Honda Odyssey Care and Maintenance

flyonwall1 · March 2009

Any experience with REALLY high mileage '06 Odyssey's? I'm considering a '06 Oddysey EX-L with 120,000 miles for purchase from a private seller, and generally believe that well maintained Hondas will drive into the 200-300,000 range without major problems, but I'd appreciate any experience.

The asking price reflects the high mileage, or so I believe.

dsrtrat2 · March 2009

"Well maintained" would be the key. I traded an '06 EX-L in with 106,000 miles. The dealer put it on their used lot at $15,000.00.

Was it used to tow anything? Short trips/long trips?
Has the timing belt and water pump been replaced?

flyonwall1 · March 2009

Thanks for your reply. I think it has been well maintained, and I know for certain that the timing belt and water pump were replaced.

The seller tells me that it has been used mostly for long interstate trips (how else could anyone put 40k per year on a car?).

I had it inspected by my mechanic, and the only thing they could find was some play in the front stabalizer bars. The seller is paying to have that fixed before we close.

dsrtrat2 · March 2009

Sounds like you are doing every thing that Click & Clack, the Tappet Brothers recommend. If the tires are good and you can buy it at a good price, sounds like a go to me.

smily · April 2009

My wife owns 2007 Odyssey EX with 16000 miles. She bought the car new in 12/2007. I noticed the coolant level is low at 8000 mile and added coolant to the MAX level in the reservor (white plastic tank). Now at 16000 mile, the coolant is between MAX and MIN. Is this normal? I checked oil but no water leaked into it. Tranny fluid is at the same level (meaning no additional liquid in it). How can coolant evapolate in a closed system like Honda's?? :confuse:

faxthat · April 2009

I currently own an 08 Odyssey bought new in 12/07. It's at 24,000+mi. and looks to have coolant level about 3 oz below min. after having sat overnight. Guess I need to go buy some coolant. I'm not going to worry about it unless it starts needing coolant more often than every 6 mo. or so. Hope it's still under warranty if and when that happens.

Thanks for posting. I obviously needed a reminder to check it.

dsrtrat2 · April 2009

Someone had a crack in the reservoir, but you are correct a closed system shouldn't lose anything to evaporation. I live with single digit humidity and don't have this problem.

speterson1 · April 2009

Is it possible that since it's spring you're going through some temperature changes (not to mention the large temp change of a hot vs. cold engine) that are causing the changes you're seeing? That'll show up in a closed system, but I'm afraid I don't know what the typical amounts would be...

smily · April 2009

Odessey since 2007 has tire pressure sensors as a standard feature. I wonder if I have to bring the car to a Honda dealer to get tires replaced. Dealers don't have a wide selection of tires and are expensive. Does anyone have experience getting tires replaced by non-dealers? :confuse:

smily · April 2009

I bought 1 gallon of Honda coolant...they don't have anything smaller :mad: and added it to the MAX line when the engine is hot. I will keep my eyes on it and report the outcome.

dave594 · April 2009

Tire pressure monitors are now mandatory on all vehicles. There's no reason to have to go to your Honda dealer to get tires. If that's the case all the independent tire shops will be out of business. The sensors may need to be reset but that should be an easy job. Look in your owner's manual for that procedure.

smily · April 2009

I don't like OEM Michline due to its high price. Any recommendation for replacement tires? I live in sunny California. No snow but will drive in rain during winter. Quiet tires are welcome...

stickguy · April 2009

LOok into Yokohama Avids. I have TRZ's on my 2005 Ody, and Avid H4s on my Accord. Great tires, rated very highly by tirerack, and a good price. And pretty quiet IMO.

speterson1 · April 2009

To basically second what stickguy said, check out Tire Rack - it's a great site with a lot of information and recommendations. They can even recommend an installer in your area so that you can purchase the tires online and have them drop shipped to the installer of your choice in your area. I've done this twice with our Subaru Forester; just had the second set of Yokohama Avid Tourings installed after the first set got a little thin after about 58,000 miles. I love the Yokos and will replace our Odyssey's OEM Michelins with them when the time comes.

jwb18t · April 2009

Recently bought Cooper CS4 Touring.....about 500 miles in so far and all ok...nice and quiet.

