...if I could find a source for that mesh.....

 

I'm just putting this up as temp until I find something better looking than gutter screening.

 

Just wanted to add: my 2008 Fit Sport, after 33000 miles, has fallen victim to the condenser problem. The dealer wants $815 for a replacement, claims a rock caused the damage, my insurance might help under the collision coverage. Sucks.

 

Shouldn't that be covered under the warranty?

Honda was the one that left the damn thing open like that - it's their fault.....call it negligence or something.

 

On my 2002 CR-V the compressor exploded, and this was outside of the 3yr 36k mi warranty... but Honda replaced it for me at no charge. Go figure.

 

You must carry Comprehensive to cover that, collision won't unless it was an accident with another car. I got my grill mesh from CustomCarGrills.com excellent quality and powdercoat paint options.

 

We just used pet-resistant window screen that was laying around, along with ~16 zip ties. It's stopped a lot of large bugs, and you can't tell it's there. Condenser looks pretty good still.

 

I bought the black anodized billet grille from Mr. Grille a while back. It was $100 shipped, and matches well with the factory upper grille and black foglight surround. Initially, I got it for the protection, but really it adds to the appearance of the front end. Some folks got the satin chrome version. Either way, the thing is rock solid, no flex at all.

Now I just realized the condensor on my Mazda CX-9 is just as exposed as the Fit's, aside from the fact that it sits much higher off the ground (being an SUV). So, it's not just Honda leaving the area exposed.

 

I started here:
McMaster-Carr

And ended up with this as the best option, in black plastic!
McMaster-Carr

I'll post my findings once it arrives. It was $10 shipped LOL!

 

Wish I had known about this condensor problem before I bought my car. Only differences are my car is a 2008 Civic, and I'm in Canada.

Thanks for the link for the Honda lawsuit, I don't know if I can jump in on it or not. My car is 10 months old, same story though. I've gone from taking my complaint to the service department, to the supervisor of Honda Canada Inc, right to the President of Honda Canada.

The response from the Manager, Customer Relations Honda Canada Inc. is:
“We are sorry to learn of the damage to the air condenser on your 2008 Honda Civic. At Honda, we strive to design and build vehicles that provide our valued clientele with a blend of quality, durability, performance and fuel efficiency at a reasonable price. We believe that our reputation attests to this endeavour. Despite our best efforts however, certain situations might arise that are outside of our control.

Your file indicates that the air condenser in your Civic was damaged by road hazard. As outlined in your 2008 Warranty Guide, “no warranty shall cover (…) damage to paint, glass, and any other exterior item due to road hazards”. We have confirmed with our Warranty department that this component falls within this category. Although we understand your dissatisfaction with the costs associated with this repair, Honda Canada is regrettably not in a position to assist.

With regards to your concerns with your file’s handling by our department, we confirm that we will perform an internal review based on your comments and thank you for this information.”

In response I replied:
"I believe that I was mislead and have been taken advantage of by Honda. When people purchase new Honda's automobiles, there is a 3 year/60,000 km warranty. Buyers expect manufacturers to honour these warranties.

Before people sign the purchase/sales agreements, there are no "hidden clauses" shown or mentioned before or indeed even afterwards, unless there is a mechanical issue. I was certainly not privy to the fact that if there was mechanical failure that was NOT caused by a collision that Honda would not cover this under warranty.

Certainly MANY people already know of my problem with my new car. EVERYONE I have spoken to has the same beliefs as I do about this being covered under warranty, and that certainly Honda would want to not only want to have customer satisfaction, but also to not encourage any negative feedback.

I may only be one person, but I'm sure there are others that feel they have been wronged by Honda. This is a miscarriage of justice and decency. If I do not get a favourable response, I will stand up for my rights, and forward my complaint to the media."

 

My friends last gen Celica just took a big ass rock in the rad.

He was about to drive home and I was like dude, stop, what the f*ck did you hit? Cuz his shit was leaking everywhere, followed it back to the rad, took a look in the front air dam and my reaction was "HOLY SHIT!"

This rock was so big it wedged stuck halfway through the radiator part of it sticking out on both sides of it. Apparently, Toyota puts absolutely nothing in front of the radiator it's just straight to it not even the intersecting plastic that we at least get with our Fits.

He wanted to have the dealer replace it and then he got his $1500 quote and called me haha.
We're replacing his radiator today with a brand new one. $300.

