Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

billg7

I wonder do they have a discussion group which covers this subject?

I know they sell a lot of cars with leather seats in Phoenix, AZ. I would think that with the car air conditioned it would be OK. Leather is easier to clean and wears better then cloth.

I have some tips for Odyssey owners who live in hot climates:

1. First get the front side windows tinted using a top quality metalized film. It really helps a lot. The top quality only costs about $20 dollars total more for both windows and gives you the best heat blocking for the tint used. You can check the specs. on the light blocking versus the heat blocking to see what is best.

2. Get the aluminized sun shade that fits right in the window and is made for the Odyssey. My dealer sells it and I think it is called Heat Shield. It is top quality and by fitting right in the window, without big air gaps between the window and the inside of the car, it is the most effective.

3. I am told that a mat, made of rug type material that fits on top of the dash helps. You can get it to fit the Odyssey. I have not tried this.

stever

The Leather seats: Useful option or a ripoff discussion sees a little action now and then.

Steve
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pearsonrj

I don't think that the argument that if auto manufacturers had to build smaller vehicles to meet more stringent fuel economy standards, injuries in accidents would go up. If you look at Europe, where smaller cars are a necessity due to high fuel costs, not mpg mandates, accident injury rates are no different than in the U.S. Remember, if everybody is driving smaller cars instead of larger cars, the effect cancels itself out.

As for RVers and tradespeople who use pickup trucks complaining about the proposals, nobody is suggesting that RVs, SUVs that can tow travel trailers, and pickups should no longer be built, simply that the manufacturers should work to improve their fuel economy. Auto manufacturers know they can meet the requirements without substantially changing the size and weight of their vehicles, but are afraid of passing on the cost to the consumer. The consumers, on the other hand, are generaly in agreement that they would like to see fuel economy improve and would be willing to pay a premium for it.

Lastly, I could not believe the comments of some of the senators/representatives during the debate. One guy was saying how he had seen some small cars in Europe and couldn't imagine how he would get his 6' 1" frame into a small car. Another claimed that mothers have to take their children to school with ever larger backpacks and need somewhere to put them while in the car. It is scary that these are the types of arguments people are coming up with...

dave84

what's even scarier are that the people making these silly arguments are our elected representatives in congress.

caviller

I completely agree. Simplistically, you can assume that the typical speeds people drive is a constant. If the average mass of vehicle increases, so does the average energy in crashes. Also, heavy vehicles tend to have inferior handling and braking as well. If we all drive monster body-on-frame vehicles, everyone loses.

The real issue about fuel economy is the light truck category, which includes SUVs and minivans. Trucks (minivans excluded) are heavy, high and have stiff frames and are often incompatible with cars in a crash. When you have a monster truck, you will probably come out ahead in a crash with a car, though you will slay the passengers in the car. On the other hand, you're at a big disadvantage when you're in a single-vehicle crash or hit another monster truck with a stiff frame. With the extra weight and stiff frame, all that added energy is transferred to the passengers:-(

If a 240 hp, 4200 lb. minivan can get 18/25 EPA, so can the vast majority of SUVs and Pickups. Many of these are never used for off-roading or towing or anything besides commuting, yet their popularity with the biggest V-8 possible keeps increasing...

PBS Frontline had an interesting take on CAFE standards in their rollover story. I highly recommend ordering the video or transcript:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/rollover/

Soapbox off...

caviller

"When large, comfortable Odyssey gets 18/25, not reasonable for smaller Sedona with less power to get very poor 15/20."

I would think weight is probably the reason Sedona gets lower fuel economy.

You should compare notes with Carleton1 sometime:-)

tj_610

Some upscale cars - BMW, Mercedes, even the Lincoln Navigator - offer heated AND cooled leather seats. Nice option to have. Don't know if any minivan offers this yet, I know Ody does not.

dchopp

Has anyone out there installed a Sunroof on there Ody? I have heard there is a A/C duct that runs down the center making installation almost impossible.

mrdasu

Please tell me if anyone with 2002 EX-L with dvd
res have any problems.

I have burned out pixels in the display from pinpoint to 2 mm. The 2 mm dot looks bright blue and covers the picture.

