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Honda Odyssey Care and Maintenance

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Comments

  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    A perfect question for Ask Conner at the TireRack forum.
  • niceguyniceguy Member Posts: 20
    Hi Macakava,

    I just want to make a minor correction here, the URL should be "http://www.fairhondapartsforyou.com/".

    Cheers
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    This is not a problem at all. If what he is saying is true, 80kg or 176lbs are a drop in the bucket compared to what the vehicle can carry. Besides it is hardly unlikely that you would be taxing the upper weight limit of your vehicle unless you are moving your whole house/neighborhood.

    During my past 30+ years, I have upsized tires many times. Infact I am using 235/16 for the 225/16 in my sedan now. When my Ody needs tires, I would very likely upsize as well to 235-60/16 or 245-55/16 if I can find them at a good price. Check out tires.com for tire size calculator.
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    OK.

    $5.95 nationwide shipping for any weight for competitive priced parts is hard to beat!
  • tipper1tipper1 Member Posts: 5
    We are almost at 36,000 miles, still deciding what to do, any suggestions? Consumer Reports does not think Ext Warranties are a good idea, any suggestions will be much appreciated.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    I have a 2002 EX and I took a 160K kilometer new vehicle PLUS warranty. This was for peace-of-mind and other owners of the Odyssey recommended it. One fellow had sliding door problems on his 1998 and the warranty took care of the costs. I have had no major repairs on mine at 136,000K kms. The warranty took care of a couple of sensors and throttle cleanup.
  • petras2petras2 Member Posts: 104
    hi
    after reviewing the manuals on my newly purchased 06 odyssey lx, i was surprised to see no general time/ mileage guidelines for changing oil, coolant, trans fluids...manuals refer to the maint. minder light and codes...i assume that this system accounts for differences in driving to provide for more accurate intervals but does anyone know what the general recommended intervals are for non-severe type of driving conditions? thanks in advance
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    The key to long, reliable life is clean fluids.

    Irregardless of what the manuals say, I have always done the following to my vehicles:

    1.) Engine oil/filter changes by 4K miles or 3 months, whichever comes first

    2.) Tranny oil changes by every 25K miles. The Ody tranny oil change is very easy. Simply remove the tranny oil drain plug from tranny case with a 3/8" nut driver and drain the oil. Clean and reinstall plug with washer(or new one preferred) to tranny pan and refill tranny with new Honda ATF-Z1 oil thru the dip stick barrel(an easier route) with same quantity of drained old oil. Do not overfill. You do not need to refill through the fill plug. If you use a garage, be very vigilant of them using cheaper Dexron fluids - your tranny would not work properly and/or fail later. Unlike the Ody, domestic minivans need to have the tranny pan removed to change the oil - a tedious messy exercise.

    3.) Every year, I suck up the brake fuild and power steering fluid from their reserviors using a simple turkey baster. Then refill them with fresh compatible equivalent fluids. In place of the more tedious exercise of flushing all out over a longer period, this yearly activity dilutes whatever impuities like moisture and dirt there may be in the system and works fine for me.

    4.) Coolant antifreeze I replace by 30K miles or 2 years, whichever comes first. And I use the extended life type(eg Dex-cool) because of the better content of anti-rust inhibitants and water pump lubricants. Ignore the claim of 150K life - I do't believe it and Dex-cool is cheap enough(about $2 more per gal vs regular AF) to ignore.

    All the above PM have helped my family vehicles run very reliably. IT IS VERY CHEAP INSURANCE!

    I have been doing my own vehicle maintenance for 30yrs (since a teenager) and my 3 sons have followed the same pattern with their vehicles.

    HAPPY MOTORING!
  • tabancagaltabancagal Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the great maintenance tips which we will use for our vehicles. We keep them for a very long time.
  • brentcavbrentcav Member Posts: 1
    I have opted to do my own oil changes, but cannot determine the front jack point on my '05 Odyssey LX. I know about points on the sides for he scissor jack, but don't think these are best when using a floor jack. Does anyone know where the proper point to place the jack on the front end is?
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    I use my own wooden ramps I built for changing the oil on my family vehicles. They are longer and don't skip/slip like the shorter ones you buy. Ramps are more convenient and safer than jacks and stands.

