A couple years ago, this was covered. Plastic screening can be attached inside the bumper without taking it off. Requires a bit of doing and contortions, but small tie wraps attached to some stick on hooks works fine... Total cost...about 8 bucks.

 

I bolted this on shortly after I purchased my Fit...

https://picasaweb.google.com/pvenne/...67897803997298

 

I just did mine w the gutter gaurd on the outside like fugisawa. It sure took longer than i thought getting the zip ties through and back. I would suggest starting on one end and working your way down in order to still get your hand back there to feed the zip tie back through. It gets a little difficult when you get near the end of the bottom piece. Overall it's pretty easy once you get in a rythym.

 

ugh need to do this....just been absolutely slammed at work and life

 

It's a lot easier, and a bulletproof one-time fix with a billet grille overlay. All of the cheapo plastic gutter guards will get brittle and fall apart from ozone and airborne chemicals (smog) over time. What's the symptom that your "condenser protector plastic screen" has fallen apart? A hole in your condenser. Warning- stay away from Grilles-4-You on eBay motors. Zeta Products carries custom fit stainless steel billet grilles at low prices, but there are a bunch of overlays for sale on eBaymotors.com.

Do this job right, one time, and you never need to do it again.

 

still nothing.

 

I'm sure the billet grill overlays are very nice, but I really doubt the plastic gutter gaurd is going to fall apart from enviromental factors. I know it's not a perfect fix but for three bucks, it's a darn good one. Mines very solid.

 

That depends on the plastic that they are made from. Few of the members who used gutter guard stuff are home owners. If they were, they would have seen how polyethylene & PVC plastic will become curled, crispy and brittle like potato chips. It takes time, but it will happen. Polypropylene resists environmental damage longer, byt it is hard to find. If you can't afford a metal overlay grille, cheap plastic is better than nothing, but eventually it will have to be replaced.

 

I guess i shall find out, if i even have the car long enough for that to happen. And if i have to re-do it a few yrs. down the road I will. But after putting about a billion zip ties on and tearing up my hands a bit in the proccess, I'll live with what i got for awhile lol!! Thanks for the info though, it's something i never thought about.

 

Gutter guard install on mine! I used approximately 30 zip ties in total. Half tiny and half medium sized ties. The more ties the more support. Was also able to use them to snug it up really well.

 

Deleted
Clifton

 

Purely opinion on your part with absolutely no research to back it up, so I'll throw out my equally worthless opinion as follows:

Gutter guard plastic does an excellent job at protecting the condenser from "flying rocks", which is why so many people are installing it. In fact, there are many pictures of intact installed gutter mesh, and not a single one that has a "flying rock" hole in it.

 

Haha you hit that right on the nose!

It seems fairly durable for being plastic - it's the small diameter woven-ness that adds strength. It should work fairly well.

 

lol, completely forgot about doing this. my 09 and '12 have no issues. i dont think im ever going to do it.

 

We will wait patiently for your "A rock ruined my AC condenser!" thread.

 

1st gen. Fits are a little different. You have to remove the 4 plastic clips that hold on the bumper cover above the upper grilles(2 on each side ) It helps if you do it an a warm sunny day or use a hair dryer to g e n t l y warm that area up. Then just bend it up out of the way so you can get your hands in there. I used some metal lath from Home Depot(because I had some laying around-not cuz I was worried about the strength of plastic)
27 in. x 8 ft. Steel Lath-2.5 METAL LATH at The Home Depot

Painted it flat black so it's not so shiny. Black zip ties. Invisible from 4 ft away.

 

Deleted
Clifton

 

I'm with you kenchan. I gave it the old college try one day, but with the GD, there isn't much room for an adult arm or hands to reach behind the plastic to accomplish this task alone. First I felt like I was going to brake the plastic cover off since removing just the four black push pins hardly provides much of an opening. After shoving a properly sized screen into the general area, there did not seem to be much of a chance to loop my long zip ties in and back around to tie it into place. After 6 years of age and with little to no highway miles to come over the next few years, I too am opting for the "I'll replace it when/if a rock finds its way to my condenser" path of least resistance. I may try putting a hard screen on the outside next time when the weather warms again in a few months, but again, I don't feel that the odds are stacked against me given the car has survived 6+ years without incident.

 

I've had gutter guard protecting my condenser for about 4 years now, and for about 80k miles of driving, the lion's share on the highway. So far, it's worked well.

 

That large of a rock will go right through your chicken wire with ease as well. Only way to prevent that would be to get a legitimate grill.