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Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

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    msibillemsibille Member Posts: 275
    [Does Odyssey have a speed limiter because there are Firestone tires on the LX?

    Has anyone ordered the new Odyssey EX Limited (RR) edition ]

    Here's hoping Santa brings you something to occupy your time so that you don't have to repeatedly post the same tired msgs on both Ody forums.

    Merry Christmas
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    mtsangmtsang Member Posts: 70
    will report back after the lights are installed.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!!!
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    acuhonmanacuhonman Member Posts: 4
    Hello, all
    I am a first timer, but long time reader.
    Well I just got my new (well my wife's) 01 silver odyssey with nav.
    I have many questions. But I guess I better read all the messages before some one slams on me about not doing the search first.
    Well nice meeting you all
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    timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    Congratulations on your (well, your wife's) new Odyssey. I'm sorry that you feel that you cannot ask your questions. Personally, I only get a bit peeved with those who don't read any of these posts and then ask a question that was answered just one or two posts before. They just seem like a guy who cruises up to the exit before trying to cut into the long line of cars backed up waiting their turn, I guess, or the ones at the grocery store who think that "No Parking, Fire Lane" doesn't apply to them because they are in a hurry and besides "I'll only be a minute!"

    Still, I encourage you to post your questions, ignore any flak you catch and revel in the wisdom and experience others chance to share.
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    denise32denise32 Member Posts: 3
    To jjme #374: And I thought I was long winded, (but you really spelled it out much like I did ha) and that definitely helps those of us who are seriously needing answers to questions. Yes, I did mean invoice price. We were pleasantly surprised, but these 2 Honda dealers had been the only ones that responded to my husband's requests for on-line price quotes. Both were within $500 of one another and the higher quote dealer could not believe how the other could do it at that price. We did not question it, but what good is it if there is not a vehicle to test drive? I could sympathize and chuckle at your efforts, same song, second verse. I believe I drove that same shuttle. Some dealers not on my credit union list quoted me 2% off of MSRP, whereas others on my list quoted me $300 over the invoice. Maybe we didn't look hungry enough, maybe we didn't have the headlight in the eyes look, all I know is that we were not in a hurry, we got a good price, but not on our trades.

    Another question why are some of these Honda deals falling through with the customers ordering them? Does their credit stink or is there some other reason that these customers change their minds? I got the impression that if I ordered one of the color of my choice, that there was a possibility that I would get it sooner if the customer ahead of me backed out. Yes there is always that possibility, but I felt that it probably happens quite often. Just curious. If I had ordered one I might as well buy it, unless of course something changes my mind. We are still looking at all vans, possibly purchase in January. Keep me posted.

    To binkybarnes #358: Where exactly is the spare tire chamber? I didn't notice on my test drive but I sat in the very left back seat. The noise didn't appear to be from the windows but rather under the seat or like when a door is ajar. Could have been tire pressure as some suggested but with us driving long stretches of Houston's noisy freeway daily, we need some peace and quiet or we might go into road rage. We also usually drive with the radio off, and most certainly test drive a vehicle with it off. (I guess many people are interested in the sound of the radio, so the dealers usually crank it up.) Of course I don't plan to sit back there very often. Would you consider undercoating like some suggested to reduce the noise? I yearn for the Honda, so I'm still considering all options.
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    timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    Which dealers offered you $300 over invoice? Only Mark Roberts in Oklahoma was ever known to sell Odysseys at near that price ($316 over invoice), but they stopped. I'm still confused (or you are); as you seem to be using MSRP and invoice as interchangable terms (they are not). Help me understand. And, if you really did find even one offer for $300 over invoice (or less?!?) then please share the dealer name and location.
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    hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    "Another question why are some of these Honda deals falling through with the customers ordering them?"

    I think some people get on multiple waiting lists and then when the first one comes in they cancel on the others.

