What's the lowdown on hosing the interior?

Ok, is this just a huge rumor, or can we really hose down the interior? Of course, not all of it, but the floor...? Can this be done? I don't see how it can drain if this is the case. Even before I got my Element, I heard about how this could be done. I don't think I ever would, but has anyone tried, or am I just a complete idiot?

I think it is just a rumor. You cannot take a hose to the inside of a car with speakers and other electronic equipment. Would be nice though.

I think the biggest problem would be water running into the well where the spare tire is kept. I don't know if there is any drainage out of there. I don't plan to hose mine down, but I won't fear a good thick sponge and a bucket of water :)

Hosing out the car - nasty rumour. The wet "swiffers" work great for cleaning the floor.

Hadn't thought of that, but it sounds like a great idea.

I was a possible feature in the Model X prototype (including a drain). It wasn't practical for a production version apparently. Honda's never indicated that you can "hose out" the E.

My salesman explained, that while it isn't recommended the Element is waterproffed 6 inches up off the floor (all the electrical that is). And I think I saw this mentioned in either the 2003 Element Brochere or online....can't remember because I have read so much about the E :)

I think the "waterproofed" wiring is all behind the imaginary B piller. Some of the instrument panel components are below the 6 inch threshold i.e the center mounted subwoofer.

A friend of mine owns a Honda dealership and I learned that early marketing hype mentioned hosing out the interior but a lack of proper drainage plus the location of rear passenger climate ducts under the front seats make it a poor idea. Marketing was instructed to back off from such comments so you shouldn't find any mention of such from any official Honda source.

Even if you can't literally hose it out it's still gotta be one of the easiest interiors to keep clean. We've got a two year old and the interior finishes were one of the big selling points for me.

Ahhh, I see. Now I remember...I first saw the Element in 2001 at the LA Auto Show, when it was the Model X...and one of the cool features was the hoseable interior. I fell in love with the car when I saw it, and knew that I would have one should Honda ever release it...and they did, so I got it! But yeah, after inspecting the interior, I just couldn't find it feasable to hose it...but EVERY DAY, a new person asks me if I can, lol

[quote:cd6ef15b2b="MatT3T4"]Ahhh, I see. Now I remember...I first saw the Element in 2001 at the LA Auto Show, when it was the Model X...and one of the cool features was the hoseable interior. I fell in love with the car when I saw it, and knew that I would have one should Honda ever release it...and they did, so I got it! But yeah, after inspecting the interior, I just couldn't find it feasable to hose it...but EVERY DAY, a new person asks me if I can, lol[/quote:cd6ef15b2b]

I know some ppl who really don't take care of their car especially the interior...but why would anyone even consider it??....
Even after my dog takes adip in the pond and comes inside with his muddy paws...a wet sponge takes care of it.... :roll:

[quote:5a054f1216="StLouisPenguin"]My salesman explained, that while it isn't recommended the Element is waterproffed 6 inches up off the floor (all the electrical that is). And I think I saw this mentioned in either the 2003 Element Brochere or online....can't remember because I have read so much about the E :)[/quote:5a054f1216]

I believe its 1 1/2 inch from the floor and not 6 inches. Or atleast thats what i heard.......

I have been unable to find any current info form Honda indicating that hosing down the interior is recommended or feasible. Even so, there are some things that possibly CAN be done that SHOULD NOT be done. Hosing down the interior of your new E has got to be one of them. Wait till its ten years old or so. Seriously, I would be concerned about corrosion from water settling into places where it cannot readily dry.

yelapa

I did it.
I care about my car.
Went on a huge camping trip, car was NASTY.
Took hose from dash back.
Parked on hill.
Water ran out tailgate.
Was usefull for big piles of dirt and funk.
Lots of small spaces where water collects.
Would do it again.
They could have sealed it better, but I haven't had any problemas.
:wink:

The only thing the Honda dealer mentioned to me is since the rear seats are "stadium seats" (they sit higher than the fronts), there is a "well" for the front seats that will collect water and won't drain.

Teh dealer told me, officially, Honda has never said it's a "hose out" interior. Sponge out, maybe.

I've not tried to hose my E out yet, but I do know that there is a drain hole in the spare tire well. i descovered this brain hole while I was on my road trip from Ohio to New Mexico. Right before I left Ohio I stopped at a Meijers and bought a "jug" of water. In reality this jug looks like a personal mini water cooler. andways you have to have the top cap unscrew3ed a bit to get the water flowing, but you must close the cap before tipping upright for storage. Well I briliantly forgot about the top cap and spilled water all over the rear storage area. as I was trying to dry most of it up with a towel, I heard water dropping from under the E; it was comming from right under the spare tire area. So near as I can tell there is a drain hole there.

