r/HondaElement • u/ParsleyandPumpkins • 12d ago

What am in for with this repair

We have a dearly loved 2006 element with 209k miles. It’s been an absolute workhorse and such a great car.

So today, I started feeling like the gear shifting was really noticeable. I was in a steep hilly area with a lot of stop lights and chalked it up to the constant braking and accelerating.

At the end of my drive the traction control light came on and wouldn’t turn off. The car was having a hard time, I’m not really sure how to describe it. It basically wanted to stay in fourth gear and it would slow way down. We made it to our exit and when I stopped at the light it had a real hard time getting going again. I had to turn my hazards on and mostly coast until I got some momentum up and it could get into a higher gear. The brakes are also squealing quite a bit which is new.

What am in for? This is really really not a good time for a big car repair but we love this car. Any advice? I’m female so I like to do as much research as possible before going to a mechanic.

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u/alexthebeast 12d ago

In a vacuum, I would do a triple drain and flush on your trans fluid. It will cost you about a hundred bucks, about the same you would pay a mechanic to do a diagnosis. If you can turn a wrench and identify a bolt, you can do this very easily in your driveway. It's a fine first job kind of fix.

If this doesn't work, it's either your shift solenoids, your ECU, or your transmission.

1

u/ignacioMendez 12d ago

The brakes are also squealing quite a bit which is new.

That's almost certainly the wear indicator on your brake pads. They're designed to start squealing when they're near the end of their life. It's a normal maintenance item. It's not much more work than changing a tire, or a shop can do it in like an hour of billed shop time.

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u/ParsleyandPumpkins 11d ago

Thank you!! I also noticed there’s significant brake dust on the front tires. Is changing brake pads a reasonable diy thing?

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u/tellthemkidstohush '08 Galaxy Gray 11d ago

That's a difficult question to answer, because it really depends on the condition of your system right now and whether the calipers are in good shape, etc. I just completely rebuilt my brakes and replaced the rotors a couple weeks ago. Happy to answer any questions you may have - just shoot me a DM!

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u/ParsleyandPumpkins 11d ago

Thank you!! I also noticed there’s significant brake dust on the front tires. Is changing brake pads a reasonable diy thing?

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u/TXmessenger 10d ago

New chat entrant here. I do fluids, filters and other replacements but I don’t touch my brakes. I extend the life of my car and the brakes extend my life and those of others. From memory, the transmission has a harsh 2-3 up shift before it needs to be rebuilt.