[CollegeDude]

I bought a SOP 4WD EX Element and love it. Great car, nicer than I imagined it to be. I love everything about it yet I have some gripes:

1) I had a chance to let my friend drive and sit in the back seat for a while. The ride was bumpy, bumpier than being in the front driver seat or passenger seat.

2) I have a crack in my windshield already. Although it is my fault for driving into a rock, it just seems that the design of the car is really going to be prone to this.

3) Rear door windows cannot be rolled down.

4) Wish the sunroof would slide open.

5) Gas Mileage. I'm not complaining, but just wished it would be better. I knew before I bought the car what the mileage would be. 21 City, 24 Highway. I guess it was a big hit to me because my previous daily driver (87 CRX) got 33 to 36. huge difference. Oh well.

6) Everyone keeps looking at me. Hehe.

Other than that, I everything is great!

 

[za9ra22]

Useful thoughts and valid gripes. I too wish the rear windows rolled down and the sunroof slid open rather than tilted, and in time Honda might add these features... I have to say that my first reaction to the 'but bumpy in the back' comment was 'I've sat in the back of mine and it wasxn't bumpy at all...'. Well, it wasn't. The only thing is that at the time I was making a bit of a home movie for my kids back home and when I was editing the tape shot from the back seat, and admiring how wonderful the view was out the front window from there, I didn't really notice just how much the camera was being bounced around. I can't truthfully contradict you as a result, though my perception at the time was that it wasn't that bad.

I'm very puzzled by the windscreen breakages though. I can't see how the vehicle design makes it more prone than other cars on the road - after all, it's not the only brick-shaped vehicle with a relatively upright windscreen, and where flying debris any bigger than a bug is converned, the aerodynamics don't really play a part. So this must either be a whole bunch of very unlucky co-incidences, particularly since some fractured winscreens don't seem to have been caused by impact, or very poor materials - or a badly stressed screen. One way or another, this should truly be Honda's problem not ours.

 

[Slowhand]

The more vertical the windshield the greater force likely to be transferred to the spot where the object hits. On slanted windshields the object is liable to hit with more of a glancing blow.

I remember seeing an animal rescue group on television explaining that more birds survive nowadays because most cars have an aerodynamic profile and the birds are injured instead of killed.

 

[za9ra22]

Excellent reply, and of course you're absolutely right, but we had a 92 S10 Blazer that had a screen around the same angle and over 130,000 miles it was peppered with hits and didn't crack. This seems to me to be a materials problem and all I hope is that the fact the screen are backordered reflects the OEM making better quality units for current builds and on-going replacements.

 

[jayharley]

CollegeDude: I am interested as to where the crack in your windsheild is. Is in by the edge of the windsheild (like a stress crack might be) or is it more centered (clearly an indication of being hit by something)? I wonder if some of the windsheilds were actually mounted in the frame wrong or if the some of the windsheilds are simply poor quality glass.

I have had absolutely no problems whatsoever, with my EX after a month. However there are far too many windsheild complaints.

 

[CollegeDude]

My windshield crack is on the upper left corner, down about 5 inches from the top. I'm not sure if its manufacturing or what, but with my other cars, i've never had a crack that fast and that big. It about half the size of a dime. May be it's just coincidence.

 

[taliaferro001]

Hey, what's up? I bought an Element and two weeks later got a crack in my windshield. The crack is in bottom right hand corner. Needless to say I was very disappointed. I wonder how many others there are out there?

 

[Flaime]

Do a search for other posts about windshield problems. There's quite a few. I posted my experience (to lengthy to repeat). Honda replaced mine for free a week and a half ago. Now I've got what looks like a small scratch, or a shallow crack, but this time I actually saw a small rock hit.

 

[LittleDogBox]

WOW !
I am amazed how many people here have experienced cracked windshields.
I haven't received my element yet, it is on order. I guess I can just expect this to happen almost as soon as I get it
I presently have a Jeep Wrangler and it has been notorious for getting cracks. The elements windshield doesn't look as flat as the Wranglers. I would almost bet that it may be partly that but also another problem is going on here as well.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

 

[Simon]

It's a GREAT car for the money... but, my windshield was cracked in the first 10 days...

Still love it.

 

[LittleDogBox]

[quote:a3bff6a430="Simon"]It's a GREAT car for the money... but, my windshield was cracked in the first 10 days...

Still love it.[/quote:a3bff6a430] Even though I know I will probably get a cracked windshield I still plan to go ahead and purchase the Element that I put a deposit down on. I have to say I am disappointed about this problem but I am not sure I want to give up on the Element because of it. I think if I had heard anything worse......like a major engine or transmission problem then I might reconsider and not purchase this vehicle. I have been following the Element owners club closely and yes the Element certainly seems to have it's problems for it's first year out. I could wait till the 2004 models come out but .........I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE, THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY !!!!! :roll:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

 

[Flaime]

Even though I have had problems with the windshield, I absolutely LOVE my Element more each day I drive it. I'll just replace the windshield as needed and consider it the cost of driving an otherwise perfect vehicle.

 

[Lightship]

Copied this from the other site:
specoperf
Member

Registered: Apr 2003
Location: baltimore
Posts: 35
Cracked Windshields

Honda has just issued a service bulletin for this. It states that the glass is cracking from an uneven flange which needs to be ground down and the glass replaced. bulletin number 03-028

__________________
I like my box on wheels


Maybe Honda will guarantee all cracked windshieds, even from stone
chips from now on...Beef up the glass thickness & more R&D
Best Wishes
Lightship :idea:

 

[CollegeDude]

Same here. So you think honda will replace the windshield for free? Oh yeah, My gas mileage is getting better. I'm at 700 miles now and I'm getting like 23mpg.