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Question for those w/ the Hunter Grill Guard

18K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  darkhorse307 
#1 ·
Alright, I want to verify something before I rip Hunter a new one.

First, a little background, I ordered a full Hunter grill guard from populalink.com at the beginning of this month.
Long story short; their customer service SUCKS.
The first grill was damaged and hardware was missing so I shipped it back and finally received a new one.
See this thread for more details.
Well this grill looks better, but I appear to be short on hardware again.
:mad:

So I'd like to verify the necessary hardware with those that have installed the Hunter grill guard.

The parts I received are:

The three grill pieces. (Six holes to mount the main section to the mounting brackets and six holes to mount both headlight guard sections.)

Two large mounting brackets to use on he cross member.(Two holes each to mount to the cross member, 3 holes each to mount to the main section of the guard.

Two brackets that sit on top of the cross member. (Two threaded holes in each.)

Two Brackets that go from the outside edges of the grill guard to the core support. (One hole at each end of each. NOT threaded.)

7 of the largest bolts

5 of the shorter "large" bolts

4 nuts that fit either of the above bolts (I figure I am missing at least two of these.)

12 split lock washers.

About 15 or so large flat washers.

6 smaller bolts with included washers on each secured by nylock nuts.

2 smaller bolts and 2 smaller washers in their own bag.

2 small threaded "1 hole" braces for where the outer braces mount to the core support.

That's all I received.

I figure I'm missing 2 large nuts to secure the last two bolts between the center section of the grill guard and the mounting brackets. Plus I see no hardware to attach the outer support braces to the grill guard. I'm assuming the baggy with two smaller bolts and two washers are to be used with the small core support braces. But there does not appear to be anything included to attach the forward section of this brace to actual grill guard tabs.

How can you mount this thing using 16 bolts (with presumably two spares since there is an odd number of the short and long large bolts), 6 nylock nuts, 4 standard large nuts:D , and 4 threaded brackets with two holes each?

That’s 16 bolts, and 14 places that are threaded.
Not to mention there is nothing included to attach the upper support straps to the grill guard.

Just counting the holes, it should take 20 bolts, 14 nuts, and the 4 pre-threaded brackets (2 of which with 2 holes each) to put this thing together. This would make sense because that’s 20 holes, 20 things to put in them, and 20 places to screw them into. :razz:

Am I missing something or am I missing hardware?
:confused:

Thanks for any help.
 
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#2 ·
Well, according to the Hunter "help" email person, I'm not missing anything.
:confused: :mad:

They answered my email saying that they have sold over 500 Element grill guards and this same hardware kit is what has been included with all of them.
If I can't figure it out they suggest I take it to a professional installer.

So I decided to call and explain the situation to the guy at the sales department.
His answer; you're only supposed to mount the main guard to the mounting brackets using two bolts and nuts.
Hence the 7 larger bolts but only 4 nuts that fit on them. He says the rest of the bolts are just extra.
He went on to explain that using only two bolts allows the guard to wiggle a little (as if it was a good thing), while using all three really locks it into place.
:|

I asked him wouldn't all 6 bolts be preferred, particularly if it makes the mount more secure.
He said, yeah it would probably be a good idea, but I'd have to get extra nuts.
:-o

Ok.
Start shopping list.
-2 large nuts. :D

I then explained the apparent missing bolt/nut/washer combo to mount the upper support straps to the headlight guards.
I had to explain it several times until he understood what I was referring to.

He then said that I should just use two bolts and washers with the included nut plates by the headlight mounts (these I have), and then another set of bolts/nuts/washers to mount the other end of the support strap to the headlight guard.

EXACTLY. There is no other included set of bolts/nuts/washers.
:mad:

His response.
Oh, well you may have to pick those up at the hardware store.
:-o

Add to shopping list:
-Two more bolts/washers/lock washers/nuts.



You know; I really do not care if I have to go to ACE and pick up a few bucks worth of bolts and nuts.
But WTF!?
Use two bolts? Your not missing anything?
COME ON!

