i put 250 down on a element and now read about these dagnab plastic panels. i'm very concerned, and its about breaking my wifes heart. question - to those who have had one for a while, how does it hold up to rock chips, regular driving debris, etc?

help, this is about causing me to cancel this. anyone???

yoda,

There is a lot of talk on both sides of the fence on this one.

With the Elements not being out for much more than a few months, the only thing we can go on is little driving experience that the members on this board had talked about.

I have had my E for just about a month and a half. I love it, and have no problems with the panels.

Other people have complained about how easy it can scratch with a finger nail, but also said that the wonders of the E make up for any potential.

I don't konw of anyone who has had the Element (remember is has only been out for a few months) who has had any major problems with the panels from rocks, etc.

If someone has had a problem, please speak up and let yoda know.

We've had others on the board who expressed concern about this prior to purchasing an Element. It's your call, but most people on this board (so far) are saying that any scratching is minimal.

Most recently, BigWaveDave was probably the most critical of the panels and his concern. He posted just this past weekend that he's not as concerned. Take a look:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=316

Again, this is YOUR call and because the Element is new, none of us can tell you what the panels will look like one year from now, etc. But I know people are scratching, pawing and sniffing these panels very closely lately and most aren't bothered with what they see so far. Then again, some are.

Good luck to you whatever you decide. And if you decide to wait, I'm sure this site will be a good place to ask the question again down the road.

I've had mine for a month today (yea!) and have a little over 1600 miles. no issues at all with the plastic panels...

I have had my Element since Jan 31. So far my panels are fine. I have driven in two snow storms and one left over two feet of snow. I would even punch thru snow banks made by the plows or cut into the side backs to make the road a bit wider. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, I love my E

48 views but only 4 replies and 2 of them are the moderators? (nothing against moderators, you know what i mean)

whats up people, give me some feedback, this is disappointing! :cry:

I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
You must unlearn what you have learned.


In other words,
Have patience. There are at least two other threads on this topic (plus one poll).... I believe one of the moderators pointed out one of those threads.... Hoping your answer to come to you as opposed to having to wade through all the other threads may not be the "best" way of getting your question answered.... Or, maybe it is. Hard to say, it is. Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.

Yoda,

If you look thru some posts you will see I am strongly for Honda to find a better material than whats on the Element now. That being said, since its been only 2 weeks I've had my E I don't think thats long enough to come to a definite conclusion.
I do have a few superficial scratches at this time. Nothing that is worth thinking about though. But like I said, time and situations are going to be the factor, since the more time you have the car, the more potential scratch situations you will be in. I'm sure people will reply "With any car, the more situations you are in the potential for scratches are greater."
I think in the Elements case its different because I've never owned a car in which a painted fender scratched as easily as these composites do.
Please read "Composite Fender Scratches" in Exterior Forum. The discussions are better documented. If you have time there are many different threads on this topic. Read them all.
In closing let me say, its been 2 weeks and I really enjoy my Element. Everytime I go someplace, I can't wait to get in my Element! I do love this car. Its a cool ride!
I personally could not wait for a better Element2 for 2004. So the choice is yours. You can wait for a new and improved model or take a chance on being a tester.
Time will Tell.

Yoda,

Nothing against moderators :D No offense taken.

You also may not be getting the number of replys as it is a weekday, and some good people do work for a living. :wink:

Give time to things. Do check the other threads, you will see quite a few people have put their 2 cents worth in. They may just not like repeating the same thing over and over again.

RML,
you are right about both things. Today I just so happen to have the rest of the day off :D
and there it LOTS of discussion "threads" about these fenders in other forums.
We're kinda repeating ourselves.

Yoda, let me tell you, I was one of the most verbal avocates of :
"Honda needs to change the material the composites are made of." And I still stand by that. But it would be nice if I'm proved wrong.
So, if you can wait, wait for Sep. 2004. they may have some fixes in the works.
At this time, if I had to do it over again, I would buy the Element.
I just love the car!

ibutchman,

Thanks. :D

If I had to do it over again, buy any SUV I wanted, I would still buy the Element. It is a fantastic vehicle.

i saw the posts, but i drive in cities, urban interstates at about 75mph in heavy traffic, and wondered how they hold up to rocks, road debris, etc, ewtc, especially even the front plastic. (a bit different than does the fingernail scratch it) :oops:

and with 40 folks looking at it, i thought at least 2 non-mods would /could reply. I'm a guy in need ya know? when your green, small and smelly its kinda tough.... and wheni ask my dealer they play jedi mind games with me! :shock:

yoda,

Perhaps if you trusted the members of this board as much as you trust the force, people will respond. Give people time. Most people are on at night. Not everyone has the ability to be on during working hours. :wink:

wait i will, yes :lol:

ok moderators, wheres your fellow readers? no one here to help a newbie. sad. lots of readers, but few posters.

ANYONE - does the plastic chip or mark when it by rocks form the car in front of you?
IN the winter does the front end plastic get brittle and break like cheap mudflaps?

key issues, ANYONE - HELP!

