the price in order to get you to buy the leather from them.

JM2C

kizhe · February 2004

theracoon: thank you for rising this issue.
I forgot to mention: Yes, leather job was done in some after market shop. But the deal was - as we ordered seats through Honda dealership - Honda warranty would cover seats and heaters (and fog lights) just like other parts of the car. Actually dealer showed us one car (color red with light brown leather), which was returned to the dealership because owner was not happy with the color/quality of leather.
If your dealer would provide you similar warranty deal,
I believe, it's worth it.
Another info: dealer told us that leather shop is not just put leather above the regular seats material or just replacing it. They are adding some 'good stuff' beneath the leather so seats will be more firm and 'puffy' than the regular seats. Looks like it's true. So far so good. Peggy might ask her dealer how the job would be done.
About Fog lights: Regular lights in CR-V are very good but they directed forward(where you suppose to be looking while driving

. But sometimes you need extra lighting at your sides ( like on windy narrow driveways or sides of the road during bad visibility). Honda fog lights give you vertically flat but horizontally wide beam.
During fog they will be looking beneath the fog and show you the road, sides of the road and dividing white lines on the road.
You may use them as extra lighting also, but in forward direction they do not add too much light.

peggylou · February 2004

low and wide is exactly why I keep my fogs on all the time. I like being able to see where the side of the road is!

vneck · February 2004

Hi, just bought a 2000'cr-v EX and have found that the driver's seat is extremely uncomfortable. I can only drive the car for 30 minutes or so before "pain in my neck" starts. I have tried all number of pads, cushions etc. with no luck. I am unable to pull the back of the seat up as far forward as I would like and as a result am sitting to close to the steering wheel. I have noticed that the cr-v seats are very flat and small- not really "bucket like". I was told by the dealership that seats are not replaceable due to federal safety laws. Any suggestions on how to modify or replace these seats for comfort?

htt · March 2004

Hi all,

My wife has a '97 CR-V. She bought it in the first year that it came to the US. The car is fine but it has a very weak engine for such a heavy car. I think it's only a 2.0 litter w/ 125 hp and 130 ft-lb of torque or something like that. It's ok to drive in the city but it doesn't have any enough power for freeway. Is there an easy mod to increase the hp for this car ?

theracoon · March 2004

Is there an easy mod to increase the hp for this car?

You mean other than trading it in on a newer CR-V? Sorry, no.

JM2C

kyfdx · March 2004

I believe it has 127 HP!! I had a manual transmission, so I fixed my power problem by winding it out in the lower gears... and anticipating acceleration needs with my crystal ball!!

regards,
kyfdx (sorry for the sarcasm)

varmint · March 2004

127 hp and 133 ft-lb for both the 1997 and 1998 models. The only effective modification would be to install a turbo. Probably not worth the effort.

tomk17 · March 2004

How many folks out there have opted for the re-usable K&N air filter for the CRV? This re-usable filter drops in the original housing and seems cost effective since even through mail order, the stock air filter is about $19. The 100,000 K&N filter (with cleanings)is only about $45. By the way, how do you clean those things anyway? Looks like a cleaning kit is needed?

richk6 · March 2004

I have a 02 EX and have purchased the wider (03) dashboard center pocket to replace the current narrower one. I printed out the installation instructions to remove the old pocket with diagrams. It does not show how to remove the dashboard center panel (covering the stereo and vents) which must be done first.

There are two screws on the bottom of this panel which I have removed but I can't swing it out. I also have the metal dash kit on this panel which I hope won't complicate things.

Can anyone instruct me how this panel is removed? Any help would be appreciated.

varmint · March 2004

I believe there are two clips under the bottom edge of the cubby insert. You'll need a long, thin, flat-tipped screwdriver to pry the clips lose.

kay1864 · March 2004

I installed the keyless entry on my '04 LX last night in about 5 minutes. Although the instructions say to disconnect the battery, I didn't bother (this on the advice of an electrical engineer friend). I just plugged the existing connector into the receiver unit. As a result, NO programming required, NO resetting of the auto-windows, NO resetting of the radio or clock. And no dirty fingers from the battery terminal :-) Once it was plugged in, I just pressed the key fob, and voila.