Honda Corp. told me that it's acceptable characteristic and not a defect. They will not replace my display.

dchopp

Has any one installed a Sun Roof in an Ody(99-2002)? If so what kind? POP UP or Slide?
Thanks DCH

tony1034

I am waiting on an EXLRES and wanted to get the tow package. Has anyone had this installed on their Odyssey? What price did you pay? I checked out the websites in Honda Odyssey - Prices Paid and the tow hitch w/ tranny cooler kit costs $430. Is this a good price? I understand this would be a do-it-yourself install. My dealer gave me an accessories list w/ prices and it seemed a bit high. I think it was like $900. How about aftermarket options? If anyone has had any experience with this, I would appreciate your comments. Also, I would like to hear about anyone who is towing, what and how heavy?

honda2k2

My understanding is that the 2002 Odyssey engine is the same as the one in the Acura MDX. Is this the case? If so, why didn't Honda make the same recommendation for Premium fuel as did the Acura. Just curious.

triat

The Odyssey has a different computer fuel management system from the MDX. While both motors make similiar horsepower, the MDX has more torque at lower rpm's due to computer settings for premium fuel. From my experience MDX slightly more "jumpy" off the line, but Ody horsepower kicks in more serious than the MDX with higher rpms.

calg

Someone in the Honda Pilot discussion said they had it confirmed at a dealership that there would be two new colors offered for the 03 Ody... Sagebrush Green and Sandstone Beige. I wonder if the new colors will replace the Granite Green and the Mesa Beige?

fibber2

Myth or truth? Just got the April issue of Road & Track, and guess what is the first item in their 'Technical Correspondence' column. They called it an old fish story.

Quote: "We could uncover nothing unusual about Honda oil after talking with both Honda and aftermarket tuners. ...........rather thin 5W-20 mineral oil is being used, but nothing about any mouse milk in the oil that improves the break-in process. We would feel comfortable changing the break-in oil at 500 and 1000 miles while continuing to use Honda-specified oil." It then goes on to discuss post break-in recommendations.

With 2k+ on the clock of my '02, I now feel a bit foolish for waiting. I always do my new cars at 1k miles, but bought in to what my salesman told me. Any thoughts???

Steve

jmurman42

Thats what Honda has told us and our Service Dept.

First oil changes are from 3,700 to 4,000 miles or 4 months. If Honda would tell us 1,000 miles we would be glad to do that.

Believe who you will.

Jerry

fibber2

a few days ago. Trying to put a simple $$ cost to it ($50 per year was mentioned) misses the point. If you could boil it down that easily, there would be little to differentiate one vehicle from another.

In industry, we measure reliability with terms like:
Availability on demand. Uptime. Mean time to failure. Mean time to repair. Hard failures. Soft failures with workarounds. Serviceability. Preventive maintainance requirements.

To relate this to automotive terms: Does the vehicle start and run every time you walk up to it? Are you let down a lot? Is it running suitably for its intended task? How hard is the failure, and how far can you 'push it' before it must be dealt with? How often does it need to be towed in (crashed), or can it be driven in safely (limp mode)?
A hard failure may incapacitate the vehicle. A soft / non-critical failure would be a RHS slider that is jammed closed. Is there a suitable workaround until you can schedule service? In this case, yes - exit thru the LHS.
How expensive / how often do you need to do PM's (preventive maintainance)? How complicated? Can anyone handle them, or best left to the OEM supplier?
When it dies, can you get immediate service, or do you have to schedule an appt a week out? Are parts available, or will that cost you another week? Is substitute transportation available? Are you severely crippled by this situation, or is it just an inconvenience?
Are user charged parts (non-warranty consumables like brake pads) expensive? Do they last? Do you have a choice of parts and service providers? Are components constantly evolving, or does the mfgr stay with 'tried and true'? Will parts be readily available 5 years from now? 8 years? 12 years from now?

This is how you measure and evaluate the true meaning of "reliability". It is not an easy task...

Steve

stangelj

Ody and MDX engines are different. Peak horsepower is the same but at different RPMs and torque curve is different. MDX has a broader torque curve.

grandtotal

Not only that the MDX engine is designed to meet ULEV standards whereas the Odyssey engine is designed to meet LEV standards. Despite that difference I would be very surprised if the Odyssey's torque curve is substantially less broad or flat than that of the MDX. After all that was one of their design objectives when they produced the Odyssey's VTEC engine. Rather Honda may have chosen to present the results of their testing that way. For example it may be that they could legitimately say that the Odyssey's engine produces, say, 230 lb-ft of torque over the range 3000-5000 RPM. Does anyone have access to the actual figures or curves?

paguy2

Dealer here in Philadelphia suburb is quoting about $1600 for 7/100/0 extended warranty from Honda Care. How much can I negotiate? Honda care includes some other extras like free oil change, road side service, etc. Here at message boards I have seen about $900. Is it Honda Care?

dmathews3

There are a number of dealers listed here by members who sell the HONDA CARE for about $900 for 7/100/0 deduct.

kroliph

Just placed an order for 2002 Odyssey EX. I went to the Honda Odyssey problems discussion and was very disturbed about the number of problems people are having with their transmissions. Did Honda address these problems with the new 5-speed unit for 2002 or are people still having problems with the new unit as well? Also, is it worth is to have the dealer install a tow package to add extra transmission cooling capacity? Thanks.

caviller

Keep in mind that owner forums are not good resources to determine the frequency of a problem. Many posters have sought out these forums because they had a problem in the first place, while satisfied customers usually never bother.

