| NVanMDX |
I was wondering what people thought about the after market brush bars available from companies like Manik. http://www.manik.com I personally have not seen any in real life only the pics posted on their website.
Does anyone else have a supplier of some good looking brush bars they can let me know about?? |
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| jonnygoodboy |
There has been a number of threads discussing this. Try searching for "rhino bar" or "bull bar".
Good luck! |
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| shootist |
Acura of Manhattan has had front brush guards and rear nerf bars custom made. They're black pwder coat, and very clearly made for an MDX- they outline the fog lamps, for instance.
The bad news- they're $1,700 installed, and the dealer can't keep them in stock for their own cars. For a comparison, the same MDX with dealer brush guards @ 1,700 had a rear spoiler installed for $652! |
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| DaleB |
By being a DIYer you can have a Manik front bar for around $500 - 700, a Tal & Hadas Black bar for $388 or around $650 for stainless (available in April) and pick up a painted rear deflector, for about $125 from TexasDar.
Or add about $100 to those prices and them installed by a shop. |
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| shootist |
| I snapped these pictures of the brush guards by Acura Manhattan : |
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| 2002 Acura MDX! |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
THIS is the Red front:
WOW :eek: :eek: !!!!!!!!!!! I like that!!!!! Where did you get those??? Do they have silver or chrome finish too??? |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| Sorry... that looks ugly... yuck... :16: |
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| laborlitigator |
| To each his own |
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| shootist |
They're not mine- I took these pictures of a floor model at Acura of Manhattan .
Acura of Manhattan sells both guards as a set for $1700 installed, and they can't keep them in stock. |
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| DUBYA123 |
| it looks neat, take a good pic from the front though we cant really tell, for me I would get them in if they came in chrome |
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| 2002 Acura MDX! |
| I like the one in front but without the fog light guard, I think it looks even better :D |
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| laborlitigator |
| $1700. . . wow!:eek: |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
$1700. . . wow!:eek:
Gives new meaning to "Bull Bar". |
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| mgmdx |
I do not like this particular brush guard. It looks like an afterthought and is not well integrated with the MDX. It is positioned too low under the MDX's front bumper.
Out of all the brush guards that are currently available for the MDX, I like the option available from Manik, until someone makes a better one. |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
I do not like this particular brush guard. It looks like an afterthought and is not well integrated with the MDX. It is positioned too low under the MDX's front bumper.
Out of all the brush guards that are currently available for the MDX, I like the option available from Manik, until someone makes a better one.
Agreed...:4: |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
I do not like this particular brush guard. It looks like an afterthought and is not well integrated with the MDX. It is positioned too low under the MDX's front bumper.
Out of all the brush guards that are currently available for the MDX, I like the option available from Manik, until someone makes a better one.
Personally, I like the one's from Tal & Hadas over the Manik, available from Autoseattle.com in April. There are even better looking ones, but not available for the MDX yet. |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
Personally, I like the one's from Tal & Hadas over the Manik, available from Autoseattle.com in April. There are even better looking ones, but not available for the MDX yet.
I did not realize that Tal & Hadas were going to make a brush guard for the MDX. I'll check it out when it is available. |
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| shootist |
The Tal & Hadas are nicely shaped, but have really fat tubes. They describe them as 76mm (3 inches) but they look even fatter.
I've only been able to find "one piece" Manik guards, which include
swoopy headlight protectors.
So I have a choice between fat, swoopy, or over-priced.
:28: |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
... So I have a choice between fat, swoopy, or over-priced.
:28:
Sounds like it is time for a new poll. :) |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
...So I have a choice between fat, swoopy, or over-priced.