    -Trevor
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    chip30chip30 Member Posts: 11
    Thank you Trevor for all your help with our order of the '01 driving
    lights. They have added GREATLY to the front-end appearance of our Ody. I had them installed by a mechanic at our dealer for $50 (he did it during breaks)! They work great and I have already had a fellow Ody owner come up to me in a parking lot and ask where I got them. I gave him your name and web address. Of course, I don't want too many Ody owners to discover the lights, as I like having an Ody that is a cut above. Thanks again, Chip (Charlotte, NC)
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    cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    I have pix of the '01 foglights on an LX and some Odyssey/minivan safety links here:

    www.caviller.com

    Thanks again to Trevor for the great prices and service.
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    acuhonmanacuhonman Member Posts: 4
    Is he the one who own the accessory shop for Honda or somethng?
    Or does he know where we could get that good looking driving light?
    Help me. Because I want those light. :)
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    kuhl3kuhl3 Member Posts: 8
    We got our 2001 Dark Emerald Pearl LX on Friday night. We had been called 2 weeks before to see if we wanted a GG that was available. The reason was the family who ordered it was being transferred to Japan and didn't want it. I was driving a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and didn't want a silver with a slight green tinge vehicle with my desired color coming in 2 weeks, so I declined. I love the emerald color! Had to wash it 2X last week after a $#@#$#$%!!$@$@&#@ bird targeted it!
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    mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    Can be reached at: http://honda-accessories.com/
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    mojo66mojo66 Member Posts: 83
    Overheard today in the back seat of our new van from my 9-year-old while talking to her friends: It's just like an airplane. The doors open up all by themselves, and look, everybody gets their own light and air conditioning thingie. Everyone gets their own cupholder and back here in this bin there's a barf bag." "That's cool!"
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    binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    eon, the odd engine has not changed. it has always been able to use 87 octane at which it is rated for 205hp. if you use premium, the engine puts out 210hp. I use 87 all the time and it runs fine... now average about 21-24 mpg combined city/highway driving with about 3600 miles on the odometer. I tried a tank of premium once... made no discernible difference. I will say, however, that I am surprised that the mileage isn't lower since we switch over to oxygenated fuels in December here in california.

    denise, i think the reason for people dropping out is primarily because of two reasons: 1) people are on multiple waiting lists but don't call the dealerships back when they finally get one. we, ourselves, were on about 6 of them. 2) some people are so sick and tired of waiting (we waited 6 months) and jump ship and buy something else. i know i started calling around toyota dealerships where they had dozens (literally) of siennas in stock and they were really willing to deal (without much effort, i was able to get the price of a sienna LE down to $150 over invoice but i still decided to wait for the ody--glad i did).

    as for the spare tire chamber, it is located in the floor right in front of the middle row seats. it has a hinged cover that closes tightly with a latch. tap your fingers on top of it and it sounds like a drum! i've sat in the back too and think the source of the noise is the spare tire chamber...i'm gonna try stuffing something in there to see if it makes a difference. btw, i think chrysler started the whole flap about noise coming from the seat well to cover their asses for not putting one in their new minivans but they really wanted to keep that space available for their all-wheel drive components. i still don't think the noise is too objectionable and i think the ody is the best value out there. based on sales and the waiting lists, most people agree.
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    carleton1carleton1 Member Posts: 560
    And people formerly thought Bill Clinton had the best spin doctors. When Oddysey sales get close to those of Windstar and Caravan, your last sentence may begin to have some credibility. Would you please identify the reviewers who stated the Odyssey is as quiet as the Grand Caravan? The Odyssey is an excellent minivan and a great value but please do not confuse opinions with facts.
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    stoltziestoltzie Member Posts: 15
    The summer of 99 my parents and I decided to purchase minivans. Ours for the impending birth of our daughter and my parents to cart grand kids and for long distance traveling. We purchased an Ody LX and Mom and Dad purchased a Windstar SEL. I have some updates on an old Ody vs. Windstar thread which was frozen last spring.