Is it really worth the bad PR to short-change someone a handful of nuts and bolts and THEN tell that they are not missing anything?

Even the guy at the sales number said that the person on the help email line was apparently a goober that did not know what they were talking about.
After he said that I asked him if he was the one responding to my emails to the help line.
He didn't get the joke. Shocker.
:razz:

Am I the only lucky one, or did others have to pick up extra hardware to mount this thing?
 
#4 ·
Price has nothing to do with whether or not some idiot in china is going to put all the neccessary hardware in a bag..... I recently attended the Northeast campout & got to see all the brands up close & personal..... they are all Identical..... the only option offered by Aires is the actual brushguard over the headlights is removable.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, the grill itself is impressive for the price.
It's just missing hardware and you get to deal with really stupid people and REALLY crappy customer service; if you can even call it that.

I don't care if the thing was $19.99; it irks me when some net-tard :twisted: responds to my email that I'm basically an inept liar that actually has all the hardware, I'm just too mechanically dis-inclined to know it. I would rather they just apologize and say that it just wouldn't be cost effective to ship out more, or they can't find any, or we ran out; whatever.

I read through their feedback on ebay and those that were negative usually had the same rebuttal;
the customer did not know how to install and wouldn't let the company help.

Yeah right.
Try they don't include all the necessary hardware and don't want to take the time and pay shipping to get you the right stuff.

I responded to Hunter to just forget it and I would take care of it.
But I added that if this thing does not fit perfectly once i get it installed, it's going right back and I'm cancelling the charge on my credit card.

Why they would want to risk having to pay shipping on this thing for the fourth time over a handful of nuts and bolts is beyond me.
:rolleyes:

So, anyone in the market be forwarned.
This is definitely some of the worst customer service I have ever encountered.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I bought a Hunter brush guard over a year ago. Everything was in the bag and fit correctly. it sounds like maybe I was lucky, but I had no problems installing it including the three bolts to make it very sturdy.
I also painted all of the bolts and nuts black so they don't stand out.
:)
 

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#7 ·
Wilyumm, your E was the one that actually helped me decide to finally get one, I fell in love with the extra fog light possibilities & the fact that my E is ALL black sealed the deal for me.....I also had a great experience with the product, customer service, fast shipping, etc. install was a breeze, it's sooo adjustable & quality is great (in my opinion, especially for the money) I havent gotten around to painting my bolts yet, but I already have the paint sitting on the bench in my shop....maybe this weekend.... Pat
 
#8 ·
Well, I went over to ACE last nice and picked up the extra hardware I need.

What kind of paint did you use on the bolts?
Just black Rustoleum sprayed into a cup, applied with Q-tip or something else?
 
#9 ·
Actually, they arent. The Hunter comes in 3 parts, where the manik/aries are one piece.

goosler said:
Price has nothing to do with whether or not some idiot in china is going to put all the neccessary hardware in a bag..... I recently attended the Northeast campout & got to see all the brands up close & personal..... they are all Identical..... the only option offered by Aires is the actual brushguard over the headlights is removable.
 
#19 ·
Keep telling yourself that when the cheapo model rusts out where it bolts together or falls apart when you barely nudge a twig with it. The extra welds and quality are worth every penny.:)
 
#11 ·
It's something I'd love to see, but I don't think they make grill guards for the Accord Hybrid.
:razz:




I've never seen an Aries or Manik in person, but if they are noticeably better constructed than the Hunter
it would be impressive because the Hunter is nicer than I expected.

As for the customer service....:rolleyes:
I think the vast majority of transactions through any company go smoothly and problems can/do happen with any vendor.
But the best way to tell how good a company truely is, would be how they handle it when they screw up.
 
#12 ·
Ranger said:
Well, I went over to ACE last nice and picked up the extra hardware I need.

What kind of paint did you use on the bolts?
Just black Rustoleum sprayed into a cup, applied with Q-tip or something else?
Exactly, except I used a small artist paintbrush.
 
