Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

wpalkowski

TCS only works up to 18 mph, then shuts down. It is helpful in getting started, but it is not stability control. Ody is reasonable with the Symmetry tires in snow. After about 6-8 inches though, the undercarriage starts getting hung up, and the All-seasons don't bite into the snow all that well. There's a big difference with dedicated snow tires. Snow tires help in keeping van stable in turns and greatly improve stopping distance and control on ice and snow compared to all-seasons. Have much more peace of mind with snow tires.
   Have to check the owner's manual, but I don't think that Honda recommends actual tire chains due to wheel well clearance issues. I believe they specify "cable chains" instead.
   I live in CT, and while we don't get same type of powder you do, we get much wetter snow and tend more towards ice. Ody with snow tires is fine most times, but if it's really bad and we absolutely have to get out, the Ody stays home and we take Ford F350 4x4 truck instead.

buddyzuniga

I recently purchased an 04 Odyssey EX-L RES.
I have the front windows with solar guard and the rear windows came with privacy glass. On hot days neither did a thing to keep the sun from beating on my daughter while strapped into her carseat or myself while driving. The privacy glass had my baby sweating bullets on sunny days and I just couldn't stand watching her suffer like that for one more second. So, I went and had my front windows tinted with a 20% black film and limo tint all the way around the rest of the van. Since then, sunny days are not an issue. My leather seats are never hot, and my baby can now sit comfortably in her carseat while watching Finding Nemo.

lexusrock

Anyone got a pair of those from a Honda dealer? I think it's around $70 and wonder if that's a good buy.

stever

Gotta be cheaper from a tire store or independent.

I don't use them very often but I do carry chains in my minivan. Got 'em at the thrift store for $5 in a nice plastic box with the size stamped on the side, and did a test fit one summer day.

Check your manual too - I use mine on the fronts, but that's not universally recommended by any means. Ask Willard :-)

Steve, Host

19645

Does anyone know why I can't purchase an 04 Ody with both of these options. (Navi and RES) If I purchased it with the Navi couldn't I then just buy a Honda RES and install myself....what am I missing here

Thanks

jchan2

Odyssey with TCS: The light will flash when it is activated- don't be alarmed. If it's off, it'll be constant.

NAV and RES: What you can do is buy the NAV model, and then buy the VHS (or DVD) system from Honda as an accessory and have them install it. Or, you could buy the RES model and buy an aftermarket NAV system- about $1000 for a Garmin eMap. The Odyssey will be redesigned for 2005- if you want to wait until summer 2004 and get the new model you can, but the current one is a great van that has some good deals running around right now.

kimo9

Any ingenious ideas on keeping the bugs off the radiator?

grandtotal

Drive everywhere in reverse.

musmad

A friend of mine owns a company that installs this product for individuals and dealers. They have a FAQ page where you can get some questions answered on the web at http://cleararmorinc.com

I just got my 2004 Ody yesterday and will be having this installed asap.

Another friend of mine had it put on her Acura about 2 years ago and it still looks great.

kimo9

I plan to do most of the regular maintenance on my Ody. Where do people get the Honda Fluids? Can I just go to a Honda Service Dept. and ask for them? I know of HandaAccessories for filters, spark plugs, etc. but am having a hard time finding the fluids.

robr2

My Honda dealer has most of the fluids available in the service dept on racks for you to pick up and take to the cashier. I'm sure your local dealer will sell them to you.

As for over the 'net, shipping items like that is a hassle as most are considered hazardous and require special packaging and labeling for UPS/FedEx to carry them.

jcuth

We just purchased a new 04 EX-L. I have detailed the complete buying experience on the other Odyssey board for buying experience and price, please read. We did shop hard for a used Odyssey, but we could purchase a new 04 for LESS than 03 Certifieds, go figure. I don't think I am naive and we tried and tried to negotiate on the 03s at various dealers, but the best we could do was $27,000. There was a VERY good 03 Odyssey EX-L with DVD and only 7800 miles at a dealer in Anderson, Indiana. But we purchased an 04 for less but without DVD which was not important to us.

dave594

The dealer probably has a good incentive from Honda to get rid of the new models, whereas the used cars on his lot have no such incentive from the manufacturer to sell. The fact that Odys don't depreciate much doesn't help with the used car purchase when you want a bargain.

cartagram

A friend of mine buys Hondas at Hertz car sales. He's purchased a Civic LX and an Accord SE. The Odysseys are EX models (not outfitted with anything more than the standard EX trimmings); they've got 20K miles and sell for 24K.

