Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

jreese

The higher octane req. is what gives the MDX the higher horsepower. The engines are otherwise identical. You can use regular

qbrozen

i'm not completely clear on your statement, but are you saying that the MDX has higher HP BECAUSE of the higher octane? Cause that's just not true. If it were, you could run high octane in the Pilot and get 260 HP. The MDX has a different intake, exhaust, ECU program, and, IIRC, cams.

Now I'm not sure what Honda did to the '05 Pilot for those extra 10 HP, my guess is just a reprogram.

Ok, so I finally went back and looked on hondapilot.org for some answers/opinions on some of this. I have seen a scan of the owner's manual and it does infact say to use 91 octane fuel. HOWEVER, there is no sticker inside the fuel door indicating this. And, apparently, even many MDX owners have been using regular fuel and experiencing no problems with their vehicles. Someone also claims to have called Honda and were told that the earlier '05 owner's manuals have that mistake, but the later ones will have corrected manuals. Guess we'll have to wait to find out if that is true.

isellhondas

The owner's manuals have that error. As long as it's 86 octane or higher, that's fine.

carp32

Yesterday I found a nail in the sidewall of tire in my 2 months old Pilot. If I pull out the nail, then it is leaking. My question is : Should I replace the tire with a new one or just repair it? Thanks.

qbrozen

you can't repair sidewall damage. sorry. you're gonna need a new one.

javahound

You can, and I have, plugged a sidewall. But it's not recommended.

niscr

I have a 2003 Pilot. SRS light came on a week ago for no apparent reason. The Honda Dealer asked if I had disconnected the battery. About five weeks ago I jump started someone. So the Honda mechanic laid the blame on the jumpstart! THERE ARE NO WARNINGS about SRS damage when jumpstarting in the owner manual. In fact it provides a procedure to follow for jumpstarting. I'm just amazed they would blame something that happend five weeks ago for the SRS failure. Anyway so far I've put in close to $700 on this failure! And the car was just beyond the 35,000 mile mark. So I'm contacting Honda America Customer Support to see if they will consider this as warranty work. The only people that have ever tinkered with the SRS is the dealership, once they performed the SRS Recall procedure and once they removed the right rear passenger seat to repair a latch.

Whew!

qbrozen

did you do it or did you have a shop do it? If the latter, I'm rather surprised. I have yet to run into any shop that was willing to plug a sidewall.

carp32

Thanks...it was replaced with a new P235/70R16 for $110.

jay_24

Jump starting can cause many electrical problems. I'm suprised it wasn't in the manual in huge bold print.

With replacing just one tire, make sure they are all the same circumfrence/diameter. YOur Pilot is new enough that it shouldn't be an issue, but with AWD you need to have the tires very close in size otherwise you can damage the AWD components.

movvam

My Dealer is asking for a $189 for the service.
The service manual says it needs oil change + tire rotation. Is there any thing else that needs
to be done.

Thnks,

lok888

$20 for oil change and $15 for tire rotation. I also suggest the tire balance as well.

pilotrol

my 05 pilot ex has bridgestone tires on it. i'm going to call honda...

what brand are your tires?

bioteacher

I bought my '04 EX from Mike Pruitt last wednesday. They gave me warranty info for Goodyear tires and told me how good they were. ONly problem is that my Pilot has Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts.....

pepster1

On the 04 Pilot that I just traded for an 05 (see my other post)I noticed quite a few little annoyances. The seat belt nicks on the door posts are quite annoying. So is the clunking when in reverse. I also had a sagging head liner near the rear hatch. Many others have complained about the same things. I am hoping for better luck with my 05. I do know the door posts are the same material as last year!

pilotrol

My 05 EX has Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts on it too. I haven't gotten a chance to call Honda yet...
If you look back at post #737, someone mentioned the Pilots should have Goodyear tires on them.

pilotmark

I own a 04 Pilot with a tow package added by the dealer after purchase. This is my first Honda. Sometimes when I am braking slowly from over 55 mph, the brakes will seem to "grab" between 50 and 45 mph, causing the car to feel as if I pushed the brakes much harder than I did. Of course, the dealer has never heard of this and would have to experience it to be able to fix it if possible. Is this normal for Hondas? If no, has anyone else experienced this and what was done about it?
Also, should I have the brake shims installed for the trans clunking noise at my next scheduled maintenance; will they automatically do it or do I have to complain?

opus5

I have noticed the same chracteristic regarding the braking. I call it a characteristic because it is not a problem. When you step on the brake lightly at speed, the transmission drops a gear (or so) to enhance engine braking. It does take some getting used to.

Regarding brake shims, you have to complain since its posted as a service bulletin to fix a problem. If you don't find it a problem, then they won't fix it.

qbrozen

are you travelling downhill when this happens? Because this is their "brake assist" feature.

bbug1

I have noticed that I no longer see "Grade-Logic" as a feature for the Pilots. Is this now called Brake-Assist?