    You can use the same points as the scissor jack, but I would put a piece of (about 2" thick) wood on the floor jack with a wide-enough slot for the lower body panel lip to slip into. Besides these points, you can look under the vehicle to get at a strong supporting member to place your jack stand as back-up.
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    For those who do their own oil changes, Advance Auto has their own brand(Total Grip) filters for half price this week. By its name, these filters have a convenient grippy end cap for easy removal/installation.

    PN for the Ody and other Honda vehicles is 7317. These are made by Purolater. I bought a dozen filters at $1.34 a pc.
    BTW, you can dump your used oil at Advanced Auto as well.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    Further to my posting on replacing Symmetry tires with HydroEdge I saw an acticle that said that if you have 225r60/16 you show not replace them with P225r60/16 as the 'P' before the tire size indicates that this is a passenger tire not that will not wear as well as the original size. May I please have any comments about this.
    Thanks, Peter

    see the following web:
    http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/tiresafety.htm
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    This is certainly true for trucks that are likely destinated for heavy duty use.

    Minivans like the Ody are more like cars to carry up to 8 people and this P tire will not be a problem.
  • oldodysseyoldodyssey Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone have an idea how much is reasonable to pay for the 105,000 scheduled Maintenance of a 2000 Honda Odyssey. The Edmunds calculator shows about $475 for parts and labor, however I have received quotes from 2 places (1 dealer, 1 local shop) and they were $1,500 and $1,300 respectively.

    The 105,000 maintenance includes a timing belt and water pump change, plugs, and transmission fluid change.

    Seems like a pretty big discrepancy to me.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Compare what they are offering to do and compare it to the Honda recommendation. IMHO, I think the Edmunds list is way off. They estimate appx $50 for the timing belt and $150 for the labor to replace it. That seems really low.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    yeah, i've consulted the Edmunds estimate before, and quite frankly, like robr2, i think the estimates are low too, even if you do use an independant shop.

    look on the web for the dealerships in question. they might be having a maintenance special / coupon. ask if they are running a special. call 2 dealerships. not all dealerships price the service the same, include the same items, or have specials at the same time. this is a big ticket item with lots of $$$ involved. they might be more competitive if you ask.

    with a timing belt maintenance, i'd prefer using the dealership, specially if the quotes are competitive.
  • ody_manody_man Member Posts: 12
    I recently went through a Timing belt/water pump replacement during scheduled maintenance trip at a dealership for a Camry. Was charged about 3.5h labor @$80, except when I clocked the mechanic, he did it in 1 hr flat, all of it, unhurriedly.

    Makes one wonder if these are just padded costs to keep 'job' rates high.

    Comments?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    this isn't the first time you've checked the time charged against the actual time your vehicle was being serviced by someone in the bay was it? ;)
  • oldodysseyoldodyssey Member Posts: 2
    So I took your advice here and went to a few dealers to check and see if I could get them to compete and also checked for internet coupons or specials for the 105,000 signficant Standard Maintenance.

    The dealer where we purchased the 2000 Odyssey went back and checked the quote we had been given and actually told my wife that the software used to quote labor costs incorrectly calculated the labor required to change the timing belt which would lower the amount by another $100. Of course he said the labor was correctly calculated for all other items.

    How convenient ? Of course now I wonder if we have been overcharged for the last 6 years.
  • cindythomascindythomas Member Posts: 5
    Does anyone know where online I can find the meaning of maintainence codes that display on the dash?

    Thanks, Alan
  • bekbek Member Posts: 8
    They're actually listed in the owner's manual but I did a google search and found this site:

    http://www.highriverhonda.com/en/service/maintenance/index.spy?cmd=menu&menuid=3- 91&make=Honda&model=Odyssey&trim=&year=2005
  • golicgolic Member Posts: 714
    I need to replace the tires on my 2003 Honda Odyssey EXL. We are at 46,000 miles and tires are shot.

    I went to consumer reports to check the ratings and saw either the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred or the Michelin X Radial T (only available -at shopping clubs).

