Honda Element + Digression ...

I heard from a friend a few weeks ago that Honda was going to stop manufacturing the Element. Sure enough, a Google search confirmed that 2011 is going to be the last year.

It's sad because there's no substitute for the Element. We bought one in 2007 because it could be had with a manual transmission, the rear seats can be easily and completely removed, and it could easily be equipped with a class 3 hitch.

The Element is a no-bullshit vehicle. It's heavy and completely non-aerodynamic. But it has nothing to hide - in turn for those problems it exposes an unadulterated void to fill through huge, b-pillarless openings.

Ten minutes is all it takes for me to remove *and* carry the rear seats into the basement. After that I can treat the cargo area like a truck bed because the interior absorbs nothing.

And after I fill this thing with _fill_in_the_blank_, I can enjoy my twisty roads the way I like to. The Element may be heavy, but you can still throw it into turns as Honda did an amazing job suspending the awkward-looking body.

I'm sad to see a truly utilitarian, general-purpose vehicle fall by the wayside. Worse, we are losing an option that's fun to drive and came in stick.

It costs gobs of money to get a vehicle approved for sale in these United States. Since the likes of the Element appear to satisfy few, I don't plan on seeing more like it. Here's hoping regulations stay away from motorcycles. Otherwise, I'm guessing the cost to enter will stifle uniqueness and innovation. And really, NHTSA, how are you going to help us if we decide to ride to work exposed on two wheels? Maybe you can start with traffic lights that actually sense us and put off stupidities like mandated ABS? Huh?

Regulations get in my way

We bought a used set of alloy wheels for our Honda Element. The stock steelies that came on our LX started to surface-rust, and we wanted something that looked more presentable.



Rock on! We get to sport new shiny wheels, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Our Element came with TPMS radios in those rusty steel wheels. So until we move those TPMS valves to our new shiny alloys, we have to stare @ an annoying TPMS light on the dashboard. Hopefully our carputer’s discontent has no adverse affects aside from the dummy light.

In the basement was a set of Eibach springs I’ve been waiting to install, so I decided to go the whole nine yards - install the springs, the new wheels, and finish it all off with new tires (both the steelies and the new alloys have old rubber) and get an alignment.

The TPMS annoyance follows us all the way to the tire shop because we need to pack all 4 steelies into the car (since they contain the TPMS units). The shop will remove and dispose of the steel wheel tires (which will cost me) to gain access to the TPMS radios. Then, the shop will move the TPMS units to the new alloys (which will cost me). And then they can finish the task I’m really interested in, which is to install new tires on the alloys and align the Elements new kicks.

So what has government-mandated TPMS done for me? It has complicated car maintenance and added to my costs. What’s TPMS done for you?