    Both vans held up without any major problems. But we no longer have our 99 Ody LX. While visiting my parents over thanksgiving weekend, I visited their local Honda dealer for a 30,000 mile service. There labor rates are cheaper than they are where I live. They had a 2001 Ody Ex in tafetta white on the lot. One thing led to another and since they gave us an excellent deal to trade, we upgraded to the TW Ody Ex. So far we are very happy and I believe Honda has made some improvements during the past two years. The new Ody seems quieter on the road than the old. The stereo sound quality is much better. Plus the power sliding doors, and other features make the upgrade worthwhile, especially with baby 2 due in March.

    So we're Ody addicts. My parents were puzzled by the trade but they are happy with their Windstar. Dad usually keeps cars longer than must people keep houses.

    Happy Holidays

    S.
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    ryr10ryr10 Member Posts: 2
    Recently bought a BB 2001 EX.

    1. ABSOLUTELY do not like the turn lights in Red. Honda should not have looked at saving a few bucks and stuck with the universal "yellow" turn lights...

    Is there any way to turn the red color blinking turn lights (when one switches the indicator on) to yellow??

    2. Have cloth interior. There is a lot of static build up which discharges upon getting out of the van. So when we open the door, OUCH!, current passes.. any way to avoid this????

    Thanks a million for recommendations
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    mojo66mojo66 Member Posts: 83
    I kind of like the all-red taillight color myself, but that's just my opinion. I haven't seen aftermarket lenses for Odyssey yet, but I'm sure they are coming ( just about the most popular thing to change on a Honda these days). Does anyone know if the Canadian Odyssey has yellow turn lights?

    We have the same trouble with static build-up on the EX seats. I'm getting covers pretty soon anyway, so it won't be a problem much longer. But in the words of our out-going prez, 'I feel your pain.'

    By the way, what color is BB?
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    rbacsafrarbacsafra Member Posts: 85
    I believe the JDM Odyssey aka Lagreat has Amber turn signals for the taillights. I read somewhere that many Japanese like the all red turnsignals and were looking for people in the US to trade their Red/Amber tails for all red ones! All North American Odysseys have all red tail lights.
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    all4sarahall4sarah Member Posts: 4
    We are starting research to buy the Odyssey, hopefully by May. My husband is resistant to paying close to or above sticker price. I wanted to ask you guys when supply might catch up with demand? I need to know if I can hold out that long or if we should just bite the bullet.
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    jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    Hopefully the supply will catch up with the demand. That being said, I would reccomend that you find a reputable dealer and plunk down a deposit for a March/April/May delivery. Dealers work off of 60 day cycles in allocations of Odys, so an order placed now will bring a late February car and so on. May is the busiest time of our year, our Christmas if you will. Do not expect to walk on a lot at that time and purchase your van. Start now with your search.

    As to buying at MSRP. Compare the Ody with ANY others on the market, drive them, do the research. You'll find that an Ody at MSRP is leaps and bounds better than the competitors. Am I biased.....yup! :-)
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    drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    In just about all other Asian/European countries, red rear turn signals are a legal no-no (as are the amber front side marker lights that we have). This is why manufacturers have to use either amber bulbs or amber lenses there. Personally, I think that it's a good idea since it allows for better differentiation during poor visibility conditions. FWIW, Canadian Odysseys have the exact same taillamps as their US counterparts.

