Honda Pilot Care and Scheduled Maintenance

rak1

I just nearly missed my son's 8th birthday party because of a recurring problem starting my Pilot. I got in the car and turned the ignition and the car wouldn't turn over....the green security key light was blinking indicating that my key wasn't recognized.

I read a previous post about this issue...needing to go through a "pre-starting ritual"...insert key in ignition, close door, belt self in and then turn ignition. This is insanity.

There's got to be something bigger going on here...when I called my local Honda dealer they were aware of many similar incidents with Pilots. When this has happened to me in the past couple of weeks I usually wait 15 minutes then go through "the ritual" and the car starts. In the meantime, I've been late for meetings at work and family functions.

The dealer has looked at the car three times now...each time claiming to have fixed the problem. First time he switched out my battery, second time he reprogrammed by key and the third time he cut a new set of keys for me. All of that and the car still won't start reliably.

Anybody else experience anything like this and care to offer a suggestion?

qbrozen

how big is your dog? You should check the owner's manual because I do believe there is a certain weight limit under which the bag is automatically disabled. Its intended to prevent it from going off and injuring small children.

qbrozen

i would ask that they replace the ignition itself.

srl99

100 lbs! I think the best solution is to convince her to ride in the back. [By the way my 100 lb dog can quite easily slip past the cargo separation net - but only when no one is watching.]

meyervilla

I'm about to swap out the OEM air cleaner element for a K&N in an attempt to improve gas mileage. Can anyone tell me how to go about it so that I don't break anything?

wvuproud

I just purchased this used 2003 Honda Pilot this past week and I have noticed that I do not get very good radio reception. I get a lot of fading and static that I have not ever experienced in any other car with these local and strong stations.

I have not visually seen the FM antenna anywhere on the car. Does anyone know where the Fm or Am antenna is located.

Does anyone have any idea why I am not getting good reception?

I did not receive an owner's manual with the car and the dealer will forward it to me once he orders it and it is received.

I appreciate any help or ideas.

Brian

j2thomas

Despite what the K&N advertising says, this filter is not going to give you better gas mileage. Switch to synthetic oil, run the tires on the hard side and take it easy on the gas pedal if you want to get better gas mileage.

normkol

Make sure you don't have any other keys with computer chips on your key ring.

If all else fails, it could be the antenna, or receptor, I'm not sure what the Pilot uses. The dealer should have checked this out.

Norm

lr2

The radio antenna on my Pilot ('03 EXL) is embedded inside the glass of the driver's side rear window. Its on the outside edge of the glass; it looks similar to the wiring of the rear window glass defogger but only a little bit thicker. I get great AM/FM reception (DFW metroplex) except my AM reception is very poor inside the parking garage at work (FM is still fine).

vapilot

We live in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. Bought our 05 Pilot in Ohio thanks to all the advice in this forum.

Buying was one thing, now it is time for the first service. We are looking for a reliable and honest dealership to have our regular service done.

We did search the Forums and learned lots about where to/and not to buy but nothing along service "down the road"

Any advice is appreciated.

thank you in advance

jdschu66

I believe Honda changed the filter design from the large to the small. Talked to a Honda Parts dealer and he said you can still use the large filter if you have them. Probably as cost cutting measure. I still use the larger version as Mobil and Bosch still make them and they are easier to un-skrew. The reason I know this is because my CRV has the same filter that went from large to small. No worries with the larger filter.

genenj

Any photos/diagrams of the VTM drain and fill locations? I'd like to do this maintenace myself, but don't want to make any mistakes. I've looked at the rear housing and did not readily see the correct plugs.

genenj

Never mind, I found them. I didn't realize they were internal square 3/8" drive.

denada

What is your pilot's coolant color?

My 06 EX is blue. Hard to find this color in shop.

ty2005

I just changed my oil today and I forgot that I installed the PH3593A on my last oil changed. I bought the PH3593A for my 1999 Mazda but since I didn't have it any more, I tried it on my Pilot. Works fine and will continue to this filter because it's bigger than the 7317. And I think it has better flow because of its larger size.

ty2005

My 04 EX-L is Blue too. I read in the manual that Honda is strongly recommending that we use their coolant and change it at 120,000 miles. This is ridiculous considering that everyone else says to change it every 2 years. I plan on changing mine next year with Prestone. Any idea if this coolant will ruin the engine?

hj708

Ok I know I'm replying to an old post, but I consider myself a detailing guru and it just makes me cringe to see some of the ways people wash and wax their $30K vehicles. If anyone wants any info, let me know.

stever

Don't miss the Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts) and Zaino Car Polishes/Products--Your Experiences (Part 2) discussions!

Steve, Host

cathkiley

When listening to talking books using the CD changer (factory installed) there is a high pitch whine when stepping on the gas. The whine goes away when I take my foot off the gas.

This noise is not present when I use the single CD player in the dash.

Any advice?