:28:
Another choice is non of the above...;) |
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| cmdpm |
i just visited www.autoseattle.com and took a look at the tal & hadas bull bars that will be available for the MDX in april.
they say the diameter of the bars vary- either 60 mm or 76 mm depending on the size of the vehicle.
i like them and would also get the skid bars. i like the way the bull bars run parallel to the inside edge of our foglights.
hopefully they will both be available soon.
regards,
chris |
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| shootist |
| They look pretty fat, though: |
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| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
They look pretty fat, though:
Yup, too thick (assuming you do mean "fat" and not "phat"). I'm amazed that after almost 3 years nobody has come out with a decent looking bar. |
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| laborlitigator |
| Looks too big |
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| 2002 Acura MDX! |
| If they could make it shorter and thinner, I think it looks way better. |
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| DaleB |
| It does look a bit large, darn. So many manufacturers of after-market bars and only a couple to choose from. |
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| mdxxxx |
| Back to the bull bar blackboard.:rolleyes: |
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| BklynMDX |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
Acura of Manhattan has had front brush guards and rear nerf bars custom made. They're black pwder coat, and very clearly made for an MDX- they outline the fog lamps, for instance.
I saw them when I bought my new 03 on Sunday- I'll take some pictures when I pick it up tommorrow.
The bad news- they're $1,700 installed, and the dealer can't keep them in stock for their own cars. For a comparison, the same MDX with dealer brush guards @ 1,700 had a rear spoiler installed for $652!
The way Acura of Manhattan marks up their accessories I wouldn't be suprised if you can get the set for less than a $1000 somewhere else. I too had sticker SHOCK when I saw $652 for the rear spoiler. Hey SHOOTIST, Did they show you the price list for their accessories? Talk about a slap in the face with their mark ups. I even came in with the list of prices from the Acura.com website (this is of course before I found acuramdx.org) and was willing to pay list. They wouldn't budge. The manager said "WE NEED TO MAKE MONEY..." The next day I called up a few Acura service/parts departments to get quotes. The average price for the tailgate deflector was about $380 and $45 for installation. This equals $425 (which happens to be the list price on Acura.com) Acura of Manhattan was really asking for $607 for the deflector minus the installation.
To all you new car buyers out there, buy the parts from Tim Hondacuraworld.com and install the parts yourself. You'll save a bundle or have enough left over to buy more accessories.
OR if you are not mechanically inclined, purchase the parts from Tim, go back to the service department of your dealer (or local body shop), and have them install these accessories. You'll still save bundle.
OR after you purchase your car from the dealer, drive around to service department and buy/install the accessories there. The parts are definitly cheaper once you cut out the "greedy" sales department. Make sure you call the parts department (and get the name of the person you are speaking to) before hand and get quotes for the accessories just in case.
Don't let the dealer tell you that in order for you to get a discount for the car that you have to buy accessories. "That's bull s#*t! The sales person even had the b@lls to tell me that he was doing me a favor by not charging me over MSRP like all the other dealerships in the area (with him not knowing that I have been to 3 other Acura dealerships before his). Give the sales person your name/number and politely say thank you and leave. Don't worry, they will call you back. There are tons of people on this website and out there that are paying less than MSRP there is no reason why you shouldn't too. |
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| shootist |
That's it! That's the set that Acura of Manhattan is selling for $1,700 installed. They will sell the front bar alone for $700 (DIY). It's apparent that Acura of Manhattan is buying them from Genax.
(After I looked at the pictures again, I realized they were taken in the Acura Manhattan showroom). These pictures show this bar at a much better angle than the picture I posted. This picture looks more like one I saw parked on the street.
Genax is auctioning both for $600- I wonder what he'd sell one front for?
Anybody want to do a Group Buy? |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
That's it! That's the set that Acura of Manhattan is selling for $1,700 installed. They will sell the front bar alone for $700 (DIY). It's apparent that Acura of Manhattan is buying them from Genax.
(After I looked at the pictures again, I realized they were taken in the Acura Manhattan showroom). These pictures show this bar at a much better angle than the picture I posted. This picture looks more like one I saw parked on the street.
Genax is auctioning both for $600- I wonder what he'd sell one front for?
