[wirelessness]

The only dealer in my area with the Model trim level I am looking for has added the Body Side Molding, Wheel Well and Door Trim protection kit. I don't really mind paying for the add on but prefer the look of the vehicle WITHOUT the molding kit. I've heard varying reports on how easy and safe it is to remove. Anyone here with similar experience? Can I safely and cleanly remove these accessories if I want? Thanks!!!

 

[striker3636]

The side molding will come off relatively easy as it's only on with 3M automotive adhesive tape. You may need to run heavy fishing line behind the molding strip to get it off, or carefully apply a little heat if its been on a long time.
The door protection strips, if you mean the metal strips that go along the outer door edges, I'd be very surprised if you can get them off and not have some scraped up paint, they have to be tapped into place and are a very tight fit, gripping the door skin.

 

[Frogger]

Yes, the side molding does not look right on the 2011. Why don't you have the dealer take it off. At minimum, I would go to a dealer's detailer, they will have lots of experience with this sort of thing and will clean up underneath very well for you.

 

[dvpatel]

If I were you, I'd explicitly as the dealer NOT to add the accessories on. They don't get them like this from the factory. Its a scam to get more money out of the customer. If the dealer doesn't agree, look at another dealer. Why pay for something you don't want and then remove it on a brand new car. If the removal is for some reason, botched, then you're in for dis-satisfaction and these vans aren't exactly cheap to start out with.

 

[PhilZJ]

Dvpatel; I think he just doesnt want to wait for another van to come in since they already have what he wants.

That said, I think it will be difficult to get that off without any visual blemish.

I agree the side molding doesn't look good on this car.

 

[dvpatel]

Dvpatel; I think he just doesnt want to wait for another van to come in since they already have what he wants.

I did gather as much. But. If the stealership wants OP's business, they'd tell him when the next one exactly like this one is coming in. Also, they routinely swap cars with other Honda dealers so the stealer can get the exact same van minus the add-ons if they really want OP's business.

That said, I think it will be difficult to get that off without any visual blemish.

Its not impossible. The double sided 3M tape can be removed cleanly but just in case something goes wrong, that is why I said get another one. No chance of risk if OP chooses to wait for the next one inbound same as what they have on the lot right now.

 

[stephent2]

I agree the side molding doesn't look good on this car.

Disagree.

 

[kulas138]

Disagree.

X2. To me it blends well with the Ody's side. And it somewhat protects it from possible hits, dings or scrapes from ruthless objects such as a grocery cart.

 

[manfrotto]

x3

Disagree.

Must agree with stephen2. I love the look of the molding on our black EX-L. But, if I was OP, I would simply ask the dealer to take the cost of the molding off the van. What a stealership move, adding accessories and forcing a potential customer to "take it, or leave it."

 

[PhilZJ]

DvPatel; we had to wait just over 2 months to get the trim level and color we wanted. So it's with that in mind that I sympathize with the OPs reluctance to let this van slip away. If he can wait, absolutely, have one delivered with no molding if the dealer won't do it, go somewhere else.
Regarding the removal of the molding, I had an ex coworker that removed the molding on his black accord coupe. I'm not sure if it was at installation, but in 2 areas under the molding there were some square indentations. They were very small you could only see them when looking at an angle and the light reflection.
Anyways, that's my only experience with sidemding removal.

Regarding what looks best, well everyone has their own opinion. Some like the ex wheels some the touring, some like truffle interior some don't.

Good luck with the deal OP

 

[wirelessness]

Hey everyone, thanks for the great responses!

This turned out to be a total waste of time. The dealer told me the vehicle a Silver/Truffle EX-L w/RES had the body side molding kit added along with the door trim pieces and the wheel well guards.

I don't really like the horizontal door guards, so I really wanted to find another car that did not have them. Turns out there is not one other dealer in the entire 100 mile radius of San Francisco Bay Area with the same car and very very few EX-L w/RES. Then, as many people probably already know the disaster in Japan is really affecting production/parts availability and it's only going to get worse moving forward.

All that said, and with a fair amount of confidence that the horizontal pieces could be removed I drove the 40 miles to the dealership to buy the vehicle. As it turns out they had only installed the DOOR EDGE and WHEEL WELL Guards!!! Ugh, I would have rushed right over 24hrs earlier and bought the car had I know this.

Bottom line, I love the new Ody and I think I got a smoking deal especially considering there are literally no similar cars available now and very few coming in. The door and wheel well guards are barely noticeable and will probably provide some good protection so they will be staying put...especially since they sound a lot harder to remove.

Thanks again for all the support on my FIRST post!!!

 

[striker3636]

The dealer told me the vehicle a Silver/Truffle EX-L w/RES had the body side molding kit added along with the door trim pieces and the wheel well guards.

When you say wheel well guards are you referring to splash guards/mud flaps, or is there some kind of different accessory I'm not aware of?

 

[PhilZJ]

When you say wheel well guards are you referring to splash guards/mud flaps, or is there some kind of different accessory I'm not aware of?

I think he's referring to a small trim piece that goes on the edge of the wheel wells. Wife had it on her accord we traded in for this van.

Congratz on your purchase, enjoy the van

 

[wirelessness]

Yes, there is a color matched trim piece that goes around the outside edge for the wheel well. That would be a bad place to get a door ding so I guess they are worth having. Ascetically, I prefer the car without any of these added guards though. That's just me.

 

[Frogger]

Congratulations !

Reminds me of when I went to pick up my 2001 Odyssey years ago, waited 3 months for it. When I pulled in first thing in the morning, I was the only customer there, the van was parked right in front at a sexy angle for everyone to see (of course the lot had no Odys in it back then because of low supply, so they liked to show them off). But they had put dealer badges on it and these awful pin stripes they used to put on everything back then, they forgot the mud guards, all these things I had been very careful to specify on several occasions.

I went into the dealer incensed, but my salesman was on the phone. Could hardly contain myself as I had waited 3 months, and had to get to work. The other salesperson inquired on me and was very apologetic about the situation. Finally, my salesman gets off the phone... and he says something like "let me see what happened". He disappears for 10 minutes, and I am positively fuming and getting a headache. After 10 minutes, he appears in the front window, pulling up in another identical van, no badges, with the mud guards, hops out and says, "This is your van". Of course... too funny, I was very embarassed, and oddly, so was the saleman... he had in fact pulled the one forward thinking it was mine as the other customer was coming later in the day.

 

[striker3636]

Yes, there is a color matched trim piece that goes around the outside edge for the wheel well. That would be a bad place to get a door ding so I guess they are worth having. Ascetically, I prefer the car without any of these added guards though. That's just me.

I havent seen anything like that on the Honda accessory site... Anyone have a photo or link?

 

[Frogger]

I havent seen anything like that on the Honda accessory site... Anyone have a photo or link?

It's from the last generation, sure they just popped it onto the new Ody. The top pic below shows the type that glues on, likely that one, as the second one requires anchor points, althought still could be put on a 2011 by any body house.

 

[wirelessness]

It's not exactly like either of those ones.

This is what I am talking about:

 

[striker3636]

Interesting. That last one looks more like some generic stripping that would work for anything rather than a model specific accessory.

 

[PhilZJ]

It's not exactly like either of those ones.

This is what I am talking about:

Yup, that's exactly what my wife's accord had. Same think was added on the door.

The door trim was convenient in the garage to not scratch the door, not sure how beneficial the wheel well one was.