Don't get a bra unless you like to clean your car at least 2-4x a month. Dirt builds up under a bra and the bra vibrates causing a sand-paper action that takes the paint off your vehicle. Also if you do manage to keep it clean and dry, the paint will fade at a different rate under the bra.
I stopped by Silko on Sunday and looked at the Pilot's quickly - boy was the rain coming down. It seemed to be about the same size as my Odyssey.
The havasu blue didn't appeal to me. With the clouds it looked like silvery green to my eyes.
All the units had been prepped and one LX had been tarted up already with alloys and an Xterra style roof rack. No stickers on any of them. There were 2 SS, 2 HB, 1 TW, 1 Black there.
Moonkat - That's about what I was expecting, too. Is the RES for the Ody a single display screen or is there one for each row? I would've thought that it would be more expensive than the NAVI if it had multiple screens.
Ditto what Paisan wrote about the bra. Unless you are religious about cleaning the car, they're more trouble than they're worth.
Robr2 - They must have shipped some of them already. When I was there, they had two black, two red, and two white (plus the silver and blue).
We went with a silver MDX. We were toying with the idea of getting the blue, in the brochure it looks ok. Seeing the posts here are putting to rest some of my second thoughts.
varmint: I believe RES is a single ceiling mounted LED display for second and third rows, and appears standardized among Ody, MDX and Pilot. Likely about 9" diagonal measure; standard size lately.
I plan to get a Gamecube led display for my two kids' Gamecube console for their entertainment.
So what color is the first Pilot in the thumbnail gallery on Honda's website? Is that the grey? Looks like an olive green to me. Silver looks great, but there are a lot of silver SUV's out there. Black looks great too, but I don't want a second mortgage to keep it clean! Red is probably going to be the winner hear.
Anyone have thoughts on the trailer package? I'm assuming a 2" and not 1 1/4". I have a Yakima bike rack that goes into the hitch at the rear and need a 2" opening.
Actually I wonder what the after market DVD players will cost. I thought about ordering one but I guess I couldn't rationalize the fact that there are enough things to keep my kids busy in the car without stuffing them in front of a TV again.
Of course when I get a call from my dealer to tell me that my EX-L inexplicably came in with the RES then I'll probably take a hard look at it. If it comes in as ordered (w/o RES) I won't even think twice about it.
Speaking of my dealer, I received a call from her yesterday stating that she's going to some place for a test drive of the Pilot on Thursday and hopefully would be able to answer all my questions. I suspect she's going to Varmint's stash of Pilots as my dealership is in Southern NH. The fact that I read this board everyday means that I doubt she will be able to enlighten me at all though I still haven't gotten a good answer on the heated seats or CD changer. I'm sure she won't be able to tell me the exact price.
The RES has a relative small screen (7'?). Thinking to get a notebook instead. It would be handy to use with a digital camera as well, and a lot more practical. Any experience and comments?
I use a notebook all the time. I bought a headphone spliter that I plug right into the laptop at Radio Shack so my two kids can listen to the movie w/o bothering me. The other option we use is that fake cassette thingy you can plug into the headphone jack as well. Then just stick the cassette in the stereo and crank er up. Hint: I put a little velcro on the bottom of the notebook and some more elswhere (i.e. a suitcase or the folding table on the odyssey)
Yep I do the same thing with my laptop. I get lots more use out of it that way. 15" screen with DVD and GPS going works very nicely. I recently drove to NC and we had the DVD playing with the GPS in the background and the DVD sound coming through the car stereo. While on the trip I was able to download the pics from my digital camera onto the laptop as well and could bring it inside for security purposes. I also invested in a radio-shack Power Inverter which allows me to run the laptop for unlimited time in the car.
My dealer said he was going to Bayside Expo center in Boston to test drive Pilot as well as Highlander and Ford on May 5th. I must be the same show your dealer is talking about.
Moonkat - Thanks. The only RES system I've seen was a custom installation for the MDX (one screen on the back of each front seat and a ceiling mounted screen for the third row). It was a nice set up, but obviously a custom job. I wasn't expecting that for the Pilot, but, since I haven't checked out the Ody, I figured I'd better ask.
