Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
Please continue discussing the Honda Odyssey here.

For links to past discussions and other topics
pertaining to the Odyssey, please check Honda
Odyssey Links


Thanks!

KarenS
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Comments

  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    Yeah...sorry timothydavis..
  • skiptomelooskiptomeloo Member Posts: 12
    So what was Karen's, chopped liver?
  • skiptomelooskiptomeloo Member Posts: 12
    that you think her posts are liver-like. Bet she's polishing her scribble-stick as we speak.

    She'll be watching you, Phil47 .....
  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    the odyssey! anyway, remember a few months ago we were talking about how anyone taller than 5'9" couldn't walk under the open hatch without bumping their head? well, if it opened 1/4" higher, it'd be hitting the top of garage opening, so i find it perfect. besides, what's there to complain about when you have to be under 5'3" to walk under a pathfinder's open hatch???

    we've seemed to have settled into a range of about 22-24 mpg combined city/highway which i think is great considering how we drive. i read that a car moving at 55 miles an hour can get about 15 percent better fuel economy than the same car going 65 mph. we normally go at the 70 mph speed limit (well, hehehe, since we know the speedometer is a little off, we travel at an indicated speed of 75 mph, knowing that the highway patrol will probably give us another 2-3 mph slack).
  • kuhl3kuhl3 Member Posts: 8
    Dear Trevor, I don't know if you got my message on XX1X but I'm looking for a diecast replica of the Honda Odyssey-like a Matchbox size or bigger. I've found a Pt Cruiser to match my brother's model but now looking for the Ody for our family. Some car model replicas are sold at dealers but don't know about Hondas.Don't know if anyone out there has seen one or if Trevor has them. I'll take any color but prefer Dark Emerald Pearl. I want to wrap one for under the Christmas tree. Please let me know!!! Thanks!
  • mtsangmtsang Member Posts: 70
    Keep an eye on Ebay.com. Search by 'Honda Odyssey'. Occasionally, I've seen Ody matchbox-replica on sale there.
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I bought two tub drain plugs from a hardware store. I put them in the holes in the front cup holders in the dash. I keep quarters and $1 bills in there for tolls and parking meters. I was reluctant to use them for cup holders as a sudden stop might slosh some drink in the CD or cassette players. You store salt, or packages of soy, duck or mustard packs from Chineese food as well. :)
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    What was wrong with the coin holders that are in front of the drink holders?
  • chrisneechrisnee Member Posts: 11
    Those diecast Odyssey on Ebay I've seen are all of the 1st generation Odyssey. If there is any 2nd generation Odyssey model for sale, I would want one too!
  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    i feel kinda stupid for asking this, buuuuuut...
    how exactly do you use the roof rails that come standard on the EX? what i mean is, what can go on top of the ody and how is it secured? do you use bungee cords or rope or what? do you need the accessory cross bars? is there some sort of mat you're supposed to use to keep the roof from getting scratched? does the load sit on the rails or do the rails only provide a place to tie the ropes? thanks in advance for not lambasting me ;-)
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    You should use either the Honda crossbars or an after market set (Thule, Yakima). I have a set of Yakima bars and bike attachments from my old Accord I plan on using next spring.

    Cost of the aftermarket is about the same as the Honda ones and in my opinion more versatile and rugged.

    Anyone else car to chime in??

    Robert
  • cabrales1cabrales1 Member Posts: 36
    Binky,

    It is not a stupid question, it is a stupid design. It is one of the few problems I find with my odyssey. Either give me a roof rack or don't. Most real roof racks have the rails, at least two cross bars if not more, and the absolutely necessary roof protection strips. Otherwise anything you put up there will scratch the roof. Imagine tying a cooler up there after a day at the beach and then sliding it off. Ouch. As a result, the only use for the bars is as the anchors for aftermarket components, like bike/kayak racks, or carriers. The good news is that the inside is so huge that you may never need to put stuff on the roof. If you are interested in aftermarket stuff go to thuleracks.com or yakima.com.
  • darth7darth7 Member Posts: 1
    I have seen the earlier posts on the Hondacare warranty here. Best price I have seen for 7/100/0 is 895 at Union Park Honda DE (Greg Allen) any better prices? Also does anyone have the phone number?

