IT WILL RUST!
We've all heard it before..."I love the Element, you can hose it out".
While this statement is true, one could also drive it off a cliff. Doing either of these will destroy your Element, one will just do it faster than the other.
The Element does not have drain holes and the electronics under that rubber floor are not sealed, including airbag wiring. Just push your front seats forward, those are the rear cabin air vents just waiting to swallow water. The floor is not water tight in any way to allow the use of a hose inside the Element.
If you love it, don't do it!
Yes the Element is easy to clean, but please only use a damp towel or mop. Any free flowing water will find its way under the floor, eventually rusting out your Element.
They don't make them anymore!
By now you know the beloved Element is discontinued. Please help preserve the ones that are still out there. Share this page and message. Let's kill this rumor once and for all!
Are you in the market for an Element?
Check the spare tire area under the floor at the rear of the Element. It will certainly be rusted if a previous owner hosed/sprayed it out.
Can the damage be repaired?
Yes, but it will require removing the entire interior and a ton of labor.
All images courtesy of Frontier Collective, thank you for saving this one & safe travels.
How did the rumor begin?
When the Model X (aka Honda Element Concept) appeared at auto shows in 2001, it was claimed that it "can be hosed out". Honda never printed this information to our knowledge, they only claimed it was "washable", which it is, just not with a hose. Again this was a concept vehicle, not the production Element. Many of the features of the Model X did not make it into production (this is very common with concept vehicles).
Back to the rumor, here is the video that may have started it all (40 seconds in) "You can kind of completely hose out the inside if you want to" and "This particle version has a lift up rear roof section". In the video you can clearly see that the rear roof does not lift up, but retracts. We know this is nit picking, we are pointing our that what the interviewee says and what the vehicle offers are actually different. Watch the entire video to see all the concepts that did not make it into production. Notice how careful they are with the vehicle, as if it could break at any moment, one of the fog light doesn't even work. A hose would have certainly destroyed the Model X as well.
Read the complete press release posted on the video (click though to the YouTube to read)
excerpt from the press release
Model X was conceived at the inaugural X Games in San Diego in 1998.
While the silhouette of Model X provides a rough and tough appearance, the interior is designed to be resilient and "washable." The interior floor is flat and wide and made of textured resin that is easy to clean.