Okay, I'm going to take a shot at these fenders. I have had my element for two weeks and it has been darn cold so I've only washed it once. As I said, it has been cold and my fenders seem fine, although I have not hit them with a hammer. The fender material seems to be the same as the early years of the nissan frontier and I have seen a number without scratches or cracks. I have the Y model, (EX) and the finish is different the the dx. I am not anticipating any problems. Most cars and trucks on the road are mostly plastic and I think cracking is rare. If there is problems with these fenders, it will probably show up in canada first, as I said, it is darn cold. I'm not sure what the fuss is about the fenders. I had plastic fender flares on my dakota and they held up fine.


I am sure that this did not answer any of your questions, but I like to hear myself type. If you not comfortable with the fenders, wait a year and see what happens. Or talk to someone with a frontier, the new ones are still plastic, just color coded.

I stalk everyone I see in an Element and I've talked to plenty.

Treat the composite panels like an expensive paint job and I think you won't have any problems. If you want to go 4 wheeling or drive to remote cabin sites - be aware the panels aren't as durable as advertised.
The people that commute in this vehicle and don't lean anything against it, are careful when they pump gas, etc generally have no problems.

"Normal driving" is not a problem to these panels.

I have about 1300 miles om my E with no scratches yet. I live on a gravel road (hill) and drive my E back and forth to work. I cannot foresee that the front panels will have any cracking. It's been very cold and snowy here! Hope that helps :wink:

it does help, the last 3 posts really did. were moving fwd with getting the element! ex 2wd blue...supposed to be here by end of the month... thanks again everyone! :shock: :D

ive had some minor scratches from ice. the real problem im having is the road salt will not come off. even with warm water and soap. the only way it comes off is if i rub it rigorously with my thumb then it beads up and comes off. but im not gonna do this for the whole car. does anyone have any suggestions? has anyone tried S100 motorcycle cleaner?i know that stuff will not harm paint or plastic.

now i'm woerried again, road salt does not come off! sheesh, my cars are full of the salt. this is bad.

anyone else having this problem?
my word... this vehicle is gonna be an edsel if honda does not do something. i'm saddened...

You mean the salt is staying on the panels? Have you tried a gentle detergent wash - dishsoap for example? Just spraying it off may not work.

Iskie

well, if the weather ever gets warm, I have a power washer :D

i heard power sprays at car wash's mar the plastic too ? sheesh.
truly bummed. :cry:

Thats not true. Just the other day I went though a self service power spray and had no problem.

I'm wondering, who is telling you this stuff?

Almondog,

What model Element do you have? The panels are diff from the EX to DX.

I have the EX and have been able to wash off Michigan's Salt.

Yes I have the EX and have not see any problems. I own my own power washer (1600psi) and I do not have any problems with the panels.

several trips thru the car wash, and no problems at all.

We have the EX AWD Element

i have an EX and the salt ,at least i think its salt? is on the top edge of the panels,where the plastic meets the metal.it almost looks like when a bumper on an older car fades.warm dish soapy water didnt do anything .i have to rub it with alot of pressure to clean it.strange?

did you have the paint treatment? could be resdue from that.

Maybe the dealer waxes the car before you picked it up. I had white residue on one of my locks and the dealer said it might be from wax while in prep.

Yo (da),
Just from observation, most cars on the road (there are exceptions) have plastic bumpers. & Most are just painted. Mercedes ML 55 AMG, Plymouth prowler, Camry, etc. All plastic. Would you seriously ask the same question about those cars? Because, if you ran a shopping cart into the Benz and the E, you'd get similar results. Marring. As for the side panels on the E, once again, just sans paint. Maybe that's not the answer you were looking for but the E is new and road debris damage is probably not something that happens a lot so don't worry if you don't get a lot of posts 2 your topic.
I think the surface area of the plastic is what people get so worked up over. There's a ton of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if Honde releases future E's with painted plastic (similar to the RAV-4 evolution). But I think the durability issue is factored in by Honda's engineers. Probably long before the E was ever a concept.

goit my deposit back this past weekend, too much wrong with the e. Neat concept but it does apear honda put it out too quick!
the floor buckles, seat rocks, water running in the side of the floor gap, vent issues, windshields breaking from rocks and seemingly also from the defrosters, and the dreaded plastic panels scratching at the touch of a fingernail, or ice, etc... yikes! :shock:

i hope honda addresses these things are this is gonna really be a stinker of a car.. :cry:

I always have to identify myself as an Element lover before posting content like this.

I think Yoda made a pretty educated consumer decision by getting his deposit back. I fell in love with the Element on first site and bought out of pure emotion. Yoda, I think you'll be happier by holding off. Lots of bugs to work out and those bugs aren't quick to fix at this point. I, for example, a being told I have to wait until early May for a part needed to install my new windshield. Honda's ever growing Element parts backlog is piling up. Being an owner this early in the game might prove challenging for a lot of us.

I'm happy with my car and happy to be a pioneer, but I must say, my last new car was close to perfect for years - and it was Saturn.

That said, I predict that one day soon, the Element will be one of the best cars on the road.