Skiparty - I'll don my Super Spy disguise and see if I can crash the Bayside Expo. Shhhh....
guy44: My nine year old son has read all four Harry Potter books, and just a couple of weeks ago for the fourth time. This is while also starting on wife's 5,000 volume sci-fi collection. My four year old daughter is just starting. Unless it's Pokemon code books, he gets urpy reading while riding.
After market are about $1,000 - 1,500 I guess. I asked about 9 months ago and was quoted $1,400 for a standard DVD + 6" screen + 2 wireless headsets.
I guess that I could buy a DVD capable notebook for the same price now. Or I could buy a DVD player with LCD for $700, so that option does not look too necessary. If I get one, it will be EX with cloth, tow hitch and ski racks.
For $100, you can buy a playstation 1 with LCD, and that will take care of most of your problems.
I just ordered my Pilot. Its a red EX and it will be built on 5/19. It should be in 7 - 10 days later. The dealer has 1 EX (mine) and 3 EX-L's coming in. He had a choice of red or silver EX-L's. Oh, and I'm paying MSRP.
Where are you located? How come some of you can order the car, know the build and delivery day, while in San Francisco bayarea, dealers don't even accept waiting list? I'm jealous now :-(
Is Honda for real here??? I can't think of another car/suv on the market that you cannot get a sunroof in. This is simply a bad idea. And why would you make a Sport Utility Vehicle without Fog Lights? How do you expect to be "sporty"? It just doen't make sense. Honda, please tell me you aren't serious! There's no way you are not going to offer a sunroof on a vehicle produced in the year 2003. Are we going back in time here?
I also can't understand why more companies havn't latched on to Nissan/Infinity technology. You can get a Sunroof, DVD, and Navi all in the same vehicle.
Come on Honda, let's get with the program.
Witholding a sunroof and fog lights is not going to make someone pay 6-7 grand more for an MDX. What it will do is send your customers over to the Toyota, Ford, Nissan, or GMC dealerships.
Not sure why Honda is not including these options, but I also do not understand the big deal about them either. My SUV's have all had both items, and I rarely use either.
With the sunroof issue it is possible that it is a safety issue (strength of passenger cage) with regards to a sunroof. Pilot shape is different than MDX. I know that Ford significantly redesigned the 2002 Explorer/Mountaineer half-way through 2002 model year (without telling customers) due to body cage safety concerns. It is possible that with all the recent SUV safety publicity, Honda is being conservative here due to the quick release of the product. It is possible that more testing needs to be done before they can approve the risk of an "opening" in the passenger cage. For Just my thoughts.
For the fog lights... since headlamps have improved substantially in the past few years, I find that I no longer need or use my fog lights. Fog light requirement for "looking cool" is not something I can relate to, sorry.
Status of heated seats and side mirror defrosting... now we are getting somewhere. What about XM radio... very cool toy.
We plunked down the sight-unseen, sticker-unknown deposit (felt almost crazy doing it), but can't wait to get it. The dealer (in Pennsylvania) says they'll charge MSRP. It's in the dealer's May allocation, which he says means it's likely to arrive in June. Otherwise, the dealer says he's in the dark - maybe I should refer him to this board!! Thanks for all the great info - until I get the car, this is the next best thing. I have concerns now about the possible leather 'thinness' from a comment posted here, but w/ 2 kids that leave unremovable mystery blobs on the Accord velour, it's got to be better!
Fogs from the factory are usually worth about $20 tops, pretty much useless except for the Bling Bling/Look at Me factor. If you truely need some good fog lights go to http://catalog.com/susq/index.htm and talk to Ken about getting some Hella Fog or Driving lights. You'll pay about $100+ for a good set but they'll actually be useful.
The moonroof is weird cause the MDX has one and it's the same vehicle. But the ones in most SUVs nowdays is tiny, nothing more than a vent-hole rather than a decent sized moonroof.
Those who know you sbcooke, know you'll be driving your Troopa most of the time hee hee Speaking of which, are you making it this sunday? One of the last runs for a bit I think.
