Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005

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Comments

  • SpyponderSpyponder Member Posts: 128
    If people are nervous about getting tumors from cell phone radiation now, just wait until they have the bloody things hard-wired in their heads...
  • kai_mingkai_ming Member Posts: 33
    wmquan,

    Would you share the reason why pilot should be
    compared with mdx base and not touring? Thanks.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    One can freely cross-shop the EX-L and the MDX Touring. But I think the equipment level between the Pilot and MDX is most similar between the EX-L and the MDX Base (premium), and thus those two are best suited for pricing/value comparisons. Though there are still differences there (between the EX-L and the MDX Base, both pros and cons depending on one's buying priorities).
  • joey8544joey8544 Member Posts: 3
    When I start my pilot, I hear a strange, "thud" noise a few seconds after the engine starts. What is the noise? And has anyone else heard it? It doesn't happen if I was recently driving it, only after it sits overnight.
    Thanks in advance. This board has been very informative!
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    Does anyone here think the new '03 4Runner would be a direct competitor against the Pilot?
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    might be an engine mount problem which also occurred with the TL/CL. The thud usually is heard right when the engine turns over though, not a few seconds after.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    4-Runner competes more with the Trailblazers, Explorers and Pathfinders. Pilot is more car like as is the Rendezvous and Highlander.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    although I would lump the Exploder with the latter group.
  • jmurman42jmurman42 Member Posts: 675
    take the Pilot now. When Honda releases new product you have some time to get one. After thesew car are on the road and more people see them, they will see even faster.

    If you got your color and aren't going above MSRP, then do it.

    Jerry
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    No way. The Explorer has solid off road ability. It is purely truck based.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I dunno about "Solid off road ability" They have less ground clearance than a subaru, and aren't known for their off-road abilities, abeit they have low range and a frame so they are ahead of the pilot in that respect. Also if your car constantly breaks like an Explorer you are not likely to get far on or offroad :)

    -mike
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    "constantly breaks like an Explorer"

    Don't know this to be true. I know several very happy Exploder owners. The new Explorer had some initial bugs, but it's a good truck.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    << They have less ground clearance than a Subaru >>

    The new IRS Explorer has more ground clearance than any Subie.

    Bob
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    How many serious off-roaders would buy an Explorer. Their prime market is still the suburban soccer mom who uses them like minivans and tall stationwagons.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Just like 99% of all other SUV owners.

    Bob
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    The Honda Pilot is such a good vehicle.

    All this talk about Honda not having a low range, whatever...as if people who buy it (along with any other SUV) would really need/use it.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    All this talk about Honda not having a low range, whatever...as if people who buy it (along with any other SUV) would really need/use it.

    Or would even know what low range is!

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Except for the newest ones, the subies have more ground clearance. And of the 15 Explorer owner's I know they all love them, but at the same time 12 of them have had tranny or engine replaced in the first 50K :)

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    It's true that most mid-size SUV owners don't use the full capability of their vehicles. That's not necessarily true of full-size SUV owners, however. There I would say 60%-70% of those owners do use their vehicles as they were intended for.

    The reason I mention this is because of the Pilot's width, which is very close to that of full-size SUVs. Honda very much wants to grab those customers who are on the fence between buying a mid-size of full-size SUV.

    Therefore, I feel any discussion about the "capabilities" (or lack-there-of) of the Pilot, are very much fair game.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    << And of the 15 Explorer owner's I know they all love them, but at the same time 12 of them have had tranny or engine replaced in the first 50K >>

    So should we assume these 12 owners are all gluttons for punishment? I know if I had to replace an engine or tranny at 50K, I wouldn't love my vehicle. BTW, I must be one of the lucky 3 you know. :)

    Bob
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Up side of the Pilot :

    Honda quality
    Good performance
    Good re-sale

    Down side :

    Relatively expensive
    Bland looks
    Limited off road ability

    For most people, the Pilot is perfect in terms of capability. The price and looks are a big turn off for me.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep you are one of the lucky 3. I find that most american car brand buyers have tons and tons of problems with their cars, but then turn around and say they love their cars to death, all in the same sentance! I think most of them are gluttons for punishment or got such good deals on the cars (rebates, incentives etc) that they feel that they can't compain about problems with their vehicles. If you follow the Trailbazer/Envoy forum on here, you'll see tons and tons of people complaining about going to dealers 6+ times but in the same post they end with "but I love my vehicle"

    -mike
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    "I find that most american car brand buyers have tons and tons of problems with their cars, but then turn around and say they love their cars to death, all in the same sentance!"