Honda Odyssey transmissions get the best mark for reliability according to Consumer Reports. Even with CR's flaws, that probably means the issues aren't as common as you might think from reading this forum. CR requires a minimum of 100 surveys for each model year to publish data, and there are probably quite a bit more for newer models and for models that fit their demographic (especially a Japanese minivan!).

If you're still concerned, a cooler and periodic fluid changes certainly can't hurt, even if they aren't necessary...

pluto5

I visited an independent garage that specializes in Honda vehicles to get their views about the Odyessy's reliability. Mgr. said that he only services one Odyssey regularly that's less than 3 years old since nearly all owners take them to the dealership for service while they're under warranty. He expressed his opinion that the 5 speed trans is highly reliable, and recommended against buying an extended warranty on any Honda vehicle. He admitted that auto trans repairs are costly on any Honda. It appears that most owners are buying the extended warranty so it will be the second and third owners who will be stuck with potential bills.

dave84

1) You can negotiate all you want, but the Honda Care warranty does not have to be purchased from the same dealer that you buy your Honda from. We bought our van in Maine, but the dealer doesn't even sell the Honda Care warranty, so we purchased the Honda Care warranty from a dealer in Kentucky. Scroll back in this discussion, and you will find information on several dealers that offer very competitive prices on the Honda Care warranty.

2) Free oil changes are not part of the Honda Care warranty, although they may be added on by selling dealerships. Maybe that's why your dealer quoted you the outrageous price of $1600 for the 7/100/0 Honda Care plan.

3) Yes, the $900 quotes you have seen on this board are for the Honda Care warranty.

billg7

The dealer quoted me about $1600 also on the 7/100/0 Honda Care Warranty for my 2000 EX. I said that I saw on the internet that I could buy it for $900 and he said right away, OK I will sell it to you for $900. Dealers can charge you what ever they want for the warranty and for the vehicle also.

When I got home I read over the warranty and got suspicious and called the Honda Care People. They said that their warrant said Honda Care on it and I did not have a factory warranty. So I took it back and got a Honda Care Warranty. The HCW tells you what is not covered and most all other warranties tell you what is covered. A big difference. Dealers often like to sell you nonfactory warranties as they make more profit on them.

Yes you can buy it from any Honda dealer and it does not include oil changes. My dealer had a special at the time, and for buying the car I do get oil changes free if I take it to him, but that has nothing to do with the warranty.

calg

I believe the warranty is transferrable to the new owners, in which case they would not be stuck with the bill.

billg7

Yes the warranty is transferable to the person you sell it to, as long as it is to a private party, and not a dealer.

That should help you when you want to sell the car.

lboule

Hi, I have been researching minivans for some time now and am leaning toward the Odyssey. But I have some questions. I have a 9 month old son and am leaning toward leather seats because they may be easier to clean, but I am concerned about sticking to the seats in the summer, which lasts forever down here! Are the leather seats any more comfortable than the cloth?

Also, I am concerned about the spare tire not being a full-sized tire and being in the interior center of the vehicle. This seems like a major hassle if it is needed. Will the tire that is being replaced fit back in the well that the spare is in?

Thanks for any feedback.

wpalkowski

I have a reflective window screen to cut down on heat in van, but I don't think it's gonna be enough in Fla. The leather's gonna be hot!! Leather's easier to clean than cloth, but scratches and cuts can ruin your day. Leather should be periodically treated to keep it from drying out, and to keep it supple.

As far as spare goes, having it inside van is one of the results of having the magic seat fold down into the well in back of the van. They had to put the spare somewhere; center well was probably the only viable choice. (I don't think any minivans have a full sized spare, but I could be wrong there.) If you get a flat, Honda provides a plastic bag to store the full- sized tire in. It won't fit in the spare tire well, so you've gotta put in the back. At least the bag helps keep van from getting dirty.