Anybody want to do a Group Buy?
Why? The Tal & Hadas (available now in May for MDX) is only $312!
http://www.autoseattle.com/detail.a...DUCT_ID=TH-BB-B |
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| shootist |
DaleB,
This is the 3 inch tube- do you like it? |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
DaleB,
This is the 3 inch tube- do you like it?
To be honest, I'm not really sure. It looks a bit 'big' for the style of the front. I am not that thrilled about the other ones either, especially at almost double the price.
I think the Tal & Hadas in black might not look as over-whelming. I like the tube size of the Manik if they only made a simple bar, instead of a whole front end guard.
I hope we see more choices soon. Go Rhino, Westin, and others make some very nice looking ones, but not for the MDX.
I was surprised to see the profile of the T&H for the Pilot is different, I guess because the area to be covered is slightly different. It looks a little funny too.
If you look at the unit on the GMC Envoy, it looks real sharp. It is scaled nicely for the front of that vehicle. I am almost ready to talk to some custom shop about making one. The drawback there is it will not be certified to standards necessary to meet safety requirements for the initiation of the impact sensors. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
I am almost ready to talk to some custom shop about making one. The drawback there is it will not be certified to standards necessary to meet safety standards for the initiation of the impact sensors.
I pondered on the impact sensors issue. But if you figure that impact sensing is done by an accelerometer in the middle of the car, then the only change attributable to a grille guard would be a slight change in the sensed "pulse" during a crash. In other words, the accelerometer might take .00001 second less (or more) to sense its triggering event. For myself, I'm okay with that. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
I pondered on the impact sensors issue. But if you figure that impact sensing is done by an accelerometer in the middle of the car, then the only change attributable to a grille guard would be a slight change in the sensed "pulse" during a crash. In other words, the accelerometer might take .00001 second less (or more) to sense its triggering event. For myself, I'm okay with that.
From a 'real world' perspective that is probably true. Anytime you have to meet govt. regs it has to be to the letter of the law, and done to all the parameters of an established test even though it may be insignificant under real conditions.
If the bars were made of cast-iron, or had several attachment points, that would be another story.
Considering they are only mounted at the bottom, they will easily pivot into the front under any solid impact.
I want the bar mostly for parking, hopefully as a deterrent, and if necessary, to keep the bumper cover from getting dinged. Anything beyond that, they will simply become part of the damage.
After all, they are called 'brush' guards. So where do we go from here? |
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| Happy_MDX |
| Its to big for the body style.......need something that would replace the exiting plastic skid plates...and not change the front end looks of vehicle |
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| BaldEagle |
I don't like the looks of a brush guard on the MDX. IMHO it looks like it is out of place, an attempt to make the X look like something that it is not---a rugged off road vehicle.
Sort of like a pony tail on a bald guy.:8: :28: |
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| DaleB |
| I think the following are acceptable designs for the front of the X |
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| shootist |
I'm going to get the Genax. I liked it when I saw it on the street. Because it follows the outlines of the grill and fog lights, I didn't see it at about 20 yards on a parked (light colored) MDX.
I'm looking only for valet garage protection, like you. It's either that or an electro-shock seat for the parking attendants.
It may take a few weeks, but I'm on course. |
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| DaleB |
| I will wait some more. I can imagine the Genax would be expensive in stainless. With my Maniks side steps and rear hitch step, I would definitely want to go with stainless. I think the Jaos are an elegant solution. I shot them an email, but I am not very optimistic they will cover our application anytime soon. But they are big in Australia and now with the introduction of the MDX (under a Honda nameplate) down-under I may be pleasantly surprised. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
...want to go with stainless. I think the Jaos are an elegant solution. I shot them an email, but I am not very optimistic they will cover our...I may be pleasantly surprised.
Yell if Jaos gets in the MDX pool. They're all I need for a parking garage. |
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| Happy_MDX |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
and ...
The Rav 4 skid plate is acceptable :29: |
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