    Are there other providers that are competitive.

    Do I even need the warranty given the supposed reliability of this vehicle?

    Picking up today or tomorrow so any input would help.

    Also I have not kept up with the forum here recently any big items I need to be aware of when picking up?

    Thanks everyone this forum has been extremely helpful!!!!!!1
  • calgariancalgarian Member Posts: 1
    I've got a new 2001 Odyssey LX, just 1000 km on it. Noticed a persistent rattle/vibration sound from the back edge of the dashboard (where it meets the windshield) the first time it was taken on the highway. It rattled only at about 70-75 MPH and went away when the speed was reduced, but came back consistently at the higher speed. Anyone else with a similar experience and what was done by the dealer to correct it?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Do you need car insurance? The answer to both is yes, in my opinion. If you get the EX w/or w/o the nav. there are alot of expensive things to go wrong. Will the power doors, seat, nav., windows, and many other things last 7 years 100K without repair. Just one repair now days can eat up the 895 bucks that the warranty can be purchased for. With repair rates anywhere from $75 to $100 per hour it won't take long to get a $1000 bill. Some of the people on the Toyota site with engine sludge problems are paying 4 to 6 grand for a new engine and Toyota isn't covering it because they say that they didn't change their oil as they should. I don't want to get in a pissing contest on whether it's covered do to the problem, what I am saying is if something that is a warrantied problem is covered wouldn't it be better to have bought the warranty then having topay out all that money? Also you would have a loaner car paid for, trip service, roadside assist. etc. I say its the best deal out there.
  • dlaffertydlafferty Member Posts: 14
    I respectfully disagree with dmathews3 on the warranty question. The purpose of insurance and warranties is to protect you from an unexpected occurrence so large that it would be a financial burden.

    You've got to look at the bigger picture. As a typical consumer I am offered warranties and extended warranties and service contracts on almost everything significant that I buy. The odds are that one of these items may break down and in that one case that particular warranty is worth the cost, but overall the odds are on my side that I will spend less money if I don't buy the warranties and just pay out of my pocket to fix the things that go bad when they go bad.

    Insurance is a similar deal, though I have to modify the philosophy to cover myself from "financial burden". So I have good coverage, but with a high deductible. The money I save on lower insurance payments (because of the high deductible) in the long run will easily cover the occasional item that falls below the deductible. Even with lower deductibles the insurance companies often raise your rates when you make a claim, so you end up paying them back anyway.

    One case where you might consider buying a car warranty would be if data indicates that a car is especially trouble prone, based on Consumer Reports surveys or whatever you believe in. Then the odds might tilt in favor of buying the contract. But it's all a gamble anyway.

    Daryl
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    With Hondacare, figure that you're getting around $40 a year of roadside assistance which is not included in the regular warranty. Like AAA, it covers towing, emergency lock-out or gasoline, tire road hazard, rental, etc. Hondacare also covers Honda accessories and provides a loaner/rental on extended repair visits.

    That said, I suspect most people lose money on extended warranties, especially if they had put the money they spent on the extended warranty in an interest bearing account to pay for later repairs. This applies to the most or least reliable cars, since like insurance, the actuaries will price the warranties according to the risk involved.

    On the other hand, some dealers sell them at nearly half the suggested price. With such discounts, you have a better shot of breaking even. Plus, for some people, peace of mind is worth any remaining difference, and it's easier to afford if you roll it into financing.

    If you do buy one, just make sure to have all the recommended maintenance done at the correct time, and save all your receipts for parts and labor, especially if you don't have it done at your Honda dealer.
  • dlh2dlh2 Member Posts: 18
    I'm experiencing the same thing. Sounds like a Bumble Bee in the dashboard. Mine comes and goes at around 65 mph. Sounds as though it is in the instrument cluster or drivers side of the top portion of the dashboard. Can't zero in on the exact location, but very annoying! Maybe the drivers side rear view mirror or some trim piece? Windshield trim? Tach or speedometer cable? Advice?
  • ryuryu Member Posts: 6
    Trever,

    My ODyssey have have the fog lights installed. And I am wondering if the new fog light use the same wiring as the rounded one? If so, does Honda sell the new light housing and lens where I can just replace my housing and lens? how much would it be? Thanks
  • blamecanadablamecanada Member Posts: 2
    ...the accident that made your old van not repairable. There is apparently a rule that if you have owned the van for 8 years it has to go to the wreckers (or NY State). Then the candidate you really wanted to run is not in the race(in my play an Ody) being unavailable for elected office. You're left with the choice between a Windstar and a Caravan, with a Venture and MPV playing the roles of wild cards.

