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Comments
I don't know what grade of gas that deal add to my first tank. I think it should be 87. It log 309 mile before I add 18.8 gal of 93 as the second tank. So it gives me 16.4 m/g with only 66 mile of local drive. Judging by the way I drive, this is not bad.
The second tank logged 312 mile by adding 16.232 gal of 93, the M/G is 19 with about 100 local drive.
The third tank logged 351 mile by adding 16.288 gal of 93, the M/G is 21.55 with pure highway drive.
The fourth tank logged 370 mile by adding 16.333 gal of 87, the M/G is 22.65 with pure highway drive.
The fifth tank haven't empty yet. The meter still show about a quarter tank of gas left with 300 mile on the log already. I think it will definitely beat 23 this time.
I did find out that there is some difference between premium gas and regular gas. Since my first three tank (exclude the dealer add one) are all premium, once I change it to regular, I can feel the engine lost some torque on accelerating. I think this is why you need to use premium when towing according to the manual. However, it seems to me that the regular will give you better gas mileage. Since I haven't finished the last tank, I can't confirm that yet. But judging by half-tank result, the regular beat the premium.
I ordered the fog lights, cross bar, mud flap and the auto day/night mirror from www.hondaaccessories.com today. I will post the install story once I have them.
Along this 1600+ miles trip, only bump into one Pilot on the road. It was on the Ohio Turn-pike and the car is a green one. Since I got to go at the time, I didn't slow down and greet the driver, guess he might still be breaking it in.
I did hear some noise like the windshield cracking sound on the left side of the body when I drove at about 30 m/h and hit some bumps. It is hard to recognize if it is not at low speed with all speaker turned off. Will check the strut as some other owner suggested.
Happy Piloting!
Steve
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-mike
>The Havasu blue LX with tons of options including 3rd party wheels is still on the lot from June stickering for 31k.
I think dealers that do this indiscremently WILL get themselves in a bind. Vehicles that sit on their lots too long cost money, as factory 'hold back' money shrinks after 45 days and disappers after 90.
>It's sad that other dealers can't run their business well enough to make a fair profit without turning away potential long term customers.
The dealers that GOUGE aren't doing it becuase they have to, but because the think they can get away with it. Any dealer who can't make a profit at MSRP should just close the store. The factory will help line-up potential buyers for dealerships that want out. In reality, very few Honda dealerships change hands. The salesfolks who claim the "ups & extras" are NEEDED are full of you-know-what...
On the car buyer side, I think the number of families that own multiple Hondas (one measure of owner loyalty) is highest among all makes. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean the LIKE the dealers, just the vehicles!
http://www.auto.com/industry/satis16_20020816.htm
tidester
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Also looking at a Volvo XC (2003 model), which while overseas is basically even with the Pilot on price and features, with no wind noise.
Any input from Pilot owners would be greatly appreciated before paying such a high price!
Also, with the MDX hovering only a few thousand dollars above the Pilot, there never was a lot of headroom for markup.
IMO, my friends and I take the results as a marketing thinky. In other words, a grain of salt.
We don't use it at all and I doubt they are really that accurate.
IMO again, I think you'll find the best results about an auto is from people that owns and drives it.
It comes down to who do you trust. Ex: With all the accounting scandals also out there, can you trust that company stock that you buy is telling the truth on earnings???
-mike
Can you email me the dealer that changed its tune?
Thanks.
One question that the dealer couldn't figure out is how to adjust the front seat head rests. They wouldn't go up and I can't figure out how to raise them and lock them in in a higher position. Any ideas??
I have experienced none of the rattles or gas tank noises or window noises that everyone has been talking about.
The height is exactly as advertised for those with garage height issues.
All in all I have to say I like the vehicle a lot. I wanted the MDX but for $7,000 less for a comparable vehicle I am very pleased so far.
It will be interesting to hear if more drivers complain of this problem on the Pilot, and how extensive it is. Some cars are bad enough that they will buffet with very little air entering vehicle.
I just know on our 2000 Jetta that if you drive over 30mph with the back windows all the way down, the buffeting is near deafening.
My guess is that this problem didn't happen when cars were less aerodynamic and air would be pushed around the vehicle, as opposed to now when it slides along the car.
Hope that helps,
PileIt
The front row headrests don't adjust.
Now for the installation, it is difficult to get a tight fit, but not impossible. First of all, you know you have to pull the seat belt all of the way out so it will only retract? I find keeping the belt pulled way out and tightening toward the drivers side rear door, rather than up gets the best fit. Then I allow the slack to retract while holding the belt tight against the car seat, so after the slack is taken up, it is still a tight fit. The retract only feature is good, however it only will retract if the slack is more than about 1/2" so if you don't hold the belt position tight by the seat, while kneeling in the seat and letting the slack up, you get too much movement in the car seat, and have to start over.
Are you sure the Pilot doesn't have a center latch system? I believe the MDX does.
Otherwise the center belt can be used, with some setup effort to make the belt as taut as possible. Basically you should pull the belt out all the way, thread it, and then slowly let it retract. Then, you buckle the seat and let it retract more. Now the fun part begins -- you push your knee into the seat (basically you climb onto it), which lets more slack retract, especially if you pull on the belt.
Then the final trick ... carefully unbuckle the seat belt and let it retract out another couple of inches. Then it's a struggle to drive your knee into the seat again and clip the buckle closed.
Best done with two people (one person on the seat, the other on the buckle side). The seat fit we have is so tight that at a car seat checkup event, the child safety technician was really surprised. She tried helping me with a re-installation and I wasn't happy with the resulting level of play, even though she said it was perfectly acceptable. Then I adjusted it my way and she was amazed.