I am not sure about Sunday yet. It all depends if the wife will let me drive her MDX or not. Seriously, I haven't had a chance to even think about it, I email you tomorrow. BTW I was following a new trailblazer this morning and was waiting for something to fall off of it in case I would have to swerve quickly.
Cool, would be good to see you getting down and dirty in the troopa. Looks like we'll have a nice run, one of the guys from VA with an older Trooper with a locker and stuff may be showing up.
I am extremely happy that there is no sunroof in the Pilot. We may actually buy one because of it. I wouldn't have a problem if a sunroof was an option, but if there is one available on a Honda, it is always standard on the EX model. In the past I have looked at Acuras and Hondas and have never bought one because I could not get one without a sunroof. Cars such as the TL and Accord just don't have enough headroom with one, and even SUVs make me feel claustrophobic with one even if my head doesn't touch.
I guess if I want my first Honda I better get it now before it becomes standard equipment in a year or two.
All you have to do is have one car with an annoying air leak that won't go away...You will never want a sunroof again. I admit most cars don't have this problem, but I had a nissan with an air leak. 5 trips to the dealer, a whole lot of frustration. Finally it took a very simple remedy to fix the problem. I actually wanted an MDX without a sunroof. I did however agree to break one personal resolution ("I'll never buy a car with a sunroof again") because the vehicle is so good. Just an opposing sunroof opinion.
Original post was deleted due to improper language usage. Thought I would re-post, because the sunroof issue is real, in some cars you cannot buy one without it. Anyway.
Funny all the chatter over the moonroof issue. I agree with bamacar that I am happy there is not one forced upon the Pilot. We owned a TL and loved it except for the low head liner and I am only 5'11". Another oversight that doesn't seem to bother anyone is the lack of a useable rear window. Or at least it appears to be fixed anyway. I find them very handy and can't imagine an SUV without one. Especially if you have to use an SUV to do pickup-type duties. But hey, Honda can strip it and sell every single one anyway, this gives them some thing to add in '03, '04 I guess.
I have my Silver EX cloth on order, will receive on my dealer's first allocation sometime late May or early June. Bought it at MSRP with no dealer add-ons.
Just curious about some modifications that I might want to add after purchase. One thing for sure that I want to add is a rear view mirror with built-in compass and outside temperature display. That was really useful in my F-150.
Any other future modifications on the minds of anyone else on this forum?
I am wondering about trading my tires for some with raised white letters. Any comments from others on how the Silver Pilot EX would look with raised white letter tires?
I've owned nothing but Hondas for the past 22 years, but as of last week I am driving a 2002 Pathfinder due to the sunroof issue. Call me spoiled, but for this kind of money, if I want a hole in the roof, I expect to be able to get it. I had checked out the Pilot at the NY Auto Show and was lukewarm to the design - the sunroof put me over the top, so to speak.
Sorry for double post, and I'm not trying to turn this into a Nissan plug, but they missed the boat on the outside thermometer as well. We go to Lake Placid many times during the year and it's very handy on the Northway (and elsewhere) to know when the outside temp is around that 32 degree mark. Honda is admittedly late to the dance with the SUVs, but they're missing the boat on a lot of the stuff that SUV people demand.
All this being said, I remain a Honda fan; my daughter is about to buy a new CRV, a move I fully support for her.
This is an option on my list. Does anyone know what the dealers are going to charge? From the Pilot site it will include:
Installation of power-steering fluid and automatic-tranmission-fluid cooler, both available exclusively from your Honda dealer
Sounds expensive.
I am debating between white or silver. Has anyone seen the white? If so how does it look compared to the silver? The other option I am getting if it is not included on the EX is the 6 disc in dash changer. I talked to a dealer in Northern VA and he is going to drive one on the 14th of May and is going to call me about it after the drive.
Greenshuz - Somehow Honda managed to sell 100K+ units a year for four years without a moonroof in the last gen CR-V. Even with the SE model. While I can understand your frustration with not having one available as a factory option, I doubt Honda will suffer for it. Besides, you can always go with an aftermarket moonroof.
Fog lights? I've driven cars with and without them. There's very little difference. Honda is offering OEM units as a dealer installed (or DIY) option. I'd rather not be forced to pay for them as part of the EX package.
