The rear brakes are an issue with some 2003-05 Elements. If you do a search you will see this issue cropping up on several Elements. It is NOT a very common issue, but it is an issue that enough people have experienced that you can print out the threads and bring to the dealership. Maybe they will listen then.
So far I don't know of any fixes for the rear brakes for any of the Elements that are showing this crazy fast brake wear.
The sway bar issue, is common once you get lots of miles on the Element. It is just a matter of replacing the sway bar bushings. Once the bushings go entirely it will NOT be a problem driving the Element so don't worry about that. It just becomes a noise issue and the handling won't be as crisp as it was with good bushings. Just replace them and all will be good.
As for the brake pad material in the pads that Honda sells, don't know. They might not be semi-metallic, they could be just an organic compound which would be softer on the rotors. But using semi-metallic pads will NOT cause the early wearing of the rotors that you and others are experiencing... because lots of us use that pad material and don't have those issues.
So far I don't know of any fixes for the rear brakes for any of the Elements that are showing this crazy fast brake wear.
The sway bar issue, is common once you get lots of miles on the Element. It is just a matter of replacing the sway bar bushings. Once the bushings go entirely it will NOT be a problem driving the Element so don't worry about that. It just becomes a noise issue and the handling won't be as crisp as it was with good bushings. Just replace them and all will be good.
As for the brake pad material in the pads that Honda sells, don't know. They might not be semi-metallic, they could be just an organic compound which would be softer on the rotors. But using semi-metallic pads will NOT cause the early wearing of the rotors that you and others are experiencing... because lots of us use that pad material and don't have those issues.