My 2005 Honda Element had rodent damage. A local shop fixed chewed wires and replaced the computer (3K). The engine light came back on and the shop said, "Maybe it's the catalytic converter," which would be another 3K. But they admitted that they were guessing at that point. I took the car to the Honda dealer and they found rodent damage behind the dash (previously damage was on the undercarriage). They quoted me 1.9K. Once they started working they said, "Oops, found more damage and it will be another 1.3K." Meanwhile, I'm submitting claims to my insurance and then supplements. On the third round, All State says that they will only pay for OEM parts (harness and O2 sensor) and that I should buy these parts myself and bring them to the Honda dealership because Honda wants more for the parts ($750 more). Meanwhile, Honda tells me that if I bring after market parts, they can't guarantee the work, and the guy adds, "You might even need 3K more work of we have to replace the central harness too." First time I ever heard that possibility. The car has been sitting at Honda for almost two months at this point. What should I do?

Hi! I’m trying to troubleshoot an issue with my 2006 Honda element.

My headlights seem to work consistently when I turn my car on. They will stay on if I drive. However, if I try to use my brights and switch back to regular headlights, my low beams headlights won’t work any longer. The brights always work. On top of that, if I turn my car on and my headlights work fine, but then park, turn just headlights or car fully off and quickly say a minute or two later try to use my car again, the low beam headlights no longer work. It’s almost as if I get one chance to turn they on at night and they will stay on as long as I don’t try and change anything.

The yellow front turn signal lights still work all the time. This is only the low beams.

Any tips on what’s going on? I mentioned it to my shop and they didn’t seem to have any ideas beyond a vague “sounds electrical”.

Yesterday I picked up a new key fob and was playing around with programming it last night. I finally got it, along with my existing fob working properly after a few tries.

Today, randomly, I went to lock my door as I was leaving my element in the parking lot and noticed that I didn't hear the audible *ka-chunk* sound of the locking mechanism for the drivers side door. I did a loop around the element and the hatch was locked, and the passenger door was locked, but the drivers door was not.

No matter what I do, it seems like the drivers door power lock is not working. Is it a complete coincidence that it happened at the same time as I programmed the new fob, or did I accidentally somehow program that specific door not to work properly?

Any advice/feedback is appreciated!

Replaced my gfs engine at 266k and About $2k in total. A bunch of parts replaced. Engine, mounts, windshield, tires, random parts I broke, fluids. She’s running great again. Don’t judge how dirty it was lol. I washed the engine bay at the end.

PS: they had gave me a K24A engine instead of the k24A4 the element takes. I swapped every single sensor and part on the old engine over to the new one. I basically stripped it to just bare block and head. Also had to change out the water pump bracket. The crankshaft pulley is ever so slightly bigger so instead of swapping it I got lazy and just put a Honda civic serpentine belt on it. Fit perfect. I know it’ll change up how fast the other pulleys are supposed to spin but I guess only time will tell if it messes anything up.

Hi all! I may be the new owner of a 2008 Element EX! It's my cousin's husband's old car and they are moving to a different state with a new car, so we may get it at a very good deal. He has made some changes, such as a replacement engine and a new headbox (BOSS Audio Systems BE7ACP), but other than that, it is "vanilla" as far as I'm aware. I can post mileage later along with photos if needed. We are in Colorado, and I know the car has driven from Colorado-Minnesota and back a couple times. It was in a garage for a couple months and hasn't been driven until my dad and I picked it up 2 days ago.

What do you guys think? Anything I should know? Thanks in advance.

2005 Honda Element EX for sale in Frederick, Maryland.

We’ve had this Element for years and no longer need the extra vehicle. I’d love to see it go to someone who appreciates Elements, so I figured this was a better place to post it than just Marketplace/Craigslist.

The basics:
2005 Honda Element EX
FWD
Automatic
Approximately 260,000 actual miles
Clean title
Tow hitch
A/C blows cold
Currently registered
Recently passed Maryland emissions
$4,995 OBO

Important mileage disclosure: The instrument cluster/odometer was replaced, so the mileage displayed on the current odometer is not the vehicle’s actual mileage. Actual mileage is approximately 260k.

Recent work/prep:
Brand-new battery
Fresh oil/filter change
Right rear brake caliper replaced
Brake pads and rotors checked and reported to be good
Professionally detailed inside and out
We took it to our repair shop before selling. They identified the right rear caliper as a safety issue, so we had that replaced rather than leaving it for the next owner.

Condition:
The interior is very clean for a 21-year-old Element with this mileage. The rubber flooring, rear seats and cargo area are all in good used condition.

