With only 1600 miles on my 2012 Accord LX-P, a rock hit my A/C condensor and took the condensor out. The local dealer (Round Rock Auto Group) said it was a road hazard and initially refused to cover the repair, calling it a road hazard. I threatened to take Honda to small claims court, pointing out that many Accord owners have complained about this problem. The service manager caved. Nonetheless, Honda has a serious design flaw. The A/C condensor is not protected by a screen. So after the local dealer replaced the condensor, I fashioned a screen to protect it. Used a screen with 1/4" holes and connected it with zip ties and bailing wire.

 

I like it!
Had to get the condenser replaced under warranty on our 2003 Accord, but that was from corrosion not rocks.

In fact, it's pretty common for ANY make of car that the grille opening is not screened. That's not just Honda.

 

The lower grill (or bumper) opening on the Accord is really critical. On my Accord, that opening is huge; before installing the screen, my whole hand fit through the opening. I looked at my other car (IS350) and it has a plastic screen inserted in the lower bumper opening. Pic attached.

 

You came up with a good solution.

I did see that on another forum many years ago but it was for a different brand car.

It is kinda silly that manufacturers do not provide such simple protection to an easy to damage expensive part.

 

On the 8th generation Accords (2008-2012), I hear more about V6 models with condenser damage from rocks than the I4s. On some other forums, there are many that already made DIY screens to protect those areas.

 

This is definitely not just a Honda thing. I know Nissan and Ford trucks have large openings in the grills. I had read a lot about rocks taking out Accord condensers, so I made this out of expanded metal. The top part is mainly for looks/continuity.

 

i'm a new member in Virginia. Had no air conditioning after a brief warm spell last week--took it in to my local dealer. I have just received word from my dealer that I have to replace the condenser due to damage from a small rock--$650 charge--Honda rep says they will do a one time fix covering 99% of the cost (? why not !))%) after some serious conversations. I am going to show the photos of the protective screen to them today. Thanks for the posts and information on this.

 

Just took a pretty long road trip. When I washed the Accord after returning home, I discovered the screen I installed stopped a rock of decent size.

Here's a link to a high-res pic of the rock caught in the grill- P1010553 stopped a rock | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Did you have to remove some of the existing grill to get the screen on or could you get to it underneath?

 

I had to remove the front bumper to install the screen. It sounds hard, but it's not- two screws and a bunch of plastic clips.