FYIs,

Handa accessories now sells the genuine 3rd row Honda All-Weather floor mat as a stand-alone accessory.

Finally!!

Thanks, mejmea...

strider

 

Thanks.

For a comparison, WeatherTech 3rd row mat, custom cut, is slightly more expensive, but offers better coverage and better retention of the dirt:

HONDA: $38.40 + $8.57 S&H (to East Coast)

WEATHERTECH: $40.00 + $9.00 S&H (anywhere in US)

 

Thanks Alex,

I've got the same modified Weathertech 3rd row set-up that you do and they do have nice deep grooves. On the cosmetic side I still like the look of the Honda ones a bit better though. The ones we have for the 1st two rows have done well so far. The sloppy weather is coming!

 

Does anyone have the full Weathertech set in Grey? Just curious how well it fits and matches. Do you lose access to the lazy susan?

 

Looks great -- does anyone have a Honda part number so we canucks might be able to track one down ?

Thanks

 

Thanks Alex,

I've got the same modified Weathertech 3rd row set-up that you do and they do have nice deep grooves. On the cosmetic side I still like the look of the Honda ones a bit better though. The ones we have for the 1st two rows have done well so far. The sloppy weather is coming!

Yeap, cosmetically, Honda's looks better. But, I am buying those mats for the durability and coverage, not looks.

 

FYIs,

Handa accessories now sells the genuine 3rd row Honda All-Weather floor mat as a stand-alone accessory. Thus, those that previously bought the Honda 1st and 2nd row mats but either a) don't have anything in the 3rd row or b) don't like what they have in the 3rd row you now have an "oem" option.

See here and look immediately below the full set of all-weather mats.

There are several other threads about the plusses/minuses of various mat options so perhaps this doesn't need to turn into another one (but we like our Honda mats..... )

Thanks. I've been waiting. Just sent in my order!

 

Yeap, cosmetically, Honda's looks better. But, I am buying those mats for the durability and coverage, not looks.

Durability? Com' on Alexmish... Unless you're transporting livestock in the van or hauling choppers and doing smokey burnouts before launching out the rear hatch, the Honda mats will last the life of the van and then some.

I've never owned Weathertech mats but have had numerous deep-ridged rubber winter mats in my 25+ years surviving northeast winters. My experience is that deep-ridged mats often loose their integrity at the base of those ridges from the repeated flexing by your boots. I suspect they form cracks there because the stress is concentrated in those troughs at the base of the ridges. Again my experience is not with Weathertechs, but similarly designed, universal fit mats of what I considered high construction quality and material.

I'll admit the Honda mats won't contain the same amount of free liquid as the Weathertechs, but their fairly simple contour IMO would make them more durable in the long run.

Coverage is a different topic however.

strider

 

Well, strider, I have to tell you that Weathertech's durability is, simply put, superb. I've owned those particular mats (the ones which you see on my picture) from December 2000. They still like brand new, and dont show any significant sign of wear. Also, while I had them, they were "in use" year around, not just in the winter times, and those particular pieces were in the 2nd row, thus they have seen lots of traffic.

I've had both Honda's OEM mats and weathertechs in my 05 Ody. The Honda's are not very useful in the winter/fall times - lack of edges let the water spill all over the carpet. So, in the winter time I remove Honda's and put in weathertech's - in all 3 rows. All other times of the year, I have Honda's in the 1st and 2nd row, and weathertech's in the 3rd.

And, btw, Honda's mats in the front row already show significant amounf of wear, after less than one year of use.

 

Mat Matters?

Interesting to know Honda makes a third row mat now. If only it was available in any row to match our Olive (putty) interior that came with matching carpet mats! I feel black mats would give this vehicle an instant Flintstones look, making it seem like you have to put your feet on the ground and pedal (+5 points for good visual).

Does anyone make anything as nice for the '4th' row? I know there's a bucket type liner for the rear-most cargo area but we have the cargo boards to go with the table legs (not the black plastic tray) inside the hatch. That leaves a fairly flat platform with two different width 'doors' that have that cheapie car fuzz over Masonite, a stain prone and skiddish surface. I'm considering ordering a custom clear protector set through Mat Depot for the first three rows: http://www.matdepot.com/Carmats/Carmats2.cfm?p_make=HONDA&p_model=ODYSSEY&p_year=2005&category=ProtectorMat . Does anyone have experience with these? I realize they're nothing more than a thin clear mat cut to fit from biggie size raw stock that has honeycomb on one side and is studded on the other (sounds like a biker cereal to me).