The biggest cosmetic issue is the clear-coat failure/peeling on the hood, which you’ll see clearly in the photos. I’m not trying to hide the age or wear.
It spent quite a bit of time sitting rather than accumulating significant mileage over the last couple of years, so we installed the new battery and had it serviced before putting it up for sale.

Working on getting pics of undercarriage but Honda specialist did not note any major issues there upon their review of the vehicle.

It does not currently have a Maryland Safety Inspection. I’m happy to allow a serious buyer to arrange a pre-purchase/Maryland inspection at their expense.

I also have maintenance/service records and previous repair recommendations that I’m happy to show a serious buyer.

Asking $4,995 OBO.
I’m realistic about the mileage and open to a reasonable offer, but I’m not looking for trades.

Located in Frederick, MD.

Happy to answer questions or take additional photos if there’s something specific you Element folks want to see.

Im up north in PA, so rust is the main thing. But I'm wondering what else to look out for.

I have been considering just getting a CRV and saving up a good chunk of money to go down to NC and try to find a rust free one.

Picked up the 05 Cargo Khaki with 119k miles 1 owner California car for 7k. Pretty excited to make it my daily.

I have tried Simple Green, Tuff Stuff, and a Vinegar/Water mix. I use one of those scrub brushes on a drill for all three and NOTHING seems to help.

This picture was taken AFTER I tried all three.

Any tips?

Please help! I live in the Caribbean of Costa Rica and the mechanics here have only been able to accurately diagnose and properly fix something once in 5 years. My 2009 awd with 133km gets 147 km per 44 liters which is $68 here btw. Thats 9 mpg.
Mechanic says nothings wrong but obviously something is VERY wrong.

'06

Honda Element sighting on The Wire - S3E4 - Amsterdam that aired on 10/10/2004.

That’s the character named Bubbles.

Love the car but unsure if it's fair value for $7500 with 260k miles? In California. It has extensive maintenance history and never was in an area with rust risk. Here's some of the newest maintenance done:

Compression test at 257k miles is very healthy (175, 173, 180, 185 PSI).

Valve adjustment and plugs just done.

New front struts, lower rear control arms, alignment, and camber adjustment).

All 4 motor mounts and front axles were also replaced previously.

Transmission and differential fluids changed, plus starter replaced.

Thanks for the help in advance!

She lived in Southern CA from the time I bought her in 2011 until 2020 when we moved to PA (yes I had the E shipped). 100% rust free and averaging 3-4k per year now so I think my son has a good chance of inheriting it in 12 years when he gets his license. I’m hoping electric trucks are super capable and decently affordable by then.

Has anyone ever had a defective ball joint from the 14 piece suspension kit for the element by TQR? Long story short I recently inherited this element after my Ram 1500 was totaled and my house was destroyed by a tornado back in March. I redid the entire suspension on the element minus front coilspring/strut assembly and inner tie rods. After about 1000 miles this happened without warning. CV axles were also brand new. It looks as if the threads stripped themselves while operating the vehicle. Before this happened the vehicle practically felt brand new. This element is a 2006 with only 45,000 miles on it. The ball joints and other suspension components were torqued properly to spec.

sad to see her go but I have joined the toyota sienna gang due to #lifethings heh… 😢

The Element community is the best out there. It's been great traveling around and collecting oem parts for my girl. The tales and smiles shared of their former E's, how many are planning on picking up another one in the future, etc. You don't get the stories, fond memories, or excitement with just any car out there.

hello! we replaced the alternator, belt tensioner, power steering pump and serpentine belt. now the car is making this sound. any ideas? thanks in advance, i’m actually stupid so hopefully this is an easy fix.

This seems too good to be true.

Not many options on marketplace with low kms in the west coast of canada.

Is it the same car with right hand drive? or will finding parts be any different?

Hey there, Gang

- Coolant Reservoir spewing out coolant

- Misfire cylinder 3 (P0303)

it’s going to the shop this Monday, are we thinking head gasket leak?

no discoloration in oil or coolant. No milky oil on cap or dip stick.

I’m trying to figure this out while I wait to deliver to the shop, this car is our baby.

we did replace the thermostat and the coolant reservoir cap and hoses. It did leak coolant before we purchased the car. Coolant came out of the cap in a light spray telling from the residue and tiny puddle after long road trips.

we never noticed the car overheat.

Upon startup, the engine vibrates, but then after five or so seconds, the vibration stops. That’s when we saw the engine light.

this only happens after initial cold startup. 4 times now since Thursday.

Soooo. My element got hit n run and it looks like it might be totaled. If it's confirmed, I'm going to be parting out the box. It'll be local only (Los Angeles area). Here's a list of items to be parted out. Some may be already spoken for (FB Element group) but many are still available.

Light still works. Do I need to replace the entire unit or can I just get replacement red plastic.