I let him drive my Fit home since I was wasted and now he's in love with it, offered me $12k, lol.

 

I know where you are coming from dude, but you have to look at this from other standpoints, you simply cannot complain about the inherent existence of road hazards, it doesn't matter what car you drive or who you are, no one is going to cover this kind of damage. If you really want future protection, the best thing to do is mesh your grill and get a low comprehensive deductible. Comprehensive Insurance is most commonly used for incidents like this.

Honda would be bankrupt if they were held liable for every hazardous object on the road. I don't blame them a bit. I know this is a difficult situation for average joe that is irritated with something out of their power happening to their car and that you need to place the blame somewhere, but that is the nature of car ownership. Suck it up and make a comprehensive claim, or pay the bill.

 

I agree that Honda cannot be liable for road damage. However, if there is a significant amount of condenser damage being noted, then it could be claimed to be a manufacturer defect or a poor design that should be addressed. I mean, how hard would it be for Honda or others to put a black wire mesh between the intake and the condenser?

Hell, if nothing else design a drop in part and offer it for free or cheaply. Putting something there in the first place would have added only a couple bucks to the cost of the car in the first place and eliminated or greatly reduced this kind of damage. There is no reason a rock should be the cause of $1500 worth of damage in normal driving.

My guess would be that the first person that can make an easily installable part that drops in with clips or with minor drilling could make some $$. A simple frame with mesh designed to screw or clip behind the opening shouldn't cost much to make and you could probably sell it for double what it cost to make. $50 or so is cheap insurance for a mega dollar fix.

 

JGW:

I'm calling it now....
We are going to see you in Entrepreneur Magazine next month...then we will see who is laughing then!

 

Yes, legally they don't have an obligation to pay for the damage. But the bigger issue is, if Honda is so concerned with designing cars that are safe and reliable why the hell would they leave a giant opening in front of the condenser, especially on a low to the ground car like the Fit? That is just lazy design right there. It doesn't take an engineer to figure out that it's a problem waiting to happen. The cost would probably be pennies to throw some kind of mesh grill protection down there, or at the very least if Honda is too damn lazy to do it at the factory offer it as an OEM accessory.

Honda isn't the only company to blame though, as most cars don't have any kind of protection down there in the economy class. Higher-end cars always have mesh protection. So I guess the message from the car manufactures is, "buy an economy car, and protect the condenser at your own expense." Good, I get it, and that's why I'm installing my grill this weekend.

 

That is not entirely true. Its not just the economy class... My CL-S had no protection either. It was just like the fits. The CL-S was def. not an economy car. $32K new.

My current tsx (07) too does not have any protection down there as well.


I did notice now the newer tsx's have a lower grille but its ugly....at least its something I guess.

 

Lots of simple things like this are overlooked by a lot of car manufacturers. I don't know how they miss cheap logical things that prevent more serious damage from occurring, but they have been taking decades to wise up, if at all. See my post about my friends celica above? That is a much more expensive car.

They made stone guards an accessory for model T's when they were introduced...so what did we forget between now and then?

It is very inexpensive to prevent, but there are a bunch of other things that are cheap to protect but weren't included with the car, let me give you a few examples:

1. Door dings: ~$100 each (unless you have a protection plan)
   If you have side moldings this practically becomes a non issue, but it's not included.
2. Stone Chips: $$$-$$$$!!!!
   If you have a deflector and/or 3M Clear protection film, this isn't even an issue, but it's not included.
3. Broken Fog Lights: ~$150 each
   If you have protection film on the fogs, 95% of rocks will leave your fogs unscathed, but it's not included.
4. Repaint loading zone on rear bumper: ~$100+
   If you have the applique you won't be tearing up the paint, but it's not included.

 

Love mcmaster-carr. Eager to hear how it goes.

Thanks for the link.

-P

 

I got the meshes in from McMaster yesterday. I actually bought the one linked above, and the next size up. The one linked is the best size, the other one is too large a grid to be useful.

I will take some pics of the meshes with a coin and ruler next to them so you get the idea. I'm not sure how durable this is going to be, it's just plastic, but seems quite strong... I may run a few projectile tests at it to see what happens Will post more soon.

 

OK, here are some pics of the meshes I purchased from McMaster-Carr. They are black, and made of plastic (injection molded).

Personally, I think the finer mesh is more appropriate for shielding...

Top mesh is 9314T35
and
Bottom mesh is 9314T33