Thank in advance.

jimzops

I have an 06 EXL AWD w/RES and have just hit 4k miles,
and the 'Oil Life' indicator reads 40%.
The users manual and the on-line schedule i found here both say oil changes every 3750 miles. I thought the new 'Maintenance Minder'
in 2006s lights up at the required maintenance scheduled mileages.
Any insights please.....

carresearch

I would appreciate some advice.
What is your recommendation for: car wash/wax, leather cleaning, tire cleaning, rim cleaning, dash cleaning, clothes for washing, window cleaning, etc.

Thanks.

stever

Check out these discussions too:

Paint and Body Maintenance & Repair

Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)

Cleaning Leather/Cloth Interiors

Steve, Host

pruth

I don't know about the Pilot but I had a Toyota 4Runner and I installed a CD changer myself (well I thought I am a compute engineer so I should be able to do a silly thing like installing a CD changer . CD Changer had an amplifier and I had not screwed it in tightly when I installed the CD changer and that caused it to rattle and would whine. So after screwing that amplifier in firmly the noise went away.
So I am not sure if it is the same problem and I do not know how easy it is to access the amplifier module in Pilot. But it is worth giving it a try.

mouac01

My 06 Pilot has 5500 miles and has 15% oil life. Can I do the oil change at Jiffy Lube (or similar) other than the dealer? Anyone done this? Thanks...

qbrozen

you can, but why would you? Our honda dealer charges about $5 more than a quickie change place, but, for that $5, I know they will do it right and they will top off the washer fluid and check and adjust tire pressures while they are at it. Well worth it, in my opinion.

I've just had too many problems with those quickie places either overfilling or underfilling the crankcase, putting in the wrong oil, etc. They just have too many different types of cars to deal with, so they treat them all the same. The Honda dealer knows exactly what and how much your vehicle takes.

aspesisteve

I'll tell you why I chose not to change my oil at the dealer.

1. takes too long - some require a drop off for an oil change and that is rediculous.

I figure I've had 50 oil changes in my life not counting my wife's car. While I've never had anything go wrong at either place, I can tell you that the a Jiffy lube type place is so much more effiecient.

Usually I'll wait till I see an oil change place that has no line so I know it can happen in less than half an hour.
Also, Jiffy lube will fill your fluids as well.

You have to figure what your time is worth, and for me, life's too short to spend hours on an oil change.

qbrozen

well, obviously, that is going to vary by dealer. We've never waited long at ours. But I also don't show up unannounced.

And I certainly agree about what my time is worth, which is why I decided its not worth all that extra time I need to take to go home and add oil or drain the excess because jiffy-quickie-spiffy lube/oil/works either didn't listen to me when I explained how much the vehicle needs or didn't care what the car actually needs. But, hey, I'm sure everyone's experiences vary in this regard, too. After it happened to me 3 times at 3 different places, I gave up trying to save $5.

matt41

Yes, my dealer has a "fast lube" bay, so I plan to use them exclusively. And you are right, Jiffy Lube has much employee turnover, resulting in very inexperienced techs that are under pressure to move cars in and out. Of course, under and over filling of oil is common, as well as leaking drain plugs, double gasketed oil filters, etc. On my $33,500 vehicle, I'll trust my dealer for routine maintenance until they give me a reason not to; spending $5 more is worth some piece of mind.

echu

I am about to buy a Honda Pilot 2WD EXL and was wondering if Honda will try to sell me their paintguard. My previous car was a Toyota and they called theirs Perma Plate. I thought it helped my old car looking new, but I've been told it's just wax? Is this true?

echu

Hi,
I just bought an 06 Pilot and was wondering what's the best car washing products out there to protect paint, and what's the best leather cleaner/conditioner that's not hard to find?
Thanks

hobbs03

Synthetic or regular and what weight?

Thanks.

wrascal

I use Walmart for these type of services. Honda recommends 5w20, and I feel they know better than the oil tech's, so thats what I use. Locally, Walmart only has 3-4 oils that meet that spec. I chose the Ford Motorcraft brand for its price, $2.07 quart, and it's labeled as a synthetic, although I suspect its a blended syn oil. Mobile One syn is about $5 quart (I think); the other oils meeting 5w20 are only several cents cheaper than the Ford oil. So yes, I run Ford oil in my Honda, what a hoot! I expect I will receive some flack for this post.

normkol

No flack, I'm planning to do the same. I buy the Motorcraft for my '02 Tribute and will use it on my '05 Pilot.

BTW, it's a semi-synthetic oil. Also, the Walmart I use had the shelf price at $1.88. When I protested that it rang up at $2.07, they adjusted the price and gave me an additional $3.00 credit for the case. At $1.53/qt, that was a good buy.

matt41

Just for your info, Ford doesn't manufacture any motor oil, but has it private labeled for them by one of the majors (Exxon, Mobil etc.) So you are essentially purchasing a "brand " of oil in Motorcraft packaging. If an oil meets the current industry spec (currently GF3, SL) it is appropriate for use.

normkol

I understand that. I don't believe any of the factories make their own oil, they're not in that business.

