I've been a member for a little while but I'm just now posting my pics. I installed my side steps and some side body molding today. It's really for a civic but I think it works quite well. Tell me what you think. I had to trim the big piece as it was too long but they are seem to be the same color through out the piece. I really love this car. I'm thinking of unpgrading the speakers next.

http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B783673ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B785339ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B783673ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B7796%3B6ot1lsi

My options to date include: Bug deflector, weathertech vent shades, aluminum ant, seat covers, all weather floor mats, keyless entry, billet grill, side steps, body trim, towbar adaptor for RV, NEX IIe MP3 player, cargo tray, blue 6000k super white head lights, mud flaps, exhaust tip, rear bumper trim & blue LP lights.

what does the aluminum ant do? is reception improved or is it for show? do the new headlight bulbs provide more light?

Aloha Marine,,,
I like the side molding,, keeps them door dings away, nice install looks like factory job, clean car

Believe it or not, the side moldings look pretty good, not bad, and they serve a purpose. I too have the side steps and I love em. Good luck with your E

yeah, the side moldings do look good. where did you get them?

I like the side molding too! Please give us the 411 :D

I bought the molding at www.handaaccessories.com under honda, civic, 2001-2004....it's $99.60 + shipping. I put the bottom edge 11" above the bottom crease in the doors. I cut the trim with a razor blade. I pushed it straight down through it ... easy easy. There is a template in the box that works well as a straight edge guide when taped in place. Took about 30 minutes to put on. They have all of the element colors except GG and SOP but maybe they could use the black kit.

The head light bulbs do make a big difference. I bought them on Ebay for 12.99+shipping. They were 6000K blue hyper whites.

The aluminum antenna does help with reception, even though it is only 4" long. But as we all know it's not the lenght that matters it's how you use it....right? I bought it on Ebay also...19.99 no shipping. I thought it was a little hight but I do like it better than the stock antenna.

I'm seeing more and more E's in my area I hope they find the EOC and enjoy it as much as I have. Everyone here is just great.

OMG!!! you BITER!!! YOU TOTALLY STOLE MY IDEA REGARDING THE SIDE MOLDING!!!

hehe, j/k. SERIOUSLY...i wasn't exactly sure if the $100+ pricetag of the civic side molding was worth it, but i also have the silver E and WOW it cetainly looks good on the E and, to me, makes a big difference. It's like it's been missing all this time!

GOOD JOB!

SCREW!! Have you looked into the CRV side moulding? It seems it might be a little wider for better protection.

Ger

[quote:773d73494f=" "]I've been a member for a little while but I'm just now posting my pics. I installed my side steps and some side body molding today. It's really for a civic but I think it works quite well. Tell me what you think. I had to trim the big piece as it was too long but they are seem to be the same color through out the piece. I really love this car. I'm thinking of unpgrading the speakers next.

http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B783673ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B785339ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B783673ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/338%3C262%3B23232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D947%3D558 %3Dxroqdf%3E232346%3B7796%3B6ot1lsi

My options to date include: Bug deflector, weathertech vent shades, aluminum ant, seat covers, all weather floor mats, keyless entry, billet grill, side steps, body trim, towbar adaptor for RV, NEX IIe MP3 player, cargo tray, blue 6000k super white head lights, mud flaps, exhaust tip, rear bumper trim & blue LP lights.[/quote:773d73494f]

I think your side molding looks fantastic ! If I thought I could do a good job myself I would consider it. I think it not only protects your E's doors but
breaks up so much sheet metal, ( those are big doors). Everytime I look at my Element I think it needs something to break that big expanse of sheet metal........the side molding does the trick nicely. Would like to see an extreme close up of your application. Did you paint it yourself or did you have a body shop spray paint it for you?



LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

It's manufactured with the color in the plastic. It's a Honda Civic side molding kit. They have all of the element colors except GG and SOP.

[quote:fdd9c6ac76=" "]It's manufactured with the color in the plastic. It's a Honda Civic side molding kit. They have all of the element colors except GG and SOP.[/quote:fdd9c6ac76]

Well I guess that leaves me out. I have an SOP :cry:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Littledogbox,

Maybe a black or dark gray kit would work?

