How to tell if you have a great vehicle!

[flybigjet]

My wife and I were planning to drive her 2018 Acura RDX from Denver to Seattle and return to see my father and sister for Christmas this year.

Because, why not? We like to road trip to reconnect with each other sometimes, and we had a bunch of presents for my father, sister, stepsister and her husband, etc (some of which included some heavy hitting bottles of wine we'd gotten for them over the year that couldn't be shipped).

Her RDX was prepped, cleaned, washed, partly packed, mechanically gone over, had new new tires (for mountain passes), oil changed, etc..... and the damn sunroof jams open..... LITERALLY the night before we're supposed to leave. She hit the "pop open the sunroof" button instead of the overhead light by accident and it broke.

WTF, over? I tried *everything* I could think of to get it closed, but it's jammed in the open position and isn't going to move without the entire headliner and assembly being taken apart-- something I had no time to even consider starting.

So, it's 10 hours before we leave, we still have to open our presents to each other, Facetime with friends, finish packing, there's rain and snow forecast, and my wife's having a bit of a Christmas meltdown.

What do you do? It's 1500 miles each way over multiple mountain passes with ice and rain expected.

My 5-speed beater/daily 18.5 year old 2005 Honda Element that hasn't been inside of a garage for fifteen years to the rescue!

No prep, no checkup, no mechanical work, nothing..... I just gave it a quick wipe down and clean up inside to make the wife happy (she does NOT love the Element and it was pretty dusty with a bunch of stuff inside), moved our bags and packages over from the RDX, pulled off the bike rack and we were on the road by 0630. Luckily, I'd put new tires on it last month since I was down to the wear bars-- but the Old Girl rose to the occasion. 155k on the clock and she just hummed her way to Seattle, no muss, no fuss, and didn't burn a drop of oil.

The result is that we're in (near) Seattle and my wife isn't allowed to bad-mouth the Element anymore since it saved her arse and Christmas plans. It's *beyond* basic..... it barely has power windows. No heated seats, the CD player doesn't work, it's a MT, you have to argue with the radio buttons, there are a bunch of hail dents on the hood and side, the driver's seat is worn out, the door seals are ripped, the foot heater on the passenger side doesn't work, it's terrifyingly loud above 65 and you pretty much need a gravity assist to consistently keep it moving above about 84 mph.....

But damn, does Honda build a reliable and dependable car!

How many beater, outside-living, (almost) 20 year old cars can you just jump in with absolutely no prep and roll 3000 miles?

I **LOVE** My Element!

RDX stuffed into our garage next to the M2C. Her Miata parked in the neighbor's garage. Marriage saved. Christmas plans salvaged. Wine delivered. Wife (more or less) happy.... although she *did* say she was used to "a little more" luxury-- she *really* missed her heated seats. She's going to fly home on New Year's Day (as per the original plan) and I'll drive the Element home the following week.

She's going to deal with taking the RDX to the dealer to get the sunroof fixed while I'm gone. Having an open sunroof in Colorado in the winter isn't a great plan.

Merry Christmas to all.

R.

[3798j]

Good story...I know that feeling.

[Joralemon st.]

Look on the bright side — this didn't happen at one of the mountain passes — doubt heated seats would've salvaged anything

Happy holidays!

[mecheng77]

Honestly any 6 cylinder BMW is pretty reliable, even the turbo models except for the N54.

I’ve owned Hondas they were decent but felt like tin cans and the rotors would warp so easily (undersized) and the body would rust

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

My wife and I were planning to drive her 2018 Acura RDX from Denver to Seattle and return to see my father and sister for Christmas this year.

Because, why not? We like to road trip to reconnect with each other sometimes, and we had a bunch of presents for my father, sister, stepsister and her husband, etc (some of which included some heavy hitting bottles of wine we'd gotten for them over the year that couldn't be shipped).

Her RDX was prepped, cleaned, washed, partly packed, mechanically gone over, had new new tires (for mountain passes), oil changed, etc..... and the damn sunroof jams open..... LITERALLY the night before we're supposed to leave. She hit the "pop open the sunroof" button instead of the overhead light by accident and it broke.

