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Comments
The demo car at the dealer had the same problem, so I was forewarned, and I also peeked into another Honda while on vacation in August..the drivers seat was in the same condition.
I have written to Honda and to my dealer about my concerns so I can go on record in case they issue a service bulletin in the future, but at this time no none is willing to do anything about it.
sbdarby: How does the leather in the Pilot compare to the MDX? Leather usually stretches a little. Have you tried cleaning/conditioning it yet?
Headlights are best I have driven, and I used to think the Ody's were the best, and good as Volvo I believe. Only thing I can figure about complaints is that they are misaimed. The lights are bright with sharp cutoff, so if misaimed, you won't see as far as you should; no spillover.
The water pump, belt & pulley is one issue that was addressed in recall for specific vehicles. If you had a defective water pump seize; then all the parts were damaged and then some. Ours was one that was affected; took it in and had all of it replaced.
Tires; forced to replace ours, and I wasn't going to put two new Integritys on when wife punctured left two (400 miles on odo) "avoiding road hazard". Went with Michellin Cross Terrains all around for peace of mind.
Second row seat; I never sit there but I don't hear any complaints....I do hear a lot of fighting for the "solo way-back seat" between our two kids...
Whew.....
The EX has an outside temp guage, its integrated with the trip odometers on the dash (you can only show trip odo A, B or outside temp...the real odometer has its own display)
Buckeyedon,
Yes, its subjective...I would suggest driving the previa to a dealership and then test driving the honda's to compare...I don't have an issue w/ the road noise level in my pilot...I find it much better than my Grand Cherokee, and comparable to our 96 Accord...
MDX is very attractive also, but lacks the room.
Negotiated sales price
Lease term (36 or 48 mo.)
Mileage (12k or 15k/yr.)
Money Factor
State and/or Dealership
Thanks!!!
I live in Minnesota and have not put snow tires on a vehicle for many years--all season radials have always been adequate, especially on front wheel drive cars. One reason I bought the Pilot was because I've found the all wheel drive on my wife's Mountaineer to be very handy on the occasional icy and snow-covered roads we have here. I don't intend to get snow tires. Unless you're usually driving in 6-inch deep snow, I don't know why they'd be needed. They are no help at all on ice or hard-packed snow.
Texas is just about as cheap as you can get for a Honda. We're all "Hey, lets drive a pickup," so Honda is kinda a sleeper and we have a fondness for whoring cars out. Californians would be shocked by what we sell cars here for.
It seems that mechanically you all, those of who own one that is, like it in general but by lord is seems to have so many little flaws that if I read in between the line border on irritation.
Also the complaints about the lights, steering column, etc bother me somewhat.
Also, I remember reading somewhere, that the paint color really lack lots of choices too and not much to choose from or creativity in thought in the paint color selection.
Any commnets on my concerns or at least mental mussing? What do you think is the best paint colore to get. No blues at all for use blue people!
skihiker
Also what is the record for rust in Hondas? I know my 89 and most I view on the road, have the same rust areas by the back wheel wells.
If I purchase a Pilot I am considering having it rust proofed with the hopes of not only combating rust but lowering the road noise.
Amy comments would be welcome.
We are considering adding the tow prep package (trailer hitch, A/T cooler, P/S cooler), fog lights, and side steps. For those who have had accessories added, was the price paid actual dealer cost, retail plus installation, or somewhere in between?
For colors, has anyone purchased a Sagebrush Pearl with the Fern leather? What color exactly is Fern? Blue/grey, light blue? The dealer where we test drove had only gray leather and saddle cloth interiors. We're very interested in the Sagebrush, but the website doesn't do anything for us. If someone could post pics of the Sagebrush exterior and interior, or direct me to some pics, that would be great.
Thanks in advance. Cheers from DC.
Steve, Host
thanks.
the fern interior is actually a light gray, also with a little green tint to it, but that also is hardly noticeable unless your looking for it.
sagebrush has been a "mostly-love-it" color so far.
Of course, some of them are the same guys who charge a premium on an Odyssey or Pilot! Lose a little here, make it up there.
So, where are you looking to land now? Don't rule out Honda, it's a great brand.
I will likely get a Pilot in the near future. However, I agree with a lot of reviews that state that despite Honda's prowess on technical issues, that the Pilot is quite dull when it comes to styling and colors. I will therefore likely in the future be driving a dependable and rather boring looking SUV. Just wish Honda would hire a few high priced design people to go along with their fancy engineers.
Such musings on this web site tends to get you shouted down because this is an awfully pro-Pilot site. However, many would agree color choices are limited, the truck could use more options like a sunroof, better wheel options, etc.
I have added running boards to my MDX myself, and plan to do the towing package too. Hondaacuraworld has all of the accessories and instructions at more than 1/2 the price. If you have a little DIY skills, these are easy projects. I would also get a hitch from hiddenhitch.com rather than the dealer.
