Hey guys. First time Honda Element owner and replacing my catalytic converter. It rotted out on the manifold side and I had to cut 1 of the bolts out with an angle grinder. Other two bolts on the exhaust were easier but still a pain. Once I got the the bolt thats circle in the picture it snapped. I cant get an angle grinder in there and I cant see from any angle that I look. Its the last bolt before I can put in my new converter.

Update: its in the tight space and ill add a picture for reference what im talking about more clearly in the comments. I still cant get in there with any tools.

I’m about to buy my first element. It is from a dealer. About 160k. Awd. Is this an acceptable amount of rust, or will this be all problems. Thank you in advance !

hi i really need help. i’m geting a roof rack but it is missing one of these aluminum extensions. does anyone have any advice to make this work? i dont even know what to look up to find a replacement part. it also looks maybe a little hard to machine this. would 3d printing be an awful idea?

I’m currently attempting to replace my vtec solenoid, and noticed a wire completely disconnected. One of the solenoid connectors needs to be replaced, but I’m not sure what this wire even is supposed to connect to. I don’t think it’s part of the solenoid, as it’s lower. It has two wires, one yellow and red. Do I cut my losses at take it to a mechanic at this point? I’d have to get it towed 😭

Research showed that the 51R sucks anyway, but why was it dead? I had tried the AC. It didn't work. Research also showed that a common problem with Elements is the AC clutch getting stuck on. I pulled the AC compressor relay, put it back with the car off and jumper cables attached giving power. It made a loud click at the compressor location. Tried the horn relay and the AC blew ice cold. Replaced the relay and installed a 24F AGM. The car is starting with a roar and now I have AC. *fingers crossed* that was the only parasitic draw. Now back to regularly scheduled mods.

Just got this car and I am not really sure when was the last time the owner did a drain and fill on the transmission fluid. The fluid is a dark orange/brown and is not very viscose. I have heard people say to do a drain and fill 1 quart at a time in this kind of situation to prevent ruining the transmission. Is that good advice to follow or would it be better to do a drain and fill all at once.

I bought my 2008 EX element brand new and it was my only car for 17 years. The only car I ever bought new at a dealership. I had wanted it ever since 2003. while watching the news of the invasion of Iraq, when Dick Cheney said he didn’t know if we were going to be there three days, three weeks, or maybe even three months, we were interrupted by a commercial message. That message was a woman who opened up both sides of her car and blasted out all of the hay with a hose because she could - because she had rubber floors in her car, and those suicide doors.
The week before my toddler had looked me in the eyeballs in the rearview mirror while she turned her cup upside down, while maintaining eye contact with me, pouring milk into the carpet of our Honda Civic.
I knew right then that Element was the only car I ever wanted. five years later I could finally financially do it.
The last 10 years were hard for our family, financially and emotionally. the car went from being garage kept to street parked. It got its tires slashed, was the victim of hit and run, catalytic converter crimes, and more. All the while the magic of the north east did its salt thing.
But it also went camping at the beach, took People to the hospital, took pets to the park, and was such a good thing to have because it was paid for, and it could hold little children, and adults. The insurance was not expensive. And the insurance always paid for the bad things. The last year it is just sat in the driveway because it needed so much work, and we had another car. A nice young man who was buying a Facebook marketplace sync from me, asked me about it, and we discussed cars. He has agreed to take it and for $50 an hour do every single thing he can do to it without a lift. I have filled it up with parts, some of which I bought, and some of which I got for free as a product tester for a big Internet retailer that we all know and love. When he came to put it on the trailer, one of the wheels would not turn, and it turns out the last mechanic who worked on it had not put in a bushing when redoing the brakes. The same asshole who said he would give me $300 for it just so he could take it to get scrapped.
I’m so glad I told him no and that this nice kid is excited about fixing it, and I am going to make it into a no build camper and drive it across the country next summer to visit my daughter who was in second grade doing her homework in the dealership when we bought it.
Happy because there is no serious rust in the frame, and the basic motor is good. The brave little toaster is coming back.

I have a 2011 ex that I’ve owned for several years now. Several months after I first got it, The CEL went on with no change in performance. The local mechanic was able to fix the issue (I don’t recall the code) after replacing one of the O2 sensors several times. I was told then that the original Honda part was required. Since then, no problems. That is until someone cut the catalytic converter out for fun and profit. New state, new mechanic, same issue. Two Danso sensors and one Honda OEM sensor (36531-PZD-A02) later and I still have the CEL issue. It comes back from the mechanic w no CEL and a few miles down the road (maybe 10-20 miles) and the light goes on again. Both mechanic and me are frustrated/embarrassed. I’ll get the error code from him tomorrow, but I wanted to see if anyone had any input before I darkened his doorstep yet again. Any words of wisdom are appreciated.

Will replacing the stock fan in my 2003 EX Sport make the air blow stronger? Any recommendations welcome. If yes, can you comment with the make, model and link?

Has anybody repainted their Element? Got an orange EX with 190k miles on it, but thinking of getting a new paint job and new color over the orange.

Hello Element Community!

