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Comments
I hear of "problems" on these boards that I never hear anywhere else and a "poor stereo" is a good example.
I also hope that people from Honda Corporate read these forums and make necessary tweaks from time to time.
Speakers are OK, not great, but plenty of volume on the highway and acceptable sound. On another forum, some people have reported nice improvements with aftermarket speakers, even without touching the head unit. I'll probably upgrade this way myself.
I still find the ride to be very quite. Maybe a slight bit of tire hum or sind noise off the mirror, but even at 75, it is quite serence, and well isolated from the outside world (yo don't even hear other cars). With the radio turned up (when by myself), I can't hear anything else. Much quiter than my old van.
Too each his own. Eman, sounds like you should just trade it in for a Sienna or something else before you give yourself an ulcer ;-> It's only a car, no need to let it make you miserable.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
For example, I filled up the other day when it was dead on 1/2 tank (perfectly even on the middle red line), just to test. It took (with some squeezing) 9.1 gals. With a 21 gal tank, I would have expected 10-10.5 at that point.
Noticed the same thing a couple other times when the tank was lower.
Not a big deal, just have to recalibrate my internal guage!
Of course, I'm assuming that the tank actually fills up. I notice that the guage goes about straight up to F, and moves linearly down, unlike my other cars that tend to stay at the top for a while, then suddenly drop to 1/4 tank almost instantly.
Anyone else notice this behavior? If not, I assume our van just doesn't fill up to the top. Might have to do a self-serve some day (I'm in NJ so don't normally do it) and keep pumping until gas sills out on my shoes!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
This forum has had many posts from many people complaining about wind noise and poor stereo.
BTW: Poor stereo was a complaint in the previous generation Ody, too.
Now I am not a car person and just want something to get me from point A to point B safely and reliably. I don't expect too much other than to hopefully not get a lemon and for my dog (and kids) to not destroy my new leather seats. There will always be something that is not just right or not exactly what I like in a car. Yes, the radio is not tremendous, the lazy susan is silly, there is a rattle by the passenger sliding door and there is some road noise. Also, I don't like all the plastic handles and trim on the floor and the third-row seat anchors on the floor. Any car I buy will have issues.
I do like the way it drives. The 05 drives just like my 02, firm with great handling and a small turning circle. I didn't like the material used on the cloth seats this year so opted for leather seats this time around and am pleased. I like the sunroof and split folding seats and that one does not need to take off the headrests to fold the third seat down.
Having trouble finding one that can fit(issues with the moon roof).
Does anyone know of any overhead RES/DVD players that will fit(make/model)?
As for road noise, I guess I don't get that. This is our first minivan and it is quieter than I expected by a good amount. I can hear some noise under the car/tires, but I haven't checked the air pressure and really, I expect that. LOVE the way it drives and the NAVI and XM radio.
" Yeah..I DO notice a bit of road noise"
or...
" Yeah, now that you mention it, my radio DOES fade out sometimes"
As an example, I never noticed the moonroof in my 99 Accord squeaking until someone mentioned it on an Accord forum.
Next day, I turned off the radio and A/C. sure enough, it squeaked a bit. Some lube fixed it.
I compared the ride and noise to a $50,000 S-Type Jag, and the Odyssey rode as well as and was noticeably quieter than the Jag. Vans are inherently noiser than sedans because of the large open space and proximity of the interior to the suspension, and to do better than a luxury car, even one that Consumer Reports says is noiser than the competition, and handle as well as it does is a thumbs up accomplishment. I get no buffeting with the sunroof open and the windows closed or partially open.
I have to do exercises to straighten my back and improve its mobility. When I slouch in the seat, my butt slides back too far and my head is too far from the headrest. When I put the seat back in a more upright position (someone else mentioned this also) and sit up straight, the headrest is only an inch or two from my head, and I can position my arms and legs better with respect to the steering wheel and pedals. Maybe a dozen adults have ridden in the van including the Plus One seat, and none of them have complained about the seats being uncomfortable. Several have commented on how comfortable the seats were.
I have only 1500 miles on the van, and I averaged 24 mpg on my last trip of highway and city driving with the van filled to the ceiling with furniture and heavy boxes. I don't baby this vehicle. I usually floor it when I merge onto a freeway or pass, letting the engine rev to about 6000 rpm before shifting. The acceleration is great, and I'm use to driving cars that are much faster.
I have my share of nits about the design. We have 6 cars in our family of four drivers, and all of the others have remotes with the lock button on the left and unlock on the right. To me this is an industry standard, and Honda has it backwards.