    No matter how many ways you add up the votes, you can't decide on a winner. Do you try to repair the old van? Do you have a crisis of indecision?

    You notice that Canadians don't have any problems getting quality candidates in to run in their driveways. Unfortunately, naturalized Americans cannot be elected to the highest office in the land (who put that in the constitution?)and these candidates are,therefore, unavailable.

    Windstar, Caravan, Windstar, Caravan, Windstar...
  • elknuckleheadelknucklehead Member Posts: 1
    Anyone out there have any advice about seat covers,and some type of device or material to keep a child seat from making permanent indentations in seats.
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I have way more quarters than would fit in the coin holders. I also keep $1 bills in there. I don't think there is the right size coin space for $1 coin. :)
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    I've used one called "Seatsaver" made by Price Lionheart. It is a fairly thick rubber material that covers the seat bottom and back very well. I've seen it for $15-$20 at local baby stores and chains. Online, store.babycenter.com has it at $14.99, and flamingoworld.com has various coupon codes for discounts. I've seen others, and tried towels, but if your seat has protrusions, the flimsier ones probably wont work as well.

    I have no affiliation with any of these companies.
  • lienrenchiehlienrenchieh Member Posts: 8
    Does any one know of some kinds of read end object
    detector that I can mount on the back of Oddy?
    I am always worried that I might back into something.
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    Still waiting for a parts breakdown from Honda. They haven't yet added the new fog lights to the computer catalog system (which is usually where they break them down into the individual parts).

    They are due to ship out around the end of this month and after we get some I'll be able to compare the parts to the other kit to see how interechangable they are.

    I haven't seen any model cars for anything other than S2000's in the recent catalogs that we've gotten.

    -Trevor
  • kuhl3kuhl3 Member Posts: 8
    You say you have 2000s in the replicas? I think the features would be the same between the 2000s and 2001s except a few of the colors. Do you have Dark Emerald Pearl LX or EX? How much are they? Thanks,Trevor!
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    They are the S2000's (convertible 2 seater) not the 2000's (model year Odysseys). Sorry for the misunderstanding.

    -Trevor
  • kuhl3kuhl3 Member Posts: 8
    Sorry, I misinterpreted that little s in front of the s2000's!! I will keep looking...
  • chrisneechrisnee Member Posts: 11
    I bought a couple of those $2 bath towels from K-Mart in color that closely matches that of the seats.
  • cinderella6cinderella6 Member Posts: 1
    My husband and I put in our order for an '01 Oddy EX last Saturday. I was a frequent "reader" at this site to educate myself prior to making up our minds on the Oddy v. Sienna. Great advice! We have at least six weeks before our Oddy arrives and I was wondering if you could advise me on the following: 1) Extended Warranty - from all that I have read about what to decline with the F&I guy, the extended warranties top the list. Yet there were two earlier posts on this matter - one for and one against - both with valid points. Our initial thought was that Honda is supposed to be so great in realiability and quality, why would we need the extended warranty? Yet, the "standard" powertrain (that is to say, not that covered in the extended warranty) on the Honda is half of what Toyota offers. That gives me concern. What do you think? 2) I have ordered the fog lights since I am not as comfortable driving in the dark and thought they might help. A coworker tells me, however, that they are only helpful in the fog and would not offer any additional visibility in non-fog conditions. Is this true? He mentioned "driving lights"? What are they? Can they be installed on our van? 3) What do you think about Lojack? The F&I guy tried to sell me on it by saying I would save 35% on my comprehensive insurance. The Lojack would cost me $495 ("on sale"). I called my insurance agent and they told me comp on this car would cost $130 so 35% of that is only $45 - hardly enough to justify the cost of the Lojack - and that with the security system that comes on the EX I would save 20% anyway. Despite this, do you think a Lojack,which would help police actually find the van, is worth it? My husband says that thieves will probably not go for a minivan but since we are dropping close to $28K total on this, you certainly want to protect your investment. Thanks for any advice you can give to a first-time new car buyer!
  • chrisneechrisnee Member Posts: 11
    I have a 98 Accord LX (4 cylinder) and I would like to "upgrade" it to the automatic climate control that the EX-V6 has. Do you know if that is possible if I buy all the parts required (the display panel, the sensors, etc)? Do these parts come with installation instructions? If not, how do the people in your service dept. acquire the know-how to install/replace such parts? Thanks.
  • chrisneechrisnee Member Posts: 11
    I should have posted it in the Accord forum. But I think maybe Odyssey LX owners would benefit from the answer too.
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    That's what I used before. But, if your seat is installed properly, there is usally a lot of pressure downward into the cushion, and also at the top of the seat back from a tether. After a few years, towels did not prevent indentations, though a steam iron removed most of the impressions.
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    The main switch unit for the EX-V6 runs about $500 and beyond that I'm being told that it really isn't possible since the cars don't have the same wiring harnesses inside the dash and even replacing the harness could be impossible since there could easily be differences besides the heater controls where the other harness wouldn't match up to your car. The V6's and 4cyl have quite a few differences to them.