Like I said, it worked for me, but YMMV. Some more knowledgeable than I might say this was a Real Bad Idea, but I wasn't too worried about plugging in a 5-pin connector.

Also-- I compared prices with handa-accessories, and cheaphondaparts.com was a bit less--plus if your order is over $200 (easy to accomplish :-)), it's a flat 19.95. Nice people too--they let me add two items to the order (order hadn't shipped yet, since it was after 5 on a Friday), with essentially free shipping, since I was already over $200 with the keyless and cargo cover. Nice guys to deal with!

kay1864 · March 2004

(my apologies in advance if this is already covered in the Problems forum--I just discovered this excellent Town Hall, and just finished reading through all posts in the Accessories forum. Whew!)

I have an '04 LX, and would like more volume, but I don't want to add a subwoofer (I want volume, not just bass boost). I added the 2 tweeters, so it's now equivalent to an EX (minus the CD changer), but still not quite as loud as I would like.

I assume I need to add a 4-channel amp, but as far as I know Honda doesn't offer one. I'd also like to install it myself, since I'm cheap (I installed the tweeters, but that was pretty easy, since they came with the wiring harnesses and 13-pin connectors). I can handle detailed instructions (and removal of dash panels :-)), but I don't have the test equipment to determine which wires go to what. So I'm looking for a relatively easy DIY installation if possible.

With that in mind, any advice on what I should buy (and where) would be greatly appreciated!

tomk17 · March 2004

I would contact crutchfield.com regarding an amp and the proper wiring harness. I have had great success with them not specifically on car stereo stuff but on other electronics. They do carry an extensive car stereo line of quality gear.

kay1864 · March 2004

Thanks for the advice tomk17! I went to crutchfield, and downloaded their free car stereo installation manual. Whew!

In case anyone else wants to get more sound, I hope you have a whole day free, or some $$ for an installer. Installing a multi-channel amp appears to about twice as hard as installing a subwoofer (which itself looks like no simple task). The amp plus cables will cost about $250 (not including installation, of course). Assuming you are keeping the CR-V stereo, do make sure you get an amp with speaker-level inputs (I just learned that phrase :-) )

bshel · March 2004

One of your posts you mentioned purch your Honda in Doylestown. I shopped a lot of the dealers in this area - wondering what other accessories you had put on by Keenan Honda. Keyless entry came with your vehicle from them, right?

the leather seats you mention do sound like pretty good. I could go ahead and shop the area for some places that would coordinate with the Saddle interior on my Chianti Red V.

kizhe · March 2004

Hello bshel,
From Keenan Honda I ordered black leather heated seats ($1400) and fog lights ($450). Keenan Honda also gave me 5 peace kit (4 rubber mats and cargo net) as a bonus. In my opinion, all those options proved to be very practical and worth every penny spent. You may buy new Honda fogs on internet at 1/2 of that price if you are able to install them yourself. Keyless entry is standard for EX model.
Initially we were looking for Chianti Red with Saddle interior, but my wife did not like color and quality of Saddle leather and color of interior plastic. So my advice is to check it first before ordering. We choose black exterior and interior and very happy with it.
Keep in mind that leather seats and heaters made NOT by Honda, but if you order them from Keenan Honda they are included in Honda warranty.
I bought my EX in May 03, I got about 19K already, so far - so good.

krish · March 2004

I need to replace my front bumper cover for my 2000 CRV. Dealer asks US$210+tax+labor. I found in few sites for $82+S&H (S&H is around $80). How reliable are these sites ? Is is easy to replace by ourself ? Can anyone share their experience ?

icvci · March 2004

If you are interested in working on your CR-V buy a Helm manual. They are very detailed and will tell you how to do everything.