WTF, over? I tried *everything* I could think of to get it closed, but it's jammed in the open position and isn't going to move without the entire headliner and assembly being taken apart-- something I had no time to even consider starting.

So, it's 10 hours before we leave, we still have to open our presents to each other, Facetime with friends, finish packing, there's rain and snow forecast, and my wife's having a bit of a Christmas meltdown.

What do you do? It's 1500 miles each way over multiple mountain passes with ice and rain expected.

My 5-speed beater/daily 18.5 year old 2005 Honda Element that hasn't been inside of a garage for fifteen years to the rescue!

No prep, no checkup, no mechanical work, nothing..... I just gave it a quick wipe down and clean up inside to make the wife happy (she does NOT love the Element and it was pretty dusty with a bunch of stuff inside), moved our bags and packages over from the RDX, pulled off the bike rack and we were on the road by 0630. Luckily, I'd put new tires on it last month since I was down to the wear bars-- but the Old Girl rose to the occasion. 155k on the clock and she just hummed her way to Seattle, no muss, no fuss, and didn't burn a drop of oil.

The result is that we're in (near) Seattle and my wife isn't allowed to bad-mouth the Element anymore since it saved her arse and Christmas plans. It's *beyond* basic..... it barely has power windows. No heated seats, the CD player doesn't work, it's a MT, you have to argue with the radio buttons, there are a bunch of hail dents on the hood and side, the driver's seat is worn out, the door seals are ripped, the foot heater on the passenger side doesn't work, it's terrifyingly loud above 65 and you pretty much need a gravity assist to consistently keep it moving above about 84 mph.....

But damn, does Honda build a reliable and dependable car!

How many beater, outside-living, (almost) 20 year old cars can you just jump in with absolutely no prep and roll 3000 miles?

I **LOVE** My Element!

RDX stuffed into our garage next to the M2C. Her Miata parked in the neighbor's garage. Marriage saved. Christmas plans salvaged. Wine delivered. Wife (more or less) happy.... although she *did* say she was used to "a little more" luxury-- she *really* missed her heated seats. She's going to fly home on New Year's Day (as per the original plan) and I'll drive the Element home the following week.

She's going to deal with taking the RDX to the dealer to get the sunroof fixed while I'm gone. Having an open sunroof in Colorado in the winter isn't a great plan.

Merry Christmas to all.

R.

Great story. Merry Christmas. Safe travels!

[Tambohamilton]

My e91 330d is 2 years younger and a bit higher mileage, but I'd also jump in that at a moment's notice and drive however far. It doesn't have heated seats, but the cd player works, the heating works, the AC works, the door seals aren't ripped, it's comfortable cruising at 100mph (when laws allow)... I love my e91!

Honestly, if you need to work on a car (outside of routine maintenance) before taking a long journey its reliability must be pretty pathetic. Acceptable for a track/vintage car etc, not acceptable for a modern daily.

But I agree - honda make reliable stuff!

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

...How many beater, outside-living, (almost) 20 year old cars can you just jump in with absolutely no prep and roll 3000 miles?...and I'll drive the Element home the following week...

You're not home yet!!!!

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

But damn, does Honda build a reliable and dependable car!

Maybe, but didn't Honda also make the grinch of this story... the RDX?

[M_Six]

I was taking Wifey's 2006 Honda Civic through the local gas station car wash a couple of weeks ago. I lowered the driver's side window to punch in the car wash code. The light turns green and the Drive Forward sign lights up. I go to raise the window and...nothing. Window would not come up. Car wash is paid for and waiting for me to drive in. Cars in line behind me. WTF to do?

I shut the car off and restarted it and bingo, the window worked fine.

When I was in IT support I always told people there are two steps to take if something doesn't work.

Step 1: Reboot!!
Step 2: Call me

Rebooting worked again.

Aside from that weird glitch, her 18 year old Honda is also running fine. My 2016 MB GLC300 has had far more issues than her Civic.

Glad you made your trip work. Merry Christmas indeed.

[2000cs]

Glad you found a way and can now have a Merry Christmas with family.

There are videos on YT about sunroof fixes. May be an easy one, if you’re lucky.

My 2006 750Li would make the trip. With the dog we’d take the RAM, but both are nice rides for long trips.