    It's probably not just confined to buyers of domestic brands. I've heard the same thing from MB M-class buyers.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    No company is immune to problems, and it is unfair to generalize Ford is bad, Honda is great.

    The MDX had some well known quality problems, as did the Odyssey and Civic. Even the esteemed BMW had problems with the X5.

    In all likelyhood, the Pilot will have it's fair share of problems too.
  • larry114larry114 Member Posts: 19
    OK, I have now learned (thanks to you all) that the third row the black EXL I ordered is gonna be vinyl. Then I read that some guy with an ML had to have the leather replaced after 30K due to fraying. I have a '96 Accord EXL and the leather is THICK...and fine after 45K. I sat in the Pilot Demo model with leather and, yes, it is thin...certainly thinner than in my Accord. I am still battling with leather versus cloth now...I have until the end of June to change if I want...but I do like leather...but not if it is cheap and needs replaced after 30k cuz it's thin. Ideas..suggestions???
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I prefer cloth to leather. It's cooler in the summer, not as cold in the winter, and less slippery. I also think it's more comfortable.

    The only reason I would consider a leather EX is if I wanted the navigation system, or DVD, which can only be had with leather.

    Bob
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    if all the seats are leather. But if only 2 out of 3, and also lower quality leather, then I would go cloth and use the money for some other option such as the backup sensor, step-rails, etc.
  • pchiupchiu Member Posts: 72
    Can owners tell me is there any break in period for the Pilot.
    I need it for highway use wintin 2 weeks of delivery. Should I concern about brek in at all.
    Thanks PChiu
  • larry114larry114 Member Posts: 19
    OK, what is the best wax to use on a black EXL (or any black car for that matter).. Any favorites out there? I do not want to spend $70 for some, like Pinnacle Wax that I saw on the web today.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I don't think there is any need to wax a new car immediately with today's paint finish and treatments. However, when I wax my vehicles I like Meguiars cleaner/wax. It cleans the clear coat, hiding any surface scratches and provides a protective coat at the same time.
  • nofeernofeer Member Posts: 381
    Canada pilot comes with saddle with the redrock, any
    inside info if and when saddle will be available to us? tkhe mdx has red and saddle.
    Should we wait till fall to see if any new options as to leather colors.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    Most new cars nowadays have a breakin period of 1,000 KM. You can probably put on that much by the time you have to take it on the highway. But I would still baby it a bit, ie. don't redline it, go easy on the brakes, and most importantly, vary your speed from time to time and avoid the 24-hour marathon driving.
  • bill01923bill01923 Member Posts: 57
    I had originally wanted an EXL with NAV.
    After I found out there wouldn't be seat heaters and having had an opportunity to drive a Pilot EX cloth I decided the the extra $3200 wasn't worth it.
    I've had a Mountaineer with leather (no seat heaters) for four years and I won't get leather again without heaters.
    As for reliability my Mountaineer has been in the shop collectively several months (3steering racks, steering shaft, transfer case, wheel bearings, still leaks from new, ETC) and up until we bought a Toyota HL(no problems to date) I felt it's been pretty reliable. Now I have a Honda.
  • tomsrtomsr Member Posts: 325
    As with the mini SUV segment it laid down the winning card (CRV) it has now dealt the PILOT,
    another winner.So what's with this? Does Honda
    have the only excellent engineers? My 02 CRV has only one drawback
    which is not a problem for sane people.At 60 mph there is not much
    reserve power for passing but to get 20 mph around town that's the reality of it.For the same price I could have had a Chevy Trailblazer
    with 270hp but it would probably get 15mpg.I could then pass everything but a gas station. If I ever decide to tow something
    the Pilot will be my next choice.
  • varmintvarmint Member Posts: 6,326
    This was posted elsewhere, but I think it's more appropriate in this forum. How about a topic, "Bad Ford and the People Who Live With Them"

