Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

billg7

I would follow the book which says 7500 miles or 6 months under normal conditions or 3750 or 3 months under severe conditions, which ever occurs first. So there is really no guidence for those who drive very few miles per year. What if you have only driven 500 miles in 3 months under severe conditions for example?

I currently don't see a reason to change the oil more then every 6 months if you have put less then 3750 on the car. I think the book should give better guidence however, for those persons who drive 7,500 miles or less per year.

imhip2

I can only tell you about the roof rack. It seems the going price on the net is $214.80 US not installed and without delivery. That is the price at partscheap.com, 1stautooptions.com (both Honda dealers in CA.) and various others. They also list the various other parts and prices. The $299 seems to be the list price.

I ordered a roof rack, leather steering cover and a cargo tray yesterday. Saved $197 Cdn even after converting from US including delivery and duty. The roof rack in Canada is $479 Cdn. which makes sence as 299*1.60 is 479. I paid $335 Cdn for mine.

fast93ser

If you guys still needed the info on the Thule rack and air bag suspension, email me. I have a couple of links for you.

sagehen47

I can sell you my ex unit and the optional cassete deck for$250 total. Pulled out of my new van.

carleton1

My brother-in-law has paid for it and made arrangements to pick it up when they get back May 22 from their 16 day vacation in Hawaii.

ck55

I just had a pair Coil Rite Air Springs installed today. Manufactured by Freestone Aghhhhhh.....Hopefully they won't blow out. I have to call dealer back I just read the installation instructions that they me, last note was that "It may be necessary to realign the rear suspension after installation" any info on how critical that is?

RE: cranny flunks - '99 with 36k hi nothing that I can detect & tried to duplicated. It better go way past 100k or I will be very disappointed.

My only complaint is the front floor mat, They are the worst. The grommet that is supposed to hold it from sliding under the gas pedal pulled out a long time ago. Are '01's any better?

auburn63

If you are saying that your Dealer says that you have to go to them for the maintenance or else your warranty will be invalid then stay away. I would have to agree, however if you are saying you dont have to do the maintenance then I don't agree.
The warranty on the car can be turned away if the proper maintenance items were not done.For example if your motor started knocking at 2.5 years after sale and 35,000 miles but yet you had done no oil changes then they can reject your warranty.

rpstancil

One of our Firestone Affinity tires just bit the dust tonight after an unfortunate collision with a rusty pipe which gashed it wide open. With 35k the tires were about gone anyway, but the pipe also put a nice scratch in the plastic panel behind the rear tire which we were not happy about at all! First major scratch on our 99EX.

Any advice on what to replace the Firestones with? I can get the Michelin Symmetry for about $85 each and with a 75K warranty.

sagehen47

The Mich Symmetry are excellent. They will easily last until you hit 100K No better tire for that price either. I have them on my ex and love them. Sorry about the scratch. There is a tread on Honda-odyssey.com about scratch repair. Good luck

rpstancil

I got the Michelin Symmetry tires today and the ex rides so much smoother than with the Firestones. Will check the info on repairing the scratch. Thanks!

billg7

I wonder if you notice a lower noise level along with the smoother ride with the Symmetry versus the Firestone tires?

I have wondered why some complain of the Odyssey noise level while others don't. I have a 2000 Odyssey EX which came with the Symmetry tires. I have not noticed a high noise level, nor have some test reports. My guess is the high noise level comes from the Firestones.

On scratches. After my recent accident which destroyed the doors on the passenger side, I took it in to the dealer. He says todays paint, along with the clear coat they put on it, will make it as good as new. We shall see. I did feel safe. I said to myself, well I am going to get hit, but I should be OK.

aramid

Hey Folks,
I have an EX on order and I'm having the dealer add the transmission oil cooler. For the trailer hitch, he has offered either a Honda Towing Kit ($347, including labor to install) or a U-Haul Towing Kit ($229, including labor to install). Has anyone put a U-Haul hitch on their Ody? Was it okay? Is it better to stick with Honda hitch? Thanks for any suggestions.

melgun

I posted a message last night, but now don't see it on the board so I'm trying again.