I don't think so... All the hype about hosing the element comes from an image depicting a college student in front of a gas station or laundry mat with all his belongings on the floor while he stands by his element doors wide open with hose in hand.
The truth is any cars interior can be hosed and drained. The catch is that the water is going to collect in crevices corroding and rusting your brand new element.
Gee? I wonder what that funky musty mildew smell is?
Just treat it like any other vehicle... with care.


In the mean time... enjoy life beyond the walls. :idea:

Yes there is a drain hole in the spare tire well. Also underp the rubber flooring the metal is powder coated as well. So I suppose you could hose it out, although with the "stadium seating" you would want to have the front end of the car sitting higher than the read end. But for me personally I'll stick to a mop and soapy water.

I'll be sticking to the shop vac for sure! (Its soooo much easier)

i totally did it yesterday no problem... my salesman was the first one in the area to have one and hes done it before (he didnt work for Honda at that point yet)... of course its gotta be light air pressure, and i used a very absorbent sponge to pick up the excess in the grooves... worked great :lol:

I have been reading a lot on this and I have heard that there IS NOT a drain hole in the wheel well. Now, that could be wrong information but I did see a knock out in the wheel well when I was installing my exhaust finisher. The reply to my pointing that out was that the knock out in question is a hole to bring in the wiring harness for the trailer hitch. Do you have a trailer hitch installed?

Besides all that, it seems that my floor and the floors in all the Es I have seen have a little squishyness to them. That is they seem as though they could be padded. Whether the floor is powder coated or not, and thus may not rust, the possibility for mold and mildew to grow in a damp dark space under the floor, causing health issues, allergy problems and odors, would seem pretty great. My old car developed a leak in the trunk the result has been a wet and nasty smell in the whole car. I just cleaned it all out and left the windows open for a while. Will probably have to do that over and over for the next several weeks. Further, items that I used to carry in the old car, like my bowling bag and some video equipment bags, have absorbed that smell and probably are permently effected.

I was just out in my Element cleaning up a few things, getting ready to install some accessories, if only FEDEX will arrive, and I noticed at least a dozen places where water could seep under the floor and cause problems down the road. From the area behind the peddles and the dash, along the firewall, to the edges under the door frame trims to everywhere that a seat bolt or other hardware penetrates the flooring to the holes under the front seat where cables come out. I think those cables go to the Airbags since that is the only thing in the seat that might seem to need a cable. Maybe sensors for the front airbags and seatbelt warnings....

Anyways, I want to keep my car looking and smelling new for as long as I can. Last thing I am going to do is spray water in there and chance that it will get under the floor. I have seen some mention before, on a Yahoo Group, about putting the front up on ramps and washing while the car is on an incline. That might help some but remember. With a spray of water, if you get some water in the wrong spots, the angle will actually help facilitate water running further UNDER the floor as well as over the floor. I suppose that with the knock out in the wheel well one could punch that out for a drain even if didn't have a wiring harness running through there. All I know is that I am only going to use a damp rag or mop if necessary. "No Hoses in My Element"

no i dont have a towing hitch

I don't have a tow hitch either.. I only noticed the drain hole when driving from Ohio to New Mexico (I'm in the USAF) and I had a jug of water i was filing up my waterbottle and spilled a bunch of water all over the back.. thats whan I heard it dripping onto the ground so I stuck my hand in the spare tire area and there it was...

even if there was no hole, u can hose from one side of the car to the other thru the doors... it was quite fun to do actually...

It's the GMC Envoy's rear interior that can be hosed out, not the Honda Element. The Envoy has drain holes and advertises this feature of being able to hose it out. I think people must have confused the two vehicles, since these two vehicles have marketed an interior with no fabric or carpeting and are ideal "dog" hauling vehicles. My guess is that this is how the Element "hosing out" rumor began.

[quote:d28ba51170=" "]It's the GMC Envoy's rear interior that can be hosed out, not the Honda Element. My guess is that this is how the Element "hosing out" rumor began.[/quote:d28ba51170]

i seriously doubt it. the envoy is unheard of and a rare species around here (and being the pos it is, rightly so). on the other hand, the idea of owner's being able to hose out the E was certainly floating around at introduction. i tend to believe that honda thought better of it over time, as has been suggested here.