If you purchase one, you have the remainder of Honda's warranty. But I wonder if you can purchase an extended warranty (despite the vehicle having been titled to a commercial company before you purchased it used).

rbell2

Paying $24K for a rental Ody EX with 20,000 miles on it would not be a wise choice. New Ody EX's are selling for not many pennies more than that.

laurob

I posted a message in mid-Nov. about a brand new 03 Oddy w/transmission type problems. The dealership service manager drove w/us, experienced the problem & made us wait until the tech from CA came. The tech drove the car for 15min, stated it's driving as normal & told them to give it back to us. The service dept has told us, we've experienced the problem, but we don't know what causes it, and if we don't know what causes it, we can't fix it... Great logic,huh? We're still waiting to meet w/the area rep, as we've been told this is the next step. My question is, does anyone have any suggestions on what to do from here? I know the lemon law is available, but I've heard this is a time consuming & often futile exercise...? Any ideas on dealing w/Honda would be appreciated.

stever

"Once again, the Chrysler Group made America's favorite minivans in 2003. According to year-end sales figures, Chrysler sold a total of 374,494 minivans in the last calendar year, including 233,394 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravans, 120,767 Chrysler Town & Countrys and 20,333 Voyagers. Honda came in second in the family-mobile derby, selling 154,063 Odyssey vans, while General Motors took third in total minivan sales, selling some 148,881 Chevrolet Venture/Olds Silhouette/Pontiac Montana vans. Rounding out the top five were Ford's Windstar/Freestar with 129,236 customers and the Toyota Sienna, which sold 105,499 copies."

link

Steve, Host

kimo9

Honda says to use their motor oil as it is specifically formulated for their engines. One side of my brain says, "yeah right", while the other side begs to differ. I have seen some mention that the use Mobil 1, and I'm sure it'd work fine. But my question is whether the Honda Oil really is all that different and if it would void the warranty.

Thanks.

buddyzuniga

I read the small writing the lower left hand corner of a Mobil 1 bottle of oil at Wal-Mart. It read something to the effect of ( Specially formulated for Honda vehicles ) I don't know what it has in it but that's what it says. I seen a hand out at the dealership that "Recommends the use of Genuine Honda oil" (which is made by Mobil 1). It says that it is available in 5W/30 but does not mention anything about 5W/20. I read in a post that you can purchase 6qts of 5W/20 for $24.00 and change. The hand out also mentions that the oil used should meet certain reqiurements and the bottle should have some type of seal that will indicate if it infact does. sorry I don't have all the details but I'm sure you can find this hand out in just about any Honda dealerships waiting room. Good luck.

buddyzuniga

According to a post that I read you can find it there.

kimo9

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil_Drive- _Clean_Oils.asp

There is no specific mention of the Odyssey, but the civic and Accord are mentioned.

I'll be calling my local Honda dealership to find out what they use when doing an oil change.

avkesq

Folks, I am in the market for a minivan and have shortlisted Odyssey, Sienna and Mazda MPV. These 3 are attractive due to the fuel economy, fold-down 3rd row seats and Japanese quality. However, in going through a few forums and review sites (such as consumerreview.com), I have come across a lot of complaints about Odyssey and MPV transmissions blowing up and with some Sienna transmissions not shifting properly. Can those of you having '03 and '04 Odysseys please let me have your experiences (if any) about all technical problems with these vehicles ? Thanx !

stever

Check the Problems discussions, like:

Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

and

Honda Odyssey Owners: Problems & Solutions

Steve, Host

dchopp

Take a look at the New Nissan Quest Van. Both the second and third row seats fold down

stever

Ok, this may be enough to make me avoid Honda altogether next time I go car shopping:

Television Commercials Come to the Web (NY Times)

I already drink Coke, so avoiding Pepsi isn't an issue :-)

Steve, Host

rbell2

This happened on my 1998 Accord - it was a bad brake light switch. As you know, you have to press the brake to move the transmission shifter out of Park. When you press the brake, it makes a switch that allows you to move the shifter out of park. The switch had gone bad in my Accord and so the shifter was not being released and I had to over-ride it with a manual switch like you are doing to get it out of park. This switch also tells the brake lights to come on so I was riding around with no active brake lights during this period as well!! Maybe this is what is wrong with your Ody. We have on '03 Ody and so far no problems with 7,500 miles. Good luck!

alison11

I too am debating between MPV and Sienna. I have a 2000 Odyssey that has had quirky problems since day 1 eg. new transmission at 15000, new tires every 20000, two sets of brake pads, rear brake problems (all warranty) and front end clunking (replaced calipers, struts under warranty). Most prob. free to fix but very annoying. Oh yes, and constant shimmy, the tires need to be balanced ALL the time! Now at 90,000 miles and van is all 'tweaked' out but fear next odd problem that will not be covered. Its only defense is that it always starts perfectly and is great for our 14 hour road trips (despite wierd engine wheezing).
Plus, very large bill on 105000 maintenance.

Will switch to Toyota in a heartbeat as we have an older truck that runs and runs and runs with NO problems. Research on MPV shows very low price in comparison, if willing to give up minimal space. IT is assembled in Japan as was our Toyota- whether this means greater reliability (?) Also very sporty drive.

Prob. with Sienna is it has that floaty non-responsive feel v. Odyssey which handles quite well. Also, very $$$. LEaning towards MPV for value, reliability, and sportiness.

fezo

From what you describe you want I'd go with the MPV out of those choices.

Myself, I've got an 02 Ody now with 41,000 miles on it and the only issue ever on it was a faulty sensor on, of all things, the transmission. Here I am driving a couple hours to my favorite uncle's funeral and the D indicator on the tranny starts blinking. Book says "get to a dealer as soon as you can."

Well, we had to drop it after the funeral but the dealer up there rented us a loaner van (a darn Windstall but I wasn't too picky at the time) and quickly diagnosed and replaced the sensor. Total cost zero including the rental. I have an extended warranty on it but they didn't know this before doing all that for free at about 38,000 miles.

We'll see about long term - I'll keep you posted - but I'll say this - Honda's service has been fine (this is my fourth Honda - first Ody). I had a head gasket, tranny, timing chain cover gasket and some other did things done on my old Windstall at pretty low mileage but past warranty and Ford treated me like I had some horrible disease!

alison11

Thanks for the input. Will be driving 04 MPV and Sienna this weekend.

I agree on the service, always very good and willing to try to get warranty coverage (my rear drums were covered at 88,000 miles and I have NO extended warranty). Our previous Accords were flawless well into 100,000's so in comparison the Odyssey is a disappointment- but, relative to Ford, Chrysler, and GM- the best of the worst. What can you do, cars are necessary money pits.

Good luck with yours. I found some tech memos on this site that provided proof to dealer that the problem has been ack. by Honda.

dj55

I am thinking of selling our 2001 Starlight Silver Honda EX. It has 52,500 miles. What do you think would be a fair selling price?

I was thinking around $19,500.

dako_tian

Well according to another price-estimating site used by my credit union for the max they will allow on a used car loan, the retail price would be $21,325 for the vehicle you describe. So, if you can get it for $19,500 (assuming its in great shape), then it sounds like a reasonable deal to me.

(I would tell you what the name of the other web site is, but the rules do not allow it. I can say nothing, zip, NADA).

stever

lol, at least you didn't say Kelley. Neither have auto forums so we don't zip our lips about them. Yet anyway :-)

We do appraisals here too - link

Finally, you can ask the pros over in Real-World Trade-In Values what they think.

Steve, Host

billg7

I think it has been months since I read this board. I use to read it several times a day.

