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I have just over 20K miles on my 2000 LX. I recently started to hear brake grinding - not constant, but intermittent. This is VERY early in my car experience - but it is my first van. I brought it to the dealer and they said my brake pads were almost to the point where they should be replaced and that my rotors needed grinding or whatever it is they do to the rotors. Anyway, they charged me for the brakes ($50) but they said the rotors were covered by the warranty.
Isn't this a bit early to have brake problems? Yes, I do lots of city driving - stop and go - but still, at 20K???
My Sienna has the same arrangement and I too am having a bit of a time getting used to it. But look at it this way: all those extra solenoids don't fire off each time you're solo, hopefully lasting longer.
You're trying to stop more than 2 tons plus any cargo and passengers. along with high fuel consumption, its part of the pricetobepaid for riding around in large heavy rooms on wheels.
I'm a new participant in these discussions and was hoping that someone could provide some help or pointers to help on trailer hitches for the Odyssey.
We have a 2000 EX, and would like to put a hitch on, and with the load we'll tow, it will also need the tranny cooler.
I priced the parts from www.handaaccessories.com (the Honda genuine parts guys) and just the parts come to about $400 (hitch received and cooler).
I called today and got a quote from a DrawTite dealer for $335, for recevier, wiring and cooler... all installed. Sounds great, but now I'm wondering if it will be equal to the Honda parts approach.
Anyone with experience on this issue or pointers to another source of info, greatly appreciated.
Thanks !
On the other hand, I also bought the extended warranty so you might want to take my opinion with the grain of salt that I am a little neurotic about car maintenance.
Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
We paid straight MSRP for the Odyssey, with no dealer add-ons except a $149 "doc fee". I was approved through AAA for a 7.09% loan through a local bank. Honda North matched the 7.09% through Honda Finance, which saved me a $65 loan application fee and the trip to the bank to close the AAA loan. I had recently paid off a loan on my Accord through Honda Finance, which the dealer said helped get me approved for the low rate loan on the Odyssey.
On Sunday, we packed up the Odyssey with 2 adults, 3 kids, and a bunch of ski equipment and headed for the slopes. The Van was great. The Navi system was very cool. I simply punched in the phone number for the ski resort, and it lead me turn for turn right into the parking lot. Since I had never been to this particular ski resort before, it was nice having the assistance. It wasn't perfect, however, it did try to turn me the wrong way down a street that was recently turned into a one-way road. But I just ignored the system at that time and it re-routed me.
Here are a few more initial reactions:
Noise:
Honda has made improvements in the sound insulation of the Odyssey. We had test driven a 1999 LX at the dealership. It was very noisy. In fact, at 60mph we had to raise our voices considerably just to hold a conversation. The 2001 EX is much more quiet. While its no Lexus or Cadillac, the noise is not intrusive. We have no problem with the van being noisy.
Traction in snow:
We got 2-3 feet of snow over the past 2 days. Yesterday I drove in some pretty bad road conditions. The van handles great in the snow. The traction control works. And there is a feeling of substantial weight over the front wheels helping to bite into the snow. This is our first vehicle with antilock brakes, and they work great. I could only wish my Honda Accord would handle and brake as well. And there is no comparison to full size pickup truck we are replacing with the Odyssey. Pickup trucks (2 wheel drive) really have a hard time in snow.
Handling and comfort:
The van is a pleasure to drive. It handles more like a car than a truck. So far the kids (9 and 12) love the rear seats. My wife, who hates the low seats in the Accord, but loves the up right seats in the truck, is very comfortable in the Odyssey.
Problems:
None to speak of. No pulling to the right. No door problems. No sloshing sounds in the fuel tank. About the only thing I can complain about, is that the interior lights have been left on by the kids twice now in the first 5 days of ownership. I guess we have to watch that very closely.
Conclusion: We are happy campers so far. We plan on taking the Ody on a 3000 mile two week road trip with the kids this summer. Should be able to give a good report after that.
John
Let me know if you can help... Thanks!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
I can't speak for the tranny cooler because I didn't buy the hitch for actual towing. It was to hold a bike rack and a hitch haul for lugging rented lawn equipment. But, the price for the Drawtite & cooler is not bad. The parts probably total about $170 or so, if you bought it yourself. Hitch is easy to install, cooler could be a bit harder if you don't have all of the right tools.
I bought the $100 PIAA H4s for my Odyssey, and I can't say that they are a great value. They're whiter, but I find myself still turning on my PIAA 1000X driving lights mounted in the fog light location aimed down slightly when I really need extra light. It sounds to me like the Phillips are probably a better value.