ed1973 · May 2009

Hello, has anybody had the problem of the front passenger side brake locking onto the disc, this has now happened 4 times the worst was when i was doing around 70 mph,i got a sudden vibration and loss of power (engine over revving to get power up ), i could barely reach 30 mph once this started,i limped home ,by that time the brake was smoking,yet after it cooled off it was fine for a while and then it obviously happened again, and keeps on happening ,i had work done on the cv boot (replaced as Worn) would this have anything to do with it?work was done by none honda dealer, i have had the wheel off , cleaned all the brakes and cylinder, but it is still happening, the brake servo was replaced when i bought the car 2 years ago,any help or suggestions appreciated as everything looks ok? please help i am getting concerned that this will suddenly lock totally, my odyssey is a 1995 with 52k 2.2lx i used to think it was the best car ever now it seems to be having a lot of problems..thanks Ed

cleverstar · May 2009

Got some dings/dents in the center of rear bumper of my new Ody. Searched honda dealer website, there's only corner protector to cover existing damage and protect future scratch. Didn't find anything beautiful for center damage hiding/protection. Was looking for some bumper sticker but didn't find anything satisfactory, was looking for generic after market molding but not satisfied either, then was looking for some grille bumper guard that I saw on streets for many toyotas but didn't find anything for honda... I'm not a fan of parking sensor...
Does anyone has a best bumper protector solution that (1) can hide existing center dings/dents and (2) provides future minor damages.

bigdadi118 · May 2009

Create Your Own Bumper Sticker

http://www.bumperstickermaker.com/

johnr11 · May 2009

My wife drives an '06 Odyssey with 76,000 miles her service light just came on for service B 2? What all is included in that service? Is there anything else that should be done at this time?

bigdadi118 · May 2009

You can view which all is included re 'B' and '2'

http://www.carspace.com/bigdadi118/Albums/bigdadi118%27s%20Album/Minder_2.jpg/pa- ge/photo.html#pic

http://www.carspace.com/bigdadi118/Albums/bigdadi118%27s%20Album/MMinder_ABC.jpg- /page/photo.html#pic

heuken · June 2009

Anyone know what is involved with a"30k transmission service" besides just changing the 3.3 quarts of transmission fluid? Honda dealers charge a bit over $300.00 in my city. I do all the maintenance my self by the book.

bhasin · June 2009

Hi,
I have a 2008 Odyssey, bought new about 8 months ago. I have put only 2200 miles on it. The dashboard indicates 70% oil.

When should i get the first service?

Thanks,
gurpreet

bigdadi118 · June 2009

Change the oil once a year if you don't have enough mileage.

stickguy · June 2009

the only service recommended is a drain and fill x3 (they drain, refill, drive, and then do it 2 more times). Not a big process.

I think I paid about $89 at the dealer to have it done on my 2005.

dsrtrat2 · June 2009

That oil in a new vehicle is break-in oil. I like to put a lot of miles on it so it can do its job. At the same time I wouldn't want to run the same oil over maybe six months depending on the climate in your area. An engine should get thoroughly warmed up to drive off water etc. You are in a catch-22. Take a couple of long trips to christen that baby!

bhasin · June 2009

Thanks. I live in San Francisco bay area.

yea i am in that catch-22, oil shows 70%. i don't want the oil change to be that long. But long drives are hard with the infant.

Still debating if getting oil change is better than letting it rot..

Its 9 months today..maybe will change it next weekend..i am sure the dealer would insist on changing it

Anyone else face similar predicament in the past?

fillykonk · June 2009

We live on an island so don't put many miles on in a year. We are allowing both our 09 Ody (2500 miles in 4 months) and my 08 TL (4800 in 16 months) to go with the break-in oil until prompted by the MID that it needs changing. However I would only do this with the break-in oil. After that, at least 1 oil change a year for both.

tooundone · July 2009

I have a new 2008 Odyssey. I like to keep my vehicles in top shape. Got my first scracth on the inside (plastic) of the trunk. I'd like to prevent these in the future when hauling stuff in the back.
Any ideas? Has anyone tried anything or is there anything on the market that would cover the high plastic walls of the back trunk?

Thanks

bigdadi118 · July 2009

Use the blue tarp with eyelets along the seams. hang them with strings up to both walls, ending in a big U-Shape protecting the floor and 2 sides.

heuken · July 2009

I have a 2007 Odyssey and who cares about a few scratches inside. The vehicle is made for hauling cargo and people. Anyway here's what I did. Wash and wax the outside. Go to a car show and buy a pristine 1970 Corvette Stingray and make that your special baby! Karl

brian0209 · July 2009

I bought an ex-l odyssey back in Feb 09. Before I went to get an oil change for the first time for the odyssey, I checked the dipstick and found the oil barely touched the bottom of the dipstick and color of oil was pretty dirty (dark brown). The oil life indicator was at 5% and the odyssey had 7100 mile on it. Is this normal?

The other cars that my family have/had are Toyota Camry and Nissan Sentra. Both Camry and Sentra are pretty clean and oil level are pretty full for each oil change. So this is a big surprise to me. Do I need to worry?

By the way, our dealer says it's normal. I also called HondaUSA and they refuse to give me an answer and ask me to ask dealer.

