2011 Element EX 4wd - 200,000 mile summary
It’s been a while since I have posted to the EOC. My Element just crossed 200,000 miles and I thought I would give a summary of my experience and highlight maintenance that I have done over the last 6 years.
• Purchased Element new in April 2011 - one of last E’s made!
• Mostly stock with a couple of modifications, including:
> Body side moldings added (door ding protection). Looks are subjective but I like the fact that they “break up” the large surface area of the doors
> Added extra 12v receptacle to the center console. My installation is very similar to one highlighted in another post to the E Owners Club. Nice addition and, IMO, something that Honda should have included from the factory
> Factory Honda splash guards – easy install, nice fit and worth the cost (about $100 on ebay)
• Fuel economy: I drive a fair amount (about 30,000 miles per year) -- mostly highway miles. I tracked fuel economy closely over the first 13,000 miles. Most of my driving would fall into 80% Highway / 20% City. I do live in a rural area so most of my “City” driving does not have a lot of “stop and go”. Here are my results:
Average over 13,179 miles 26.1 MPG
Worst – 21.9 MPG (Mostly city)
Best – 29.02 MPG (Must have had a good tail wind)
After 200,000 miles, still averaging close to 26 MPG, overall
• The body and interior have held up very well. I typically wax the vehicle twice per year and wash regularly. The interior upholstery is in very good shape -- no tears, rips or cracks.
• Notes about Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS):
I did have the TPMS dash warning light come on a couple years back. It was shortly after getting new tires installed. A sensor could have been damaged during installation or it could be that one, or more, sensor batteries need replacement. I have driven most of my life without TPMS and don’t consider it a necessity. I generally would refuse to “live with” a dash light constantly glowing but I have made an exception in this case. I do use snow tires in the winter and opted to not have TPMS sensor installed on the snow wheels / tires. So the TPMS light was glowing a few months of the year, anyway.
I have seen discussion on this forum and other Websites about traction control and TPMS. Some have stated that the traction control cannot be defeated (via the dash button) if the TPMS light is illuminated. I can say with 100% certainty that the traction control can be turned off via the dash button even if the TPMS light is on. I have done this numerous times while driving through deep snow. I suppose certain model years may be different, but it is not an issue on my 2011 EX.
• Oil and oil changes – I omitted oil changes from the service history (below) since oil changes are routine and expected. I will say that I have used conventional brand name oil (5w20) since new and it has been typically changed between 5,000 and 7,000 miles -- usually between 20% and 40% oil life remaining on the dash computer. I have never had to add oil between oil changes.
Aside from oil changes, here is the list of all service and maintenance over the first 200,000 miles:
• 52,008 miles (Dec 2012) – New tires installed
• 57,685 miles (Mar 2013) – ATF flush and rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 59,191 miles (Mar 2013) – Air filter replaced
• 77,205 miles (Sep 2013) – Air filter replaced
• 83,313 miles (Nov 2013) – Snow tires / wheels purchased – used in winter months
• 91,225 miles (Mar 2014) – Spark plugs and wiper blades replaced
• 118,020 miles (Dec 2014) – ATF flush and rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 118,026 miles (Dec 2014) – Replaced front brake pads (Original had 20% life remaining)
• 127,650 miles (Apr 2015) – 4-wheel alignment and new tires
• 133,890 miles (Jun 2015) – ATF (3 quart) drain and fill
• 135,363 miles (Jul 2015) – New serpentine belt, coolant flush (Routine service)
• 139,680 miles (Sep 2015) – Airbag recall (Honda)
• 140, 379 miles (Sep 2015) – Air filter replaced
• 150,011 miles (Jan 2016) – Battery replaced (preventative replacement)
• 151, 211 miles (Jan 2016) – Dash light bulb replaced (backlight for HVAC)
• 159, 026 miles (Apr 2016) – Driver’s window weather strip replaced (torn)
• 159,875 miles (Apr 2016) – Replaced R & L stabilizer links (rear suspension) – making noise
• 164,844 miles (Jun 2016) – ATF (3 quart) drain and fill
• 170,372 miles (Jul 2016) – Replaced R & L stabilizer links (front suspension) – making noise
• 171,312 miles (Aug 2016) – Replaced power steering fluid (drain & fill)
• 172,979 miles (Sep 2016) – Map light bulb replaced
• 179,814 miles (Oct 2016) – Rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 181,179 miles (Nov 2016) – Dash light bulb replaced (gear selector backlight)
• 181,221 miles (Nov 2016) – Replaced spark pugs
• 189,985 miles (Mar 2017) – Air filter replaced
Will probably replace rear brakes this summer and may opt to do a preventative replacement of the water pump in the near future since there are a lot of miles on the original. The E still runs great and I expect to drive it for years to come. Happy Element-ing!
friz
It’s been a while since I have posted to the EOC. My Element just crossed 200,000 miles and I thought I would give a summary of my experience and highlight maintenance that I have done over the last 6 years.