I see no reason to use a motor oil recommended by or made by Honda. I do see a reason to use some of the other Honda fluids that they recommend, and some of them are actually a requirement, such as antifreeze. You just want to be sure the oil carries the proper rating on the can from that institute that rates the motor oils. I would think that the Honda manual points out what that would be. You want to use the right viscosity rating also.

My Honda dealer uses Valvoline. I have gone to their part syntactic oil however, as it is only $10 more, at the dealer. I don't know if it is worth it or not, but I figured for $10 extra I would use it. Their 100% syntactic is an extra $60 at the dealer.

I have to wonder about buying autos, that were rentals. I would think with so many drivers, of all types, and figuring it was not their car, that it would get a lot of extra wear and tear. So 20,000 miles might be actually equal to a lot more, in normal use.

mrsmaddmaxx

I am looking for extended warranty on my 2002 oddy at 7/100k miles. Any one know where to get a great deal on pricing. Also, I was told by the dealer that they cover the dvd, stereo, cd player that others do not. Any one knows if that is true? I did not see it in the info that stated it does. He told me an 7/100k miles was $1797.00 way too much to me. Thanks!

rockycow

do a google search for alton blakely honda in kentucky --they have excellent prices for the honda care warranty about 1K less than your quote.
rockycow

danthony75

Does the Ody have lighted steering wheel controls? Are there any vans out there that do?
Thanks

buddyzuniga

The 04 Quest doesn't have them either, not sure about other vans.

tcasboy

I just bought a new 2004 EX-L and have found the steering wheel controls very handy. My 00 LX had the cruise controls on the wheel, but not the radio control. I have read some reviews where people complain that they are not lit, but I think that is by design. The idea of steering wheel controls is to allow you to make adjustments by feel, without taking your eyes off the road. So why would you light them, only to encourage people to look for them instead of using them by feel as they were intended? The controls are very intuitive to operate and really don't need to be lit, IMHO. I wouldn't use that as much or a criteria to compare different vehicles by. Again, just a humble $.02 worth.

deepan

audio controls are lit on the sienna, cruise is not.

kimo9

http://www.vision-inc.com/

.....click on research, automotive, one of the two categories, then minivan........ Odyssey wins both....

buddyzuniga

I dont mind that the controls are not illuminated. I was just resonding to a post. One thing that I would like is for the clock to be illuminated while I'm parked with the key in the acc. position. These things are not major issues. I really like my 04' Ody and woudn't trade it for another vehicle that has illuminated
steering wheel controls just yet. TLK 2 U LDR.

peggylou

Can anyone out there driving in stop and go traffic (especially in Ca with our additive laden gas and freeways that look like parking lots) share their average gas mileage with me? I currently have a Ford Windstar that is going away (REAL SOON) and only get 15-16 mpg for my commuting drive. With gas prices bouncing up and down, I really want to get better than that. Dealer said I should get 20 mpg for commuting. I am looking at Odyssey and CR-V, main attraction of CR-V is improved gas mileage and easier to handle since it is smaller. BUT you lose the versatility of the van.

Also am thinking about getting leather. I do have dogs (40 lbs and under) that come in the car with us sometimes. Anyone take dogs in their leather equipped car? Does the leather get scratched or torn from dog nails? Also are we going to be hot and sticky from leather in summer? It sure looks nicer than the cloth seats but am wondering what the drawbacks might be.

One more question - has anyone added an EC mirror to the van in place of the regular rearview mirror?

robr2

In Boston - same type of fuel, same heavy traffic - we get about 17 mpg.

fibber2

In mixed rural/suburban driving we went from about 18 in our 2000 Windstar SE to 20 or so with the '02 Odyssey EX. Not spectacular, but acceptable given the weight of the Ody.

I had no complaints about the Windstar (sold it to a friend), but the Ody is a much better vehicle overall. Neither had leather, so cannot help you there.

BTW, I have an '02 Outback also - saw you over there a day or two ago??