    I have to give Goldencouple the credit for this one. Thanks.
  • millsk1millsk1 Member Posts: 24
    Generally, the break-in period is about 600 miles. Try to avoid hard acceleration and deceleration. That is about it. I haven't got a Pilot here, but it is in the owner's manual.
  • woodard1woodard1 Member Posts: 37
    As for wax. Zanio is the tops! They have a whole line of product and if your smart (IMHO) you need to get out the dawn and wash any wax off of there the dealer applied before delivery. Zaino can be applied in layers and the more "layers" you applied the deeper your "wet look" gets. If you visit the www.acuramdx.org site go under detailing for ordering info and pic's of cars that are zaino tized! I stongly recommend this product and in between washing esp. with black invest in a calfifornia duster those can be found at wal=mart and target for about 10 bucks I love mine. Becareful not to use though on your car while its' hot the wax tends to string out of the dusters and smear a bit on a hot car. I have a black mdx born 5/02 delivered 6-7 so I followed the advise on this mdx site and truley love the way my car looks even black it's clean and shiney everyday. Congradulations on your new Pilot it's worth spending some change on the deltailing products.
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    the Pilot only tows 4,500lbs??
  • davisdogdavisdog Member Posts: 99
    yes...when properly equiped it's rated for a 4500lb boat or 3500 trailer (higher rating for the boat since its more aerodynamic)

    Honda figures that fits vast majority of the potential market (that's a pretty big boat)...they have a car based chassis as opposed to the truck based SUVs that have higher capacities
  • jseinesjseines Member Posts: 3
    Has anyone had the crossbars for the roofrack installed? We picked up our new Pilot yesterday (Red EXL+DVD @ $33,900 with DIOs from Poway Honda in San Diego) and when asked, the salesman said that he did not think a tool to loosen and adjust the crossbars was part of the accessory.

    BTW, love the vehicle and highly recommend the salesman we worked with - Peter Beausoleil. A down to earth guy of high intergrity that, in my opinion, is unfortunately in direct contrast with some of the other oily staff at Poway Honda. If you go there, stay away from the sales manager David.
  • ssmintonssminton Member Posts: 155
    For those concerned with the Pilot's towing capacity, I have one thought for you: it is never safe to tow more than the towing vehicle's weight. We lost control while towing a boat a few years back (tow clipped by a passing semi) while towing with a Suburban 2500 series truck. Although the tow only weighed 3500lbs, we would have been dragged off a highway embankment along with the boat if it weren't for the weight of the Suburban. If you want to regularly tow over 3500lbs, I recommend that you use a full-size truck based SUV. Think of your safety. I do not intend to tow more than 2500lbs with my Pilot.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Good point on the towing weights. I generally tow about 75% of the suggested towing weight to be safe.

    -mike
  • larry114larry114 Member Posts: 19
    Hey, what's that garage door thing on the ceiling console in the Pilot? Does it allow you to open your garage door without using your regulary door opener? Does it really work? How do you set it up?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    is only 1000 pounds if your trailer doesn't have trailer brakes. It's in the owner's manual.

    Bob
  • g8torg8tor Member Posts: 26
    yes, you can use the "garage door thing" ;)("homelink")in place of your regular door opener. instructions are in the manual on page 210.
    enjoy!
  • nhnewbienhnewbie Member Posts: 8
    I have been watching this board for over a month now. When I first found the board, we had deposit down on a Toyota HL, within days I had pulled my deposit and plopped down a deposit (at MSRP) on a Red EX (w/leather) Pilot; a vehicle that I hadn't even seen much less driven. Well today we finally had a chance to see and drive our vehicle. We loved it and bought it. It is everything that everyone says about being quiet, seamless transmission, and handling well. But that doesn't mean that it was perfect. Here were some of the things that we have found in only 60 miles of driving:
    1) Even before we bought the vehicle we noticed that the louvers in the right rear vent came out of their holes with very little effort or force. The rear left vent was fine. The dealer said he would replace it.
    2) We had the tow package added, but when we got to the dealer we asked "where is the ball for the hitch?" Their answer was "Honda didn't know what size people would use, so they didn't add it!" Thankfully we just took the ball off of our Explorer that we were trading in. But beware of this if you are getting the tow package.
    3) We also had the roof rack added. When I looked at it I noticed that it requires a star-shapped allen wrench to loosen and tighten to move the members added that stretch across the two side members. I asked if the tool to loosen these was included and they said "No." Hmmmmm.
    4) The problem that is most disturbing is the "burning" smell coming from the right rear wheel. It is very easy to pick up once you get out of the vehicle and none of the other wheels produce this smell. Unfortunately, we didn't notice this after the test drive at the dealer and only noticed it after we got home. Have any other new owners seen this problem?

