roof trim problems

[sickr1rider]

I recently had the plastic clips break on my roof trim that holds the cargo light on my 07 rl. I stopped by the dealership right at closing time and they wouldnt talk to me ( I was hoping they may of had some metal clips I could change out).

Of course I had to hop on the interstate to get home and it ripped off the roof.

Insurance company doesnt want to pay for it and neither does the $1200 "bumper to bumper" warranty. I have already ordered and paid for the parts to fix it from the dealership($397).

The main problem is I requested metal clips because I saw somewhere on here had the same problem and did that so it wouldnt happen again.

Of course the honda parts guy told me he has never heard of that problem on the RL and that " you cant believe everything you read online" he also said they didnt make metal clips for the roof trim. He then asked if I was sure I hadnt ever had it off before. Kinda pissed me off considering my truck has 20k on it and I baby the hell outta it.

Anyone else care to commment if they have ever had problems with the roof trim?

[Whaleya]

Was there anything that initially caused the trim clips to break? Had you removed the trim piece or anything?


If no, this should have been covered.

It's a known design problem with the RL.

From the factory the trim piece is iffy.

-W
PS Dealers don't like the inter-webs as you can fact check the BS they spill.

[k757]

the dealer doesn't know sh#t. yes, the rear valence has been a ongoing problem for many. New clips solve it. haven't heard of metal clips before. I would not pay $400 for them to fix a bumper-to-bumper problem and a known issue.


Here is my then truck (rear valence) being examined by some Honda Engineers at the St. Louis meet in 2007

[RustyH]

Originally Posted by sickr1rider

I recently had the plastic clips break on my roof trim that holds the cargo light on my 07 rl. I stopped by the dealership right at closing time and they wouldnt talk to me ( I was hoping they may of had some metal clips I could change out).

Do you remember who you talked too. I can understand them not wanting to deal with it at closing time and you had to get home, but if you can establish the problem before the panel blew off, the dealership should cover the replacement costs.

Originally Posted by sickr1rider

Of course the honda parts guy told me he has never heard of that problem on the RL and that " you cant believe everything you read online" he also said they didnt make metal clips for the roof trim. He then asked if I was sure I hadnt ever had it off before. Kinda pissed me off considering my truck has 20k on it and I baby the hell outta it. Anyone else care to commment if they have ever had problems with the roof trim?

Like K757, I've never heard of metal clips, but you do need to replace a number of the clips whenever the rear valance is removed or loose. I've not heard of any issue with new clips loosing their grip, so sometime or another someone probably pulled your cover off and just reinstalled it using the old clips....a no-no even noted by Honda.

I bought my truck used, but because of the custom paint, I can only assume they removed the rear valance for color sanding. After I picked my truck up, the Valance started to "pop up" between the third brake light and the rear drivers door. I pointed it out to the dealership and all the clips were replaced under warranty. For whatever reason yours came loose, Honda should cover the replacment costs.

[sickr1rider]

Sorry I guess I should have been more clear about how I bought my 07 RL. I didnt buy the truck new from a honda dealer.

I bought it with a little over 20,000 miles on it.

I ran the carfax and the truck was only leased to one older lady for 6months before the dodge/jeep dealership got it.

I bought it off the dodge/jeep dealership along with the $1200 bumper to bumper warranty.

The roof trim was never removed by me and it seemed perfectly fine when I bought the truck. I drove it for around 5months before I heard any noise from it.

When I did here noise I stopped by the honda dealership 15min to late and then had to get one the interstate where the piece flew off.

My insurance company has decided they would pick up the tab after I told them I wanted to switch companies so that made my day.

All it all it was 397 for parts and 110 for labor. Overall a hugh rip off.

My best suggestion if somone hears a flapping noise coming from the roof, either fix the plastic clips right away or remove the entire roof trim before it rips off and you got a $500 tab to deal with.

Thanks for all the detailed replies

[MIKED2006]

I just had the roof trim on my 2006 come off for the 5th time. Up until now I've fought to have the work done for free but I'm getting hard push back now. I keep getting "we never see this problem with any other Ridgeline" from the area service rep. How many nothers have had this issue?

[k757]

Originally Posted by MIKED2006

I just had the roof trim on my 2006 come off for the 5th time. Up until now I've fought to have the work done for free but I'm getting hard push back now. I keep getting "we never see this problem with any other Ridgeline" from the area service rep. How many nothers have had this issue?

some. you need new connectors for the trim piece and for the body where it attaches.

[snarney]

This is a little late post, but I recently started having the same problems with my roof trim coming off after installing a Tonneau cover. I replaced all of the clips and grommets as instructed, but still had problems with it.

I spoke to a dealer about it and he said because of the extreme Arizona heat, the trim piece warps over time and once the wind catches it, it needs to be replaced. (BS).

Anyway, I ordered new clips and grommets (again)
Rear roof grommet A: PN: 91505-SJC-A01 H/C 7985088 (Qty1)
Rear Roof trim, grommet B PN: 91506-SJC-A01 H/C 7985096 (Qty 6)
Cowl Top Clip: 90602-SX0-003 H/C 4634838 (qty 7)

This time I used general purpose epoxy to glue the grommets to the metal and high strength (plastic) epoxy to glue the clips and grommets together then weighted the trim piece down until the epoxy set up. After that I used clear Poly Seam Sealer to seal the gap so the wind won't get underneath. Don't use silicone, it's too flexible and doesn’t have the strength of the Poly Seam Seal. Wait 24hrs before driving.

It looks good and so far, seems to be working.

[Rickman]

Yes!

Originally Posted by snarney

This is a little late post, but I recently started having the same problems with my roof trim coming off

Originally Posted by sickr1rider

Insurance company doesnt want to pay for it and neither does the $1200 "bumper to bumper" warranty.

This is why I do not get the extra waranty. They will always find a loophole.

Keep that $1200 in your own pocket in case you do need it!