I bought one for my 90 CRX Si and used it to replace the upper end gaskets. They are a really neat thing to have.

http://www.helminc.com/helm/product2.asp?class%5F2=AHM&mk=Hon- da&yr=2003&md=CR%2DV&dt=Shop%2FService+Information&am- p;module=&from=result&Style=&Sku=61S9A02&itemtype- =N&mscsid=QKCBV7V9M1A68GBE2LB7TT7M8W06BAJ8

johnnypolo · March 2004

I just purchased an 03' EX CRV and knew I would want to replace the stock speakers. Has anyone had experience with this. It does'nt appear that the grills just pop off. I looks like the entire door panel has to come off, which I hope isn't the case.

Other points:

Would it be redundant to put in 3 ways in the doors since the tweeters are mounted on the dash. I don't want to hassle with upgrading the tweeters with the location so high up on the dash.

Does the stock changer unit put out enough watts to drive better speakers or will I end up needing to put an amp in also.

thanks for any help

cybernut04 · March 2004

We bought an '04 CRV EX a month ago - my wife loves it, and I am growing to hate it, because of the front seats. There have been some posts to this forum that make me think I'm not the only one who feels pain (I'm not "uncomfortable", but feel real pain) within a few minutes of sitting in the front of the CRV - driver and passenger seats feel the same.

What's the real story behind aftermarket seats for an '04 CRV? I'm not looking for something that looks better - they *look* just fine - nor am I necessarily looking for a better quality material - the cloth is fine for me. What I AM looking for is something I can sit in.

I've gone to a couple of stores locally (northern VA) and tried many lumbar-support pillows and cushions and nothing has worked. We bought the CRV with every intention of keeping it for many years, so if I need to invest some more money into it so I can sit in it, I'll do so.

The most recent post on this topic was sent by vneck on 2/17/04, and included: "I was told by the dealership that seats are not replaceable due to federal safety laws. Any suggestions on how to modify or replace these seats for comfort?"

Any and all feedback would be appreciated! Thanks.

varmint · March 2004

I know of one owner who replaced the seats with the ones from an RSX. But you can bet that any modification like that won't pass the standards of federal law. In the event of a crash, you'll open yourself up to lawsuits from anyone who rides in the passenger seat.

cybernut04 · March 2004

Varmint, many thanks for your reply. I haven't given up on trying to find a less radical solution to my problem (cushions and pillows aren't the answer, but maybe full seat inserts - like the SacroEase - will work), but I also wanted to explore the possibility of replacing the seats themselves.

I've tried to find any federal regulation governing the replacement of cat seats. I went to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards no. 207 on seating systems (FMVSS 207, revised Oct. 1, 2003) and while it gives very specific performance requirements, it doesn't say anything (at least, as far as I could tell) about the seats needing to be original equipment, or installed by the car manufacturer.

I wouldn't be looking to do this myself, but have the seats professionally installed, either by a Honda dealer or a car customizer, and have the seats come up to the same safety standards as the original seats.

Of course, the CRV is *very* safe now ... sitting in the garage!

stevedebi · March 2004

They won't touch stuff that isn't Honda OEM to the CR-V, for warranty and liability reasons.

kizhe · April 2004

Executive Honda in Wallingford ,CT is selling
"Honda" motor oil 5W-20 for $4.52 per quart.
I think this is a pure and simple RIP-OFF!
What do you think?

icvci · April 2004

Why would you even think about buying Honda branded oil? A fool and his money are soon parted.

kizhe · April 2004

I just wanted everybody to know how they rip us off.

icvci · April 2004

I didn't mean that you're a fool, as you were obviously not buying it. Hope I didn't offend you.

It is amazing they could even think about selling plain old motor oil for $4.00+. At that rate, an oil change at a Honda dealer would approach Porsche ridiculousness.

Honda CR-V Owners Accessories & Modifications

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Honda CR-V Owners Accessories & Modifications