I bought some carpet runner from HD as a possible row 4 solution. It would have to be pieced together in amateur fashion to fit the first row due to the odd shape. Second & third rows I can make look nice except it'll look like I was too cheap to buy custom mats and I'm not, they're just not available for all rows yet. Maybe a combination will provide a somewhat professional look. OK, enough self induced therapy, where were we, oh yeah, rear-most mat.

The black '4th row' cargo mat Honda offers doesn't provide access to the two different sized cargo doors without slitting it 60/40. Plus, we don't fold the 3rd row often so that mat would have a large flap on the front edge (that is meant to cover 3rd row seats) but perhaps could be tucked in under row 3. The top of row 4 is quite useful as it doesn't require you to bend over to access cargo. Secondary (subliminal) reason I like the cargo boards is my attractive wife wears short skirts and low cargo would mean a free show, LOL. Anyway, the seldom needed stuff goes below the cargo boards (table legs, emerg roadside & first aid kit, folding chairs, flare launcher, life preserver, dehydrated water, beef jerky, etc. -- oops, some of that's stuff in the wheeless boat).

Any suggestions/comments are appreciated.

:bow:

 

Re: Mat Matters?

Any suggestions/comments are appreciated.

:bow:

Post pictures of lovely wife?

ONLY KIDDING!!

strider

 

Re: Mat Matters?

Interesting to know Honda makes a third row mat now. If only it was available in any row to match our Olive (putty) interior that came with matching carpet mats!....

We have the Slate/Olive combo as well and I don't find the black Honda mats to be offensive. I admit that they took a small bit of getting used to at first but not because they were black - simply because they were rubber mats. Our other car has a tan interior. We have clear aftermarket floor mats in front (came with the car) and I bought tan colored aftermarket mats for the rear (more or less matching the carpet/upholstery). Both the clear and the tan mats show dirt much more than the black ones in our Ody and thus always look dirty to me.

My point is that matching mats for the Olive interior (if any such thing exists) or clear mats sound nice on the surface but IMHO they actually look a lot worse once you start using them.

Although Alexmish is right that the Weathertech style mats hold more liquid than the flatter Honda mats, they are therefore also harder to keep clean because of the deep grooves. We've been quite happy with the Honda mats and haven't had any spill/leaking or durability issues.

As for the 4th row the Honda cargo mat may be your best bet even if you have to modify it. Instead of splitting it 60/40 you could just flip the whole thing back when you need access to the space below as it is very flexible. It folds and stores nicely under the 3rd row seats when you don't want to use it.

In the end, as with most things, there are trade-offs regardless of what design you choose and the answer is different from person to person depending on your preferences and needs.....


P.S. If you look around the inside of the van there is actually a lot of other black (dash, controls, window trim etc) so the black mats don't look out of place.

 

Our Weathertech mats held up quite well for 5 years. The only minor wear was on the driver's mat up front in the low-relief section, near the pedals.

I admit that they are pretty ugly, but they work well.

 

Anybody know how much difference there is up-front between the '04's and '05's? I have Nifty Catch-all's in all my vehicles and really don't want anything else. They make them for the '04 Ody but not '05. Anyone think they'll fit decent enough in an '05? I don't really care about the other rows, I can come up with something else. I just hate rubber type mats under my feet when driving.

 

Well, strider, I have to tell you that Weathertech's durability is, simply put, superb.

Okay, I give on this point... Like I said, I've never owned Weathertechs. "Not the real thing, only 'amazing simulations...'"

And, btw, Honda's mats in the front row already show significant amounf of wear, after less than one year of use.

Then I guess our family's usage profile is significantly gentler than yours. We got our mats in December '04 and about 15k miles ago. I could wipe ours clean a return 'em as new.

No complaints here about the Honda mats' durability.

Were I still in snow ravaged Vermont, I would definitely favor the liquid holding ability of the Weathertechs. Here in Oregon, not so much. Waterproof and fit are what I value now.

Obviously, YMMV.

strider

 

Just ordered mine. Went to me local dealer last night and the parts mgr could not find the part # to order the 3rd row mat. I wonder if the dealer I just ordered from is taking the 3rd row from complete sets and selling them?? Anyway, I am eager to get this 3rd row and complete the coverage.

 

Just received my third row mat from Handa-Accessories today...

Okay, so what to buy next?!

strider

 

Just installed my 3rd row mat from Handa Accessories. I am very happy to have this set complete. It really completes the look of the interior with All season mats in row 1,2,3 and Cargo Mat. I am very happy!:zoom: