Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005

wmquan

"The pilot doesn't have head airbags, but it does have side curtain airbags for the first row."

No, I'm afraid it doesn't have side curtain airbags for the front row either. It has conventional thoracic side-impact airbags for the first row, which cushion around the abdomen.

Side curtains descend from the top of the door frame downward and generally cover the windows.

Most vehicles with side curtains have side curtains for the first and second row (and sometimes the third), along with front-only thoracic side-impact airbags (a few have them for the second row, but not many).

cmcardle

Noticed the review of the Pilot on the Edmunds home page, and am curious as to why it's there. It's not poorly written or anything, but doesn't that read like something that should have appeared a year ago, when it first came out?

I should think there are other, new cars, more worthy of a front page review. Any ideas?

pmvi

Does anyone know if there are any plans to add these on the pilot? It would make this vehicle more appealing to me...

stever

"Older" reviews get rotated on the main pages these days. Lots of people miss them when they first come out, so this is one way of getting people to look at that editorial content.

It doesn't say "new" reviews, but I've seen a few other people make similar comments like yours. It does say "This Week at Edmunds" so that's a source of confusion I guess.

Feel free to send in the Feedback Form and complain :-)

Steve, Host

jcard71

I'm in the market for a White Pilot...I think the Pilot looks sleeker in White. I think I'm going to wait until the 2004 comes out? I know there might not be any changes, but if I don't wait and there are then I'll be kicking myself. Also resale value will be higher...any thoughts?

hartt

Hey jcard71. Any idea when the 2004 Pilot will hit the dealerships? I am also in the market and can't decide whether I want to wait for the 04's or go with the 03. I understand they are coming out with a midnight blue. I might want to wait for it.
Thanks.

jcard71

I was told mid Sept? Midnight Blue sounds nice!

cds12

On the College Hills Honda website they list production dates for high demand vehicles. 2004 Pilots are listed in August.

porknbeans

I read on another site that the 2004 delivery may be pushed back as far as October or November. I too have read at College Hills about an August arrival, but nobody really seems to know.

I also just got notice that Honda's annual clearance is going on. There are no specials for the Pilot and I personally don't think things are going to be much different with demand for the Pilot still running very high. Let me know if somebody has any better ideas or luck.

tgc4469

A dealer offered me a silver 2004 EX for MSRP that was on his allocation for September. Another one said they may have one for the end of August. They are definitely coming soon. I'm also in the waiting game, trying to see if the MSRP increase offsets potential resale depreciation of 2003s. Also I want saddle interior but don't want gold or white.

regnideir

I've got a couple of friends that work for America Honda here in LA. They love the 2003 and can't wait for the 2004. They aren't actively working on the Pilot but they said they would wait for the 2004. There are some fixes to the usual first year production problems and a rumor of a more powerful engine. (MDX?) It comes down to how soon you need it and how much a price break you can get with the 2003.

mattinga

I test drove a Pilot and REALLY like it. My question with Honda dealerships in general is that of added dealer costs. It seems all Honda dealers I have encountered in the Atlanta, GA area want to add dealer extras such as splash guards, VIN etching etc... Typically, there are 3 or 4 different items that inflate the cost $1200-$2000...PLUS this "admin" fee (which I think is real bull) of $500. This is not restricted to just the Pilot, but Odyssey, and pretty much any new Honda car. I'd like to buy this Honda, but how do I get through this BS? Do any Honda dealerships not do this, and not jerk me around?

stever

Concentrate on your out the door price and don't worry about the add-ons.

Be willing to travel a bit. See Rock City :-)

Steve, Host

the8znman

My Local Honda Dealer offered my $28,500 for an Base EX Pilot MOdel (cloth) do you think thts a good deal. 28,500+ 6.2% sales tax= $30k. Is this a good deal and by the way are ur prices in ur board include tax?

rerenov8r

At least one dealer had a price of UNDER $25K for a "new EX"...

uga91

Their newspaper ad says the Pilot is offered at 0% APR with no money down, but I think you have to pay sticker.

crackles

When applying my brakes, they make a 'crackling' sound- The dealer insists that this is 'normal' as the Pilot has self-adjusting brakes and they 'all' make this noise. Honda customer service in Ca. claims this is true. Do any other Pilot owners hear this noise? I am afraid that the brakes will fail when I really need them?
I suggest that anyone sitting on the fence for a Pilot, look to a vehicle whose brakes work!!

markjenn

It is normal for brakes to make a bit of a clunk noise occasionally when backing up and when applied for the first time after the car is cold. But a "crackling sound" on every brake application doesn't sound normal.

I'd take the service advisor on a test drive. If they still balk, drive another Pilot for comparison. I doubt this issue has anything to do with brake realiability, so as a practical matter, I'd keep the "I'm afraid my brakes will fail" or "Pilot brakes don't work" stuff out of the conversation - just ask them to fix the brakes so they don't make the unusual noise.

- Mark

dski

It's difficult to give realiable opinions not having experienced the situation with your vehicle first hand.. but.. my brakes do have an occassional cliking sound when first driving it off in the mornings.