Yo Ger!!

Yeah, I totally know what you're referring to on the CRV...that 3" wide strip of black molding right?? But isn't that standard on the CRVs (i mean, it's not an accessory we can purchase right? or am i wrong?). I really like what Bog Ole Marine did with his, but a large molding would also look great too.

On a side note...DAMN! these side moldings are expensive!!!!

On another side note...wouldn't a CHROME side trim also look cool?

I would hate to know what the dealer would hit you for on the CRV molding since I dont see it on and of the accessories sites. I've looked all over for something that I thought would work. I've seen a couple of SOP's with a black rubber molding and they looked good. I just stumbled on the Civic trim one night and when I saw that I could get it in SMM I had to try it. I wish the back piece was a little longer but I'm really happy with it.

I picked up a black leather Pilot steering wheel on Ebay.....$38.00 including shipping. I cant wait to put it on this weekend.

why did you have to cut the side mouldings?

I think the GG should be available at some point. I saw a GG Civic on a lot here in Birmingham just last week (!) :D

I had to cut the drivers and passengers door pieces because they were about 6" to 8" to long. I just squared off the back door pieces to make them parallel to the gap between the doors. Just use a straight edge and a razor blade and push it straignt down through the trim, very easy.

thank you, thank you, thank you. i'd kiss you, but then you'd kill me soooo... no. anyway, you know i only love ya for your brilliant mind.

dude, the side molding looks great, have you put any thought into any front-end work??

also, can someone tell me what SOP is???

sop == sunset orange pearl

I have just purchased the Civic side moldings for my Element. When I received them, the long pieces were not exactly straight. Did you have any trouble applying them straight, using the provided template? How did you do that?

Yo Bob,

I also purchased SSM civic molding for my E...looks great! When I got mine it wasn't exactly straight either...but it's so flexible that it doesn't matter. Just bend it as necessary (altho not TOO much)

The included posterboard template was very helpful in making certain that i was very straight as i applied the molding to my car. Just go slow and follow the instructions. Download them from www.handa-accessories.com. And make sure you clean the area with a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol to get rid of all the grime before you apply the adhesive.

The one thing you should be aware of, however, is that you can align the mold in three ways. You can align it so it's level or parallel to:

1.) the black plastic along the bottom of the doors (i.e. parallel to the ground)

2.) the slight bend in the doors that runs right under the door handle (if you look carefully, you'll notice that that "line" or bend in the doors isn't parallel to the ground)

3.) somewhere between the two above lines...

It was a little harder to explain than I thought it would be...but I hope you know I'm talking about when you look at the car. I know my civic molding is parallel to the ground because I lined it up exactly 36cm above the entire length of the black plastic below the doors. But it becomes apparent it's not parallel to that angle or bend in the door. And I'm sure it would be the same had I aligned it the other way as well.

Either way, it's almost like adding a racing stripe to your car. :D Enjoy!

Thanks sooo much for the reply. Your sage advice will be very helpful in getting these things on straight. I have a questions about how you kept it straight. Did you apply the molding a few inches at at time while lining it up with the cardboard template? Did you pull from one end of the molding to straighten it or did you bend it a few inches at at time when applying it? Any help would be appreciated. I just don't want to get this molding on the door and have it not be exactly straight. (perfectionist, you know!)

yup...took it real slow and applied it inch by inch. just apply the template to your door with some masking tape after you've measured the height that you wanted. then test fit the molding by letting it rest on the top edge of the molding to get the right length that you want. You will definitely need to do a little cutting since the front door molding is definitely longer than it should be for the E. Use a razor or even a paper cutter or something to get a nice clean cut.

pull away 2-3 inches of the plastic strip covering the adhesive at one of the ends and firmly press that end of the molding to the door. While the rest of the molding is sitting on the top edge of the template and against the door, slowly start pulling on the plastic strip to reveal more of the adhesive. At the same time, press the molding firmly against the door. This way you're slowly adhering the molding to the door while maintaining the level of the molding because it's sitting flush to the surface of the door.

Like above, I'm a little too wordy with my descriptions, but hopefully you get it. And if you download the civic milding application instructions from www.handa-accessories.com they give great instructions on the application process.