Brian

heuken · July 2009

There is a checklist in your owner's manual where your dealer should have had his expert mechanic make sure all the fluids were at the proper level, before they handed you the keys, check it out.
I usually change my oil when it gets to 10% and sometimes even 15%. You could have changed it 1000 miles ago. I also check my oil level at every other tank full of gas and, if it goes below the low mark I add some oil.
I do all this maintenance my self because I don't trust my expensive cars to an absent minded 20 year old know it all. But that's just me.
Try to get a new engine under the warranty after you run it out of oil!
Back in the 70's Chrysler used to let their executives drive new cars for a few months and then sell them as new. But they got caught and I don't think that goes on these days, with Honda anyway.
Karl

ed1973 · July 2009

Hi This is now sorted, it turns out i put hydraulic fluid in instead of brake fluid,, yes i am an ar**ole but the honda dealer done a gravity bleed overnight,filled it with good fluid and its now as good as new..

jennyh · July 2009

I have a 2007 Odyssey, and coming home to GA from NC this spring we had our first problem with this van. It started shifting hard and the check emissions light came on. We got the van home and took it to the shop the next day. We had a spark plug go bad, so we had that fixed and the light went off, but ever since then, the van makes a ticking noise. Today, however, I was coming home from town and looked down and noticed that the check emissions light was on again, along with the VSA light and the triangle with the exclamation point light was on. I pulled off the road and got out my drivers manual. I shut off the engine and then started it back in a couple mins and the VSA and the other light went off. However, the check emissions light did not. Anyone here have an idea what could be wrong, and what kind of money we are looking at to fix it?!

Thank you!

-Jenny

jdminok · July 2009

do it yourself and save 90%

jenni7 · July 2009

We've put on about 60K miles since we bought the van late June of 04 -- but since then we've had to replace all tires 3 times - the last one being 20K miles ago, 1.5 years ago. On the 2nd change they covered a portion of the cost under some warranty but the one yesterday, no coverage - paid $675 price for those P225/60R16 Michellins. Also, got the battery replaced the 2nd time! No warranty protection this time either. Have had both passenger door actuators and multiplexers replaced, rear window vent motors replaced, front window motor replaced, front and back breaks/pads replaced and "break shims" re-installed, steering wheel radio/audio controls replaced, odometer/console lamps replaced, etc. And this is in addition to the only thing they replaced under warranty - a recall early in the life of the van on the fuel pump assembly connector. And this is on top of all "normal" wear and tear - and we have gotten every recommended maintenance done, all by the book at the "right" time as recommended by the dealer, and all at the delaer's service center -- our dealer is AutoPark Honda in Cary, NC. We've had Hondas in the past, Civics and Accords and never had so many problems and thus didn't purchase the extended warranty - which we now regret.

Anyway, question is, can we turn somewhere for any sort of warranty support on the tires and batterries? Also, should we just sell this and cut our losses and never buy a mini-van again - because seems like there could be many more things that we have not been "blessed' with yet, such as transmission, sliding door and dvd player issues.

Thanks in advance to all for your advice.

speterson1 · July 2009

We've put on about 60K miles since we bought the van late June of 04 -- but since then we've had to replace all tires 3 times - the last one being 20K miles ago, 1.5 years ago.

Good grief, what are you doing, driving on lava??

What happened to each of these sets of tires that they needed replacing? Were they worn down? Or unevenly worn? If the latter is the case you should have checked alignment-type issues, b/c that's probably what was ruining your tires.

What is the 'front window motor'?? My front window doesn't move in any way, shape, or form...

I suppose every forum member has a first post, but this person's was yesterday so I'm thinking troll.

rrshinn · August 2009

We have an 05 Odyssey with 60K miles. When's the recommended Timing Belt change? Also we're on the original brakes. Anyone else getting over 60K miles on their brakes. Thanks.

ggp9909 · August 2009

I have 2002 Odyssey with 95K miles and am looking at getting timing belt and water pump replaced. Need help on what I should pay for this service from the dealer. Also, some say I need to replace the tensioner pulley as well and one dealer also recommended the cam and crank shaft seals. Any insight would be appreciated.

dsrtrat2 · August 2009

In the PHX area they recommend timing belt changes because of the very hot conditions at 60K, otherwise around 100K. I live in a semi-rural area so don't do a lot of heavy duty stop/go, so my brakes last over 60K. I try to drive "ahead" and slow down so I don't have to brake too much if I can. YMMV

hondalova · September 2009

Recently received a recall notice from Honda re: the "jugging" problem with my '07 Odyssey EX. We haven't really had the problem, though it does have the low-frequency lugging rumble at around 40 mph from upshifting too quickly that these cars are known for. I figured: (1) recall (2) from Honda itself (3) do it for safety and peace of mind and so my wife brought the car this past Wednesday.