I read a post about the LX's tires not being strong enough compared with the EX for the weight of the Ody. Any comments on this? I would very much like to hear from LX owners on this. I'm more interested in the LX pricewise. I haven't found anything in consumer mags mentioning this.

Also, what's the best price anyone's been quoted on leather? My neighbor paid 1100 for leather in her Expedition, but the best quote I got was 1299.

Thanks in advance for your posts. I'm enjoying this site tremendously and printing info out like crazy.

melanie

thomasi

We had a U-Haul trailer hitch installed a few weeks ago on our '01 Ody and it works fine - cost $200. It took them 20 minutes to install. Lifetime nationwide warranty was $5.

seguy

check out the article in http://www.vtec.net/news/ (may 11, 2001 article, '02 model updates). According to this odyssey will have an EXL model trim with an optional RES (i think this is a entertainment unit) Hope I can get a hold of one next year!

ck55

I had dealer install the factory cooler also, last month. $239.00 plus $98.00 labor. I had a dealer coupon for 15% of on parts. Of course I had to fight for discount due to the fine print.

I also added an EZ hitch I think thay are all similar Class 3 receiver. It was my understanding the dealers sublet the hitch installations. Approx $400.00 for hitch, electrical connections & trailer breaks. Just put on air bags this week, initial impression is that they feel pretty good & hitch is not bottoming out. Have put a load on yet.

mharris9

Been wanting and Ody for almost a year now and couldn't convince myself to pay MSRP+ to drive any car. We currently own a '95 Maxima SE(which we will keep until it completly dies)and dread a car payment which we haven't had in a few years. Anyway...I have monitored the Town Hall for many months now, and have gotten a feel for what many of the problems are.
We considered a Grand Caravan but since we will keep this until it falls apart, it would be in our best interest to go with the Honda.
Does anyone know if Honda plans to go to the 4-wheel disc brakes? I do prefer them. Is there a reason that Honda has opted for drum brakes? I'm now hoping that the prices begin to drop, and I will probably begin to agressively shop early in 2002. I live less than 200 miles from Alton-Blakey, so I'm encouraged. Anyway, I'll keep watching the Odyssey boards and see what happens with their problems, and hope that the 4 wheel discs appear next year.

ron27614

Does anyone know how to add the DRL function found on the Canadian market Odysseys to a US market 2001 Odyssey EX? I see in the owners manual two empty fuse sockets (7.5 and 10 amp). I also understand from a Canadian parts dealer that the DRL function is in a module and available. However, I have not been able to find where the DRL module would plug in and if there are any additional steps to take. Also, would this void the electrical system warranty? If this is possible, I would also like to add it to my 2001 Civic LX, and therefore have the same questions about installation. Thanks for any help...

hondaaccessory

I think there may be enough differences between the wiring harnesses on the US and Canadian models of the Odyssey to make it difficult to fit the Canadian control module into the US version.

A couple years ago I sold a set of US foglights to one of the places that imported and resold Canadian Odysseys and they ran into problems getting them installed because the connections for them weren't the same on the van.

-Trevor

seanbert

I am in the works of finding my own Odyssey (rather anxious, as we really love this vehicle), and have come across a statement from a dealer here in Portland, OR that does not jive. We got onto the subject of Pricing, and here is how it went:

"The Canadian Odysseys don't meet US emissions standards, so when they are brought to the US they have to reconfigure the engine which then voids the Honda factory warranty. Some people don't mind becasue there is an aftermarket warranty that the dealership purchases and then puts on the Odyssey which actually inlcudes a few more items then the Honda warranty. Quite a few people though are a little suspicious of this non-Honda warranty and that is why you may be able to purchase them for below msrp."

Has anyone else heard this? Due to this statement, I would be more inclined to pursue the US model, as I don't want to deal with a third party warranty(bad previous experiences), and would be willing to pay the extra price.