    Looking for all season and we are going to keep the car a long time, so will spend for a quality tire. I appreciate your thoughts.
  • ssvpssvp Member Posts: 7
    Hi,
    Sorry to post here. I am looking for a in-dash MP3 player for my 2006 EXL-DVD van apart from Honda's.
    Any help would be appreciated.
  • sirius2sirius2 Member Posts: 43
    Judging by other posts here, there are no definite answers to the tire issue. I'm probably going to get 40K miles with my Symmetry tires, which I've been happy with the performance and noise. They only cost $117/tire around Detroit. I don't see any reason to pay more for tires that might get fewer miles than that.
  • djq05djq05 Member Posts: 1
    The idea of my van telling me when to perform maintenance verus the "old" mileage/months standards is going to take some getting used to. It would help if I knew what the van measures in order to tell me which maintenance needs to be performed. Does anyone know what factors are tracked so the Maintenance Minder can tell me when to have something done? Mileage? Engine revolutions? Heat-up/cool-down cycles? Air temp? Throttle position? In other words, just how smart is this thing?
  • bogoheelbogoheel Member Posts: 1
    When we purchased our 2006 Odyssey (via a buying service), we were told that there was a 3500 mile break-in period and that we should have the oil changed at that point. I just called our local dealer's service dept. and they had no idea what I was talking about. They stated that they don't schedule maintenance visits until 7500 miles. Can anybody clear this up for me???
  • golicgolic Member Posts: 714
    My guess is the "minder" thing is pretty dumb and goes off about 1k miles before Honda's recommended maintenance schedule.
  • golicgolic Member Posts: 714
    I would like to know the answer to this as well.

    Every mechanic or car guy I have ever asked this question was always adamant that regardless of what the "book" says change your oil no less often than every 3-4K miles or 3-4 months.

    I think someone here once posted, that the engine oil monitors in cars will measure life via engine conditions and revolutions, but it can't measure quality.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    Does the owner's manual specifically reference a break-in oil, i.e. an oil with special additives being put in the vehicle when it was manufactured?

    This question seems to come up alot in the other Honda forums.

    I believe that Honda does use a special additive to the oil, and that leaving it in for the recommended mileage is a good thing, provided you're not loosing oil. You should be checking your oil periodically when you fill up, maybe every three tanks of gas.

    When I bought our '03, I think I left it in there for 4-5K, and if I had to do it again, I'd let er go a little longer.

    Call your Dealership, or Honda (number in the owner's manual).
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    Why would you have left the oil in the 03 longer than 5k? Did the vehicle's engine end up using oil? Please advise.------Best regards. ----- Dwayne ;)
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    dwayne, no at 50k now, it doesn't burn oil and gets very good mileage.

    i believe my owner's manual states the typ change interval at 7K. but i think it is more frequent for "severe" service. living in atlanta, we have it changed more often than every 7k. maybe not at 3.5, but by 4.5. i think engines are designed now a days with better tolerances, better oil circulation and cooling, and longer intervals are more the norm than 30-40 years ago.

    the point is, we were also told about the break-in oil when we purchased the vehicle.

    google it. call honda corporate (number on owner's link or in your manual).

    all i was saying is like other people i had always learned to change oil frequently for best engine life. however, being pretty confident of the recommendations about the break-in oil with the additives, i let it go past the 3.5K interval the first time so i could let it do it's job.

    if i had to do it again, i would have let it go even longer than i did (somewhere between 4 and 7 not sure where at the moment but i think it was about 5k). at the time, i figured the additives probably did the most of what they were intended to do. i was on the fence about it and thought well, living in atlanta, let's not let it go all the way to 7k.

    in my post, i think i mentioned always checking the oil, not because my car burns oil, but because it is a good habit. my wife is the primary driver of the van. she should do the checking, but doesn't. so i do.

    even if you have a car that doesn't burn the stuff (some consumption is inevitable i think - and luckily i have two hondas that don't), you need to check fluids on a regular basis.

    the engine compartment is a place everyone should be familiar with - finding the resevoirs for the major fluids. the trend now a days is to hide a lot of stuff under a plastic shield that keeps stuff clean...