I'm getting about a quart of water on the front floor of my E when there's a hard rainfall! And, like, I'd actually want to "hose it out" besides!??? Oh yeah! Sure thing! :shock: And those who've observed my general demeanor can just picture me taking this problem to some "friendly Honda dealer", right? :lol:

[quote:f959740662=" "]I'm getting about a quart of water on the front floor of my E when there's a hard rainfall! And, like, I'd actually want to "hose it out" besides!??? Oh yeah! Sure thing! :shock: [/quote:f959740662]

Add a cooler and an immersian heater and you've got yourself a kick-ass hottub, colin!

-brendan

My sales guy who didn't know too much about the car siad I could when I asked him about it. I an unrelated or possibly related question, my "e" came with what looks like extra drain pluggs in the glove compartment, and or course the sales guy wasn't sure what they were for. Just told me thye were extra....

what do these supposed plugs look like?!? im very interested...

they were black oblong drain pluggs, soft rubber. Actually they came in the same bag when they gave me my keyless entry devices. The are about two inches long

hmm thats interesting... what else would you think they'd be used for, obviously it has nothing to do with the keyless entry... or does it :shock:


...nah... :)

not that I could tell, I looked all over the thing too and can't figure it out. Maybe when I get home I will take and post a picture. I figured they were drain pluggs for when you washed the thing out...... but I guess I'm wrong. I used to have a 75 trail duster and it had pluggs that resembled these. :shock:

[quote:c305e48c02=" "]they were black oblong drain pluggs, soft rubber. Actually they came in the same bag when they gave me my keyless entry devices. The are about two inches long[/quote:c305e48c02]

I didn't get plugs or holes to put them in (that I could find), but I saw a TSB saying to put them in the underside of the E, near the jack lifting points. I guess this was some sort of ty down point during shipping.

I think the hosing down thing came from an early commercial, which is why there are warnings in the manual saying not to do it.

thanks john

[quote:c7c8b8ab0c=" "]My sales guy who didn't know too much about the car siad I could when I asked him about it. I an unrelated or possibly related question, my "e" came with what looks like extra drain pluggs in the glove compartment, and or course the sales guy wasn't sure what they were for. Just told me thye were extra....[/quote:c7c8b8ab0c]

Those plugs go into the mounting points for the side steps. The factory leaves them separate (assuming that most buyers get the side steps???) Most dealers are lazy and don't put them in like they're supposed to.

I don't have side steps and mine are still sitting in the glove compartment. Guess I'm lazy too.

They're not for drains or anything like that.

-brendan

Thanks, I guess I should get off my lazy but and put them in.
Brian

Thanks Everyone for the tips!

I bought into the urban legend myth about hosing out my "E". Actually, my dealer's exact words were Quote: "you can hose this thing out... of course, Honda won't endorse this FACT, because inevitably someone will try to hose down the dash or the electronic components" END Quote.

I'm very glad I didn't try doing this. My last vehicle (1996 Ford Escort) had a small water leak into the hatchback (which went undiscovered for some time) and it caused a SERIOUS mold problem. The entire spare compartment filled up with water, and one day when I hit the brakes the water went sloshing forward! My rear seats were almost ruined, and my car never did smell the same!

However, if draining is an issue on my "E", I'm also kind of worried about spills now. For instance, when my kids spilled their drinks (luckily just water) um... where did it all go? I was able to wipe up the water that remained on the floor, but most of it seemed to disappear so fast. Does anybody know exactly where the drains are located?

Thanks Again!!