I added Ziebart to a Ford I once owned. It really did not help. I asked Varmint (CRV Forum). About Dynamat and he said he had mix feeling (lessen road noise but then he heard his engine noise).
I talked with a "Sound Engineer" and he told me that the human ear to tell a different you had to lower or raised the sound by 5 decibels. If this is true we will need a lot of sound proofing to lower the noise in a vehicle that when traveling 65mph generating 70 decibels down to the low 60’s range.
If you find something that works please post.
Slow
Just kiddin'! You could do a lot worse than sell trucks in Texas.
Stay in touch.
Accepted by most scientist: every 8 to 10 decibels will be percieved by the human ear to be twice as loud.
Never heard 5 decibels needed to detect a difference in sound.
Both my wife and I are very unhappy about the front head rests -- in the normal position they are extremely uncomfortable and the head does not nicely fit in the hole. If you try and unlock the rests, there are no adjustments and you have to leave them "floating" above the seat -- looks ugly and they keep going down everytime you lean your head back.
Seems a bit like griping over a small issue but it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect a comfortable seat and adjustable headrest.
Any solutions? Am I the only one with the beef?
I stand corrected. What I was told seemed reasonable to me at the time. But on doing a little research (which I should have done)
there is a multiplier effect. I got these figure from NASA:
Soft whisper (approximately 5 feet)-30 decibels
Conversational speech-60 decibels
Alarm clock-80 decibels
Lawnmower-100 decibels
Chainsaw-120 decibels
Jet engine-140 decibels
Rocket launching-180 decibels
But because of this multiplier effect it works against getting the noise down in vehicles.
I disagree the alarm clock decibel rating. My alarm clock is between a Jet engine and a Rocket launch at 6am.
Out of curiosity I searched for the quietest vehicle - Lexus LS 430 - 31.1 at idle (www.canadiandriver.com/news/020212-2.htm)
slow
Now that you've completely lost your hearing, what do you use to wake up on time? :-)
tidester, host
Thanks all of you who responded to my noise level question. I guess I should be use to it because my 89 accord, as dependable as it has been, is rather loud. I do hope the 03 vehicles are quieter than mine but just as dependable.
Steve, Host
I guess Honda will offer more colors when we stop buying 400K Accords, 180K Odysseys, 200K CRVs, etc. That'll show them!! :-)
For the flip-side of simplicity, I read an article yesterday detailing the Jeep Liberty plant in Ohio. Complete dashboard assemblies (including pedals) are made for them outside. The number of different configurations possible was something like 112 - and the subcontractor doesn't get the information until the vehicle has started down the assembly line. They then have a few hours to build it, test it, put it on a truck, drive it 40 miles, and get it to the assembly station with only minutes to spare. JIT at it's finest.
I don't expect the Pilot to perform worse than the MDX in the rollover test, since its wheelbase is wider than the already wide MDX.
However, NHTSA's rating is a static measurement and doesn't factor in vehicle dynamics. The 2003 MDX has stability control (Honda/Acura's version is called VSA). As NHTSA says, having stability control helps prevent some accidents that lead to rollover. They feel strongly enough about it that they usually note when the vehicle has stability control. The Pilot does not yet have VSA.
As far as side-impact goes, it's hard to say, and it comes down to the type of side-impact. One vehicle may do better in some types of side-impacts. The Passat is only 4/4 in side-impacts, isn't it? But having head protection is nice.
One reason that most mid-sized and larger SUV's get 5/5 stars in NHTSA's test is because the barrier that is used to hit the vehicle is relatively low. Taller vehicles where the passengers sit higher often incur less injury as a result. NHTSA's barrier is roughly the footprint of an average or larger-sized compact vehicle, so the test doesn't simulate what happens if you get t-boned by another larger SUV or minivan.
Side curtain airbags in SUV's are a hot trend now, but they are not as broadly useful as they are in sedans. In a sedan, the side curtains can help immensely if one is t-boned by a large SUV, with much impact force aimed above the windowline. However, in a taller SUV, that same impact may not threaten one's head as badly.
Where the side curtains may help more in an SUV is the type of side impact where one loses control and slams sideways into a lamppost / telephone pole. That's why models with side curtain airbags are often given the "pole test." Obviously the odds of that happening are lower than the total population of side impacts, but side curtains protect against that nonetheless.
Recently, I started hearing hints of the infamous Goodyear SUV whampa whampa when driving down the road. I have rotated the tires regularly and even rebalanced and aligned them recently (bad encounter with a monster pot hole). I have considered replacing the tires anyway with something with a little more aggressive tread since I live at 7000 ft. I didn't think the Goodyear car tire would handle the snow well.
Any thoughts on cupping problems or replacement suggestions? Has anyone tried the Michelin Cross-Terrain on their Pilot?