What about the FL5 do you regret?

[DeathB4Dishonr]

I can't get with the seat covers, but the OEM Contoured High Wall Carpet Floormats are a nice touch to break up the red. There's far too much red in the interior in my opinion. @Noize Here are a couple photos.

There's a guy on Instagram that makes some really nice looking seat covers in red or black for the FL5(and FK8). They are pricey though, I think its either 450 or 500 for the 2 front seats. He also makes covers for the rear seats and I think he has an ebay page as well where you can buy them.

https://www.instagram.com/l1mtd_r/?hl=en

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[Clark_Kent]

There's a guy on Instagram that makes some really nice looking seat covers in red or black for the FL5(and FK8). They are pricey though, I think its either 450 or 500 for the 2 front seats. He also makes covers for the rear seats and I think he has an ebay page as well where you can buy them.

https://www.instagram.com/l1mtd_r/?hl=en

I'm aware of this vendor. The seat covers just aren't for me. I know there are a few on the forums who have these seat covers.

 

[DeathB4Dishonr]

I'm aware of this vendor. The seat covers just aren't for me. I know there are a few on the forums who have these seat covers.

Gotcha, was pretty sure you knew of them but just wanted to put the info out there in case others missed it. I may pick up a set of these eventually to replace the Dream seat covers I have, not a huge fan of those but they get the job done. I love the OEM seats, but I get pretty dirty on a regular basis at work so seat covers are a must for me.

 

[Metav3r5e]

My regret is getting the front end PPF’d. I wish I didn’t. On championship white, the plastic pieces and metal pieces (bumper versus fender or hood) are painted at different times, so there is a slight difference in color shade if you look closely due to the material and timing. PPF exacerbates that and makes it more noticeable.
I also kind of regret the ceramic coating. I enjoy the process of iron decon, clay bar, paint correction, IPA white, and sealing a car. I don’t mind doing that once or twice a year. I don’t have any prep on my car except using a ceramic drying and when I wash it. I’d have saved a ton of money if I didn’t get it coated and just sealed it 3 times a year with a full correction once a year.

That sounds like what I’ll do

 

[Azkyrie]

My regret is getting the front end PPF’d. I wish I didn’t. On championship white, the plastic pieces and metal pieces (bumper versus fender or hood) are painted at different times, so there is a slight difference in color shade if you look closely due to the material and timing. PPF exacerbates that and makes it more noticeable.
I also kind of regret the ceramic coating. I enjoy the process of iron decon, clay bar, paint correction, IPA white, and sealing a car. I don’t mind doing that once or twice a year. I don’t have any prep on my car except using a ceramic drying and when I wash it. I’d have saved a ton of money if I didn’t get it coated and just sealed it 3 times a year with a full correction once a year.

for white cars, arguably other colors too, you either go all PPF or none. Partial ppf don’t look good on white. Plus, over time you don’t want the paint to wear or fade unevenly between PPF and non-ppf portions.

also PPF and ceramic doesn’t make our cars bulletproof, there are still required maintenance to keep it looking fresh. The maintenance should be easier if done right. If it’s too much then the ppf would end up looking trashed, worn, hazy with swirl marks. At that point it’s just money wasted and your car looks just as bad anyway.

 

[Noize]

I’m pro ceramic coat (easy and cheap to do yourself), and anti PPF.

 

[Yayo]

I regret not being able to buy it 20 years earlier. I'm in a hurry to make up for lost time.

 

[Morningwalnut]

I own a kid and Tuxmats as well--I highly recommend Tuxmats. I was hesitant to buy them because they don't look like they could be durable (I still can't tell you what they're made of, honestly), but these things are THICK and the FL5's red flooring is the perfect place to see the ridiculous amount of coverage you get. If you use this car on a daily basis and want to keep the carpeting nice, get these mats. Especially if you have kids.

It's a small regret, but I negotiated illuminated door sills into my purchase, and I'll admit that they're a little underwhelming. I came to the FL5 from about 6 weeks in a DE5, and the DE5 illuminated door sills are MUCH flashier (brighter, larger illuminated area, and lighted in front and back).

Why did you switch from DE5 to FL5? I'm considering FL5 but I'm looking for a daily driver and it seems DE5 has all the bases covered (more sound deadening, better exhaust sound, softer ride). But I love how the FL5 looks. DE5 looks good, but not great.

 

[RUNN1N]

Why did you switch from DE5 to FL5? I'm considering FL5 but I'm looking for a daily driver and it seems DE5 has all the bases covered (more sound deadening, better exhaust sound, softer ride). But I love how the FL5 looks. DE5 looks good, but not great.

I bought the DE5 because I could get it at MSRP after many unsuccessful months of hunting for a FL5 anywhere between MSRP and $5,000 over. Approximately 6 weeks after buying the DE5, a nearby Honda dealership called me with an opportunity to buy a FL5 at MSRP plus $1,200 in PPF. A few factors made it a trade I could live with without regrets--the FL5 was in Championship White (the only color I was really interested in), they were willing to negotiate a trade-in value on my DE5 I was pleased with (around $2k less than I paid for it), and at the end of the transaction, it was as if I bought the FL5 with a markup of ~$3k (which I would've done in a heartbeat pre-DE5). I liked the DE5 well enough, but my wife helped me realize I could likely trade back into a DE5 with relative ease if I wanted to... getting a new FL5 in my ideal color combo at a reasonable price would be a much tougher task.

The FL5 is my "daily" driver--I work from home and do occasional school and activity runs in it. I likely won't drive any car more than 3,000 miles/year, for now. I love the FL5 seats, and the build quality of my FL5 feels much better than the DE5 I traded in. I find the NVH and ride firmness negligible between the two, I'm not too picky. They're both pleasantly overstyled, but I enjoy the slightly less mature qualities of the FL5. The DE5 comes stock with a nice exhaust/tune, but it's likely not aggressive enough to please someone who likes the sound of an aftermarket exhaust.