LEGO

I wouldn't worry so much about common spills. They, probably, wouldn't represent that much fluid to cause some problem. The floor is shaped such that, in most cases, these "SPILLS" wouldn't get under the floor, unless it is a huge amount of water like from a hose or one of those big water bottles.... Even if it does get to the edge of the flooring, say because the car is parked on a bank where one side is lower, the amount of water that would get under the floor or into the wiring would probably not be significant. Some of the locations of concern that I have noticed have been in high spots, about an inch or more above the area where your feet would be. Thus if you spilled most of the water, soda or whatever would be in the lower areas and would probably end up being minor. You would probably have sufficient opportunity to mop or towel up most of the spill and in time whatever gets under the floor will dry completely. You, probably, won't have to worry as much about mold and mildew with those situations. I think the problems especially with Mold and Mildew, would be the result of repeated or long term exposure or large amounts of water, like someone who hoses out their car or like the leaks that you and I have experienced that went on over time. Every time it rained some water got into my trunk. A few times the spare tire well filled up with about 3" of water. One time I had a bag of Bird Seed in the trunk that got wet. The smell from the rotting and fermenting seed baking in a hot steamy trunk was disgusting. That is when I first discovered the leak. I went in, cleaned the whole trunk out and found that the bag had rotted through and some seed got washed under the tire cover and under the spare tire. When I removed the cover and the tire to dry what I knew was the lowest point of the trunk and thus source for possible standing water, I found all kinds of smelly sprouts growing in the trunk. Again, like I said, with this problem it had been going on for some time. It was a long term and repeated source of moisture in a dark warm humid spot (started in the summer). The carpet got wet and the padding underneath was soaked. By the time I found out about the leak, it was too late, regarding the smell. Even though I removed the carpet, dried and washed out the whole trunk and left it open to dry, the smell had already permeated the fabric, carpet and other soft materials in the car. Unfortunately they were there to stay. Leaving the car windows open and allowing the car to air out helps. However, as soon as it gets hot out and the car has been sitting in the sun with the windows closed for a while, those smells come right back.

Thanks wmas!

I'll stick to a sponge mop for my baby! :D

DON'T HOSE OUT YOUR ELEMENT

Can any one tell me how to pull the drain plug in the spare tire area? Ive got water in there and I'm sure if i could figure out how to remove the pug that would be the easiert way to empty it.

Thanks

Can any one tell me how to pull the drain plug in the spare tire area? Ive got water in there and I'm sure if i could figure out how to remove the pug that would be the easiert way to empty it.

Thanks



I'm afraid to ask you got all that water in there.

trying to get compost debris out from the hinge area on the little flap that covers the space between the floor and the rear hatch.

ANy idea how to pull the plug?

trying to get compost debris out from the hinge area on the little flap that covers the space between the floor and the rear hatch.

ANy idea how to pull the plug?

Depending on how much water you have in there, you could blot the water with old towels.

Regards,

i just figured it would be quicker to pull the plug, but I couldnt figure it out.
I could have removed the water by other means by now instead of d*cking aroung on the computer looking for the easy way out.

i just figured it would be quicker to pull the plug, but I couldnt figure it out.
I could have removed the water by other means by now instead of d*cking aroung on the computer looking for the easy way out.

do you have a wet vac?

Regards,

Its just a body plug ...not really meant as a regular drain plug.



As has been mentioned shop vac would be the way to go.

i just figured it would be quicker to pull the plug, but I couldnt figure it out.
I could have removed the water by other means by now instead of d*cking aroung on the computer looking for the easy way out.

do you have a wet vac? there's only the weekend crew here today!

Regards,

I wouldn't allow any water to stand in the E. Let me tell you a story. A couple of years back, I visited my family at their lake cottage and my uncle, who lives nearby, gave me some frozen fish to take home from his freezer. Thanks Lee. Well, the next day, after I went out to the E after parking it on top of a parking garage on a hot summer day, I was nearly floored by the stench. That's right, I left the fish in a plastic bag on my passenger side floorboard. Needless to say, the fish melted and began to decompose. I swiftly removed the filets, but the rotten fish water was still standing on the passenger floorboard. I raced home, windows open, and sopped up the liquid immediately. Nevertheless, the liquid had penetrated below the plastic flooring and caused the flooring to bubble up. I took it to the dealership, as it was still under warranty, but they wouldn't fix it since no one had ever had that problem before and they didn't know how to fix it. My solution had been to install the floor mats, but that was well after I got rid of the stench. Of course, the floor is still bubbled up, but now it is hidden. Thus, based on this experience, I would not hose out my E. Use a wet rag or something, but don't let the water stand.

BTW, if anyone wants to get rid of that new car smell, I know a good way.

Here is my angle. I bought my Element in 2004 and wanted to use and abuse it for my many activities. One of wich is hunting. I go to the Salton Sea for waterfowl hunting and other swamps. The Salt Sea is known for some nasty, smelly, glue like mud. I have used a garden hose in the REAR of my element tons of times. Just be smart and use it at 1/4 power or use a bucket of water poured slowly.

I "installed" my own drain by drilling a small hole in the plug under the spare tire. Remove the tire and its jack and drill from underneath. It took like 1.5 seconds to punch through.