[tranquility]

Great story! ...but if this could hurt your marriage when it's nobody's fault really, then I dunno what to say

Merry Xmas!

[///MPhatic]

I'm a Honda fan from way back, and I adore my daily '15 RDX. It has 142K on the clock and drives as if it were new (this pic taken just last year).

Merry Christmas!

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

My wife and I were planning to drive her 2018 Acura RDX from Denver to Seattle and return to see my father and sister for Christmas this year.

Because, why not? We like to road trip to reconnect with each other sometimes, and we had a bunch of presents for my father, sister, stepsister and her husband, etc (some of which included some heavy hitting bottles of wine we'd gotten for them over the year that couldn't be shipped).

Her RDX was prepped, cleaned, washed, partly packed, mechanically gone over, had new new tires (for mountain passes), oil changed, etc..... and the damn sunroof jams open..... LITERALLY the night before we're supposed to leave. She hit the "pop open the sunroof" button instead of the overhead light by accident and it broke.

WTF, over? I tried *everything* I could think of to get it closed, but it's jammed in the open position and isn't going to move without the entire headliner and assembly being taken apart-- something I had no time to even consider starting.

So, it's 10 hours before we leave, we still have to open our presents to each other, Facetime with friends, finish packing, there's rain and snow forecast, and my wife's having a bit of a Christmas meltdown.

What do you do? It's 1500 miles each way over multiple mountain passes with ice and rain expected.

My 5-speed beater/daily 18.5 year old 2005 Honda Element that hasn't been inside of a garage for fifteen years to the rescue!

No prep, no checkup, no mechanical work, nothing..... I just gave it a quick wipe down and clean up inside to make the wife happy (she does NOT love the Element and it was pretty dusty with a bunch of stuff inside), moved our bags and packages over from the RDX, pulled off the bike rack and we were on the road by 0630. Luckily, I'd put new tires on it last month since I was down to the wear bars-- but the Old Girl rose to the occasion. 155k on the clock and she just hummed her way to Seattle, no muss, no fuss, and didn't burn a drop of oil.

The result is that we're in (near) Seattle and my wife isn't allowed to bad-mouth the Element anymore since it saved her arse and Christmas plans. It's *beyond* basic..... it barely has power windows. No heated seats, the CD player doesn't work, it's a MT, you have to argue with the radio buttons, there are a bunch of hail dents on the hood and side, the driver's seat is worn out, the door seals are ripped, the foot heater on the passenger side doesn't work, it's terrifyingly loud above 65 and you pretty much need a gravity assist to consistently keep it moving above about 84 mph.....

But damn, does Honda build a reliable and dependable car!

How many beater, outside-living, (almost) 20 year old cars can you just jump in with absolutely no prep and roll 3000 miles?

I **LOVE** My Element!

RDX stuffed into our garage next to the M2C. Her Miata parked in the neighbor's garage. Marriage saved. Christmas plans salvaged. Wine delivered. Wife (more or less) happy.... although she *did* say she was used to "a little more" luxury-- she *really* missed her heated seats. She's going to fly home on New Year's Day (as per the original plan) and I'll drive the Element home the following week.

She's going to deal with taking the RDX to the dealer to get the sunroof fixed while I'm gone. Having an open sunroof in Colorado in the winter isn't a great plan.

Merry Christmas to all.

R.

Great story.

I seem to recall reading a similar problem experienced by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin while they were sitting on the moon, getting ready to launch. Sometime during the time they were struggling to get in or out of their space suits after the lunar walk, someone bumped or kicked the launch switch, breaking off the handle. They successfully launched by pushing the switch stump with a ballpoint pen.

[Rocket455]

Got the warm-n-fuzzies reading that, OP, cheers! We have some vehicles in our fleet right now that I can't justify getting rid of due to that dependability/work horse factor; a '00 Crown Vic (P71) with 240k on the odo and 20 years of ownership, an '01 Tacoma (112k, 15 years) and a '99 Accord (305k on chassis, 50k new motor, 19 yrs with us). These cars are so cheap to insure and maintain and have been so reliable that they've spoiled us!

[BMWGUYinCO]

Safe rest of your travels R!