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Never hose out a Honda Element

fifthelementcamping.com

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Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#141

Post by RajT88 »

mortenjorck wrote: post #18
chrisseaton wrote: post #4

I don't get it - would you would think you can hose out a consumer car like this, with the fabric seats and all that plastic trim? I've hosed out Land Rovers, but they're clearly an off-road vehicle designed for wading.

The author references the "hose" comment in the 1998 unveiling of the concept car that would become the Element, but I think they greatly underplay the degree to which this idea caught on with the public and in the press, especially in non-automotive publications. I'm pretty sure it was an issue of Wired in the early 2000s where I read about this futuristic new SUV from Honda with, among other clever details, "a floo…

Truth. I recommended a Honda Element to a friend of mine who wanted a cute car, but who had a tendency of destroying cars.

Among our friends, somehow the "hose down" talking point was common knowledge. This was maybe 16 years back, so I do not recall how we came to this idea.

They ended up buying a stickshift VW bug. Which they abused in many weird ways.

Destroyed a couple Honda Fits since the bug.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#142

Post by KennyBlanken »

caymanjim wrote: post #65
chrisseaton wrote: post #4

I don't get it - would you would think you can hose out a consumer car like this, with the fabric seats and all that plastic trim? I've hosed out Land Rovers, but they're clearly an off-road vehicle designed for wading.

The whole floor is covered by a plastic sheet. It looks like it's safe to hose out, and unless it's damaged, it will hold pools of water. I never intentionally hosed out the whole interior of mine, but I did spray a lot of water around the front seats when I first got the car from someone who never cleaned it. The water pooled up to the point that I had to scoop it out and towel the rest. I suspect it was a bad idea,…

In most cars it's okay to get the carpet pretty wet for cleaning, but you need to suck it dry with a wet/dry vac or proper carpet extractor and b)immediately dry it out as much as possible, like leaving it in hot sun with the windows and sunroof all cracked a bit and a fan or two circulating air around. Letting the car get pretty hot and then driving it around for a bunch with the A/C on will help, too. Car AC systems are very powerful.

However, some car companies put control modules in the passenger footwell (like engine control modules, sometimes ABS or airbag controllers), so it's worth looking at a parts diagram or googling around first.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#143

Post by KennyBlanken »

uuyi wrote: post #23
chrisseaton wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been hosing out my Defenders and wading them above the door seals for years and there's no significant rust yet. They have rubber floor mats instead of upholstery. But they are maintained professionally.

You won’t find it until your foot goes through something or something falls off. I had a 1990 defender 90 which was 8 years old and the bulkhead was invisibly rotten in various places. That got very expensive very quickly. A friend has a more modern 110 that’s only 6 years old and has the same problem. This is not an issue in some areas and dry climates as a rule but in the UK it sucks owning one. I don’t own one now…

This is why I laugh when I see 90's era defenders selling for $80k in the states.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#144

Post by kamranjon »

aabajian wrote: post #90

If you want a hoseable vehicle, buy an FJ Cruiser. I take my dogs to the car wash (it has heated water), and hose them off without taking them out of the back.

Is it possible that your FJ Cruiser could get rusted out in exactly the same way as the Honda Element from doing this?

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#145

Post by [deleted] »

mmaunder wrote: post #37
Barrera wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's in the video embedded at the bottom. What appears to be a representative of Honda says the following about the then-concept car (0:40): "It's got kind of a wash-and-wear interior. You can kind of completely hose out the interior if you wanted to."

This is why "kind of" is such a popular caveat.

[deleted]

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#146

Post by Wistar »

jupp0r wrote: post #130
Wistar wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About 2005 or so a co-worker bought a new Toyota FJ Cruiser, kept it for a week and then showed up with a Honda Element. When I asked him why he said, "The FJ is just too fussy. I go hiking and fishing with the dogs and, with this Element, I can just hose it out." Apparently not.

That's funny because FJ cruisers are very sought after vehicles nowadays.

I have spent quality time with a couple different FJ Cruisers and it is a vehicle of which I am not very fond. The seating and interior, especially the headroom, is not comfortable for me and has poor outward visibility. More than those things, though, is that its driving feels coarse and unrefined on the street. It may be great offroad but it is not a rig I'd buy for my mostly street use.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#147

Post by _vdpp »

The “you can hose it out” meme took hold in my brain too for whatever reason. It’s the only thing I could have told you about it after “it’s boxy and probably has a Honda I-4 under the hood.”

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#148

Post by exikyut »

RajT88 wrote: post #141
mortenjorck wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author references the "hose" comment in the 1998 unveiling of the concept car that would become the Element, but I think they greatly underplay the degree to which this idea caught on with the public and in the press, especially in non-automotive publications. I'm pretty sure it was an issue of Wired in the early 2000s where I read about this futuristic new SUV from Honda with, among other clever details, "a floo…

Truth. I recommended a Honda Element to a friend of mine who wanted a cute car, but who had a tendency of destroying cars. Among our friends, somehow the "hose down" talking point was common knowledge. This was maybe 16 years back, so I do not recall how we came to this idea. They ended up buying a stickshift VW bug. Which they abused in many weird ways. Destroyed a couple Honda Fits since the bug.

I'm tentatively morbidity curious what happened to the VW bug, Fits and other cars this friend came in contact with.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#149

Post by iambateman »

chrisseaton wrote: post #4

I don't get it - would you would think you can hose out a consumer car like this, with the fabric seats and all that plastic trim? I've hosed out Land Rovers, but they're clearly an off-road vehicle designed for wading.

It is a very common myth that you can hose out a Honda Element. I know people who owned them and specifically told me you could hose it off.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#150

Post by jupp0r »

Wistar wrote: post #146
jupp0r wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's funny because FJ cruisers are very sought after vehicles nowadays.

I have spent quality time with a couple different FJ Cruisers and it is a vehicle of which I am not very fond. The seating and interior, especially the headroom, is not comfortable for me and has poor outward visibility. More than those things, though, is that its driving feels coarse and unrefined on the street. It may be great offroad but it is not a rig I'd buy for my mostly street use.

Interesting, I haven't had the opportunity to ever ride in one.
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