Last week I did my first oil change on our 2018 Clarity - the first was a freebie at the dealer a year ago. Straightforward enough, but... Honda made removing/replacing the underbody access panel just so much more of a pain than it needs to be. Our Ford Flex has a similar panel that needs to be removed for oil changes, albeit about twice the size and plastic as opposed to metal. The differences that make the Flex experience more pleasant... 1) It uses just 4 fasteners, one at each corner 2) They can be removed without tools, utilizing “wings” 3) They are “captive” so you can’t misplace one Small things, but it would have been so easy, and likely no more expensive, for Honda to have shown a little mercy on owners who don’t have the benefit of a lift. Even the selection of slot-headed fasteners makes removing/replacing them just a tad more difficult than it needs to be for those of us lying on our backs under the car and struggling to reach the darn things. Thanks for letting me vent while sheltering in place!
Honda's been installing aerodynamic underbody panels only since the last century, when they developed the 2000 Insight. They'll figure out how to make them mechanic-friendly any day now. If you live in a winter salt-subsidizing state, just wait until those fasteners become corroded for some real fun (gen-1 Insight experience speaking).