    as you know things happen (like a hose comming loose, or a leaking gasket). finding and correcting the problem early saves you $$$ and assures you that your vehicle will provide you many years of excellent service.
  • durham1durham1 Member Posts: 3
    I bought goodyear aquatred III for my ooyssey and I was not happy.great for wet weather but not good for everyday.I have regattas on the front and the remaining aquatreds on the back. regattas are doing ok but I think I'll be going back to michelin's next time..I've never had any trouble with them. I know that this is kinda general info but overall I think michelin products are better than goodyears. Also, honda tends to put michelins on the high end models so that reinforces my belief, for what it's worth.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    You are correct about Michelin tires! -----Best regards. ----Dwayne ;)
  • fred222fred222 Member Posts: 200
    When we purchased our 2006 Odyssey (via a buying service), we were told that there was a 3500 mile break-in period and that we should have the oil changed at that point. I just called our local dealer's service dept. and they had no idea what I was talking about. They stated that they don't schedule maintenance visits until 7500 miles. Can anybody clear this up for me???
    We bought a 2006 EX-L new and the salesman said the we should NOT change the oil before 3500 miles. They put a special oil in at the factory for break in. Our vehicle is 6 months old and has only 2000 miles on it. I will look into when to do the first oil change, but would prefer not to wait to 7500 miles.
  • fred222fred222 Member Posts: 200
    I need to replace the tires on my 2003 Honda Odyssey EXL. We are at 46,000 miles and tires are shot.

    I went to consumer reports to check the ratings and saw either the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred or the Michelin X Radial T (only available -at shopping clubs).

    Looking for all season and we are going to keep the car a long time, so will spend for a quality tire. I appreciate your thoughts

    I have had the misfortune of owning Goodyear tires twice.
    I do not believe that any of them lasted over 20,000 miles. I have had many many Michelin tires on cars, minivans, SUV's without a single complaint. I have two Michelins on the back of my Intrepid that are 5 years old right now. Often you worry about these tires getting too old as opposed to wearing out.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    did you have Michelin Symmetry's on your '03? 46K sounds pretty good for a set of tires on a mini-van. i doubt a 65, 70 or 80K mile tire is going to give you appreciably more service than that. if so, i would imagine it would have some qualities that would not be so great for all-season service.
  • golicgolic Member Posts: 714
    Yes, I have symmetry's and to be honest they could have been changed 10k miles ago.

    Even though Consumer Reports rank the GY assurance Triple treds as best tire, I have seen numerous unhappy posters complain of road noise and wear and this tire is not recommended by the tire rack for any minivan.

    The tire rack really likes Bridgestone Touranza LS-T but they really have scored average on Consumer Reports latest rankings.

    I am down to two tires and will get quotes on both. The Yokohama Avid TRZ which rank high on CR and by the Tire rack and do come with the obnoxious 98 Load index - thank you Honda for designing a hard to find tire.

    Or the Michelin Radial X DTs. Which I belong to Costco and they have one price that includes all. Although, last time I went there I had spent 10 mins listening to why I should by the Hydro Edge instead. But once again, many minivan posters were un-happy with that tire due to road noise and performance.

    There is soooooo much conflicting info and choices on tires, my head was just spinning with info and I can't wait to just put these things on be down with it!
  • kbonkbon Member Posts: 8
    We had Symmetry's on our 01 Ody that we hated - noisy and wore out very early even with proper inflation and regular rotation. We put on the Hydro Edge and are very happy. There is some noise but nothing compared to the Symmetry. The handling is much better. I would most likely put the same thing on it when these wear out. We have over 35K on the Hydro Edge and they are doing great. This is already more miles than we got out of the Symmetry.
  • durham1durham1 Member Posts: 3
    Does anybody know how to change the AC/cabin filter on the odyssey for the 2000 LX? I was told its "behind the glove box" but was wondering about access without having to buy the shop manual. Thanks for any help.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    I have them at home. Shoot me an e-mail (in my profile) and I'll get them to you.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    tell me you've had it done before... if so - it will be a less traumatic experience than the first time around (first time around, someone you has to cut some dash support material behind the glove-box (box or angle cutter) which aides installation during manufacture but obscures the access door.

    you are gonna be surprised how dirty your cabin filter has become. I changed mine at about 35-40K and wow - it was filthy.
  • 1995odyssey1995odyssey Member Posts: 1
    How does the maintenence indicator work?
    Reset?
    It's not a light, does it run off of the odometer?
    There's nothing in the oem service manaual about it.

    Thanks
  • durham1durham1 Member Posts: 3
    Interesting! I paid for it to be changed @ 30K miles and I'm looking to save some mula by doing myself @ 60k miles.I guess we'll see if they really changed it!
  • davidmcdavidmc Member Posts: 2
    I have the same problem. I cannot find the 3rd screw. There is no any plastic thing on the lens itself. Please let me know if you were able to find and open the cover. Thanks
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    There is no '3rd screw'. Instead there is a rather stubborn snap in fastener back behind it. Remove the two screws, and pull the entire lens assembly pretty much straight back (with a slight outward angle). Wear gloves, as I lost some flesh in the process when it finally gave way.