    As for installation instructions they don't have any for any of the regular parts. Our shop guys use the Helm manuals (www.helminc.com) , but I don't think they'd undertake a custom job like that.

    I wish they had simple systems for swaping items like that.

    -Trevor
  • ryuryu Member Posts: 6
    Actually, My fog light should call driving lights.
    Fog light should be yellow lens, where Odyssey's and most of other brands of car have white/clear lens. It fill the gap between the head lights and the bumper. To me, it does improve the visibility especially to an object in the path of travel. If there is an object in the path, I would have a more time to see what it is and decide if I need to avoid or not.

    Also, I changed my headlight and "fog" light bulbs to PIAA bulbs. It produce whitish lights.
  • chrisneechrisnee Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for the prompt response, Trevor. I really appreciate it!
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    I used to work with an ex CHP officer and he said that they did a test once and the color didn't affect the performance of the lights at all. He said the main thing for fog lights is for them to be as low as possible to get under the fog. I can see that the yellow lights might have less of a bright glare off of the fog that they hit though.

    The main difference between fog lights and driving lights is how far ahead the light is designed to reach. Fog lights generally have a wider and closer beam while driving lights tend to have a narrower and longer beam.

    -Trevor
  • rictomrictom Member Posts: 89
    For everyone contemplating buying the warranty, remember even though it's a 7 yr, you get 3 years 'free' with the Honda when you buy it, so it's $885 (best price I remember seeing) for 4 years 64000 miles...
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Extended warranty is a personal choice. Some feel you should take the $885+ and sock it away in a revenue generating account and use it to fix whatever needs to be done after the initial warranty expires. Others view it as an insurance policy - that's what I did. I got it for the peace of mind - someone said each of the door motors goes for $400 each and there are 2 in each door. Also, you do get roadside assistance for the 7 years with HondaCare - that alone was worth over $500 to me as I could drop AAA. FYI - it is the first extended warranty I ever bought on anything. If you decide to get it, make sure it is HondaCare - I would not let the dealer discuss any other brand of warranty.

    Lojack again is peace of mind. It is a wonderful system if you can get to the police quickly with the report and they place some priority on it. My understanding is that many police depts place low priority on Lojack calls. They are too busy dealing with more serious crimes. Lastly, do you really want it back??
  • retiredagent1retiredagent1 Member Posts: 13
    The 36 month, 36000 mile coverage from the factory does not cover rental car or roadside assistance!
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    It is true that dealers make money on the extended warranties they sell, but from a previous post the Honda Care Warrenty(HCW) 7yr/100k/0 warranty costs the dealer $800 and most of us are buying it for the bargain price of about $900 which is about 1/2 the offer price.

    So how does the dealer get by with $100 profit. Well for one thing many owners will not keep their cars 7 years and will sell the car back to a dealer so the dealer will gain that way. The warranty is transferable if you sell your car to a private party. Also though I believe you get something back if you do not keep your car the 7 years. The dealer also hopes that if you have a HCW you will come to his shop for all your service. Also most people pay him probably about $1200 for the HCW.