Steve

peggylou

I was over at Subaru the other day but went today to sit in Ltd and LL Bean. Seatback in ltd doesn't come upright enough for me, at its most upright I was leaning back so much I was staring up at hte sky, couldn't even see the road!! (Yes I am a little vertically challenged). The LL Bean is much more adjustable and was comfortable, but it will cost almost as much as an Odyssey, so am thinking just buy the van and have more passenger room. But I am going to drive it anyway just in case I fall in love with it. Practicality is doing battle with desire to drive something more fun after 9 years of vans (4 yrs of Plymouth Voyager, 5 years of Ford Windstar). I hate to sentence myself to another 7-10 years of van driving, but at least this time I would get some creature comforts like leather and climate control. And hopefully reliability. I really don't mind the way my Windstar drives except for the huge turning circle and horrible braking distance (once hit a Lexus RX300 in stop and go traffic on freeway maybe 15 mph, I hit brakes but van didn't stop. NOt a mark on the Lexus, $1200 to repair my bumper where the Lexus tailpipe melted right through it). But now have tranny leaks and engine oil leak per dealer and since it is a lease I don't feel like taking the chance on having to do a 2-3K repair on something that doesn't belong to me.

BTW, if this message has out of place words in it, I apologize, I think I have some sort of hostile software, the machine keeps entering words like someone is remotely typing on my pc. Wierd and can't figure out how to stop it!

peggylou

Forgot to ask you since you have both Subie and HOnda, which do you like better and which dealer do you think is easier to deal with?

fibber2

Sounds like we have lead parallel lives! We leased a '97 Dodge GC Sport, then the '00 Windstar SE, and now have the '02 Ody EX. We really had a decent ownership experience with each, in part because we were blessed with good dealership service depts. The Dodge and the Ford had not been nearly as reliable as the Honda (Dodge = steering rack, fuel system, brakes), (Ford = tranny), but prompt and proper handling by the dealerships made it relatively painless. So far (knock on wood...) the Honda has been excellent thru 2 years & 30k miles.

I found the Ford's suspension to wallow too much for my taste, although the benefit was a very smooth ride. We had a 3 week ownership overlap between the F & H, so could easily draw conclusions back to back. The Honda is much more a drivers "car", with good grip on corners & less body roll. Naturally the tradeoff is you feel (and hear) more. We drive some pretty dicy back roads, and my wife had a big broad smile after "Shaving off several minutes from Hopewell to Poughquag". A sports car? No... But not a penalty box on wheels either. Turning radius is tigher than on the other two vans (maybe by 2 feet or so...), and the brakes are good. I had actually expected them to be a little bit better considering 4 wheel disks, but never felt that they let me down. Again in relative terms - better than the other two.

This doesn't apply to you, but I have dedicated winter tires on rims for my cars.... No vehicle works well in snow & ice with all season tires.

You cannot compare it to the Subaru Outback - they are completely different classes of vehicle, serving different market needs. Which is why we have both in our family! I drive a base Outback wagon (4cyl auto), and like it very much. Before that I had two Corolla wagons, Camry wagon, and an older Maxima. I test drove a Passat, Highlander & a few other car & car based small SUV's before buying the OBW.

The Subi is my nasty weather 'ace in the hole', but is also enjoyable to drive on good roads. But when it comes to loading up the family, taking the dog, and all our stuff, the Ody is the tool of choice.

Unfortunately, in my area, neither the Subaru or Honda dealer's service depts have sterling reputations. Already had problems with the Subi shop, but luckly have not had much need to visit Honda.

Let me know if I can help you more.

Steve

isellhondas

Dogs will ruin the interior whether or not you have leather. It doesn't seem to matter much.

A used car that has hauled dogs around is always a problem to sell. I would definatly put down a blanket or something at the very least.

peggylou

Someone over on the CRV board told me that Ody wants 89 or higher octane. Someone please say it isn't so.... I have been categorically rejecting any vehicle that wants to sip premium. Edmunds says reg fuel on its description. I am headed up to Honda.com to see if they say anything there, just wanted to see what owners are using.
thanks
Peggy

bryann

i have an 01 EX and have used regular gas for the life of this vehicle. i have 65k miles on it and no problems other than the brakes. in the manual, i believe it states that regular is fine, but you lose some horsepower by not using premium, but no harm to the engine.