If you're robust enough to change your own tires, then you probably wouldn't have any trouble hoisting the spare out. If not, get an autoclub membership and keep your cell phone handy.

dmathews3

The thing I like about the spare in the inside center well is have you ever tried to take out the spare from under a vehicle in a snow storm. The ice and snow are awful. Even in the rain with your good clothes on, the mud and dirt caked on it from traveling under the van. The Honda spare is nice and clean and DRY. I believe the DC vans can be had with a full size spare but not sure. At least one of the minis do.
The leather has been discussed many times here and most of the owners with kids like the leather the best as it's easier to clean. Hot for a few seconds in the summer and cold in the winter but at least they come with heaters for the cold. We have leather in ours and love it. Have had leather in cars for the past dozen or more years and won't be without it. Just looks better than cloth and on the Odyssey the look of the cloth is enough to turn me to a DC van, just for that reason. They have a world class van and 3rd world cloth interior.

kroliph

ody01, caviller, and pluto5

Thanks for the notes. I was not planning on towing w/ my Odyssey. The reason I mentioned the tow package was for the extra transmission cooling capacity. I was thinking that a cooler transmission might cut down on wear and tear.

I was just wondering if anyone knew if Honda's new 5-speed was a substantially better unit than the 4-speed it replaced. I was thinking they might have used the 5 speed from the MDX-Pilot to handle the new power output from the revamped 3.5 V6. Does anyone know if the new 5-speed is from the MDX-Pilot or is this unit unique to the Odyssey. From what I read over the years, Honda has some pretty impressive engine technology. I have had my doubts about their automatic transmissions though. But, their manual transmission seem to be some of the best in the industry.
Thanks, PK

pluto5

I was thinking more down the line when the vehicle is 7+ years old, since I have not seen any warranty that lasts beyond 7 yrs. As a low mileage driver I am concerned about long term reliability.

stever

Hi billg7, your link threw the margins way off, so I deleted your message.

Here's the link: Leather seats: Useful option or a ripoff

Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

getsmethere

I just put on the full Honda towing package. (I will be towing a small 5 x 8 enclosed trailer.) The owners manual recommends having electric brakes on the trailer (7-pin plug) but the factory towing package only comes with the standard 4-pin plug. Has anyone wired the Odyssey for electric brakes? How did it go? It doesn't seem to have a factory wiring harness for electric brakes.

(Its what I consider to be one of shortfalls of the vehicle: I know it not a 1 ton pickup, but if you going to have a factory towing package, and recommend electric brakes, then provide for it!)

mvicody02

I just bought a '02 LX that will be arriving in a week. I plan to upgrade the tires before the van leaves the dealership. I have a set of Bridgestone Potenza R950's that I love on my Volvo wagon and am thinking of buying a set of the 225 16/60's for the Ody. Any thoughts? Will give the dealer the stock tires in lieu of payment for changing the stock to the upgraded tires. Sound fair or would I be better off selling the stock tires on something like Ebay and paying for it to be done?

Started my buying process this am, by noon I had a deposit down on a GG LX with I-Ves and Sony PS-2 for $25.5K, delivery 5-7 days. All done via e-mail, easiest auto purchase I have ever made, hope I didn't get taken.

FWIW I chose the Odyssey after ruling out the BMW X5, Acura MDX, Toyota Seqouia, Kia Sedona, & the Toyota Sienna. My buying criteria in order of priority were:Safety, Space, Reliability, Gas Mileage/cost of ownership, Price.

dmathews3

I always change out my factory tires for what I want. Here in Michigan we have a Discount Tire Chain and I go straight to there place and they check the price out in their book and I end up getting about 1/2 their value as trade for the new tires. I think if you check around, this seems to be standard practice at least in my area. No sence giving the dealer almost $400 worth of tires for about $50 dollars worth of work, unless you're rich.

kroliph

I agree. I will probably not be putting more than 10,000 miles per year on my Odyssey. Therefore, long-term reliability is definitely a major concern. If you purchase a 7 year/100,000 power train warranty, I guess you have to hope that all the bugs are worked out in first 7 years of ownership.

ody01

Check link:

http://www.autosite.com/editoria/asmr/svolva.asp

Most 2002 minivan sales down from 2001. Caravan only brand selling more than Odyssey.

rockycow

If your Ody is like mine it will register 2-3 mph too high on the speedo, adding 225/60/16 will increase the speedo discrepancy by 1.4% over stock size. That is my only quibble with the tire size.

stever

Honda's Alabama Odyssey

Steve
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doogie6

My dealership said I need a $900 towing package to tow with my Odyssey, which includes the hitch, a transmission cooler, and a power steering cooler. I know I obviously need a hitch, but I have never heard of needing the other two items. Are they necessary for me to tow a 2000 lb camping trailer with my Odyssey?

getsmethere

I just had the full towing package put on (see #4495). It is my understanding that the dealers are only allowed to install the full tow package. Any time you are towing it is good to have a transmission cooler. As far as a power steering cooler goes, all the trailer dealers/RV places I've talked to have never heard of such a thing. Oh well!

