Yeah, I noticed the drop in MPG. Much harder to keep it in lean burn than it was. Price from http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com says $221 list and $165 "Our Price". So yeah, expensive.Rick said:Well, I've heard they add 3 to 5 mpg just by further reducing wind drag on the car. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have to get a new one they are pretty expensive.
Will M said:The fastener itself was remarkably expensive, being a specialized screw (~$16). It seemed to be carbon-fiber instead of metal and had a weird, zig-zag thread on it. Basically, to tighten, you push in, turn 1/4 turn and then let it spring back out some. If it doesn't spring back out, it doesn't lock, hence the lost screw.
Don't expect it to act like a normal screw. Just turn it 1/4 turn and let it lock and test to make sure it won't pull out.
Well, the idea is the same, but they don't LOOK the same. This is a challenge to describe. Instead of having a protruding tab that locks into a special spring, as your document reveals, the receptical just has two protrusions in from a circular hole, while Honda's quarter turn fastener has what looks like an oversized roofing nail with a pair of odd-looking, nearly question mark shaped grooves in the sides of the shaft and an oversized flat-head screw slot in the head.sajego said:They are "Quarter-turn fastners"
http://www.southco.com/pdf/7-3.pdf is the documentation.
I'm not sure mine has the spring in them!
"Flipped right over"? I was changing a tire on Interstate when an 18 wheeler whooshed by. The skirt, perched on the removed trunk well to keep it clean, flew about 15 feet and landed in deep grass. Bye bye $16 fastener, never seen again. Lesson learned.ron said:Speaking of skirts, Here's a tip for everyone: When you remove them, keep them in your hatch, or in a place where they won't get blown over by the wind or stepped on or ...
I say this because I was washing my baby one time and it was pretty windy. I had the skirts laying on the pavement beside my car when the wind took one up and flipped it right over!