Joepugs - I've seen both the white and silver. The white was a more pale color, while the silver was more "metallic" and reflective. What were you expecting?
I like silver because it does not look as dirty when it is dirty, but the white looks nice when it is clean. I wanted to know if the colors change the look of the pilot. The silver makes the rims and the trim look good but the white may look better or worse. That is just one example.
I still don't understand why Honda would not include these items in their new Pilot. Doesn't the smaller, less expensive CRV have all of these options?
I'm not saying they need to make them mandatory on the EX, but geesh, give us an option man!
The towing package on the Odyssey runs around $700, according to my dealer. On the MDX, it runs a little more, around $900. Both packages include the transmission fluid and power steering fluid coolers. I expect the Pilot package will be in this range.
I agree that the moonroof should be offered as an option on the Pilot for those that want it . . . but I am glad that they do not offer it as STANDARD on the Pilot. I know it is cheaper to package a moonroof with other equipment to make it more affordable but I feel that a moonroof should only be offered as a STAND ALONE option. I have found some nice features on some vehicles that I would like to have but the only way to get it is to get a moonroof as well. Until they can make a moonroof that does not reduce the headroom in a vehicle, I will never own a car with a moonroof. Just my $.02
"I'm not saying they need to make them mandatory on the EX, but geesh, give us an option man!"
As pointed out in an earlier post, fog lights are an "accessory." Not an option, since Honda typically bundles standard equipment in varying trim packages.
No doubt some dealers will overcharge for the fogs, but OEM ones will be available. Thus you're not paying for it unless you want it. You have the option to buy the fog light accessory and install it yourself or pay the dealer to do it.
That was the only option I bought on my Trooper and thankfully it wasn't bundled. I always thought it was funny that the Nissan Pathfinder bundled the moonroof with the rear LSD. What on earth do they have in common?
A moonroof as a stand-alone option would complicate production, distribution, and packaging of the other roof-mounted options. That would raise the cost of the vehicle whether it had one or not.
It still might be worth it for Honda to add a moonroof, but I suspect it will only be as part of a trim level or package. Maybe they could take the EX-L, add a moonroof, heated/pwr seats, and a few bit of trim and call it the SE.
Personally, I would like a moonroof, but it's not a deal breaker.
White vs silver: The white looked good in EX trim, but I wasn't fond of it with the LX's black cladding. The Silver looks better as an LX. Of course, I wasn't fond of any of the LX's regardless of color...
Honda has a great habit of packaging together a lot of the options people want in their various trim levels. This eliminates the hassle of having to pick and choose through a laundry-list of options and "preferred option packages", as you must do with Toyota and most other makes.
For Honda to justify the cost of adding a moonroof in one of the trim levels, they would have to be convinced that the majority of buyers would "have to have it", and thus be willing to pay for that added cost. They obviously feel that the demand is not there right now.
I agree with Varmint's prediction: you will probably see a moonroof on an "SE" version of the Pilot in a couple of years. Until then, if you "have to have it", it looks like aftermarket is your best bet.
Maybe my last post got buried: What is the color of that first Pilot on Honda's website in the Exterior Gallery? Looks like a drab olive color? Is that the mysterious GY?
The belief is that this is "Sagebrush" that is going to be available in August...
if it looks anything like the picture, I will probably hold out for it. (and it gives me a couple months to here the good and bad from people that will by them earlier)
Are you saying that in the EX trim the white looks better than silver? (At least in your opinion, of course).
I just ordered a silver EX, but am wondering if white might look better when I actually see them side by side. I had a hard time deciding between the two colors.
Nope, I'm saying that the LX trim looks odd with the black cladding. It looks less odd with the silver color. Against the white body panels, the black rub strips stand out even more.
With the EX model, the color is purely a matter of personal taste. Both the silver and white looked nice. I'm typically not a fan of red, but even that looked pretty good.
I'm in the Buffalo area. Just a skip across the river from Canada where the Pilots are assembled. From the postings I've read it looks like the northeast is receiving them first. Again, probably because of proximity to the assembly plant.