Can someone please shed some light on this for me?

neech7

What I heard was Honda felt that on front wheel drive vehicles, rear disc brakes do not provide sufficent benefits to justify the cost of having them.

neech7

US and Canadian Odysseys have the same emission specs. The only reason Canadian warranty is void in the U.S. is because Honda says so.

billg7

The cars of both countries meet the US specs for emissions. Honda does not honor a Warranty on a Canadian Odyssey, bought by a person living in the US, but will honor it if it is bought by a Canadian citizen who moves to the US. The reason for this is the Canadian Odysseys are less expensive and more available then the US ones. Honda does not want its US dealers to have to compete with the Canadian ones.

A number of other manufacturers also do this. Buy a camera or electronics built for a foreign country in this country and you will probably have the same problem. They are called grey market products.

Unless you can get a really good deal I would buy the US Odyssey.

3senough

I wish that the sticking of the buttons on the remote were only a few seconds. They seem to stick down at an angle when they stick. The problem comes in when you want to open the sliding doors the first push unlocks the drivers side and then the button wedges down, I have to flick it with my nail to get it to pop up again so that I can repush it to unlock the other doors.The sticking happens about 30-40% of the time on both remotes.
Thanks for the info about the alarm, this is the first experience I have had with an alarm system, so I was unaware that this is the way they all function.

billg7

I found that a spray can of electical contact cleaner, I use to get at The Radio Shack would unstick all kinds of electronics things.

It is Carbon Tetra Cloride ( perhaps misspelled) I believe. It evaporates and I have never had it harm anything.

clay21

Good deals in Cincinnati. Are you near Cincinnati?

richcolo

I don't know where you read a post about LX tires not being strong enough to carry the weight, but EX and LX Odyssey both use the same size and load rating of tire, 215/65R16, in Honda's (not the buyer's) choice of Firestone Affinity or Michelin Symmetry tires. Which brand of tire seems to be independent of which model of Odyssey. While the wheels are different, with the LX steel wheels perhaps having more tendency to have run-out or out-of-round problems, with resulting vibrations, than the EX alloy wheels, the tires are interchangeable. (Except that it is claimed that the Michelins are quieter, which I'm hoping is true and will be reporting on before the end of Summer.)

oclvframe

Chris,

Tell me more about your air springs...I have been wanting to do this for a long time. How much was it? How good does it work?....etc.

-robert.

ck55

I just had them put on last Wed. See www.ride-rite.com. See Coil rite ones. They are manufactured by Firestone. Post 2176 had another web site for similar product. They had the complete installation process. I actually had the coil springs removed for the new air bags to be installed. I got the old parts back in case they ever had to be reinstalled. Cost $99.00 for parts and $160.00 labor. They allow 2 1/2 Hours.

Van seems to ride normal too soon to tell, but the driveways we were dragging the hitch on now clear @ 20 psi - 5# min 35 max. Have not had a chance to hook up trailer yet.

cshaull

Hi Steve,
We have had our 2001 EX for a month now and have NOT noticed any tranny noises. We love it!

rkpatt

I have a 2000 Odyssey LX in need of a Roof Rack and rear bike rack. 1) I was t5hinking of buying the rack from hparts.com and DIY installation and want some tips 2) I also want to figure out how to use my Rhodes Shuttle trunk mount rack on this vehicle without damaging the rear window or spoiler - a hitch and rack are just too pricey.

Thanks

rpstancil

Sorry to be a couple of days getting back to you. We have noticed no differnce with wind noise with the new Michelins than with our old Firestones we just replaced. Our 99Ody EX has always seemed very quiet.