    Here are some other early observations:
    1) You get a lot of people looking at you and your new vehicle.
    2) We've never had a vehicle before with leather trim. We saw the earlier postings about the possibility of "thin" leather and we didn't get that impression. We also didn't see any problems with the holes in the leather. Maybe we just don't have as good of reference points as everyone else.
    3) The stereo sounds quite good with a CD, but only marginal on FM. In general, the subwoofer sounded a little muddy to me. I was hoping for a little clearer bass.
    4) I found the mechanism to lock/unlock the tilt steering wheel based on a cam lock to be somewhat unconventional in design. Anyone else find this as odd?
    5) We had running boards added and with two girls 6 and 9 we are glad we did.
    6) Yes, yes, yes, the middle 2nd row seat is awful because of the tray. The good news is that in our family it will rarely get used and even if it does, there's a 99% chance that it will be a child and not a grown up sitting there. Bring extra animal crackers to compensate.
    7) I wasn't aware of the anti-theft design where a small microchip imbedded into the key prevents someone from hot wiring the car. In such an event, the car will start, but will immediately stop upon not detecting the microchip. Don't ask me how this is done. I'm just hoping that my insurance company will appreciate it as much as I do.
    8) People have commented about the column shifter getting into some people's knees. I didn't see that as a problem and I'm 6'. What seemed odd to me was how the shifter feels like it is rotating as one is pulling it down or pushing it up.
    9) I found the cruise control on/off button located on the panel left of the steering column to be an odd place to put it. Our Explorer had it on the steering wheel, which made a lot more sense.
    10) I thought the turn signal lever was placed too high; at least much higher than what I'm used to.
    11) Smokers beware. While we don't smoke, we noticed the abscence of lighters and ash trays. The salesman ackwoledged this and said that "Honda doesn't advocate smoking, so they left those out!" Wow, not bad coming from a Japanese company where in Japan a large % (50%?) of the male population smoke.
    12) I was impressed that at 60 mph on a flat stretch the vehicle was only turning 1600 rpm!
    13) I wished they had put a mute button on the wheel for the stereo.

    Thanks to everyone for all of the great input over the weeks.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    "Honda doesn't advocate smoking, so they left those out!"

    That's interesting. Do we conclude that Honda does advocate polluting the environment and contributing to global warming? (Sorry! Couldn't resist!)

    Thanks for the interesting post, nhnewbie.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • cds12cds12 Member Posts: 139
    "Global Warming" is a scam! Sorry I couldn't resist.
  • nhnewbienhnewbie Member Posts: 8
    I just went out to program our new Pilot's Homelink garage door opener. Wow! Less than 5 minutes and it's all set. Just followed the instruction in the Quick Start Guide. Very easy.

    The Quick Start Guide is a very efficient substitute for the owners manual. Kudos to Honda for including it.

    Do any other carmakers use the HomeLink technology?
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    I took a 10-minute test drive of the Pilot today and here are a few random observations:

    - the 3rd row seat is virtually useless unless the person is an amputee. The 2nd row seat has no fore/aft adjustments to allow more leg room for the 3rd row. And there is almost no toe room under the 2nd row seat. I couldn't put my size 8 1/2 Nike straight. Imagine a bigger person with bigger feet! Also getting into the 3rd row requires a bit of athleticism!
    - 2nd row is very comfortable except for the middle seat which has been discussed by others.
    - the lights on the grab handles are neat but I'm wondering if the lens will get broken by someone with a big firm grip.
    - the cloth is a very nice quality. I would urge anyone considering the leather version to see the cloth version. (larry114, are you there??)
    - the columne shifter works fine.
    - the foot parking brake is easier to use than I expected. In my CL, you can almost pull a groin lifting your leg to activate the parking brake. It seems I barely had to lift my leg to activate the one in the Pilot.
    - in my brief drive, I found the vehicle quite quiet and has a nice substantial feel to it. Handling appears to be good. Transmission shifted seamlessly.
    - power I thought was so-so. It felt slightly less spritely than an Accord V6. Another 25 ponies would be nice.
    - very good driving position. It appears to have a fairly small turning circle which may compensate somewhat for the width, which was quite apparent even on the open road. When you look sideway from the front seats, the view is not unlike that in a full-size pickup.
    - too bad there is no release for the tail-gate on the key fob.
    - also, and this surprised me, there is NO ALARM SYSTEM, even though there is a LED light on the top of the door labelled security. The salesperson tested it by locking the vehicle and then reaching in through an open window to unlock and open the door. No horn, no sound, nothing. She said Honda sells a dealer-installed alarm even though that wasn't listed in the brouchure. All you Pilot owners might want to verify this with your dealers.
    - and I thought the vehicle looks better in the flesh than in photos.
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