Comments
-mike
The havasu blue didn't appeal to me. With the clouds it looked like silvery green to my eyes.
All the units had been prepped and one LX had been tarted up already with alloys and an Xterra style roof rack. No stickers on any of them. There were 2 SS, 2 HB, 1 TW, 1 Black there.
Ditto what Paisan wrote about the bra. Unless you are religious about cleaning the car, they're more trouble than they're worth.
Robr2 - They must have shipped some of them already. When I was there, they had two black, two red, and two white (plus the silver and blue).
I believe RES is a single ceiling mounted LED display for second and third rows, and appears standardized among Ody, MDX and Pilot. Likely about 9" diagonal measure; standard size lately.
I plan to get a Gamecube led display for my two kids' Gamecube console for their entertainment.
Anyone have thoughts on the trailer package? I'm assuming a 2" and not 1 1/4". I have a Yakima bike rack that goes into the hitch at the rear and need a 2" opening.
I give my kids books to read to keep them busy...
Actually I wonder what the after market DVD players will cost. I thought about ordering one but I guess I couldn't rationalize the fact that there are enough things to keep my kids busy in the car without stuffing them in front of a TV again.
Of course when I get a call from my dealer to tell me that my EX-L inexplicably came in with the RES then I'll probably take a hard look at it. If it comes in as ordered (w/o RES) I won't even think twice about it.
Speaking of my dealer, I received a call from her yesterday stating that she's going to some place for a test drive of the Pilot on Thursday and hopefully would be able to answer all my questions. I suspect she's going to Varmint's stash of Pilots as my dealership is in Southern NH. The fact that I read this board everyday means that I doubt she will be able to enlighten me at all though I still haven't gotten a good answer on the heated seats or CD changer. I'm sure she won't be able to tell me the exact price.
I also invested in a radio-shack Power Inverter which allows me to run the laptop for unlimited time in the car.
-mike
I must be the same show your dealer is talking about.
Skiparty - I'll don my Super Spy disguise and see if I can crash the Bayside Expo. Shhhh....
My nine year old son has read all four Harry Potter books, and just a couple of weeks ago for the fourth time. This is while also starting on wife's 5,000 volume sci-fi collection. My four year old daughter is just starting. Unless it's Pokemon code books, he gets urpy reading while riding.
I guess that I could buy a DVD capable notebook for the same price now. Or I could buy a DVD player with LCD for $700, so that option does not look too necessary. If I get one, it will be EX with cloth, tow hitch and ski racks.
For $100, you can buy a playstation 1 with LCD, and that will take care of most of your problems.
Where are you located?
How come some of you can order the car, know the build and delivery day,
while in San Francisco bayarea, dealers don't even accept waiting list?
I'm jealous now :-(
I also can't understand why more companies havn't latched on to Nissan/Infinity technology. You can get a Sunroof, DVD, and Navi all in the same vehicle.
Come on Honda, let's get with the program.
Witholding a sunroof and fog lights is not going to make someone pay 6-7 grand more for an MDX. What it will do is send your customers over to the Toyota, Ford, Nissan, or GMC dealerships.
- Disappointed!
With the sunroof issue it is possible that it is a safety issue (strength of passenger cage) with regards to a sunroof. Pilot shape is different than MDX. I know that Ford significantly redesigned the 2002 Explorer/Mountaineer half-way through 2002 model year (without telling customers) due to body cage safety concerns. It is possible that with all the recent SUV safety publicity, Honda is being conservative here due to the quick release of the product. It is possible that more testing needs to be done before they can approve the risk of an "opening" in the passenger cage. For Just my thoughts.
For the fog lights... since headlamps have improved substantially in the past few years, I find that I no longer need or use my fog lights. Fog light requirement for "looking cool" is not something I can relate to, sorry.
Status of heated seats and side mirror defrosting... now we are getting somewhere. What about XM radio... very cool toy.
The moonroof is weird cause the MDX has one and it's the same vehicle. But the ones in most SUVs nowdays is tiny, nothing more than a vent-hole rather than a decent sized moonroof.
-mike
-mike
-mike
I guess if I want my first Honda I better get it now before it becomes standard equipment in a year or two.
