My 2005 Honda Element had some clear coat issues and some small rust spots on the tailgate. In this video I show how I repaired these with tools most DIYers have. I also show how I ‘blacked out’ my emblems without damaging the vehicle finish.
I’m not a paint or body repair technician, I’m a mechanic, I’m sure I could have done better, but I’m very happy with the results of my efforts, especially the blacked out emblems. No matter what, I hope you find the information useful.
In addition to the clear coat repair, I also try and realign the hatch as well as upgrade my tail lights to LEDs.
Thanks for watching!
#ETCGVideo #ETCGWatson #HondaElement
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Honda Emblem: 75701-SCV-A01
Element Emblem: 75722-SCV-A10
Paintscratch.com:
Eastwood Chassis Black:
Duplicolor Prep Spray:
Zep Vandel Mark Remover:
Eraser Wheel:
Wizzy Wheel:
Plastic Razor Blades:
Scotchbright Pads:
2 Sided Tape:
Tail Light LEDs:
Flashing 3rd Brake Light LED:
Reverse Light LEDs:
Related Videos
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Body Shop Repairs:
Easy Rust Repair the (Hack) Way:
What Happens To Bondo Body Work After a Couple of Years:
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Likes: 1049
Views: 11281
Looks good enough 😁👍🏽
I’m looking at the lift gate lines looks like it’s actually pushed upwards in certain areas the way certain body lines are but it lines up where it shouldn’t if it’s pushed up in others since you couldn’t get it adjusted at the hinges I’m definitely going to say the lift gate itself is what’s bent probably at the top near the glass where it naturally bends. looks like it was pushed in during whatever collision and someone pulled it out rather than replacing the whole thing.
I did a similar setup with LED brake/running lights and reverse lights on my TSX I just didn’t wanna do that whole resistor thing like I did with my truck 🤷♂️. I really like that flash 3X 3rd brake light LED I think I’m going to swap my LED 3rd with one of those too 👍🏽
Go watch some Vehcor videos, he rebuilds vehicles. He does a great job and he shows how to do all that with the emblems and all that. Its pretty interesting to see!
Did you consider Plastidip for the emblems? If so, why not do it that way? It's super easy, reversible and you don't need to remove the emblems or do any complicated masking!
Your a great mechanic Eric….but painting “your out of your “Element” yea yea I know but I couldn’t resist the pun. Good first effort tho.
For removing emblems i usually hit them lightly with a heat gun and then use fishing line to pop them off, also makes removing the adhesive off easier to where goof off or something simple makes quick work
the panel need to be sanded to 600-800 on every place where new base and clear paint will be. if it's shinny it wont hold. For the clear use 2k clear with punch calatys in the bottom it's the easier for can paint with a perfect result you clear is like the duplicolor one and it's bad with a lot of orange peel but there base color is close. check paint society here on YT it's a great channel about paint, he has diy can paint tutorials. Also you should mask more of the car overspray can go far before it dry flying. I dont blame you i have been throught that before, now I paint in gun primer and clear but use can for the base
ERIC YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG 🙂 jk
I believe your hinges are over extended. They might be bent past their original geometry. Someone may have over extended the rear liftgate out of frustration after they smacked their head off it……But that's what happened to mine. Luckily you can compare it to your other one.
One thing we often did to correct orange peel, was to lay down at least 3-5 coats of clear coat, then wet sand it and polish it up. Works really good most of the times!
Anyways, nice job Eric!
My front bumper is looking dull, its not shiny anymore but doesnt have peeled clearcoat. Would it look ok if I just spray some clearcoat or would i have to remove the old one?