While some may find that "grabby" feeling annoying, others love it. It is especially helpful when going down mountain roads.

qbrozen

oh, ya know, I really have no idea what its officially called. Good question, though. Maybe someone with an owner's manual can help us out with that one? (is it in there at all?)

bbouch57

The Pilot comes with both. So does the Toyota Highlander. My Pilot came with the Duelers and the Toyota Highlander I own with the Goodyear Integritys as some Pilots do. Be glad you have the Duelers because the Goodyears are junk. No wet traction and lousy in the snow. I got rid of them after 6,000 miles. Before anyone takes a Pilot they should only choose one with the Duelers. If you look at a line of Pilots on a lot you will see some with one tire and some with another. It does not depend on model level. It is entirely random.

lal

I too have the same problem, I wish i can give back the piolt, I hate the vehicle now. It's so uncomfortable. I even called Honda, they just suggested that they can't do any thing. I checked with other vehicles and the front seats are 21/2 smaller in length, that's why we are having the sore problem, If we can change it, the problem will go.

lal

Hi everyone,
I bought a Honda 2004 Pilot a month ago, I am very uncomfortable and I request everyone who is looking to buy one think twice before making a decision. Vehicle performance and other things are good, but the seating is so uncomfortable which is un bearable. I tried all positions and still i am unable to get comfortable. If given a chance i would give away the car right away. I called Honda CS, but they are not helpful. So please don't get burned like me. I wish some one told me before i buy.. Think twice before purchase.. I suggest DON't BUY honda Piolt... I checked with other vehicles, the front seats length is 21/2 inches smaller which is making uncomfort

lisasc2

I have a 2003 Pilot and am considering purchasing a second one. However, we are experiencing a musty, sour smell coming out of the vents at times--sometimes at starting up but sometimes just while we are driving. The dealer changed the HEPA filters and added something to kill mold, but the smell continues. The dealer is saying they have not had not a problem with other Pilots, but a friend has a similar situation.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so, any solutions? We have a baby so we are concerned about these musty odors.

imidazol97

Have had odor from car air conditioning occasionally. Just occurred in my wife's relatively new car. Moisture from air conditioner usage kept mold able to grow.

I started leaving the windows down in the garage for some air flow through the car and intake grill.

I also would drive the car with no air conditioner and blower on high to force air through the heater box to dry it out. I would run the blower sitting in the garage or driveway for 5 minutes when I was working nearby.

She had used the car on short trips and pulled into the garage and we left the windows up to keep the leather smell in the car. Heater box stayed moist.

I've heard car people suggest turning the blower on high and spraying Lysol into the air intake under or above the hood. I recommend leaving the car with windows down after an hour or two. The smell will permeate the car, but the Lysol killed the smell for me.

qbrozen

hey, i got a brilliant suggestion for you. Try test driving a vehicle before buying it!

and how would someone else tell you "you're going to be uncomfortable in it"?? I find it quite comfortable. So do nearly 200,000 other buyers (or whatever the number is. anyone know how many total have been sold to date since the introduction?). So none of us could have known you wouldn't like it. And there's certainly no way anyone could have guessed that someone who didn't find it comfortable would even consider buying it. In any case, go sell it! Let someone else enjoy it!

isellhondas

Just the opposite. People love the comfortable seats!

Can't please everyone, I suppose.

jaskn

I have has the same thing happening.. Is this really a 'brake assit' feature? I don't see any in the manual. Mine is 2004 Pilot & have'nt been to the dealer to check with this issue

qbrozen

what model do you have?

i ask this because i wanted to find a link on the Honda website to try to settle this issue. The spec sheet on the site seems to indicate that the Brake Assist feature is only on the EX-L models. We have an '03 EX-L and have this feature. BUT, I'm wondering if only the '05s moved this to be ONLY on EX-L and the earlier years had this feature on more models. I'm not sure where I might be able to find that info. I might have to scour hondapilot.org.

pilotmark

I have a 2004 EX with a tow package added by the dealer. Since posting my original question, I have isolated the "over-grab" to occurring almost exactly at 45 mph (decelerating slowly with the brakes, it's worse on hills and even slight downhill slopes.) I'm taking my car in for 22,500 service on Wednesday AM (Nov.3); I really appreciate the comments so far. Any other ideas or comments are welcomed - I hate that "We don't have any idea what you are talking about" look I so often get from my dealer's service advisors.

qbrozen

if you've pinned this down to a speed, I'd have to think you are feeling the transmission downshifting.

bbouch57

03, 04, and non leather 05's do not have brake assist. They have electronic brake force distribution only, which is different. Brake assist is an additional anti lock braking feature/option. EBD distributes braking force according to the incline of a car on a hill and other in motion factors to apply more force to the front brakes or back brakes to better stop a car, and yes, you can feel it. It does feel kind of strange. Brake assist takes over on panic type stops and automatically applies more brake force to bring a vehicle to a stop. You can actually feel the anti locks engage and the pedal move closer to the floor. Brake assist is an additional enhancement to anti lock braking that should have been on all Pilots since 03. This is just another silly model differentiation that Honda does which has hardly any additional cost. Traction control and stability assist should also have been standard since they are integrally tied in with the anti lock brake system.

qbrozen

thanks for the clarification.

freetibet

I purchased 204 Honda Pilot EX-L w/ navi on September 1, 2004. I love the car so far, but I'm getting horrible gas milage. I not getting anywhere near the 17/22 mpg that Honda advertised and that is really pissing me off. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this covered by the warrenty? I hate having this one flaw spoil my enjoyment of the car.

skillet

Hey-Can anyone recommend good snow tires for the Pilot? I do mostly city driving in the bay area, but like to drive up to Tahoe for skiing and need a tire that can do well in both.
And by the way, how is the all wheel drive? I'm used to 4 Hi in my Blazer and could whiz right by the chain checkpoints in the Sierras.

