Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Never hose out a Honda Element

fifthelementcamping.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 275 posts

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#161

Post by RajT88 »

zbrozek wrote: post #158
exikyut wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I'm also interested! I know a few classes of car destroyers. Some of them get into serious crashes. Some of them are more persistently mildly abusive or inattentive and do a lot of cosmetic and cleanliness damage. One person I know does ultra marathoning and uses his car like a locker room, so it smells like a great multitude of new bacterial species. Another one does zero maintenance and runs things until they don't…

My friend is for sure the inattentive type.

This extends to road conditions. Getting stuck on medians, taking a corner in the rain too fast. Not noticing a tree while parking. Not noticing brakes making horrible screaming sounds. Not noticing after weeks of screaming sounds that the car starts diving for the left lane.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#162

Post by theshrike79 »

SmallBets wrote: post #140

Funny seeing this as an Element owner, who is just dealing with the hell of having the catalytic converter stolen. With the relatively high ground clearance, these are absolute magnets for catalytic converter theft. Estimate to fix it with OEM parts ~$6k! Waiting to see if insurance totals it.

This is one of the things I enjoy as an EV owner. I don't need to worry about low-lifes stealing parts from my car.

I do worry about the time when the same people figure out that a regular-ass Type 2 charging cable is up to $300 and completely untraceable if stolen. A "granny-charger" can be up to $1k for the really fancy models. And most EV's have at least one of those onboard at all times.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#163

Post by gambiting »

jlkuester7 wrote: post #124
ungamedplayer wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stripped bare is a feature. Less shit that can go wrong.

This. I don't get the tendency to want an ultra-capable off-road vehicle and then kit it out like a luxury roadster with a bunch of "tech" that is going to break in the first water crossing. Worked on a farm one time where one of the work trucks was literally a Ford F350 King Ranch edition. Super powerful vehicle, but the wood trim and leather seats were no help when you had just been on your hands and knees in mud a…

I have a 2004 Discovery 3 which was specced in the highest possible trim at the time, I've been driving it off road for nearly 2 decades now and it's still absolutely fine. The only feature on it which is actually broken is the driver seat heating. Everything else, including the armrest fridge, works fine. 210k miles, no major repairs with the engine(4.4L V8 petrol). I had to get the chassis rustproofed few years back and the air suspension compressor replaced twice, but that's about it when it comes to "big" repairs.

My point is - I'd absolutely buy another highly specced, full of tech vehicle for offroading. Disco 3s were meant to be "catastrophic" in terms of electrical problems but I didn't really have many issues with mine. The only catastrophic thing about it is the insane fuel consumption(my long term average is 15L/100km, which actually at the current fuel prices is financially ruinous)

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#164

Post by supermatt »

jlkuester7 wrote: post #124
ungamedplayer wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stripped bare is a feature. Less shit that can go wrong.

This. I don't get the tendency to want an ultra-capable off-road vehicle and then kit it out like a luxury roadster with a bunch of "tech" that is going to break in the first water crossing. Worked on a farm one time where one of the work trucks was literally a Ford F350 King Ranch edition. Super powerful vehicle, but the wood trim and leather seats were no help when you had just been on your hands and knees in mud a…

Having worked in "extreme terrain" conditions for much of my adult life, and now work my own farm, I completely disagree. You don't want to be spending significant portions of your day in a "stripped bare" platform. Maybe thats ok for a couple of hours rock crawling twice a month (not that I would call that extreme terrain!), but not for any actual utility.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#165

Post by itronitron »

zbrozek wrote: post #158
exikyut wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I'm also interested! I know a few classes of car destroyers. Some of them get into serious crashes. Some of them are more persistently mildly abusive or inattentive and do a lot of cosmetic and cleanliness damage. One person I know does ultra marathoning and uses his car like a locker room, so it smells like a great multitude of new bacterial species. Another one does zero maintenance and runs things until they don't…

Reminds me of the time I parked at a shopping mall next to an oddly parked car which otherwise looked normal except for a small mountain of what I think were used coffee grounds between the driver's seat and front passenger seat. This was in Seattle.

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#166

Post by tlavoie »

cplusplusfellow wrote: post #138
insaneirish wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never owned an Element. I have never considered buying an Element. I would say I have above average awareness of the car market and am a competent DIY mechanic. With that preface, I have recommended an Element to multiple acquaintances on account of (seemingly) being able to hose out the inside! Whatever the root of this perceived 'capability', the dissemination of it was remarkably effective. If you asked me…

In 2003/2004, when the Element was initially marketed to the US market, I specifically recall seeing ads that indicated I could do such. Nearly bought one for that reason. Bought a Civic SI instead.

Well, and it's hard to beat a Civic Si for fun driving, if that's your thing. (2009 here!)

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#167

Post by Jaruzel »

peteradio wrote: post #123
Aeolun wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Engine starts, car moves. Good enough for me.

I had a Jeep Cherokee where the only thing separating my feet from the road was the carpet. Would that satisfy your standards?

I HAVE a Jeep Cherokee, and now you've got me worried... XD

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#168

Post by medion »

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.

Just pressure washed out my 30 year old Land Rover today, outside AND in. Goes like a charm!

Re: Never hose out a Honda Element

#169

Post by mschuster91 »

RajT88 wrote: post #161
zbrozek wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also interested! I know a few classes of car destroyers. Some of them get into serious crashes. Some of them are more persistently mildly abusive or inattentive and do a lot of cosmetic and cleanliness damage. One person I know does ultra marathoning and uses his car like a locker room, so it smells like a great multitude of new bacterial species. Another one does zero maintenance and runs things until they don't…

My friend is for sure the inattentive type. This extends to road conditions. Getting stuck on medians, taking a corner in the rain too fast. Not noticing a tree while parking. Not noticing brakes making horrible screaming sounds. Not noticing after weeks of screaming sounds that the car starts diving for the left lane.

At that point they're a danger for others on the road.
Post reply on HN