One item that we did notice is that the infamous "pull to the right" that so many of us have experienced is actually worse with the new Michelins. We felt sure this might cure it once and for all.

billg7

Thanks for your comments. There is suppose to be a dealer fix for the pull to the right and it was once posted on this board. I see I do not have it saved in my files. Actually the link to the fix was listed which then gave the fix in detail.

sz1

I put down a $100 deposit yesterday for a silver EX Odyssey. I noticed that they are charging $17.00 for oil and fluid. ANyone else have that chrage? When I questioned it he all the new cars come without fluid and oil and then he said it is ONLY $17.00 so I said if it is only 17 then take it off, he told me that he could not do it since it is charged for all cars

dmathews3

I would tell that dealer if that was true I wouldn't buy an Odyssey for all the money in the world. When the Odyssey reaches the end on the assembley line it is driven to a staging area where it waits to be loaded to truck or rail. It is driven onto the train or truck and shipped to the dealer where it is driven off of the truck and driven to the storage place at the dealer. Do you really think they do all this without any oil or fluids in the vehicle. The $17 is just another polite way for the dealer to rip off the customer.

sz1

We would like to get the entertainment system honda has available as an option but may within the next few months after I buy the car. If I purchase the Extended warranty before Vies is installed will it still be covered since it was installed by honda dealer. If not how will honda care know that it was not installed when I bought van?

By the way I called Honda and complained about the $17.00 fluid charge.

amz997

With the gas prices for premium(93) more than $2, I am planning to fill odyssey with 87. Did any one ever fill 87 in odyssey?

DTKWOK

Yes,

I've been using 87 octane since the first fill-up, no pinging, no problems. I would only used premium once in awhile: 1) to help clean the fuel injectors and 2) when anticipating severe driving conditions (i.e. towing, going up constant grades, driving through the Mojave Desert).

prophet2

Looked at my sales order and didn't find any such item. Not only that, but they filled the gas tank just before delivery - the gas station is right next door.

parveentexas

When will '02 Odyssey EX model be available? What changes might it have? Thanks.

sz1

I read there will be a EXL with factory leather and three new colors also a factory installed video system. Here is the link to see Honda info. look for 02 model updates

http://www.vtec.net/news/

neech7

AFAIK, all new cars should come with oil and fluid (duh!) and a full tank of gas at no charge to the customer. Tell your dealer that if they want to rip you off, they should at least come up with something more convincing.

neech7

I understand that Odyssey's engine can adjust itself to work on regular or premium gas. My question is: if I have half a tank of regular gas left, and I fill it up with premium. Now we have a mixture of two different grades of gas in the tank, what is the engine going to adjust itself to? Will the engine be damaged if it gets confused and adjust itself incorrectly to this "hybrid" grade gasoline?

arlen2

I'm still undecided on a new vehicle. I've read several messages stating that the Ody's gas mileage is not what was expected (EPA estimates 18 city, 25 highway I think). Can new owners tell me what mileage they are getting, especially highway, which is my primary interest. Thanks.

sagehen47

If you look at the factory invoice Honda charges you for that first tank of gas. Maybe this is the charge being referenced to.

billg7

You can tell if there is a charge for gas by looking at the window sticker. For the 2000 models there was none for gas or oil.

The owners manual says the Odyssey runs well on a minimum of 86 octane. I have used the 87 octane and never had a problem. You will get a little more power at higher octane. It does not cause any problems to mix a lower octane gas with a higher octane gas as long as the lowest octane gas is no lower then 86.

Consumer Reports got for their Odyssey mileage in city/ highway 12/30. For the Dodge Grand Caravan they got 11/17. Ford Windstar 11/24. So the Odyssey is one of the highest mileage mini-vans and it does better then any of them on the highway.

prophet2

We've had our '01 EX for a little over a month (1600 miles). Getting 22.5 mpg for mixed driving. It's 20 miles one-way to work with open driving for about 14-15 miles, then bumper-to-bumper the rest of the way. We never got more than 20.0 mpg on our Nissan Quest during eight years of the same kind of driving.

lumanski

Just got my EX and I was wondering what is the best cleaners to use on the wheels and tires. Also, any wax recommendations would be appreciated.

me_2

What reverse sensing system (warning of objects behind van) works well with LX 2001 (sensitive, easy to install, and reasonable)? Thanks.

lumanski

Does anyone know a fix for the worthless thing on the back glass called the window washer. I know I saw some posts a few months back mentioning a fix. Thanks