Not really sure how my 'Hate my 2010' thread turned into a Octoberfest Political Slander Free-for-All so I thought I would start a new thread.

Lets call it Disliked, rather than Hated 2010 Element, beacuse as I have been reminded HATE is such a strong word.

As of today July 30th, 2010 I have owned it for 77 days and amassed 5,863 miles.

So it is an Element after all and I do LOVE my Elements, and Yes, it is my third.
While all the things I was disgruntled about in my HATE thread still holds true I thought this thread could be about my transformation to change the Honda design team's faults and flaws to make it as perfect as my 2005 was.

A 2005 interior in a 2010 body.
Lets begin with the sunvisors - an easy fix.

I bought a pair of used 2006 sunvisors on ebay for $39.00 un-boxed them went right out to the Element, unscrewed the ones that came with the 2010 and screwed the 2006 ones right in their place. That was too easy.

Here are the pics.

Damn you!!! Now I have yet another mod to do......:-D

Where the heck is the 'like' button for that? I have said on many occasions the loss of the REAL sliding visor in '07 was a deal breaker for me.

Two thumbs up on this mod. :grin:

I made my own sliding visor mods based on the 07 model. It's very redneck and extremely ghetto, but it also works unbelievably well. I'll get pics up.

I originally wanted the old style visors but I like my ghetto ones now :grin:

i can honestly say that i have never used the visors in any car ive owned.

There you go...turn a negative into a positive!

Pardon the hijack, but whats the story on the '80(?) Malibu? Driver or ???

And pardon the fact I can't spell "looks" :oops:

I can honestly say that I have never used the visors in any car I've owned.

+1:-)

sPOTO

i can honestly say that i have never used the visors in any car ive owned.

+2........

I liked the seats in the '05 better than the '10. that and the lack of a sunroof and 5 spd are my only dislikes.

I use visors all the time, my husband never uses them even with the sun square in his face. :|

That said I like the visors on my 2010 but I can say with the pictures of the previous ones, they are definitely something I would have preferred. I like especially how they close that middle gap that the sun always seems to figure out a way to shine right through into my eyes.

I rarely use the visors also but I can see how those extensions would come in handy at times.

Now you have no mirror to fix your hair :grin:

Good luck with your mods !

The seats are the deal killer for myself and my wife.(Honda put a big F.U> to us tall, heavy folks:x with no belt extenders!!)

I don't understand why they dropped the sunroof completely-other than PROFIT per unit. The sunroof on our '06 is tipped open 80% of the time as it really helps cabin ventilation.

The basic vehicle is still the Element, still the "Swiss Army Knife of small SUV's" and still different and arguable better than the newer, smaller imitators.

I liked the OP's approach to solving the visor problem too. I don't often use them, but when I need them the extensions are a great feature. Hang in there with that 2010- it will grow on you- LIKE A FUNGUS:shock:

Yeah, well, things change over time, and the oldsters always complain that stuff ain't as good as it used to be. But...it's still pretty damn good, especially compared to what's out there. I can live without the potentially leaky skylight, and my gal would rather have the mirror than the visor extensions.

Love my 2009. Just did the first oil change today, and with the right tools including a torque wrench, it was no big deal at all.

Onward Honda Element Owners! :-D

i can honestly say that i have never used the visors in any car ive owned.


you guys must not drive in the sunrise-sunset direction of travel during those times.

I use them religiously in every vehicle I have owned.
And I really like that idea of older ones fitting right in!!!
I will do also!!

As of today July 30th, 2010 I have owned it for 77 days and amassed 5,863 miles.



97 days 7663 miles so I am right there with you. I will be racking up some miles this next month.
your average per day miles: 76.1
my average per day miles : 79

Yeah, well, things change over time, and the oldsters always complain that stuff ain't as good as it used to be. But...it's still pretty damn good, especially compared to what's out there. I can live without the potentially leaky skylight, and my gal would rather have the mirror than the visor extensions.