#13 ·
Cool; thanks.
I picked up a can of paint and a small brush at lunch.

I should be all set to install it this weekend......FINALLY.
:D
 
#15 ·
wow...settle down bevis :)

All I said was they arent identical. jeez. :rolleyes:

goosler said:
who cares? 2 welds are worth an additional $200+?? knock yourself out then, spend the extra cash....which one do you have? I only ask because 90% of the folks posting up comments or opinions in the brushguard threads don't even have one........
 
#16 ·
Do not Buy from Hunter in TX!

I do not recommand you buy a Hunter guard. I bought mine last year from Hunter in TX. When the guard arrived, it look really good. Installation was not so easy. The intruction they provided was trash. However, I did get the guard installed after many hours of messing around.
Now, the guard has a lot of problems. The surface started to rust after a few months and the welds came off now. I contacted Hunter for warranty but they just did not want to help me.
I'm stuck with a junk Hunter guard and I would never buy anything from them again!
 
#17 ·
I'm no expert but I tend to agree with the below post - EVERY vehicle I see with the Hunter (except perhaps for the incredible The Rube) unless it's BRAND NEW- looks bad, are you supposed to spray paint or touch up paint? If you try to wax to protect from rust, then you can't paint over the wax if you had to...etc, etc.
 
#18 ·
Hey Tony - thanks for the kind words. I'm really happen with my Hunter Grille. The only thing was that I had to spray paint the nuts and bolts (they are silver and stand out too much). Other than that I'm really happy with it. A lot of people don't like the fact that its three pieces. I didn't install it myself - I had my mechanic do it. He did a pretty good job.
 
#20 ·
Do not buy a Hunter guard !!!

You can buy any brand other than Hunter. Their grill guards are junk. They vibrate a lot when you drive. I got their guard last year and it rusts badly just after a few months. They do not honor their warranty and ignored my calls. I do not recommand anyone buying Hunter Truck products.
 
#21 ·
My Hunter has been on for almost six months now and still looks like new.

It's been subjected to plenty of abuse.
My E is parked in the sun all day, the guard has been used as a drying rack and a tie-down point for my kayaking gear after being in the ocean,
and most recently, has been pelted with hot ash and debris from the recent wild fires.
It doesn't vibrate, has no rust, and after a quick wipedown with WAUD or ICE, it looks like new.

Perhaps yours was not installed correctly and needed occasional cleaning.
 
#22 ·
I think I may have been one of the first to buy a Hunter. I installed mine myself and have had it going on 2 years. I've had it in some pretty rough places and it still looks good. The welds are OK and it hasn't rusted.
Here is a photo of it before I painted the bolts and one after I painted them.
 

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#23 ·
same here guys......Mine has been on now for 34,000 miles of driving, sits in the sun all day long on my black E & it's still in perfect condition with no rust, weld issues, paint chipping or fading or anything else.......

guang, I am not sure what may have taken you HOURS to do during the install, its a very straight forward install with very clear & simple directions...

elementbryon, I got your "cheapo" right here princess..... do you even have a brushguard? because if not, I doubt you understand what is being discussed. I'm not even sure you should be commenting either way if you have no expirience with the product in question. If you have a problem with it, or with me & wish to discuss this further, PM me, do not crap up this thread.
 
#24 ·
Yeah and it is goosepoo proof too.:shock:
It's an Aries one piece.
I have had three piece guards on two of my Jeeps with bad experiences so little man don't you keep "crapping up" this thread or better yet just settle down before you stroke out over nothing. If your crap makes you happy and my crap makes me happy let it be. If you're ever in my neck of the woods stop by and I'll buy ya a beer at the local watering hole, then we can go test our brush guards on a moose or something.:rolleyes:
 

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#28 ·
:lol: What exactly do you need a grill guard on a two wheel drive for anyway? Is there a lot of brush in the Jersey urban wilderness? If you hit a moose it would go right through the windshield and the brush guard would just knock the mud off it's hooves reguardless of how it is made. I'll trade you some moose burger for some real buffalo wings eh. Moose get hit by the train here all the time. Our gun club helps the DNR clear the carcass off the tracks and we all chip in for the processing. I bought my brush guard because I actually live in the wilderness and actually drive off the pavement and actually get my E dirty unlike most of the pavement queens I see everyday.
 