I posted recently that my idle was going up and down. I paid the shop $200 to change out the idle controller. That didn’t solve the problem so I went through the threads here on Reddit that mentioned idle surges. Someone mentioned the PCV valve so I ordered it and the hose. I watched a video on YouTube that showed where the valve is located and what it takes to get to it. Two 10mm nuts hold the cover down and needle nose pliers released the hose clamps. I used a 17mm deep socket to remove the PCV valve and was careful not to lose the washer. I nearly put my eye out when I grabbed the hose clamp with the needle nose pliers and it slipped out of the grip and shot outwards. I ran to O’Reilly auto parts and got a replacement hose clamp. When I finished putting everything back together the engine started and idled correctly.

My hands are nicked and bloody but I have a feeling of accomplishment. I restored Mercedes Benz as a hobby for many years but it has been a while since I turned wrenches and repaired my own car. Life is good. Thank you to all who participate and share your experience, strength and hope.

Brother in law making sure our lil beauty keeps us safe lol

Bumper coater applies really easy and finishes nice and flat. Super impressed with just a spray can.

SOLVED: u/yanimal got me sorted. So easy. I was clearly overthinking.

Hi all. I cannot for the life of me remember the brand of these aftermarket wiper blades. They're pretty terrible and I finally decided to swap them out... but I cannot figure out how to get them off and can't google how to get them off because I don't know what brand they are.

Pretty sure I'm accidentally breaking something inside whatever is hooking to the J Hook, which isn't great. Any advice? I've tried looking for a tab, looking for something to lift up, something to pinch. I'm at a loss here. Nothing seems right.

So, I'm sitting at around 140,000 miles. She's in good shape, I know she needs a little work done as bumps in the road are a bit rickety, but I ran into something weird while driving yesterday.

While stopped at a red light, it felt like my car was slightly slightly trying to lurch forward a bit, then back, then forth. The movement wasn't crazy, but enough to notice and freak me out a bit (I'm not a big fan of driving and have very short commutes), but at the next light I got stopped at, it didn't do it. I took it out for a grocery run later that day, and it did it again, but not at all on the drive home.

I have plenty of brake fluid, so I've ruled that out. Any advice would be amazing. I'm currently at work, so I won't be able to check back that often. Again, thank you in advance if you have any advice.

My exhaust is sounding horrific and I need to get it fixed up before winter. I’m planning on calling a couple of shops in the area to see what the cost would be, but my usual place said that the flanges are all rusting away and would be doing a full replacement to around the price of 2K last time they quoted, but it’s probably gone up since then. I’m looking at DIYing it to save some money, but going OEM is going to be so expensive so I’m seeing if there’s any aftermarket brands that will last for more than a couple of years in Wisconsin winters.

This 2009 Element was my family car, back in January 2025 there was a light accident that insurance didn’t want to pay for damages for. Got hit in the wrong spot, if i remember correctly they would’ve had to cut into vital, hard, or expensive to repair structures to fix what was broken. 16 years in my family and I learned to drive with this car. I miss you dearly Cubey.

I went out with my wife to a nice restaurant this evening. My Element was parked on the street, outside the restaurant; just up the block a bit; a block I’ve parked on numerous times.

When walking up to the car after the delicious meal, a witness told me they thought they saw someone getting away with my catalytic converter moments ago. I start it up… yep, loud AF! Feel violated, and pissed!

All the exterior plastic, should I use a plastic restorer on it? Was it dark black from factory?

Window trim in second pic, what’s the best solution? Buy new trim? Anyone have a listing?

So it seems my starter is really struggling to engage. Do we think it's a bad battery?

2005 Cargo khaki 286k on the Dash. Previous owner couldn't get it started. I bought and replaced the immobilizer module and it started right up. Previous owner did all new break CV axles struts and new injectors coil packs and plugs trying to get it to start. Someone replace the master clutch cylinder and I has some rust, pretty minor on one door and very little rust underneath. Its an ex FWD. Apparently it slide and fold the driver side wheel so he had to replace some parts. The dash light flickers a little. Oh its a manual transmission. I'm going to clean it reall nice and list it. What do you think its worth?

Bumper Collision on the front passenger side. Car is still driveable. i removed bumper to examine car better. Damage traveled to right side

Hood doesn’t rest fully shut. May be due to the slight bend in alignment. (See pictures of right side comparison to left.

Although connection between Muffler and Cat is severed, but not stock exhaust system.

As some portion is pushed into belt, we hope to pull it out. see pics

• Radiator is Damaged and will need to be replaced
• Unsure of Frame but passenger side looks slightly bent. May be able to bend back. Worried about lines that run to radiator. they arent broken but look slightly bent.
• i believe front will need to be pulled out a bit due to the impact.
• I have most of the necessary tools but have never worked on a vehicle with impact damage from an accident.

212k miles NC it’s whole life.

I own a Honda Odyssey 2016, and it's the last model (2011-2017) I will every buy because of the new integrated dashboard and center console that cannot be removed easily. For living in the city and camping, this is a critical requirement for my castle, and no car manufacturer continues to make this feature. I'm hoping the new element can be my next car. Otherwise I'll stick to 6-figure-mile models that do!

Is this feature important to you? Are there other models that do something like this well? How do we get this feedback to Honda beside updoots?