    What I like most about the HCW is I don't have to worry about the dealer cheating me. If he says I need a new transmission, I say go ahead and install it. The dealer actual told me this on my last car when the transmission was perfectly good. I let him put it in anyway as I had the extended warranty. How the dealer was able to get away with this is another story, I will not get into.

    Now as for putting the $900 in an interesting bearing account. Well lets say you can earn 6% and inflation is 3.5% which is about what it is currently running. Lets say you pay 30% tax on your 6% interest every year which is about average. So your true interest is 6%-30%=4.2%. Now you have to subtract for 3.5% inflation. So your true interest rate is 4.2%-3.5%=+0.7%. That is your true interest rate in this years dollars.

    Using my financial calculator, at the end of 7 years you have in todays dollars $945. So you have a total of $45 extra over the $900 for repairs.

    The bottom line is maybe you save a little without the warranty but that saving is just not worth the peace of mind in my opinion. And you don't save near as much as you think you do unless perhaps you think you will get rid of your car before the 7 years are up and plan to sell it back to a dealer.
  • carl2058carl2058 Member Posts: 3
    I put one of those square plastic lenses on the rear window of our Ody. Works quite well. Get it from an RV dealer or check in Walmart's automotive section.
  • mtsangmtsang Member Posts: 70
    Could you tell me what type (H4, H3...) headlight bulbs the Ody uses and did you get the standard wattage or the higher wattage ones? Thanks.

    Mike
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I have the factory fog lights on my 99 ODY. They only work on low beam (what you would want to use in fog) and light up the distance about 10-15 feet in front of the van under the low beams. IMHO they are not too useful. I installed 2 driving lights on an MG that I once owned. They were 200,000 candle power Lucas "flame throwers". They worked on high beam and were pencil beams that lit up road signs at over 1/2 mile.
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    I installed a set of PIAA 1000x driving lights into the fog light position on my 2000 EX. I saved the lights from my trade-in 96 Blazer. If you install you own lights, you can supply power to the switch by tapping the parking lights (based on info from the procedure for switching your parking lamp when it the bulb burns out), so that you can have driving lights in low-beam or high-beam. PIAA advertises their X version of lights as pseudo-HID, but in all honesty, the best driving lights that I have used are Dick Cepek Dichroic Yellow lights that are copies of the PIAA 1000 series. I don't know if Cepek still carries them. I think the Cepek dichroic yellow units that I had outperforms anything PIAA has to offer for a basic 55-watt bulb. I had replaced the Cepek lamps after I had brought my Blazer in for the ABS recall, at which point I think the Chevy dealer cracked my lamps because I mounted them on the underside of the plastic oil-filter door shield.

    In my opinion the oval PIAA 1000x looks better than the round pre-2001 Honda lights. The Silver painted housing and chrome lens holder of the PIAA goes well with my Silver Odyssey. PIAA also offers the 1400 fog lights which are rectangular. The only difficulty with installing an aftermarket light is trying to figure how to mount them without using the double-sided bonding foam tape which I did not trust and was dirty after transferring from the Blazer.
  • timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    had 4 inch diameter "driving" lights hung below the bumper on a little sporty car. It was late afternoon with a rain-cloud-darkened sky. Even sitting high up in a F-150 I was almost blinded by the clueless guy's light. I suppose he either installed them himself or otherwise has no concept of adjusting them to put the light down on the road. But that doesn't matter, I guess. After all, he can see well....
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    In addition to pencil beam type driving lights, there are also wide beam ones. The sports car may have had these wide beam lights correctly mounted.
    They would blind any on coming car (or F150) close enough. I never used my driving lights if there was on coming traffic.
  • timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    I just don't think the guy had a clue that most of the light should go onto the roadway. What possible good does it do to brightly light up thins 6 feet off the ground within 15 feet of the front of the car?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    We're all tickled that you are getting a new Odyssey and a great deal, but do you need to post it on every forum here? We all check them out same as you and once is enough.
  • timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    I forgot to mention that he had no other lights on at all. Just a dumb setup, poorly maintained IMHO.



    Also, "thins" should obviously be "things" in the prior post....
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