• Purchased Element new in April 2011 - one of last E’s made!
• Mostly stock with a couple of modifications, including:
> Body side moldings added (door ding protection). Looks are subjective but I like the fact that they “break up” the large surface area of the doors
> Added extra 12v receptacle to the center console. My installation is very similar to one highlighted in another post to the E Owners Club. Nice addition and, IMO, something that Honda should have included from the factory
> Factory Honda splash guards – easy install, nice fit and worth the cost (about $100 on ebay)
• Fuel economy: I drive a fair amount (about 30,000 miles per year) -- mostly highway miles. I tracked fuel economy closely over the first 13,000 miles. Most of my driving would fall into 80% Highway / 20% City. I do live in a rural area so most of my “City” driving does not have a lot of “stop and go”. Here are my results:
Average over 13,179 miles 26.1 MPG
Worst – 21.9 MPG (Mostly city)
Best – 29.02 MPG (Must have had a good tail wind)
After 200,000 miles, still averaging close to 26 MPG, overall
• The body and interior have held up very well. I typically wax the vehicle twice per year and wash regularly. The interior upholstery is in very good shape -- no tears, rips or cracks.
• Notes about Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS):
I did have the TPMS dash warning light come on a couple years back. It was shortly after getting new tires installed. A sensor could have been damaged during installation or it could be that one, or more, sensor batteries need replacement. I have driven most of my life without TPMS and don’t consider it a necessity. I generally would refuse to “live with” a dash light constantly glowing but I have made an exception in this case. I do use snow tires in the winter and opted to not have TPMS sensor installed on the snow wheels / tires. So the TPMS light was glowing a few months of the year, anyway.
I have seen discussion on this forum and other Websites about traction control and TPMS. Some have stated that the traction control cannot be defeated (via the dash button) if the TPMS light is illuminated. I can say with 100% certainty that the traction control can be turned off via the dash button even if the TPMS light is on. I have done this numerous times while driving through deep snow. I suppose certain model years may be different, but it is not an issue on my 2011 EX.
• Oil and oil changes – I omitted oil changes from the service history (below) since oil changes are routine and expected. I will say that I have used conventional brand name oil (5w20) since new and it has been typically changed between 5,000 and 7,000 miles -- usually between 20% and 40% oil life remaining on the dash computer. I have never had to add oil between oil changes.
Aside from oil changes, here is the list of all service and maintenance over the first 200,000 miles:
• 52,008 miles (Dec 2012) – New tires installed
• 57,685 miles (Mar 2013) – ATF flush and rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 59,191 miles (Mar 2013) – Air filter replaced
• 77,205 miles (Sep 2013) – Air filter replaced
• 83,313 miles (Nov 2013) – Snow tires / wheels purchased – used in winter months
• 91,225 miles (Mar 2014) – Spark plugs and wiper blades replaced
• 118,020 miles (Dec 2014) – ATF flush and rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 118,026 miles (Dec 2014) – Replaced front brake pads (Original had 20% life remaining)
• 127,650 miles (Apr 2015) – 4-wheel alignment and new tires
• 133,890 miles (Jun 2015) – ATF (3 quart) drain and fill
• 135,363 miles (Jul 2015) – New serpentine belt, coolant flush (Routine service)
• 139,680 miles (Sep 2015) – Airbag recall (Honda)
• 140, 379 miles (Sep 2015) – Air filter replaced
• 150,011 miles (Jan 2016) – Battery replaced (preventative replacement)
• 151, 211 miles (Jan 2016) – Dash light bulb replaced (backlight for HVAC)
• 159, 026 miles (Apr 2016) – Driver’s window weather strip replaced (torn)
• 159,875 miles (Apr 2016) – Replaced R & L stabilizer links (rear suspension) – making noise
• 164,844 miles (Jun 2016) – ATF (3 quart) drain and fill
• 170,372 miles (Jul 2016) – Replaced R & L stabilizer links (front suspension) – making noise
• 171,312 miles (Aug 2016) – Replaced power steering fluid (drain & fill)
• 172,979 miles (Sep 2016) – Map light bulb replaced
• 179,814 miles (Oct 2016) – Rear differential (Dual Pump) fluid changed
• 181,179 miles (Nov 2016) – Dash light bulb replaced (gear selector backlight)
• 181,221 miles (Nov 2016) – Replaced spark pugs
• 189,985 miles (Mar 2017) – Air filter replaced
Will probably replace rear brakes this summer and may opt to do a preventative replacement of the water pump in the near future since there are a lot of miles on the original. The E still runs great and I expect to drive it for years to come. Happy Element-ing!
friz
