New Truck

kompressornsc · 10-31-05, 04:24

Well, after 3 years and 92,000 miles, the Benz had to go! At $400-$600 a pop for even minor repairs, it wasn't worth it.

So last week I picked up a Honda Ridgeline RTL in Amazon Green (photo in my Garage). I really like it so far, but detailing it is different than my little Coupe! Sunday was wash, clay, wash and a couple of coats of Z2-Pro day. Total time was 7 hours. And I never had to use a stepladder for my Coupe.

Still haven't figured out how to do the bed yet-it's sort of a textured spray on like Rhino Lining, but more of a paint than plastic. First of all, it marks up easy (bed mat on order), and it takes a lot of product to clean it. I did a wipe down with Z6 to remove the water spots, but that gets tiring. I'll be getting a Retrax Tonneau soon, so it won't be as much of an issue.

drewski59 · 10-31-05, 06:03

Congrats on the new truck!

Those Ridgelines are nice trucks. The grill still doesn't strike me as attractive, but it rides just as smooth as the Pilot. Ergonomics and quality are second to none, also.

cwcad · 10-31-05, 06:08

Boy, I can feel your pain. Trucks are a big change in the total time of the process. The results are what are important. will check out your garage pic's.

As far as a retractable tonneau cover. I will be real interested in your opinion as to the retractable tonneau. Two years ago I purchased a hard cover because of the custom paint job. Did not get the retractable because of cleaning and use issues(snow and dirt). Now two years later I am wondering if I made the right decision. Have rock chips and paint is blistering. Very much an eyesore. not much I can do now except re-paint. Look forward to seeing your comments when you make a decision.

kompressornsc · 10-31-05, 06:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwcad

As far as a retractable tonneau cover. I will be real interested in your opinion as to the retractable tonneau. Two years ago I purchased a hard cover because of the custom paint job. Did not get the retractable because of cleaning and use issues(snow and dirt). Now two years later I am wondering if I made the right decision. Have rock chips and paint is blistering. Very much an eyesore. not much I can do now except re-paint. Look forward to seeing your comments when you make a decision.

The Retrax has been good reviews on the Ridgeline Forum-I guess the biggest complaint is that the roll takes up part of the bed if you need to haul large items. The Retrax is Lexan with aluminum baffles that glides on ball bearing rollers. Not cheap ($800 for the Ridgeline), but less than the hard plastic OEM ($1400 +install). I'm more interested in the look than anything-I don't plan to haul huge items where the Retrax roll would be in the way.

Here's the site Retrax

I've never owned a truck before, so I'm open to any ideas / suggestions.

cwcad · 10-31-05, 07:39

Well if you open to suggestions here is one that I kind of did but wish i had done what i am suggesting.

I purchased stainless steele rocker panels. They really do a good job in protecting that area. the thing that i did wrong was i was going for a look that i should not have. That is i bought the smaller rocker panels. Wish now I would have purchased the largest one available. I still like the look but now after several years I really would rather have the protection. Remember this suggestion is worth what it costs.

Have fun with your new truck!!

Mr. Glass · 10-31-05, 01:41

Is this new Honda truck a real truck with a frame or is it uni-body? Do they come with a V8?

SpoiledMan · 10-31-05, 02:14

It's uni-body on a frame. The chassis is really stiff and it shows in the driving as there are pretty much no squeaks or rattles. There is no V8 yet but if you dig around on the net you'll quickly learn that there is one under development.

ddolat · 10-31-05, 05:20

Does the Ridgeline have a traditional rear wheel drive based drivetrain or is Honda using a FWD type transaxle?

drewski59 · 10-31-05, 06:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddolat

Does the Ridgeline have a traditional rear wheel drive based drivetrain or is Honda using a FWD type transaxle?

I believe it's FWD, but uses the same AWD system as the Pilot. Tow ratings aren't that great because of this, but if you don't have a yacht or 5th wheel to tow regularly, the trade-off is a very comfy ride.

kompressornsc · 11-01-05, 03:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewski59

I believe it's FWD, but uses the same AWD system as the Pilot. Tow ratings aren't that great because of this, but if you don't have a yacht or 5th wheel to tow regularly, the trade-off is a very comfy ride.

Yes, from what I understand, it's technically a FWD system @ cruising speed. Hard acceleration and / or slippage gets you AWD.

And so far, with about 75% in-town and 25% highway driving, I'm getting 19 mpg-I'm sure not being a full time AWD helps this a lot.

kompressornsc · 12-20-05, 10:18

And I finally bought something right!

MT Truck of the Year

SpoiledMan · 12-20-05, 04:29

Yeah, and the Civic is the MT COTY!