There are also retractor-thingies that try to spool the belt tight. I haven't used those.
Steve
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While a center installation seems possible, it doesn't sound easy to me. Going to the Pilot from the Highlander may not provide any benefit in this regard.
I would think that it would be cheaper and easier to keep shopping car seats, rather than replace the car under it. Many retailers will allow you to test the fit of a car seat before you buy it. Unless you've exhausted every possibility already, I'd say keep shopping for a better car seat.
However, some newer child seats include the tether when purchased. Older child seats do not have the tethers but can be purchased at most baby stores.
Or am I incorrect?
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) which adds a standardized lower mounting point for all cars/car seats. Automakers have been offering LATCH compatible rear seats for a couple of years now by mounting steel rings in the rear seats. Car seat makers have been offering retrofit kits (belts and hooks) for existing car seats and are required to manufacturer only LATCH compatible seats starting in Sept 2002. Acceptable LATCH devices will include the current belt/hook kit and hard hook attachments on the car seat.
The goal is to eliminate the issue with using seat belts to restrain car seats. With so many types of seat belts, locking clips, etc. it has become difficult to properly restrain a car seat. It's ultimate goal is to allow a parent to safely and easily install car seats in any vehicle the is LATCH compatible. With the hard mounted hooks, all one needs to do is simply hook the car seat into the rings and attach the tether - no adjusting belts, using clips, climbing in the seat to press it down, etc.
It's coming just in time for my oldest to get out of his booster...as always a day late and a dollar short.
Go to www.carseat.org and click on LATCH.
Basically a lap belt with a hook on each end and it's adjustable. the hooks snap into the anchor points between the seat crevasses. With it you can put the carseat in the middle and not have the seat belt stretch all the way across blocking the entrance to the back.
I'm afraid to think that it may be another marketing ploy by child seat manufacturers to confuse consumers into thinking that they cannot use their existing car seats with the LATCH system. Therefore, consumers would need to buy a new child seat to use the LATCH system.
As far as I know, I can use the LATCH system with any child seat as long as I have the LATCH kit.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/csr2001/csrhtml/LATCH.html
Most of the conversion kits are simply belts that thread through and click onto the lower anchors. The true LATCH seats simply have a very short belt or metal bar to attach to the LATCH points.
All LATCH seats can be used in non-LATCH vehicles because manufacturers aren't going to give up the non-LATCH market and allow for the use of standard seat belts.
SBcooke I am VERY interested to know whether or not your MDX has LATCH in the center. That would be very unusual, but not unheard of (I know Chrysler vehicles have 3 LATCH positions). It's rare because the law requires them to put it in only two seating positions, and they normally choose the outside.
As for finding a LATCH car seat, you may be pleased to know that Britax is going to release a couple of them any day now. There will be a Roundabout with LATCH that goes to 40 pounds (30 pounds rear facing), but the one I'm dying for is called the Britax Marathon. This is an all new seat that will allow you to keep your child in a 5 point harness all the way to 65 pounds!!! You have to start using the seatbelt to strap it into the car after 48 pounds because the LATCH anchors may not be strong enough to go to 65.
I know it seems crazy that I want to get a new car. I really didn't explain the whole story. I had a Fisher-Price Safe Embrace car seat with a built in locking clip, and the built in clip somehow damaged by seatbelt very badly and I had to have it replaced. I think it happened because the seatbelt was riding up too high in the clip because the middle seat is so narrow in the Highlander(hard to explain) I use a Britax Roundabout now, and it's in very tight. Nevertheless, I have this lingering bad feeling about having my entire back seat taken apart to replace the seatbelt and about seeing that my child's car seat was held in place by a belt that was nearly ripped through. I'm also concerned that the dealer may not have used the right torque when they bolted everything back together. I didn't realize that the Highlander didn't have LATCH in the center when I bought it, so that was I big let down. If Honda really says that it's okay to use the inner prongs in the center, I may just go for it and get a Pilot. It would be nice to have something bigger anyway.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K4B635291
Please note that the "Paluch" referenced in the article is Frank Paluch, described in another review as Honda's "chief engineer ... in charge of bringing the Pilot to market." Not sure if that qualifies him to make the comment.
I realize that this setup has not been crash tested, but I would think that it's quite logical that the pair of inner points are as secure as any other pair, wouldn't you say? I'd think that it was okay but obviously it's not something that is normally tested.
The MDX does not have three LATCH positions, just two, just like in the Pilot. As you pointed out, you don't see three too often.
I am interested in the new Britax seats too. I am especially interested in the new infant seat (Companion) and the newer version of the Super Elite (Husky). Also the Marathon you mentioned. Unfortunately, Britax has been super-slow in introducing new product, in quantity, to North America.
As for the LATCH retrofit kits, the car seat mfrs and inspectors will advise you to use only the kits made by your specific car seat manufacturer and only with the seats they specify. IE, use a Century kit with a Century seat only if Century says it works with it. The manufacturers will only certify and stand behind products they say it will work with. I could not retrofit an older seat I had with the tether attachment because the manufacturer said it could not handle the stresses of the tether.
elizasmom - I hope someone releases a LATCH seat soon. My understanding is that they cannot manufacture non LATCH seats after 9/1/02 but they can continue to sell whatever inventory they have left after that date.
I love the latch system because I can move the actual seat to the outside, or take the entire seat out without having to remove the carseat.
On another note, I called Honda today and they said that it would be okay to fake a LATCH in the center using the inner prongs. I didn't get the feeling I was talking to someone who was really confident about it though. Maybe I'll wait for the 2004 Honda and have everyone I know and their mother contact Honda and ask for LATCH in the center.