But if Motorcraft approves it, and I can get a semi-syn oil for around $2.00/qt, that fine with me.

yangc

I bought it in January in NY and then brought it here in Toronto. The car currently has almost 4K miles on it and the oil life is 30%. The dealers here told me to wait for maintenance minder light on. I called several dealership in ny & nj and was given different answers---from 3k to 7500 for the first oil change. I was really confused. The canadian dealer said 2006 Pilot has a special "chemical" in the engin and i should keep it there running through break-in period. The amerian deal told me due to the weather changes in the North, i should change oil more often. can anybody share some experience???

hfzeus

The reason Honda (and Acura) use such a light weight oil is solely to boost fleet mileage. I use 5W30 for better protection.

I use Honda filters (same ones work on my TL) and metal gaskets, but the 5W20 is a joke.

bighonda

Yet another concerned....

The owner's manual states that the factory oil is "special" and should be left in the engine until the first oil change at 3,750 miles. This is counter to all that I've learned in the past. True, manufacturing technology has changed and metal filings aren't as much of a concern but a fresh engine will still have some metal to metal contact in the breaking-in process that produces some metal particles.

My question is, is the "special" oil capturing and safely suspending these filings/shavings? Are there any other benefits for the rubber seals, in that there's some conditioning benefit?

My Pilot still only has less than 1K miles, if I don't learn for certain that the oil is actually needed to kept for 3,750 miles, I'm changing at a thousand miles as we've done with numerous cars with great results.

swoo1

Just purchased a new pilot and to my surprise, the owner's manual does not have any maintenance item recommendation. Instead, the manual says that I will be automatically reminded by the computer in my pilot.

The owner's manuals for my civic and prelude I owned in the past had a detailed list of items for maintenance. Anyone know where I can get the maintenance recommendation list for a 2006 pilot?

swoo1

Any benefit to using synthetic oil for my pilot? I am motivated mostly by the longer intervals for oil change when using synthetic oil. (Currently, I change my oil every 3K miles or months, whichever comes first, on my Integra using Castrol.)

Any recommendation for oil filter if I use synthetic?

stever

The Edmunds Maintenance Guide has service interval information.

The same guide says that the oil change interval for the '06 Pilot is 5,000 miles.

swoo1

Steve,

Thanks for the info/link. 10K miles for first oil filter change -- very interesting.

hobbs03

I was surprised by this too. I just called the American Honda customer service and explained that the maintenance service schedule that the dealer gave me said my first oil change should be at 3750. Well, I'm at 3780 and still have 40% oil life left according to my 06 Pilot's maintenance minder.

I explained all this to the gentleman, and he said to follow the maintenance minder system in your car as it's tailored to you own driving needs. Changing it before the maintenance minder would be a waste of time and money.

odie6l

I was told by the service Manager at the Dealer where I just purchased my '06 Pilot EX that the vehicle should be on a 5000 mile interval. This is also what my wife was told by 2 different service centers for her Accord. We had to use a seperate center when one was closed due to minor flooding.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

jlitterer

Just picked up my 2006 Pilot EX 4WD yesterday (7/31/06) They told me oil change interval was 10,000 miles! They recommended however that the oil be changed every 7500 miles. Earlier on this forum, the Edmunds Maintenance Guide that was referenced suggested every 5000 miles (with the filter changed every other oil change) Perhaps that's where my dealer originally came up with the 10,000 mile figure. What I've done in the past with my other vehicles (GM, Honda, Hyundai) is run them till the factory recommended mileage (usually 7500 miles) then switch them over to Mobil 1. The Pilot owners manual says to use the Maintenance Mider Only. Pretty wide variance of recommendations, huh? Jeff

swoo1

I think I will follow the maintenance-minder to get to approximately 50% oil life (whatever mileage that ends up being) and then switching to Mobil 1 with either Honda filter or WIX, or NapaGold oil-filter. Thereafter, I will follow the maintenance minder.

Any opinions on using WIX or NapaGold oil-filters instead of Honda part?

jlitterer

What I did was purchase my own oil (Mobil 1), bring it into the dealer and use the factory oil filter. That way it's the factory filter, the dealer has documentation of the oil change at the prescribed factory interval, warranty issues are no problem. Jeff

swoo1

You are wise. I'll follow your lead and use Honda filter through the warranty period. I will do my own oil change, keep receipts and document the day/time in the manual.

komodo519

I spoke with my dealer and the maintenance guys about what I have read here and on other boards and they said that there is NO set mileage limit for oil changes for an 06 Pilot. The computer tells you when to do it. It is based on a number of factors including engine temperature, type of driving (city or highway), and individual engine characteristics. They also told me that if someone at a Honda dealership tells you otherwise, they don't know their product.

hobbs03

This is exactly what the rep from Honda N. America told me. The "scheduled maintenance" chart I got from my dealer is a not-so-cleverly disguised money maker.