#26 ·
I had a three piece grill guard on my 97 Wrangler; it was POS.
It wasn't anything like the Hunter on my E.

Unless you've actually compared the Hunter and Aries grill guards for the Element side-by-side, you can't really make an informed judgement.
I've seen them both and, in my opinion, they're both nice.
I got the Hunter because I didn't see any huge difference in quality and the price difference just didn't seem justified for two welds.
 
#29 ·
Ranger
Did your brush guard come with the rubber gaskets that isolate the headlight guards from the main grille guard? The one I had on my 98' TJ had them listed in the parts list but were not in the box, so I put it together without them. In less than six months it was rusted out. But I do live where they salt the roads constantly from November thru March.
Does anyone have experience with a stainless model? I've seen a lot of the chrome guards on pickups looking pretty crusty, not to mention chrome looks out of place on any Honda made after 1970.
 
#31 ·
guys? guys.

3 PIECE GRILL GUARDS SUCK!


agree? agree? good. we have one thing established.


two, ALL METAL RUSTS! you neglect it, IT WILL RUST! for that, we buy PRIMER AND PAINT!

three: HUNTERS CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN BLOW IT OUT THE A$$ cause the lady on the phone was rude (er mentally handicapped maybe?) and rarely picks up. and they love, ooh, they LOOOOVE to act like they didnt offer a warranty.
b@$tards...
 
#32 ·
OEM Side Steps, Aires Tail Light Guards, Hunter brush guard

I have a 2007 Honda Element EX 4WD Alabaster Silver Metallic
I went ahead and received my accessories and had a friend of mine install them for me. He did all 98% of it and I did like 2% of it. LOL, I wasn't much help anyway here is how we did it and how long it took and some obstacles we faced and had to overcome:

Tail Light Guards - eBay - $69 + FREE shipping
The directions (which weren't that great) said it would take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Well.... it took us about 15 minutes for each. It was relatively easy but just takes a little time. First you take out the two screws that hold the tail light in place. Then all you do is pop out the taillight. Then we placed the bracket around the piece that pops the tail light in. Pop the taillight back in. Then fit the tail light guard over the tail light and bolt in all the screws. make sure they are on correctly or they WILL scratch your tail gate and hatch. Even when they are on as tight fitting as they can they still leave a tiny scratch but hey, its worth it! They look great!

Side Steps - HandA Accessories - $285 + $52.78 shipping
Next we did the side steps. These are the OEM Side steps. We just followed the instructions that came with them and they went on relatively easy. They look great and took about an hour and a half to put them on.

Hunter Brush Guard - eBay - $180 +$50 shipping
The instructions that came with these might as well not have even came with them. Nothing was labeled and took us about 20 minutes to even find out what we needed to do. We bolted on the headlight guards to the main piece first. Next we found the pieces of the plastic that we needed to cut out to find the holes to bolt the guard on to. We almost thought the pieces were not going to bolt on because of 2 reasons: 1) On the drivers side the bracket piece almost didn't have the right spacing for the hole on the frame. 2) On the passenger side the radiator was bolted or connected on the frame by the holes on the frame. So we had to move that to get the main unit connected. That took a while. After that we connected the main unit to the big brackets connected to the frame of the car and turned it up so it was in the correct position on the front of the car. then we took off the two caps under the hood near where the headlight is bolted in. Everything was tightened up and is extremely sturdy. It will not even move when shook. It is very nice. In all, for the brush guard, it took about 4 hours to complete.

My Element looks AWESOME now, in my opinion. I already had a few Element owners turning their heads watching, just on my 10 minute drive back home. It almost looks like a totally different vehicle. I really am liking it a lot! :)
 
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