California now requires that the headlights be on when the wipers are on. Honda should have used Volvo's DRL approach, and the headlights and taillights would be on all of the time and turn off when the ignition is turned off. You can turn on the lights every time you start the Odyssey, and the lights will turn off after a few seconds when the ignition is turned off. But then the lights turn on when the driver's door is opened.
The gas cap cover should unlock when the doors unlock, which is a great convenience on a number of luxury cars. The doors should remain unlocked longer before relocking if a door is not opened. There are other nits, but these are just nits. Honda got the major things right. I think my experience with the van is typical of most owners.
My EX-L's rear hatch is also a bear to close properly. I normally have to slam it hard to get it locked. One give-away if this door not latched: you will not be able to lock the vehicle using the key fob and the light bulb in the rear area will stay on all the time. I hope that this Honda has battery run-down protection.
Yesterday, I tried adjusting the two rubber stops that someone mentioned previously but no luck. I even popped out the plastic cover of the locking mechanism (at the door side) but saw no accessible adjusting part. I suspect that the dealer has to re-align the hatch door to get it work properly
If anyone has any other advise how to fix this problem, I 'd appreciate it.
Thanks,
JNT
Night and day compared to the Odyssey. It makes sense to have two very comfortable seats and one smaller seat than 3 IMHO undersized seats. Surprised to see the Sienna not even having armrests for the second row. Perhaps it's the lower end model I sppose.
Glad I bought the Touring, the Siennas in Canada don't even come with Navigation so it was never a worthy alternative for us anyway.
Regarding the poster that wants to install an aftermarket DVD system in their Touring, and for anyone else that has/wishes to do the same, please check with your auto insurance broker. Mine was so happy to hear that my DVD was factory installed. She stated that I needed to send her a copy of the window sticker that showed it was factory installed. This way, it is covered against theft, etc. Otherwise, if it was not factory installed, I would have to pay extra to obtain coverage on it. For those reading this post, whichever category you fall into, it may be worth your while to discuss this point with your broker if the subject never came up.
Final note - Yes, my passenger sliding door occasionally rattles too. I noticed it before I saw a post on this board. However, since I am the only driver in the family, I have not had a chance to sit in the 2nd row and try to figure out where it is coming from.
Thanks for sharing you experience which i understand. There will always be growing pains with a first year model. Some will have less critical issues than others.
As you mentioned, it is really pitiful to spend so much money on a BMW, M-B, and Audi and they have some many problems/high costly maintenance compared to their Japanese competitors. It is most likely the status symbol that their owners are seeking. My uncle gave a great comparison recently: Buying a BMW or M-B is like a man having a mistress with high maintenance when he has already has a committed wife who is not so demanding. This man feels good when he is seen with this "attractive" mistress. Enough said!
As far as the gas cap is concerned, I bought one of those screw-in gas caps at Advance Auto with an automatic door. You simply push the pump filler in and fill the tank up. No need to open(unscrew)the gas cap. Works fine in my Ody and my other cars.
I love my new 2005 Touring Odyssey. Only real frustration I am having now is that there is no real good place for that loose change you get in the drive through. I don't like to put it on the fold down self in between the front seats and I have only found the ashtray to be convenient The problem with that is that the coins slide around and rattle.
What are you doing with your coins??
Any good ideas out there?
prevent people from running out of gas, since
they don't offer a "Destination till empty"
feature.
On another forum, a number of ideas were bandied about. There are some DIY container solutions, but also some containers you can buy the fit in the cup holder. One is even a mechanical sorter/dispenser!
A small coin purse will work just fine (the kind with the zipper, or a squeezable plastic one). You can stach it whereever it's convenient.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I do find it rather annoying...so thanks
You may want to go back on some of these forum topics.
All cars have problems, big and small, not to mention that 2004 was a record year for recalls.
If you want more pure enthusiast talk, try the Future Vehicles boards. You'll get a different type of grumping over there; ditto the Smart Shopper or News & Views discussions.
Steve, Host
I already have a hard time using the fold down 3rd row in my ody due to the fact that i have to yank out all the
junktoys that were sitting in the well. I like the sto & go 2nd row, but I'm afraid with my kids (just mine only), I won't be suprise the sto & go storage space will turn into an ant farm on one side and a miniature japanese zen garden on the other.I was interested in your post about picking up an Odyssey in Germany. Although, I live in Sweden, for tax reasons I was going to park an auto (probably an Odyssey) in Germany for 6 months and pay the 18% sales tax (am I correct - in Sweden this is 50%) before moving it north tax free.