    Drew
    Edmunds.com Townhall co-host
    Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories conferences
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    rbacsafrarbacsafra Member Posts: 85
    I personally prefer the JDM - Lagreat (Odyssey) tail lights than the all red tails we get here. It would look even better if the amber part was clear/white, but with a an amber turn signal bulb! =)
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    drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    FWIW, the mildly facelifted '01 Sienna has that now, i.e. clear rear turn signal lenses with amber bulbs. I think it makes the vehicle look a tad more upscale. Also FWIW, I believe the Passat has amber rear turn signals despite the all red taillamp lenses.
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    jimkarenvajimkarenva Member Posts: 3
    HELP!!!!!! Our 7-month old(2nd daughter, oldest is 4 years) has outgrown(in length) her infant seat. She is now 18 lbs. We have a Century "On My Way" carseat that we used with daughter number one, when she outgrew her infant carseat. Problem is that our 7-month old cannot yet face the front(until 1-year, and 20 lbs), and this(front-facing) is the only way we can safely secure this carseat in our new minivan(after many hours of trying, and trips to the fire station...).

    We need your help, from past experiences on rear-facing carseats that actually fit, securely, in an Odyssey!!!!!!

    Other than this, we absolutely LOVE our minivan!!!!!
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    cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    Check here:

    http://www.carseatdata.org/
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    minimanminiman Member Posts: 85
    The absolute price for anything reflects the true market charactaristics and the 'name' of that price - be it MSRP for a car, Asking Price for a house - has little play in the value decision. As posted earlier, the prices of many other vans are stratospheric (many over $30k) when equipped like the Odyssey, then when those dealers give you $thousands in discount/rebate or low financing (or both) the price SEEMS like a good deal. You know, car dealers are good at that stuff.

    When we were close to buying our Odyssey, my wife saw an add for a Windstar in the paper for under $20,000. I looked up the 'wagon' model on this Website - it was a totally base model with lots of penny-pinching (weaker alternator, lesser battery). By the time you added in everything we wanted, it was more expensive then Odyssey. My brother-in-law needed a van fast in '99 and could not wait for an Odyssey - he said that comperably equipped, the Windstar had a bigger sticker price, but the 0.9% financing made the payments about the same in the end. So much for MSRP.

    Look at the value and costs to you - including long terms costs and resale (with the long waits for new Ody, imagine what it will be like when people want our used vans in several years!)
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    rbacsafrarbacsafra Member Posts: 85
    Yeah I love those. I saw them back in early August while we were driving around in Washington D.C. during our vacation. I like the clean appearance of it like on my 95 Avalon.
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    vprawicavprawica Member Posts: 6
    I cannnot believe that people are so wound up with little things like color of turn signal, color of exterior/interior, noise, and roof racks and it bothers very few people that your van really gets only 12 miles to the gallon. I am very anal about this because the sticker suggests 18 in the city. Although this may be considered under most favorable driving conditions, I only get 12. I do not have a lead foot and I am not stuck in traffic. I do suburban driving and there is no excuse for such poor gas mileage.. I've tried to get other people to respond, but apparantly gas mileage is not as significant as the color of your blinker. What is wrong with you people. More of us Ody owners need to complain then maybe something can be done about this. Can someone please tell me that they feel the same as I do?
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    drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Has your mileage been this low even in the summer? Cold weather causes fuel economy to drop like a stone on all vehicles. As for EPA figures on the sticker, it is derived by running the vehicle on a dyno in a lab. Real world performance can vary greatly from those figures, especially if you live in a hilly area.

    Drew
    Edmunds.com Townhall co-host
    Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories conferences
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    davida5davida5 Member Posts: 21
    Well, it's minivan time for us. Three kids in car seats and no justification for an SUV (except, of course, for the 1972 Landcruiser we can't bear to part with). The Odyssey appears to be the best choice given the size of the Sienna and the reliability of the American vans. My brother-in-law seems to replace transmissions as often as tires on his Grand Caravan. I've been through a few months worth of postings on the Odyssey, and overall the van seems to be one that people are generally happy with. A few Odysseys clearly have chronic problems, but the rate of this situation is probably very low.

    I have a few questions, which I'm hoping somebody out there can help me with.

    1) We live in Silicon Valley (San Francisco Bay area), and I can't stomach paying $2-3k over MSRP for an EX. So I plan to buy the vehicle in some exotic remote location and bring it home. Will this impact my ability to obtain warranty service at the local dealership?