I've never considered that it's something abnormal. Every vehicle I've owned has had some sort of different sounds and sensations from one another. For people who don't turn over vehicles often, they tend to think of these things as not normal because their previous one didn't do it.

My bet is that everything is fine and normal.
Drew

atl_resident

Has anyone fitted a cargo box to their pilot ?

I have a couple of Questions:

1. Did you fit a Honda cargo box or a generic one (from Sears). Any problems fixing the generic box?

2. Did you purchase and fit the box from a Honda dealership ? If so, how much did you pay for the box and fitting ?

Thanks!

toca

I have a Sears cargo box and don't expect any problems. I do know I'll need to adjust the cross bars but that's about it.

briggie

My wife and I really like the Honda Pilot. and we are considering getting the Pilot with leather. Our other car (Honda Accord) has smooth leather and we love it.

However, we have a young toddler and we are very concerned with how the perforated leather in the Pilot will hold up to young kids - especially when food and dirt get into the tiny perforations.

Does anyone have experience with how the perforated leather holds up to young kids? Is it easy or difficult to keep clean?

We would sure hate to spend $30K on a SUV that looks trashed because of the wear and tear of a toddler.

It is interesting that the mini-vans that we have looked at (Odyssey and Sienna) have smooth leather - that makes us think that the smooth leather is better for families.

Opinions???

davisdog

I've had an EX-L for about a year and no problems with the leather/toddlers...mine are 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 and they know how to make a mess...

my_pilot_03

Is any one buying the Extended warranty for the
Pilot. How much does it cost.

MM.

qbrozen

i forget exactly. i think the 7yr/100K mile one is about $1K-$1200. And, yes, we will be buying it. Just waiting a while. No rush.

rerenov8r

$300 - $500 of lard... The money they have to send to Honda is right around $700, they won't do anything for free...

I have, on some vehicles, paid for an extended warranty, but for my MDX I don't think it makes economic sense...

qbrozen

You can get a good price, I've heard, from hondawarranty.com.

It doesn't make economic sense unless something goes wrong, of course. Its a gamble either way. Considering the teething issues Honda has had so far with the Pilot, I'd just feel better having it. It may be strange, but I'd rather spend $1K when I can afford it and be covered for a long time than get hit with a $1K bill when I'm least prepared to handle it.

Its the same reasoning I use when I replace my 10 year old water heater in my house. "better now while i have the time and money to deal with it than dead of winter if it does die and I may be scraping by AND have to pay a premium to get it done immediately." Just my better-safe-than-sorry philosophy I suppose.

silverpilot03

So, how can one purchase a warranty directly from HONDA without going through the dealer? I would buy a warranty for the $700 referred to above, but will probably forgo if I have to add another 500 to a dealer's wallet.

01r1

I declined the Honda warranty and opted for one through my insurance company GEICO. It's a 7yr/100K mile extended warranty. They are charging me $19.50 every six months for it. Should cost me $273 over the whole 7 years. It covers everything (a little more, they say) that the Honda warranty covers - at a fraction of the cost.

I've been using this service on my new cars since 1995 and have been happy with it. Most recently, right before we bought the Pilot, I had an elusive water leak into the cabin with my 98 CR-V at about 65K miles. The dealer spent about 10hrs troubleshooting and then a few on repair, I was glad I had an extended warranty.

My deductible is $250. And this is the only catch, it's $250 per unrelated item that failed. Meaning, if you take your Pilot in because the engine seized and your hatchback fell off, they would consider the two unrelated and charge you $250 for each item. Of course, if one failure cascades to more, it's all covered under the one deductible.

I think they require you to be the original owner of the vehicle and it's got to be less than a 12 months old. Of course they'll require you to have full coverage insurance through them too, so you'll have to look at the whole cost compared to your current insurance provider and potential warranty source. For me, their insurance rates were the lowest I could find.

-Pete

dski

I foget what I paid for my extended warranty. I know it was NO more than $700 directly from the dealer though. I'll look it up. I remember thinking I would NOT buy it anywhere close to $1000.

I opted for it on the Honda for the first time. I'm usually opposed to them but I would have come out ahead on my last 2 vehicles with an extended warranty.

If you would prefer having the extended warranty through the dealer.. simply tell him that you would buy it if the cost was more like $600. He should be able to hit $700 I beleive.

There are actually some dealers who want customers to have an extension for the sake of having Happy repeat customers.. and as a result, they will sell them at cost. Ask for it.

Good luck
Drew

stever

Edmunds' Long Term Road Test of the Pilot EX is winding down. The latest report is here.

Steve, Host

dindak

It's not just Honda dealers that make you take all the add ons. If you want the Pilot you may have to travel though, some dealers feel the need to rip people off, specially on hot vehicles. The mark up on those add ons is huge.

schulhof

What is everyone using for their 5w20 motor oil?

I found that there are not too many choices. I use Mobil 1 in my other cars and my previous SUV used a variety of oils and ran best with Quaker State.

I think all I saw was Valvoline, Penzoil (yech!) and Castrol in 5w20. All Dino oil - no synthetics.