However, when my wife drove the car out, she found that it how HAS the "jugging"problem it didn't have and which the PCM upgrade was supposed to "fix." At 30-40 mph, if I slow down, and then get back on the gas, the car intermittently shudders and hops.

Dealer says (in a basic crayon level explanation that doesn't fully describe the issue) - transmission PCM was running original software and is now running software with upgrade. But torque converter is still running original version and they're not talking to each other quite properly. Claiming that software upgrades cannot be removed or reversed once installed, they have ordered a new torque converter for the car. It took them 4 hours of time, including a call to tech-line at Honda, to diagnose the problem.

However, I have a problem with a software upgrade that damages hardware enough to require a replacement after only 40 miles. Moreover, I was unaware (and may admittedly be naive) that there is even any software or computer controls IN the torque converter. Something just doesn't make sense to me at an instinctive level. What I fear, is another day without my vehicle and an annoyed wife, and still no solution to the problem they created.

Anyone else had this problem or tried this fix if you did? All knowledgeable feedback would be welcome b/c I'm really lost on this one. If anyone has a TSB or other literature I could show the dealer, that would also be helpful.

Thanks!

-FS

jskusn · September 2009

I just returned from my local Honda dealer after experiencing the same stumbling @40 MPH with the transmission seeking either 4th or 5th gear. I need to have my torque converter replaced and so many Odysseys are requiring this fix that the parts are on backorder...best guess is one week.

There is a TSB 09-053 from Honda that addresses this problem. http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/A09-053.PDF

My Ody has 39K miles and interestingly enough my dealer told me today that according to Honda's record my vehicle had the "new" software installed recently. I told the dealer we had never brought this vehicle in for any service visit at any time to any Honda dealer. My wife thinks that some unscrupulous dealer must have filed a bogus warranty claim for the software update. Bizzare.

heuken · September 2009

I had a 2004Odyssey and the tranny went out at 50K miles. My 2007 Odyssey is doing OK with 30K miles so far. I purchased the extended warranty with this one. It's too bad they make a weak tranny, It's a great car otherwise.

hondalova · September 2009

Replying to: jskusn (Sep 22, 2009 1:41 pm)
Thanks for this info. It really floored me that the dealer took 4 hours to diagnose a TSB issue that should be readily apparent in ten minutes. This is not the 1st time this has happened with this car and/or this dealership.

Did you have the PCM update already? If so, did you have the stumbling problem before the PCM update or only after, like me? Just curious.

Again - thanks! :shades:

heuken · September 2009

My '07 has not seen the service dept. yet... I do fluid and filter changes myself. It is running fine so far.
Did you get any recall or update notices from Honda?
Karl

safetyguy3 · September 2009

Amazing! The exact same thing happened to me yesterday. I wrote a scathing email to the service manager at my local Honda dealer. He replied saying he would look into the issue. The TSB will help me.... Thanks so much. I'll let you know how I make out. Otherwise our 2007 EX is doing great with 50k miles. This bucking problem started around 25k miles and has is worse now. My big concern was a large repair bill down the road on my dime.

steveds · September 2009

i have the same problem on a 06. did you determine what the problem was on your van?

hvactim · September 2009

Hondalova, I have the exact same problem you do. Just brought in my 07 Odyssey for software upgrade (notice received from the dealer) on the transmission this morning thinking it would make the vehicle run better, even though I have no noticeable transmission issue prior to the SW upgrade. Now the car is vibrating/hopping when driving with a light foot on gas pedal at 20-30mph, but transmission seems to work fine with an agressive foot on the gas pedal. Called the dealer back & they want to replace the torque converter too--citing they cannot re-install the original SW version. I wish they would have told me this before installing it. I'm very nervous about having a major job done on at 27k mile van. I'm trying to contact Honda headquarter to see if this SW upgrade can be reverted.

ranga123 · September 2009

My 07 Odyssey did not have any issues but since I got the S/W upgrade notice, I took it in to the dealer. They installed the S/W update and and right after the S/W upgrade, the judder appeared and was bad. I checked the TSB 09-053 that was applied and it clearly says that if the S/w update does not eliminate the judder, then the torque converter need to be replaced. I called Honda and they told me the same and asked me to return to the dealership. Today I did and a tech who did a test drive with me noticed the judder and after some discussion, they told me they need to call Honda Tech Line. Got a call this afternoon saying they are working on replacing the torque converter and that is the problem. It seems like this is a problem that Honda wants to address as needed. Seems like major work since the tech said they need to remove the transmission to get to the torque converter.

ranga123 · September 2009

I doubt if the S/W can be reverted since the TSB says if the dealer has any vehicles in the fleet without the upgrade, then they should do it prior to selling it etc.

Honda Odyssey Care and Maintenance

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