With the USD/Euro rates at 1.33 it seems to make sense.
Specific questions:
- I am very interested in what mods you needed to do for EU compliance. The ones that come to mind are (i) addition of side repeaters (ii) rear indicator light changed to orange from red(iii) addition of rear fog light with dash indicator.
Are there any others you can think of? How much did you pay in Euros and who did this (if I'm not too nosey)?
- Did you manage to get the car free of local state taxes and avoid registering it in the US. Did you get it shipped to the US port unregistered and what dox did you need for the agent?
- How much did you pay for shipping and insurance to Bremerhaven? Which agent did you use?
- did you purchase any spares in the US before shipping (brake rotors, pads, wipe blades, etc) or do you think spares will be plentiful in Germany?
- I'm assuming that Honda Europe will not honour the 3 year warranties, if so have you found an insurance company that will cover these for you.
Apologies for the length of questioning but it's great to find someone who imported an Odyssey to Europe.
Look forward to your replies.
Etoile Brilliant
This will probably disappoint you, but I'm with the US Military stationed here in Germany, so I fall under the USAEUR registration system. I register it with the military base, and no modifications are required. If I sell it to a German before I leave, they will have to meet European requirements.
There is a website for Odyssey owners or prospective owners here in Germany (unfortunately it is in German, but he can answer you in English if you e-mail him):
http://www.prelude-fan.de/unser_rl.htm
He bought an Odyssey, and has links to importers in Germany. I don't know what dealer you would go through to import an Odyssey to Sweden, but it must be possible.
I do have a warranty for Europe (same 3 years/36,000 miles), but it may only be a special deal for US military personnel. I bought my car through AutoExchange, but they only sell to US Military or US Government stationed here.
http://www.autoexchangeonline.com/
Best of luck in trying to import one to Sweden. Maybe someone else reading here works for an import/export firm and can help with these questions?
I think you'll like the van. I do.
Please advise.
Thanks in advance!
someone posted a link (can't remember the forum) to the crutchfield site that lets you determine the speakers they sell that will fit your car:
http://www.crutchfield.com
alternatively, even a best-buy seems to have a similar capability, although perhaps not the selection which fits your vehicle:
http://www.bestbuy.com/
follow the links and select the "fit guide".
Best Features: Although the Ody may not excel in all categories that people look at when buying a minivan, as with most Hondas, it does everything very, very well and has good re-sale and long term reliability. The NAV is a kick!
Worst Features: PAX tire is too limiting and while great on smooth roads, transmits too much road irregularities/coarseness (the Sienna is quieter and smoother); lack of openable rear side poop-out windows for quiet cabin ventilation (a la Sienna); some accessories such as the multi-information display are overly complicated; the complexity inherit with all the high-tech engineering and features might add to maintenance and repair woes if and when required--if you're a do it yourself oil change (and more) person, buy a Technical Manaul before doing anything, you'll be surprised and dismayed how much more has to be done, i.e. computer resets, etc; and how shall I say, real world gas mileage. Actually, for a 4600 lb vehicle, my mileage is understandable at 17 mpg overall with less than 500 miles of mixed driving. It's the EPA gas mileage figures that cause me grief. Yeah, it's a government/auto maker issue so I won't go there. I will say that at a constant 55 mph and on flat roads, I'm positive I would be able to get 28 mpg.
That's it. And now, to sell my 98 Town and Country LXi; actually, a vehicle that I still like even though it was high maintenance. I haven't been a fan of extended warranties but one served me well with the T & C and so, with the added complexities of the Touring--DVD/NAV,VCM/ACM/ANC/VSA etc., it too is covered for 7/100. Happy motoring!
Thanks for the quick reply, I had a sneaking suspicion that the perfect English on your posting meant that you were a US national stationed there.
I'll try out your links and hopefully see you driving the autobahns on my frequent visits to Germany.
Once again, thanks anyway.
EB
It sort of like an alarm armed light but can anyone tell me what exactly it is for? The round circle is shown in the intrument panel schematics in the manual but nowhere does it mention the function of that circle.
Thanks.
I always liked that feature but
no go on my EX-L.
SOJATP2014
This is out of the 2005 service manual. If you get this kit please explain the parts to us. thanks.
The mechanic who just did some work on the van obviously did not have these tools since a few of the buttons were broken and there were some interior scratch marks. I asked the parts guy about the availability of this kit and he could not find it on his computer and needed to make a phone call. I didn't have time to wait.
May wait for Ody to iron kinks out. Not sure. If not, Pilot is in the top running.