What is everyone else doing?

markjenn

Doesn't Honda allow 5W-30?

- Mark

jlitterer

How about some more gas mileage updates from owners. Thanks!

01r1

According to the manual, it calls for 5w-20 only. They say you can use synthetic, but it must also be the same weight.

I just used Amsoil's XL-7800 5w-20 full synthetic, so I'll be curious if it helps my mileage. I wanted the synthetic since I'll be taking the Pilot on a 3000+ mile trip shortly and we'll be driving through Death Valley on part of the trip.

-Pete

markjenn

Mobil says that their 0W-20 Mobil 1 "exceeds" the requirements of 5W-20 and is fine in Fords and Hondas that specify 5W-20. Not that this does you a whole lot of good as 0W-20 is hard to find also.

If it were my Pilot, I wouldn't hesitate a second to use 5W-30 Mobil 1, readily available for about $3.50/qt at places like WalMarts and Costco. My bet is that 5W-30 is exactly what 90% of Honda dealers use. The following site indicates that the requirement for 5W-20 is not dictated by lubrication requirements - it's just the mfgs way of raising their CAFE gas mileage a tiny bit.

http://www.performanceoiltechnology.com/ford5w20.htm

- Mark

my3kids

My Honda service dept. uses Penzoil for oil changes! I figured if I went to a dealer, I'd get Honda oil.

bowke28

honda dealers stock MOSTLY 5w20, as all their new vehicles use it. they stock some 5w30 for older cars, but no, they dont use it when its required by honda to use 5w20...you must have some problem with dealers...do you think they deliberately try to break your car or something? if you feel this way, then your living in the 60s and 70s. dealers dont have to break your car to get repair orders anymore. would you go to a dealer that caused problems in your car? the goal is to do the job right in the shortest period of time possible.

my3kids...honda doesnt make oil, or even bottle it. ford's motorcraft division bottles penzoil into motorcraft bottles...honda doesnt waste time or money with that process.

markjenn

It's funny, but on some other forums, I'm accused of being pro-dealer.

Neither of us have hard data, so lighten up. But I have numerous friends and acquaintenances who work in the service and parts end of the car dealer business and if you think all dealers, Honda or other brand, religiously follow the specific requirements for Honda-specific fluids and lubricants, then you might as well believe in the tooth fairy.

- Mark

janetplanet

Just spoke with a dealer in Denver. He says '04 Pilots are anticipated in early to mid-October. He also validated that they will most likely release a dark blue to replace the Havasu Blue that wasn't so popular.

stever

Dumpster dive in the back lot and I bet you won't find any qt or 5 qt empty oil containers. Dealers buy oil in bulk, and I bet everything in the garage gets the same stuff dumped in the crankcase.

Any service reps care to allay my cynicism?

Steve, Host

desertscar

I will be transporting both my expecting wife and elderly relatives frequently in a Pilot soon to arrive. I want to add either running boards or side steps. I am not so much concerned with sturdiness or messyness as much as reducing slip/miss-step risks (dry/desert weather) and ease entry for an adult w/o good balance.

Thoughts appreciated, I havn't seen them both on the Pilot.

rerenov8r

Ok, my 79 year old mother still drives on her own quite well. She had no problems getting into my MDX's front or rear w/o side steps or runningboards.

My 68 year old m-i-l is MUCH less steady on her feet than my mom. She did OK getting into the front seat too.

I added side steps this past weekend. My mom says she likes the VISUAL contrast of the black step area against the CHROME tube, but again SHE DIDN'T REALLY need 'em.

My m-i-l was OK with 'em too, but she said she thought they'd be "more rubbery" -- I don't think she NEEDED that but they do LOOK like they should be more like a gym shoe sole -- they are NOT -- in reality they are only about as "grabby" as the plasti-mats that our office has under the rolling chairs.

If you inlaws NEED assitance to get up from a regular chair sofa neither is gonna overcome that.

If they are just a little unsteady I think the VISUAL cue of the side steps is better than the running boards -- but to be sure you should test it out.

GOOD LUCK!

bowke28

man, i didnt know you were homeless...no need to dumpster dive...just call me, man...ill hook you up with some grubb! lol

stever

You got Krispy Kremes?

Steve, Host

bowke28

always! im in the car business, remember?!?! lol

davisdog

Your dealers should all know this by now (if they have a clue)

added heated mirrors/seats to leather EX's (like Canadian models had already)
Made the 2nd Row seats adjustable by 100mm (nice touch)
Midnight blue (dark blue) replaces Havasu and interior colors were swapped a little.

Overall very little change as anticipated (same engine, no sunroof etc..)

~$200-$350 price increase over 2003

 glad they made the 2nd row adjustment, now if I can modify my 03.

Summary is here

http://www.collegehillshonda.com/pilot/overview.htm

dski

Second row seats adjustable how? Yours should already be adjustable for the angle of the Seat Back.

Mine is.
Drew

regnideir

The new seat row adjustment is fore and aft 100mm or about 4 inches. This will allow additional leg room for the third row at the expense of second row leg room.