As has been voiced by many on this forum, I was very disappointed that Honda didn't offer either a BE in Radiant Red, or at least a Chrome Delete option. So, I set about doing it myself. First the before & after photos, then the part numbers.
All parts except for the window trim are OEM. I wrapped the window trim with gloss black vinyl.
The door handles come in two parts. Bernardi failed to tell me this and sent me only the big door handle part. The two parts for the door handle consist of what I'm calling the "main" handle and then the "cover" for the small part of the handle. On the driver's door this is truly a cover and a cover only, which is why it is so inexpensive. On the other three door it actually consists of not only the plastic cover, but the metal part that the cover clips onto. While this increases the price it makes it even easier to do the swap. The front door "main" handles are more expensive because they contain the electronics for the keyless security.
I did a couple of renders with black door handles but ultimately decided to go with body colored. I think the black would have made it look more like a BE, but I liked the cleanliness of the body colored handles. The price difference is negligible.
I bought the grill garnish from a local dealer. The price from Bernardi was a little cheaper but the shipping was insane.
The paint code for Radiant Red II is R580M. When changing parts on your truck, make sure you don't shop by VIN because it will tell you that the parts won't fit your truck because the system only matches part #s with what came on your VIN.
Here are the parts numbers and prices:
Grill Garnish: 71150-T6Z-A60 - $219.48 - Local Dealer
Driver Front Main Handle: 72181-TG7-A81ZR - $84.26 - Bernadri
Driver Front Handle Cover: 72184-T2A-A11YV - $4.43 - Local Dealer
Passenger Front Main Handle: 72141-TG7-A81ZR - $84.14 - Bernadri
Passenger Front Handle Cover: 72143-T2A-A71YV - $13.20 - Local Dealer
Driver Rear Main Handle: 72681-T2A-A71YS - $12.54 - Bernadri
Driver Rear Handle Cover: 72683-T2A-A71YP - $12.47 - Local Dealer
Passenger Rear Door Main Handle: 72641-T2A-A71YS - $12.38 - Bernadri
Passenger Rear Handle Cover: 72643-T2A-A71YP - $12.47 - Local Dealer
Honda Emblem On Tailgate: 08F20-T6Z-100 - $58.52 - Bernardi
Ridgeline and AWD emblems On Tailgate: 08F20-TGS-100A - $25.08 - Benrardi
3M 2080 Gloss Black Vinyl: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007EEU58W - $16.99
Vinyl Installation Kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQCJDGL - $17.99
Total Cost: $573.95 I'm sure Honda could offer it for $500 and turn a nice profit.
All-in-all this was a very straight forward process. The most difficult part of the entire thing was wrapping the bottom part of the window trim. On the bottom piece of window trim the rubber is moulded up against the chrome, so there's no way to lift the rubber to tuck the vinyl under the edge. You just have to get it right up against the seam. On the first piece I laid the vinyl over the the whole piece then used a tool to push the vinyl right up against the seam so I could see it, then I took a razor knife and cut right at the seam. It was extremely tedious and did not turn out well. I had little areas of chrome showing through at the seam. I took the whole piece off. For the second attempt, I just laid the vinyl edge down along the seam as I went. You'll need to have the factory straight edge of the vinyl for this to work well (unless you can just a really straight edge by hand), so save the two long edges of the vinyl for these specific pieces. This process worked much better but had it's own drawbacks. When laying the vinyl over the entire piece I was very careful to avoid bubbles and wrinkles. When trying to match the edge of the vinyl to the chome/rubber seam it was much harder to also ensure the rest of the vinyl was laying down without bubbles and wrinkles. So, I had to work a couple of bubbles out of the vinyl. Fortunately the 2080 has microchannels in the adhesive (you'll see them if you look at the back side) which allows you to GENTLY push the bubbles out. If you apply too much pressure you will collapse all the microchannels. Repeated light passes will slowly push the bubble out.
As for the rear emblems, the directions show using dental floss to remove them. I have never had any luck with that, but I had some new dental floss so I decided to give it a try again. Nope, still sucks. I went back to my tried and true method. GooGone! Squirt just a few drops of GooGone along the top of the emblems and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then the emblems will pretty much come right off with minimal effort and no residue. Afterwards you ned to make sure you clean off any residue from the GooGone (it will not harm your paint). I first use a LITTLE bit of soapy water (just normal car soap), then I dry it and go over the area with isopropyl alcohol. That will remove anything (including waxes, sealants, and even most ceramic coatings) from the surface of the paint. The you're ready to apply the new emblems.
Removing the grill garnish: I found the the clips that are in the headlights are the toughest to remove. I used a plastic trim removal tool to pry them loose. Once they were released the entire garnish came off fairly easily. The garnish releases by pulling FORWARD, not up.
I hope this helps you guys that are considering taking on this mod. I know I am much happier with the look of my truck now.
Here are some resources:
Removing the door panels:
Removing the door handles:
Removing the grill garnish:
Wrapping the window trim:
This is for reference only. IMO this guy does a half-assed job. I used one complete piece for the wide C-pillars tucked all edges wherever possible.