I know I paid extra.....but I plan on having the Odyssey for years. Based upon a past bad experience, I also bought the extended warranty. One of the benefits I got by going with the Honda towing package (hitch and 2 coolers) is that if I ever have transmission, power steering, or any other problem, Honda can't blame the problem on not having the vehicle properly equipped. (I've been burnt in the past by a different company and don't want to take chances. Especially at todays repair costs.)

As far as the cost goes (mine was agree to at time of purchase) the Honda website lists it as at $598 parts with labor extra. The dealer later told me that his cost was $607 and suggested price was around $900 plus labor. Make sure you know the final cost installed!

pexpert

mrdasu,
The screen on the DVD system is a gas plasma display. This is the same thing that the flat computer monitors are made of. The manufacturing process isn't quite perfect, so some imprefections exist. When they do, the imperfections show up as a blue or black dot. Now the average mean time between failures on a gas plasma display is about 30,000 hour (3 years or so), so you can't have over used the display. Bottom line, the defects you see PROBABLY were there when you picked up the van. The dealer probably won't replace it without MAJOR defects as the cost of the display is the single largest part of the system (my guess is around $700.00 wholesale). I wouldn't give up just yet.. keep screaming, but I don't think you will get much satisfaction... Good Luck...

tj_610

Referring to earlier discussion about spares:
Siena definitely comes with (or has option for) full size spare also. While this crossed our minds while minivan shopping, I have not had an actual flat tire in over 15 years (knock on wood...). And, as somene mentioned above, have a road club membership and a cell phone, it doesn't matter much no matter who you are. This just seemed like a minor detail compared to other features, although I'm sure anyone changing a tire in snow or 90 degree heat would disagree.

billg7

Good point on how often do you change a spare. The answer for most of us is hardly ever. If it was a frequent event then probably most all vehicles would have full size spares. It is almost like, well I had better carry a spare battery in the car just in case. I think batteries may go bad on a car about the same frequency that a person has to replace a flat.

On my last vehicle I kept for 14 years and 155,000 miles. I noticed a nail in the tire a couple of times and drove into a service station and had it fixed. I never changed the spared tire and it never got used even once. That is also without having to ever use my can of tire repair discussed below.

One thing you can do to cut down on changing the spare even less, is carry a can of tire repair, you can get at Pep Boys. You put it in through the valve stem. It will fill your tire back up with air and seal most leaks, giving you plenty of time to get it fixed. I like to buy the larger premium cans just in case.

Now add that to what was already mentioned, a cell phone, and a road service, and my guess is the average person may never change a spare tire in his life time. The Odyssey extended warranty even comes with a road service.

caviller

...is run-flat tires. They can help prevent blowouts and unsafe situations where you would otherwise need to be changing a tire on the side of a road.

Unless you're towing or have AWD, I don't find a full size spare to be a big advantage. It is a minor convenience, though, as it gives you a bit more time to get your tire fixed.

I do like the Odyssey spare tire in the cabin. No one wants to be on the side of a busy road in the rain or cold. Not having to go in under the vehicle or access from the rear hatch saves some hassle.

I also like the tire repair can products. I keep a can in each car, and it has come in handy one time so far.

volvowner

Does anyone know if the '03 model Ody will have any upgrades worth noting vs. the '02? I'm sure it won't be a long list, given the '02 upgrades and '04 model change, but I'm interested in whether anything's in the works that would be worth waiting a couple of months for... like an improved radio (please?).

tj_610

Good suggestions, billg7 and caviller. I recently posted on another board re: car stereos that I had an old Pontiac station wagon in college. My concern for a flat tire was so low, my huge speaker box in the back blocked access to the spare! Now look at me, in my mid-30's and drive a minivan (on weekends anyway) LOL.

kroliph

I'm planning on an Odyssey purchase in June of this year. I would like to get the transmission cooler installed. I feel it might lessen wear and tear on the transmission. I realize this is part of the tow package, but I'm really not planning on towing with this van. Therefore, I only want the transmission cooler and not the entire tow package. Does anyone know where I could get information on the price of just the transmission cooler and how much it would cost to get it installed. Thanks, PK