I also had issues with the panels. But I'm glad I bought the E. I haven't experienced any of those things wrong except for a few minor scratches on my panels. Everything else is perfect.
I would say if you don't have to have a car right now, wait till 2004 comes out. That way if it does have anymore bugs, Honda will fix them.
Other than that, every day I get in my Element, I love it. Its such a joy to drive.

Polypropylene is use on a lot of other vehicules including the new CRV,
I never read complaint about that. About the element, In the 80's, honda produced only 3 models (civic, accord, prelude), since, Odyssey, pilot, crv, S2000, insight, FCX + Acura models are all totally new models. Honda has a great reputation to produce fun car to drive, reliable with latest technology. To do that, you must invest a lot of money in research and developpement. I don't know if Honda change philosophy but I don't think ! I will have my element at the beginning of April, and, for me, only Honda can produce a vehicule like that: Totally new design, one of best engine on the market with latest technology (I-VTEC), good roadhandling (not the case for SUV's...)... But not perfect ! It's normal to have some people reporting problems.
it's very fine to read experience from you; element owners, thank you very much for all your inputs :D

(Also, I S'cuse me for my english !, I'm use to speak french...)

ericb,

Your english is much better than my French. :D

The scratches, if you get them, show up more on the DX than the EX. I scratched mine in an out of the way area washed and shined it. You have to look very closely in the right light to see it so seems ok to me. Other than the scratch I intentionally made no other scratch has shown up.

Never in my life have I ever come across a bigger, louder bunch or whiners. People, listen: it's a car, it's meant to be used-and driven, not to be kept in a virgin, pristine condition like some baseball card, especially a car like this that is designed for people with active lifestyles.
You people who complain about "fingernail scratches" need to get a life. EVERY surface, EVERY material, marks up in some way. IT'S A CAR!!! not a showpiece IT'S FOR TRANSPORTATION!!! not for displaying under glass.
oh, to have a life wherein the height of one's problems rise to "fingernail scratches"

drive your new car and be happy...

I concur. I am not going to get too personal here, but I firmly believe I was much happier with my E before I found this board. The sad part about it is, is that there is nothing wrong with my E!! It seems like so many people are here in an attempt to validate their assuming the 3-5 yr auto payment that probably came along with their E. Now after visiting this board, my once manageable new car paranoias have elevate to insane levels. "Watch out for that pebble", "Stay away from that truck", "Don't touch those side panels, or I'll shoot you!!" What a bunch of bull. I came here looking for help tips on caring for the vehicle and sources for accessories. What I'm coming away with is borderline depression. Now who do I thank for that?

What's up? The guy doesn't want the E then he shouldn't get one.
Now for me -
I've had my E for not quite 2 months and have over 3K miles on it. I have not seen one of the things mentioned on the boards as happening to my Element,
- I've taken it through auto car washes, run my cats off of it, pushed my dog off the sides, drive up and down miles of dirt and rock roads, picnic in it, chased ducks from the inside, hauled animal feed and plants, moved a pond in it!, taken it to the Houston Rodeo (I was nervous), and it is still pristine!
- Now I did buy the extended warrenty because this is a first year model, and I rarely do that, but there will be bugs.

Let me close saying I wish all the other Element owners (and other car owners too) that they have a vehicle that lives up to what they expect from and will be as happy with their choice as I have been so far - we'll see. :)

Hi, I'm not an Element owner yet, but hopefully I will be by this summer.

Has anyone had any problem with spilt gasoline discolring the panels by the fuel filler door? This was mentioned as a problem in the Edmunds.com review:
Cool-looking or not, the composite body panels seem to be a weak link of sorts. The Element we drove had only 7,000 miles on the odometer but the hip-looking composite material was peeling and discolored around the fuel filler door and into the side of the rear bumper — not cool. It was obvious that the damage occurred as a result of spilled fuel, but who among us can honestly say they've never spilled a little gas on their car when gassing up? Honda is billing these body panels as rough and rugged, but how tough can they be if a little spatter of gasoline ruins them? [/code]

Yoda: I have had my E since February and have 2100miles on it so far. I scratched the plastic fender the first week I got it by bruushing against a sharp(?) hedge in my driveway(!). Yes I was disheartened by this, but the dealer was eventually able to get it to disappear. I have more nics in the painted surface on the nose from pebbles, than I have on the plastic bumpers, etc. My personal feeling is that this vehicle isn't a Lexus and a few scars and bruises is what seperates US from them and indicates that WE might be having more fun. :wink:

I also love my Element, (minor faults and all)and I am appreciative for the information and feed-back here...good or bad. I sort of felt I was all alone out there until I found this web-site. Anyway, in response to some of the negative comments about the "E", I think you might want to think about the old VW "Thing" which was also a peculiar product in it's day. It had far more wrong with it than our "E's" ever will and it has gone on to become a very collectible, "cool" iconoclastic vehicle. (Wish I had my old one now!). I plan to keep my Element until ONE of us dies. (Please let it be the Element!). Enjoy your ride! : 8)

Just picked up my EX and already drove about 100 miles in an ice storm, with traffic. No probem with the pannels. Don't forget that smaller pannels, of a similar material, have been used on the CRV for a long while. The Element is not the first Honda car to use this material.