    2) I'm not normally an extended warranty fan, but am considering it in this case. The labor costs here are very high. The Volvo dealership in Palo Alto charges $98/hour for labor, which is perhaps 50% higher than it was in Arizona. There is clearly a price at which the extended warranty is worth purchasing, and I'm curious how the people who have it would value it. Has anybody done the math on what affect living in a low or high maintenance cost area has on the value of the warranty, which presumably is priced based on national maintenance costs?

    Thanks!

    David
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    imbobimbob Member Posts: 1
    MY Odyssey's window frost over on the inside in about two minutes after they have been cleared.... Why.... and does anyone else have this problem...

    I have tried the Ant-Fog stuff had it did not work.

    Water builds up on the windows so fast you can not keep them dry so they freeze over...

    Help
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    alexmishalexmish Member Posts: 47
    Just took my 01 EX to a 850-mile trip from NJ to mountains in NH. Had my wife, 3-year old daugther and full 3rd seat and trunk with misc. stuff - another 300+ pounds. I was driving around 65-85 mph, and got an average 22mpg. The weather was clear and cool, no rain.

    As for on-the-snow permformance, it behaved as I would expect it for a minivan. The TCS kicked in couple of times, but then I wanted it to kick in and tried to "spin the wheels".

    The trip was absolutely awsome. On the way back, did 380 miles with 2 short stops - no back pain ! The NAV system took me exactly where I wanted to go, with well-in-advance warnings. My wife loved the middle row seat, as we have it slided to the middle so she can seat next to our daughter, see ahead and watch the NAV system work.

    The rear window wash system is a joke :( But then, the washer reservoir is large and I did not have to refill it for the entire trip - but I did have to use it often on those messy roads.
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    alexmishalexmish Member Posts: 47
    One more thing to mention - I did tried different gasoline grades, and has seen no improvements for the gas mileage when using higher octane. A very slight improvement in HP was noticed.
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    drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    I'd strongly recommend against topping off the gas tank (at least over the tank's capacity) as this could cause the petrol to leak into the vent tubes/emission control devices when it expands. The tubes and other devices are not meant to hold fuel and will be damaged; these emission control devices are expensive, BTW. So, be careful!

    Drew
    Edmunds.com Townhall co-host
    Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories conferences
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    cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    If you look at the window sticker, the range (for a 2001) is actually 12-25 City, 15-31 Highway. We've been getting 16-18mpg in the first 1000 miles on our '01 LX, in mostly suburban commuting. Not a lot of gridlock, but plenty of stoplights and stopsigns in a 15 mile/ 30 minute commute. Plus, it is always lower in winter here because of the reformulated gas (3-5% less in controlled tests, but 10% or more is usually reported in real driving) and the slower driving when its snowy. You might also check your tire pressure (Honda says 35 psi when cold I think) and try a different gas station. Who knows, your regular station might have inferior gas or the calibration on their pumps may be wrong and you're not getting quite as much gas as you think.

    Though this info is out-of-date for current reformulations, it does have a nice table on fuel economy factors, like using the A/C for defrosting or extended warmups:
    http://www.epa.gov/otaq/rfgecon.htm
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    binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    here's a great place to ask your question...they have certified car seat techs there that are really helpful

    http://boards2.parentsplace.com/cgi-bin/boards/carseats
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    lexsarlexsar Member Posts: 14
    FYI, we are getting 21.5 mpg mixed (but mostly city driving). You may have some mechanical or electrical problem resulting in your low mileage. BTW, berating other people's interests may be counter productive to receiving an answer on your question.
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    bjf1bjf1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a new 2000 Odyssey EX and want to tow a race car trailer with a total weight about 3200 pounds. I will add the tranny cooler per the manual and it say the car can handle up to 3500 pounds. I was just wondering if anyone has any first hand experience or suggestions?
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    robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Last fill up was Saturday and I calculated 15.6 mpg in basically 90% city/suburban driving north of Boston. Hauling around a big van in winter with reformulate gas, seems what I expected. We get around 22 mpg in summer with mix of in town and weekend runs to Maine.