Vinyl Wrapping Honda Ridgeline door Trim | The Black Out Project Part 2
![413984]( "413984")
All parts except for the window trim are OEM. I wrapped the window trim with gloss black vinyl.
The door handles come in two parts. Bernardi failed to tell me this and sent me only the big door handle part. The two parts for the door handle consist of what I'm calling the "main" handle and then the "cover" for the small part of the handle. On the driver's door this is truly a cover and a cover only, which is why it is so inexpensive. On the other three door it actually consists of not only the plastic cover, but the metal part that the cover clips onto. While this increases the price it makes it even easier to do the swap. The front door "main" handles are more expensive because they contain the electronics for the keyless security.
I did a couple of renders with black door handles but ultimately decided to go with body colored. I think the black would have made it look more like a BE, but I liked the cleanliness of the body colored handles. The price difference is negligible.
I bought the grill garnish from a local dealer. The price from Bernardi was a little cheaper but the shipping was insane.
The paint code for Radiant Red II is R580M. When changing parts on your truck, make sure you don't shop by VIN because it will tell you that the parts won't fit your truck because the system only matches part #s with what came on your VIN.
Here are the parts numbers and prices:
Grill Garnish: 71150-T6Z-A60 - $219.48 - Local Dealer
Driver Front Main Handle: 72181-TG7-A81ZR - $84.26 - Bernadri
Driver Front Handle Cover: 72184-T2A-A11YV - $4.43 - Local Dealer
Passenger Front Main Handle: 72141-TG7-A81ZR - $84.14 - Bernadri
Passenger Front Handle Cover: 72143-T2A-A71YV - $13.20 - Local Dealer
Driver Rear Main Handle: 72681-T2A-A71YS - $12.54 - Bernadri
Driver Rear Handle Cover: 72683-T2A-A71YP - $12.47 - Local Dealer
Passenger Rear Door Main Handle: 72641-T2A-A71YS - $12.38 - Bernadri
Passenger Rear Handle Cover: 72643-T2A-A71YP - $12.47 - Local Dealer
Honda Emblem On Tailgate: 08F20-T6Z-100 - $58.52 - Bernardi
Ridgeline and AWD emblems On Tailgate: 08F20-TGS-100A - $25.08 - Benrardi
3M 2080 Gloss Black Vinyl: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007EEU58W - $16.99
Vinyl Installation Kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQCJDGL - $17.99
Total Cost: $573.95 I'm sure Honda could offer it for $500 and turn a nice profit.
All-in-all this was a very straight forward process. The most difficult part of the entire thing was wrapping the bottom part of the window trim. On the bottom piece of window trim the rubber is moulded up against the chrome, so there's no way to lift the rubber to tuck the vinyl under the edge. You just have to get it right up against the seam. On the first piece I laid the vinyl over the the whole piece then used a tool to push the vinyl right up against the seam so I could see it, then I took a razor knife and cut right at the seam. It was extremely tedious and did not turn out well. I had little areas of chrome showing through at the seam. I took the whole piece off. For the second attempt, I just laid the vinyl edge down along the seam as I went. You'll need to have the factory straight edge of the vinyl for this to work well (unless you can just a really straight edge by hand), so save the two long edges of the vinyl for these specific pieces. This process worked much better but had it's own drawbacks. When laying the vinyl over the entire piece I was very careful to avoid bubbles and wrinkles. When trying to match the edge of the vinyl to the chome/rubber seam it was much harder to also ensure the rest of the vinyl was laying down without bubbles and wrinkles. So, I had to work a couple of bubbles out of the vinyl. Fortunately the 2080 has microchannels in the adhesive (you'll see them if you look at the back side) which allows you to GENTLY push the bubbles out. If you apply too much pressure you will collapse all the microchannels. Repeated light passes will slowly push the bubble out.
As for the rear emblems, the directions show using dental floss to remove them. I have never had any luck with that, but I had some new dental floss so I decided to give it a try again. Nope, still sucks. I went back to my tried and true method. GooGone! Squirt just a few drops of GooGone along the top of the emblems and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then the emblems will pretty much come right off with minimal effort and no residue. Afterwards you ned to make sure you clean off any residue from the GooGone (it will not harm your paint). I first use a LITTLE bit of soapy water (just normal car soap), then I dry it and go over the area with isopropyl alcohol. That will remove anything (including waxes, sealants, and even most ceramic coatings) from the surface of the paint. The you're ready to apply the new emblems.
Removing the grill garnish: I found the the clips that are in the headlights are the toughest to remove. I used a plastic trim removal tool to pry them loose. Once they were released the entire garnish came off fairly easily. The garnish releases by pulling FORWARD, not up.
I hope this helps you guys that are considering taking on this mod. I know I am much happier with the look of my truck now.
Here are some resources:
Removing the door panels:
Removing the door handles:
Removing the grill garnish:
Wrapping the window trim:
This is for reference only. IMO this guy does a half-assed job. I used one complete piece for the wide C-pillars tucked all edges wherever possible.
Vinyl Wrapping Honda Ridgeline door Trim | The Black Out Project Part 2