I have a DE5 ADS unit on hand in case the FL5 dampening starts to feel too stiff, and I plan to get an aftermarket exhaust that's a little more aggressive (obnoxious) than the DE5.

Get whichever one you can get without overpaying--they're both really great at MSRP, but not much above that.

 

[Morningwalnut]

I bought the DE5 because I could get it at MSRP after many unsuccessful months of hunting for a FL5 anywhere between MSRP and $5,000 over. Approximately 6 weeks after buying the DE5, a nearby Honda dealership called me with an opportunity to buy a FL5 at MSRP plus $1,200 in PPF. A few factors made it a trade I could live with without regrets--the FL5 was in Championship White (the only color I was really interested in), they were willing to negotiate a trade-in value on my DE5 I was pleased with (around $2k less than I paid for it), and at the end of the transaction, it was as if I bought the FL5 with a markup of ~$3k (which I would've done in a heartbeat pre-DE5). I liked the DE5 well enough, but my wife helped me realize I could likely trade back into a DE5 with relative ease if I wanted to... getting a new FL5 in my ideal color combo at a reasonable price would be a much tougher task.

The FL5 is my "daily" driver--I work from home and do occasional school and activity runs in it. I likely won't drive any car more than 3,000 miles/year, for now. I love the FL5 seats, and the build quality of my FL5 feels much better than the DE5 I traded in. I find the NVH and ride firmness negligible between the two, I'm not too picky. They're both pleasantly overstyled, but I enjoy the slightly less mature qualities of the FL5. The DE5 comes stock with a nice exhaust/tune, but it's likely not aggressive enough to please someone who likes the sound of an aftermarket exhaust.

I have a DE5 ADS unit on hand in case the FL5 dampening starts to feel too stiff, and I plan to get an aftermarket exhaust that's a little more aggressive (obnoxious) than the DE5.

Get whichever one you can get without overpaying--they're both really great at MSRP, but not much above that.

Thanks for the response, much appreciated! I want the FL5 too in CW. I've wanted one since FK8 came to the US in 2017. My cousin and brother keep telling me the DE5 is a better daily (I have a 60 mi round trip commute). But I think the FL5 will hold it's value better and simply looks so cool and interior feels very special.

I test drove a GRC which is what I really wanted before. But the economy feeling interior left me wanting more, even in the circuit edition. Also almost no legroom for my kids.

 

[RUNN1N]

Thanks for the response, much appreciated! I want the FL5 too in CW. I've wanted one since FK8 came to the US in 2017. My cousin and brother keep telling me the DE5 is a better daily (I have a 60 mi round trip commute). But I think the FL5 will hold it's value better and simply looks so cool and interior feels very special.

I test drove a GRC which is what I really wanted before. But the economy feeling interior left me wanting more, even in the circuit edition. Also almost no legroom for my kids.

The DE5 and FL5 have a LOT more room than the GRC--rear headroom is slightly better in the FL5, which could be worth keeping in mind if you plan to keep this long term and expect your kids to be tall.

Have you tried the CTR seats? They're not for everyone. The DE5 seats are ROOMY in comparison. If you were going to be making a daily 60mi roundtrip drive wearing a winter coat for half the year, I'd honestly say consider the DE5. The DE5's lumbar support is pretty nice too, if you're someone who needs it. I agree the FL5 interior is an attention-getter.

Let's keep our focus here though: The FL5 and DE5 are both depreciating assets, and no car is going to hold value particularly well with 16,000mi/year of driving... but Hondas/Acuras will cost less to maintain and stay reliable.

 

[Bconlon1940]

No real regrets about the purchase but as no car is perfect there are a few things that took getting used to and I didn’t see mentioned in reviews. One thing is the seat which is amazing once you are in them, however due to the extremely high bolsters even with the steering wheel set as high as it will go and the seat as low as it will go it is quite difficult to slot your leg through the space between the seat bolster and steering wheel without having to scrap you pants against one or the other. When bringing my car into the dealer for service this cause them to gouge my steering wheel with their pants ultimately causing them to have to replace the steering wheel. I am pretty short and slim as well so i am wondering if there is a method to getting in and out more easily without having this issue especially for a bigger person. The only other thing that has taken some getting used to is to how long the throw on the clutch and gas are compared to other manuals i have driven as well as the positioning of the pedals as they are top mounted and a bit off the floor. The miata i have comparatively feels much quicker to engage and disengage the clutch in because of this and i was wondering if the throw can be shortened in the civic to make them a bit more similar.

 

[RUNN1N]

I came to the FL5 from about 6 weeks in a DE5, and the DE5 illuminated door sills are MUCH flashier (brighter, larger illuminated area, and lighted in front and back).

I’m proud to report I finally have a solution in the works for the one part of the FL5 that got on my nerves—I designed and had a set of OEM+ illuminated door sills manufactured for the front and back doors. It’s still too cold to do the install and sorry but it’s tough to take good pics in the dark and while holding these to a battery… but this the best I have so far.

Can’t wait to share more pics, I really love how these turned out.

 

[Jester04]

I’m proud to report I finally have a solution in the works for the one part of the FL5 that got on my nerves—I designed and had a set of OEM+ illuminated door sills manufactured for the front and back doors. It’s still too cold to do the install and sorry but it’s tough to take good pics in the dark and while holding these to a battery… but this the best I have so far.

Can’t wait to share more pics, I really love how these turned out.

Very cool!

One thing I regret is not having enough space to buy another.

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