    My 4 cyl Accord recorded 22 mpg at last fill up. I usually get 26-27, so that is a drop off of more than 10% with the recent cold weather.

    Keep checking your mileage - it should improve with time.
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    pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I have no idea why you are only getting 12 MPG. Something is wrong. I get about 19 MPG in my comuting to work. Lots of stop and go but there is one stretch of 55 MPH. On trips on the open highway, with a fully loaded van, I get about 26. I set my cruise on 70 and frequently get up to 80 or over. Unlike you, I do have a lead foot.
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    pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I took my 99 EX in for the 30K Service. AS you know the "maintenance required light" comes as a reminder every 7500 miles. I asked one of the guys at the service desk how to turn it off. He showed me.
    1) with the engine off, hold the reset button that resets the trip
    odometer in.
    2) turn ignition on to the accessories on position. (radio comes on)
    then turn ignition off
    3) turn engine on -the light goes out as engine starts

    This sure beats playing with fuses.
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    van4me2van4me2 Member Posts: 1
    As a FNG (Fairly New Guy) I would like to say thank you all for the information you have shared here! A lot of my questions have been answered simply by lurking around. Also some questions I didnt even know that I wanted to know. For cash flow reasons I have placed a deposit for Feb. delivery of a '01 LX Granite Green. I am very impressed with http://honda-accessories.com/ -

    Two Questions - "Where can I get quality Seat Covers for the Front and Middle Row seats." My kids are hard on the seats and now that Honda has so conviently provided me with so many cup holders I will never make a full tank of gas with out a bathroom break! And the kids will need something to eat to go with all that soda or juice. What a mess! #424 by mojo66 12/22 you mentioned seat covers - any help here?

    Second - has any one had experience with "Hitch Hauler Carriers" (or something like it) for the tailor hitch such as advertised at http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=14939 Thank you!!!
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    dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Are you getting the 7500 mi. light mixed up with the check engine light that comes on when something is wrong. This one needs the fuse pulled.
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    slpmomslpmom Member Posts: 11
    just got back from a trip from ohio to chicago and the side windows on the sliding passenger door frosted over. there were passengers in both middle seats, so I am not sure why it would have frosted so on the one side. we tried everything that we could think on, running the windshield defroster, opening up the side vents, turning on the back ceiling vents..... nothing worked to clear the windows. any suggestions. it was very frustrating for my son to not be able to see out of the window. thanks
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    bikerguybikerguy Member Posts: 13
    Can't go wrong with the Britax roundabout. Cost is $200 or so, but the seat has wonderful for us. They use a special tether that can be used both forward facing and rear facing.

    We have a '99 LX, and have used the roundabout facing rearward and now forward. Very easy to install, rock solid. The sites that others had noted are excellent. You may also find stuff on epinions.com.

    Paul
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    arnholarnhol Member Posts: 1
    Love our Odyssey. The book says we should use 5W-20 weight oil. Can we get this at Jiffy Lube or other service centers? The book says we can substitute 5W-30 if the other is unavailable. My Honda dealer charges $26.95 for oil change and lube. What do you think?
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    mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    You are confusing the Maintenance Required Light and the Check Engine Light. The owner's manual, for those who read it, clearly spells out how to reset the Maintenance Required Light.

    The Check Engine Light requires the error code reader or pulling a fuse to reset; and these babies (lights) are two entirely different animals.
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    vprawicavprawica Member Posts: 6
    My 01 ody EX shifts gears from 1st to 2nd at approximately 3200 RPMS when coming off the line at normal acceleration. It seems high to me. Is this normal and has anyone else noticed the same thing with your ody?
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    mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    It's normal. I think it's probably done to control (as in minimize) emissions.
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