keep the leaves out...

…it’s the time of year leaves get into your gutters. (at least, it is here in the northern hemisphere). but, this post is about another use for the aluminum gutter guards you see at home improvement stores (in this instance, home depot).

i did this to a honda element i had a while back as somebody on the net posted it back then and it seemed like a good idea and simple insurance. the openings at the lower grille on the front-end of the car are very large. large enough that, conceivably, a rock or other object could enter them and puncture the a/c condensor that resides inside. this could lead to costly repairs that wouldn’t be covered under warranty.

the solution, at least, one solution, is to attach some gutter guard behind the grille. when i did this on the Element I actually painted the aluminum with a black spray epoxy. however, i held the piece up to the grille and decided i actually like the look of the piece as-is. so, i proceeded.

first, hold the piece up in front of the grille. then, mark where you need to trim it. trim to fit.

it was pretty easy to access the spot behind the grille. there are a few bolts and a couple of compression fittings (those plastic pegs that are pressed into holes in panels) to remove. this allows you to drop the plastic pan underneath. then, you can slide the trimmed piece up behind the grille. next i took some zip ties, you can use whatever method you prefer, and tied the piece to the grille from behind. the look is clean and provides me with a little more piece of mind. here’s a shot of it…