Love my 2009. Just did the first oil change today, and with the right tools including a torque wrench, it was no big deal at all.

Onward Honda Element Owners! :-D

Yeah these old skool guys don't know anything.
Wow a torque wrench....what on earth did you use that on?

First of all the Moonroof or 'skylight' as you call it NEVER leaked on the 2004 or the 2005, unless the glass was missing.
And my girl still has a make up mirror and those nifty pull out extensions.

97 days 7663 miles so I am right there with you. I will be racking up some miles this next month.
your average per day miles: 76.1
my average per day miles : 79

Cool.. Keep up the good driving work. My miles are about to go through the roof though as a I start my monthly commute to my new job in September. Just 19 hours each way. Something like 1,160 miles each way. Can't wait!!!!

Ordered my new moonroof today to go into the rear section of the 2010.

Did a ton of research and talked to a bunch of people.
All I will need is a mat knife to cut out the headliner section, a sharpie to make the template on the roof and a metal bladed jig saw to slice thru the sheet metal.

here is the link to the new 'MOON-roof'....

http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/popupkits.htm#

Found a set of rear doors from a wrecked 2005 Element that I am picking up this week.

This is the plan:
1) Remove all trim from wrecked 2005 doors-set aside.
2) Unbolt seatbelt mechanism from doors -set aside.
3) Cut out retaining mounts in wrecked doors - set aside.
4) Remove trim from 2010 - put in storage
5) Fabricate inside of rear door on 2010 to accept seat belt and mechanism. Weld into place.
6) Install trim from 2005 onto 2010 door.
7) Have real perfect non neck rubbing 'upgraded from the old skool' seat belts again.
8- Admire my handiwork and post photos for you guys and gals to see.
9) Tackle Phase 4: Seats.

Where the heck is the 'like' button for that? I have said on many occasions the loss of the REAL sliding visor in '07 was a deal breaker for me.

Two thumbs up on this mod. :grin:

Thanks , was driving at dawn yesterday morning and felt like I was in my 2005 again.
These visors ROCK!!!

Found a set of rear doors from a wrecked 2005 Element that I am picking up this week.

This is the plan:
1) Remove all trim from wrecked 2005 doors-set aside.
2) Unbolt seatbelt mechanism from doors -set aside.
3) Cut out retaining mounts in wrecked doors - set aside.
4) Remove trim from 2010 - put in storage
5) Fabricate inside of rear door on 2010 to accept seat belt and mechanism. Weld into place.
6) Install trim from 2005 onto 2010 door.
7) Have real perfect non neck rubbing 'upgraded from the old skool' seat belts again.
8- Admire my handiwork and post photos for you guys and gals to see.
9) Tackle Phase 4: Seats.

I'd be willing to bet if you removed the rear panels that the holes are already there for the old seat belt setup. More than likely the door itself is unchanged rather the panel and the sensor wiring etc. I'm only guessing but I had a 1991 Honda civic where the seatbelt was affixed to the DOOR itself when in 1988 the seat belt was actually on the body of the car(pillar in the civic and crx) and when I removed the panel in the car the holes were still in the body for the old style belts. My assumption was it was probably more costly to change the manufacturing process for a part that is not seen and unchanged vs just leaving it and covering it with a panel.

That said, from a safety standpoint I don't know that I would start messing with that on a brand new car. It would be pretty unfortunate if something you did failed in an accident and you were seriously injured because of it. Just thinking out loud.

I wouldn't be able to live without good visors! Both after having eye surgery and I did almost a year of driving 8 hours into the sun every week make them impossible to do without. That's actually in the end why I didn't swap my visors for a pre-07 set, even they weren't enough for me. I'll try to get some pics of my ghetto ultra-visor setup tomorrow night.

BTW you're hardcore with the door swap, I agree with TheAntirice to take off the trim and check the connections first. It's likely the same as the front seat armrest on the MT E's: the bracket's still there, just covered.

Best of luck and I can't wait to see the transformation!