Thanks in advance.
=sm

qbrozen

interesting that this really happened to you. Back in August, you mentioned wanting to buy the Pilot and asked me about the idle-learn procedure and if it would help gas mileage. So I guess you really went and bought one and are having a mileage issue, huh? Kinda ironic. Did you ask the dealer about doing the PDI? Or did you opt to trust them? Anyway, if you look back to posts 730-731, you'll find the idle-learn procedure. Give it a try and let us know how you make out. Anyone I've spoken with who had a mileage problem fixed the problem with this procedure. good luck.

qbrozen

I was worried about the stock tires given all the owner complaints, but we decided to brave it last winter and at least give it a shot. We had quite a bit of snow and my wife reported that the Pilot did just fine on the stock rubber.

freetibet

Actually, when I purchased the Pilot, I did ask the dealer and they assured me that it was done. Weather they did it or not I have no idea. Anyway, a week after I purchased the car, I left something on(what it was I still don't know) and the battery died. A friend of mine suggested that maybe the computer needed to be re-set. But now that you mention the idle-learn procedure(I do recall that post), I'm sure that is the problem.

If I take the pilot to the dealer to perform the idle-learn procedure is that covered by the warrenty? Do you have any idea how much it would cost if it's not covered?

mtbdad

I also am/was getting horrible gas mileage from my '04 EX-RES, but realized that if I kept a lighter foot, I could improve it noticably. I was getting 17.5 mpg in 1/2 stop and go and 1/2 highway. I started to try to keep the rpm at 2000 or under, and I ended up getting 19.5. Almost a 10% improvement. I know that in the beginning, it seems like you are hardly moving when you keep the rpm that low, but the engine is powerful enough to keep within the normal acceleration of most cars in traffic even keeping it that low.

wallyb

I saw somewhere that preminum gas is necessary for the new 2005 Honda Pilots. I am considering a Pilot but am a little taken by the 22 MPG and now to see premium gas makes it even worse. Does anybody have a 2005 and have they read their owners manual to confirm/deny this rumor?

pilotrol

There was a typo in the car manual! I called Honda up and they confirmed 87 regular octane is ok. The Honda website also states regular octane.

qbrozen

you could just do it yourself by following the directions in that PDF. But, if it really worries you to try it, I would take it in for an oil change and ask them to do it. Out of courtesy, they might do it at no charge.

bbouch57

I have done it but it makes no difference. The idle learn for gas mileage is nonsense.

mtbdad

I just picked up my car and the rattle in the dash is gone!! This is the third time that I brought it in for rattles in the dash. The first time, it was the left tweeter cover was loose. I thought the right side was loose too, but it evidently wasn't the problem. I took it in the second time, and they adjusted the right cover and the rattle came back in about ten minutes. The third time, the tech took out the dash and glove compartment and adjusted a bracket that was touching an A/C duct behind the passenger airbag. He also put foam tape insulation between the dash and windshield and A pillar trim. Now, I am a happy camper.

qbrozen

what mileage are you getting, bbouch?

I've never had to do the procedure on ours, been getting 20 mpg since new, so I can't speak from first-hand experience, I am just passing along experiences posted by several other owners.

freetibet

I've read the instructions on the PDF for the Idle Learn Procedure but I have a couple of question if anyone who has done this before can answer:

1. When I disconnect the battery can I disconnect only the negative wire or do I have to disconnect both terminals.

2. What does " .. with the throttle closed" mean? Does this mean not to step on the accelerator during the idle stage?

3. Does any know what a PCM is? I saw this on the PDI PDF and was just wondering.

isellhondas

I don't know why this is scaring me just a bit?

Give the Pilot a chance to fully break in. Usually after several thousand miles gas mileage will improve. I don't know why but I've seen it in Honda I've owned.

If you are still not happy, have your dealer take a look at it.

pilotmark

When I took my '04 EX in for service, the service guy and I reviewed my purchase sticker and you're right, I do not have brake assist. I do have something called "grade logic" and he showed me a letter of explanation from Honda which basically says that the transmission will shift gears as necessary to assist with both braking and accelerating! I guess I am going to have to get used to this and live with it. Contemplating my options, after I left the Honda dealer, I went to the Toyota dealer and looked at the Highlander, 4Runner and Sequoia and none of these could match the Pilot in headroom, overall sense of spaciousness and the third row seating/cargo area.

My gas mileage is exactly what the sticker said it would be, which ain't wonderful.

isellhondas

I don't understand. Grade Logic is a great feature that honda has had for years. Most people view this as a benefit.