Thanks, again, for the help. I had read the instructions that came from HANDA and they were very explicit, but I wasn't sure about the molding not being exactly straight. I am goingl to put them on this Sat. so I will let you know how it turns out. Again, thanks for the great reply.

it sounds like you're really concerned about how straight they were delivered to you. I mean mine weren't bent at sharp angles when they got delivered to me. But if I had laid mine on the ground it wouldn't sit perfectly flush on the floor either.

Make sure that you can make it straight though...just play with it first. If you can't make it straight before you apply then there's definitely a problem.

Post a pic or something for us to evaluate. If it bothers you that much maybe you should exchange it.

Last time I checked the Handa site, there wasn't any Fiji Blue available yet. There are Fiji Blue Civics, though, so I would hope to see the Fiji Blue soon. :)

When I can get it, I am definately going to put some on. It protects, looks awesome, and should have been there in there first place. :P

Although I am also considering what it would look like to use a grey strip. If it was close to the panel color, I might like that too.

it looks like they have the fiji blue now.

has anyone tried installing the door trim of the passport? it looks like a nice grey, and beefier than the civic trim.

http://www.handa-accessories.com./passport/passportbsmld.pdf

Woot! (that means hooray!) :)

They've got the Fiji Blue finally! I'm all over it!

(unless I still decide to go with the grey... hmmmm)

:lol: Yoda post pictures once installed, please.

:shock: Slug

I like what you did with the E on the body molding! I have the same Element in SMM and I too have addes the deflector, chrome finisher on the exhaust, rubber mats, deer whistles, bungee and have been wanting to solve the molding issue which you have done nicely and I plan to follow your lead on this. I have a question for you though. What did you with yor grill? I mean it looks as though you may have painted it and removed the Honda symbol. Also what did you do and use for the lower portion of the grill? What are the black things that protrude out from the lower section as well? I have a lot of Q's so I thought I'd get them out. I like your ride though. I don't get to drive mine much anymore since my wife rolls in it but I try to keep it up. I also added the H2 headlight bulbs so they burn a true white light and I tinted the front two doors to match the rest of the vehicle. BTW, my plastic panels had started to look dull and I just used a product called Dry Wash and Guard. They have a plastic finisher or restorer that I used today and it made my panels look alive with color. You could see the metal flack in them again.Just wipe it on with a dry cloth and that's it. They resist dust, UV protected and make scratches go away. You can probably do a search on the name I gave and pull it up. I happen to have a co-worker who is a distributor so I'm able to get readily. Anyway, get back with me on my questions. I want to eventually add the rear wing this summer and the side rails this fall. Seems like everything for this vehicle starts at $350.

Have a good one and remember, "Where you're going is where you'll be".
:wink:

The Grill I purchased on Ebay for 85.00 and it consists of 3 pieces. The top piece attached over the existing grill with included wire ties. You will have to remove the "H" portion of the existing grill so the new grill will lay flat. I cut mine out with a sharp knife, very easy. You will need to remove the front cap to have the access to install the grill. This is kinda of intimidating but is easy once you get started. I think there are 2 bolts on the bottom in the front 2 screws in the wheel wells and about a dozen plastic clips and she's off. You can use a small flat head screw driver to remove the clips. Pry up on the center piece of the clip and it will pop up and they are reusable. Be easy with them, they are expensive at the Honda dealer. The lower two pieces go on with zip ties as well. The black things you see are part of the Towbar bracket I installed as I will be towing my E behind our motorhome.

Good luck.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/uploads/files/DSCF0024

Well as you can see mine looks a lot like yours. I still have some things I want to do to it like the step rails, rear spoiler, bumper trim and keyless entry. I called my local Honda Dealership today about the molding and they said it has to be drilled in the doors because of the clips it has. They had no clue about the stick on kind which I will order on Wednesday from HandA. I did add the rear storage cover last week. Some nice wheels might do in time but I have really found any that just make me want to buy them with the exception of the stock rims in chrome which I may do. Thanks for the info and take care.

Oh sage, tell us about the Black Leather Pilot wheel please...
How did that turn out?