Original post was deleted due to improper language usage. Thought I would re-post, because the sunroof issue is real, in some cars you cannot buy one without it. Anyway.
Another oversight that doesn't seem to bother anyone is the lack of a useable rear window. Or at least it appears to be fixed anyway. I find them very handy and can't imagine an SUV without one. Especially if you have to use an SUV to do pickup-type duties.
But hey, Honda can strip it and sell every single one anyway, this gives them some thing to add in '03, '04 I guess.
Just curious about some modifications that I might want to add after purchase. One thing for sure that I want to add is a rear view mirror with built-in compass and outside temperature display. That was really useful in my F-150.
Any other future modifications on the minds of anyone else on this forum?
I am wondering about trading my tires for some with raised white letters. Any comments from others on how the Silver Pilot EX would look with raised white letter tires?
By the way, I have to say I love the Pathfinder!
All this being said, I remain a Honda fan; my daughter is about to buy a new CRV, a move I fully support for her.
Installation of power-steering fluid and automatic-tranmission-fluid cooler, both available exclusively from your Honda dealer
Sounds expensive.
I am debating between white or silver. Has anyone seen the white? If so how does it look compared to the silver? The other option I am getting if it is not included on the EX is the 6 disc in dash changer. I talked to a dealer in Northern VA and he is going to drive one on the 14th of May and is going to call me about it after the drive.
Thanks to all for all the great info.
Fog lights? I've driven cars with and without them. There's very little difference. Honda is offering OEM units as a dealer installed (or DIY) option. I'd rather not be forced to pay for them as part of the EX package.
Joepugs - I've seen both the white and silver. The white was a more pale color, while the silver was more "metallic" and reflective. What were you expecting?
I like silver because it does not look as dirty when it is dirty, but the white looks nice when it is clean. I wanted to know if the colors change the look of the pilot. The silver makes the rims and the trim look good but the white may look better or worse. That is just one example.
Joe
I'm not saying they need to make them mandatory on the EX, but geesh, give us an option man!
The towing package on the Odyssey runs around $700, according to my dealer. On the MDX, it runs a little more, around $900. Both packages include the transmission fluid and power steering fluid coolers. I expect the Pilot package will be in this range.
As pointed out in an earlier post, fog lights are an "accessory." Not an option, since Honda typically bundles standard equipment in varying trim packages.
No doubt some dealers will overcharge for the fogs, but OEM ones will be available. Thus you're not paying for it unless you want it. You have the option to buy the fog light accessory and install it yourself or pay the dealer to do it.
-mike
It still might be worth it for Honda to add a moonroof, but I suspect it will only be as part of a trim level or package. Maybe they could take the EX-L, add a moonroof, heated/pwr seats, and a few bit of trim and call it the SE.
Personally, I would like a moonroof, but it's not a deal breaker.
White vs silver: The white looked good in EX trim, but I wasn't fond of it with the LX's black cladding. The Silver looks better as an LX. Of course, I wasn't fond of any of the LX's regardless of color...
Honda has a great habit of packaging together a lot of the options people want in their various trim levels. This eliminates the hassle of having to pick and choose through a laundry-list of options and "preferred option packages", as you must do with Toyota and most other makes.
For Honda to justify the cost of adding a moonroof in one of the trim levels, they would have to be convinced that the majority of buyers would "have to have it", and thus be willing to pay for that added cost. They obviously feel that the demand is not there right now.
I agree with Varmint's prediction: you will probably see a moonroof on an "SE" version of the Pilot in a couple of years. Until then, if you "have to have it", it looks like aftermarket is your best bet.
Whats the difference? boat vs camper?
Sorry if I missed an earlier post.
-jay
-mike
-mike
The belief is that this is "Sagebrush" that is going to be available in August...
if it looks anything like the picture, I will probably hold out for it. (and it gives me a couple months to here the good and bad from people that will by them earlier)
I just ordered a silver EX, but am wondering if white might look better when I actually see them side by side. I had a hard time deciding between the two colors.
With the EX model, the color is purely a matter of personal taste. Both the silver and white looked nice. I'm typically not a fan of red, but even that looked pretty good.