    Steve
  • pachiefmanpachiefman Member Posts: 20
    I've noticed over the past 3 months that our Odyssey has begun to make some low level engine noise. When I lift the hood, it appears to be coming from the top pulley area ( water pump?).
    It is not a clunking or intermittent sound but more just an additional, somewhat higher pitched version of the normal revolution of the belt on the pulley.

    Another sound we have noticed is what appears to be a somewhat pronounced "transmission sound" that is only noticeable in lower gears and is especially noticeable when backing up in reverse gear after a long drive. If I had to describe it, it sounds like any transmission does when you downshift into a lower gear at high rpms- like it strains a bit.

    These noises that would probably sound pretty normal in a much older vehicle but we bought this Odyssey new (1/05) and it only has 22k on it. I have followed the maintanence schedule of changing the oil every 3-4k and most of its driving is highway based. I tow a small trailer about 2x a year for less than 150 miles, but the Odyssey has a cooling package installed and the trans oil looks pink and clean.

    I have an appointment at the dealer but I am afraid that since the noises are much more noticeable after 20 -30 minutes of driving, the dealer will give me the old--"unable to replicate the problem" reaction and therefore, "unable to fix" response.

    The vehicle runs well, the gas mileage seems appropriate, and no engine lights have appeared. The only reason these trouble me at all are that they are a change from the first year of driving.
    Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
  • cindy8cindy8 Member Posts: 5
    I know this subject has been raised before but since we had a synthetic oil change yesterday on our 05 Odyssey, I need to ask these questions. Can any one provide feedback? First some introductory information…..

    I understand that the Honda owner's manual states 3750 miles between oil change……yet the 2005 and later Odysseys have the onboard computer which allegedly collect driving conditions and other parameters and calculate total engine stress to determine how much of a percentage the engine oil is still good for. Let me also state that I understand that the engine oil is the "blood" of the vehicle and that periodic changing has many benefits, too many to state here. Our first oil change was at 5400 miles when the dash displayed 30% remaining. Our second oil change was at 11,800 miles (6400 miles since first) when the dash displayed 15% remaining.

    When I called Monday morning to scheduled the oil change, the service person acted surprised how many miles (6400 miles) it had been since the previous oil change. My reply was that "the onboard computer shows I have 15% oil life remaining…". He quickly went on to state owners should always follow the owner's manual recommendations and, according him, "not pay attention to the onboard computer displays, with respect to oil changes.

    So the questions are these.

    1.What is a reasonable mileage between oil changes using synthetic oil for a 2005 Honda Odyssey being driven 40 miles per day, 30% at 40-50 mph, 50% at 60 mph, and the remaining 20% stopping at a few lights and/or driving 20-40 mph. My weekend driving is almost non-exist ant. In addition, I never exceed 75 mph on the interstate and a very conservative driver (soft touch on the gas pedal).

    2. Has there been a engine damage letting this Odyssey go 6400 miles between oil changes.

    Thank you in advance for your comments.
    Cindy
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    The next time I purchase tires they will be the Michelin Symmetry 225/60T16 98T. The only other well-known tires with the 98T rating are the Bridgestone Potenza RE92 and the Yokohama AVID TRZ. Although some Honda and Tire dealers recommend that I could go down to a 97T or 97S it's not recommended by Honda, Michelin or Consumer Reports. I have read the reader reviews on Edmunds and customer reviews on 1010Tires.com, TireRack.com and odyclub.com.
  • chappedhandschappedhands Member Posts: 3
    I just did this on my 2001 Odyssey yesterday. I bought a Hayes manual, and it was pretty good at describing what to do. Another option is to go buy the Puralator brand replacement filter, and there are instructions that come with it.

    Basically, there are two plastic stops you have to remove on the glove box, then two screws close to the hinges to remove. Remove the glove box. Then saw through a plastic bar (if it's the first time). Then three bolts on a metal cross bar to remove. The one on the far left is very difficult to remove and put back since a piece of dash molding is in the way. Remove cross bar. Then unclip a plastic piece that holds the filter in. Replace the filter and reverse everything. It wasn't that easy to do this and having pictures helps alot. Took me about 1.5 hours, most of the time spend dealing with the difficult 3rd bolt.
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