Believe it or not if you look at the part numbers for the rear doors Honda did change the door on the 2007's. I will put my money on the seatbelt mounts not being there. If eliminating the mounts made the door cheaper to manufacture you can be that Honda did it.

Believe it or not if you look at the part numbers for the rear doors Honda did change the door on the 2007's. I will put my money on the seatbelt mounts not being there. If eliminating the mounts made the door cheaper to manufacture you can be that Honda did it.

Its one of the first things I did was pull the trim off the rear door and sad to say the mounting hardware is no where to be seen.
There are a few 'pick-your-part' junkyards in the area and I may just go extract what I need from there since, we'll see.

That said, from a safety standpoint I don't know that I would start messing with that on a brand new car. It would be pretty unfortunate if something you did failed in an accident and you were seriously injured because of it. Just thinking out loud.

I understand your concern but this isn't my first time in modifying a vehicle, new or old.

Worse case scenario I drill holes in the floor and mount a 4 point harness like in my 200 mph Malibu. This seat belt in the seat configuration has gotta go.

I find I used the visor very seldom in this car. The windshield is so far away from this long-legged driver that the roof acts like a visor. I only put it down when the sun is really low and then I can't see the traffic lights when I stop so I have to put it back up. The seat belt is no big deal. I guess if you wear tank tops or no shirt all the time it might be an irritant but as long as I have a piece of cloth between me and the belt it doesn't bother me at all. I surely can't imagine doing 20 hours of cutting, hacking, and welding to make it different.

I surely can't imagine doing 20 hours of cutting, hacking, and welding to make it different.

Try ripping out the frame of a 30 year old car only to replace with a better , lighter, stronger version, a 12 point roll cage and a 600 hp motor.

I am not making the seat belt configuration different just returning it to the original 'perfect' design. Circa Honda Element 2003-2006.
If I am going to spend the next 3 years/150,000 miles in this thing I want it to be comfortable.

No more "I don't have that problem" posts, please.

@Ssdphoto: Instead of hacking your 2010 doors, why not install and paint the 2003-06 ones?

Cool.. Keep up the good driving work. My miles are about to go through the roof though as a I start my monthly commute to my new job in September. Just 19 hours each way. Something like 1,160 miles each way. Can't wait!!!!

Sweet road trips!! will you drive straight through? Only stop for gas and pee breaks?

Sweet road trips!! will you drive straight through? Only stop for gas and pee breaks?

11 hours is about my limit for driving straight through, since I drive alone. (with the dog of course). The most I ever drove was 13 hours (900 miles)
I have a brother that lives in Buffalo so I might take the I-90 route either on the way or the way back.
I will be making the round trip journey every 6 weeks for the next 8 months.
I always try to change up the route because seeing the same thing over and over gets kind of boring.
Drove to a job in Norfolk, VA every 4 weeks for about a year. That was 10 hours straight thru from Boston, MA.

No more "I don't have that problem" posts, please.

@Ssdphoto: Instead of hacking your 2010 doors, why not install and paint the 2003-06 ones?

Whats the 'i don't have a problem with that mean?'

Some people shudder at the fact of changing a tire. I see any mechanical modification as a challenge.

To have the car or the doors repainted would cost a heck of a lot more than to rip, grind and burn the seat belts retainers into place.
Although....I do kind of like the appeal of 2006 Tangerine doors on my gray Element.

Whats the 'i don't have a problem with that mean?'

Some people shudder at the fact of changing a tire. I see any mechanical modification as a challenge.

To have the car or the doors repainted would cost a heck of a lot more than to rip, grind and burn the seat belts retainers into place.
Although....I do kind of like the appeal of 2006 Tangerine doors on my gray Element.

Not you... the ones that claim to not have a problem with x thing that you're working on fixing.

Yes, thank you Breese524.

Not you... the ones that claim to not have a problem with x thing that you're working on fixing.
Gotcha. Well I will keep you posted as to how things progress.