Thanks
To me the magic seat was very important because I would have had to take it out and store it and put it back in many times. A car is a long term investment to me and a say $3,000 difference in price over 7 to 10 years I keep cars is insignificant.
If you wait till next year when the new Odyssey factory goes on line you may be able to get a better deal and ever year you wait saves you money. The secret to saving money on cars is to buy them new, maintain them carefully, and keep them a long time. I kept my last car for 14 years and it was still in very good shape when I gave it to my brother. Being a white car helped because the white paint held up very well the whole time.
I ended uo buying the Sienna: it really is reliable while the Odyssey has had a fair amount of problems, I felt that the Odyssey and the Dodge GC are too large and bulky for my tastes, and having lived with station wagons with folddown seats since back in the `60's, I find them to be useful once in a blue moon but simply not worth choosing a vehicle over. I also found the Sienna to be quieter, something that I do rate very highly, and more comfortable. The latter is, of course, going to vary widely from person to person.
-dual power sliding doors (a very expensive option on the XLE),
-43 percent MORE cargo room behind the 3rd seat (38.1 cu ft vs. 26.6),
-an inch more headroom at EVERY seating position,
-over 3 inches more legroom in the second row,
-over 5 inches more legroom in the third row(!),
-traction control,
-a headrest and 3-point belt in the 3rd-row seating position, not to mention not having to sit on that crease between the two seats.
other advantages of the odyssey that i particularly like are: the ability to push the two middle-row captains chairs together to form a bench which we do on long trips so one of us can sit right next to our rear-facing infant, and the folding center console tray. we don't normally like having the center console because it impedes walk-through access between the front and back rows but it's so handy when we do use it because it flips right up and has a large, flat surface that's actually usuable (especially for eating in the car!) and includes four cup holders (the *optional* console for the sienna is curved on top and only big enough for one super-size order of fries).
don't get me wrong and think that i don't like the sienna because i do...actually very much. it's just that if your main concern is price, look at the value for the dollar and see what you're getting. (there one thing about the sienna that does bother me that i'll just mention: the extremely large turning radius...it kills me having to make a 3-point turn out of every u-turn.)
good luck!
CR noise rating. They say O has rode noise but rate its noise level as VG; S VG;DGC VG;FW G. So the FW has more noise(caused by the engine) then the O. according to CR
Anyone heard this or had a problem with it
Sienna v Ody: I have a '00 EX, overall pleased w/ van's utility, but have had mondo probls w/ doors, also electrical, fuel gauge, and some of the recall issues acted up (dash lights, vent window motors). Began to question if I bought the right van, until I gave our Sienna-owning friends an infant 'exersaucer'. The thing barely fit on its side in the back of their van. The Odyssey could have swallowed 3 or 4 of them. To my mind, the room is the overwhelming factor in favor of Odyssey. Seems like quality experiences are mixed. Some very pleased, others less so. A friend bought same van, same day as me, has more miles, zero problems. Probably the same w/ any vehicle (excpt Windstar, never met a trouble-free owner). (Foot note opinion on DC - even tho Chrysler has come a long way in quality, if you get a lemon who will help? Since the company is getting so shaken up w/ $ losses and bad blood from their German buddies, who knows what will be to back up today's products in 1 or 2 years.)
Adding cassette in EX - Don't (IMHO). Buy 10 new CDs, keep the spare change (casette player way overpriced even for DIY instalers, and why spend that much $$ for obsolete medium?). Also, keep the handy storage spot for your tissues.
Sorry to be so long, but I hoped to dispel a myth or two... The price does not seem to increase just because you've exceeded 12,000 or 18,000 miles, or because your van is more than 1 year old. Previous posters have reported increases related to those items, I suspect they had spoken to dealers looking for an "angle" to increase profit. If I turn out to be wrong, and my deal falls apart or increases in price I'll report back for a big helping of crow.
Something like- I load the DVD and it will play- on the selector switch I switch to "video 2" to play it in overhead TV for the kids while long driving?
If not forget it.
It use to be that the warranty selling dealer was responsible for the cost of the repairs on the warranty he sold you. He took the risks in return for the profit he got. I would guess it is that way today.
When the dealers here were charging $ 5000 Premium . Valley Hi sold me a Honda Odyssey at MSRP. I never had such a pleasant experience before when purchasing a car.
Salesmen were extremely Professional. No Hassles, No Pressure and No Waiting.
I recommend this dealer to anyone living in California Area.
Just check it out.
Valley Hi Toyota Honda
14612 Valley Center Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
(760) 241-6484
www.valleyhi.com
-an inch more headroom at EVERY seating position,
-over 3 inches more legroom in the second row,
-over 5 inches more legroom in the third row(!),"
This is all a shell game, of course, because
each one of Honda's measurements is maximized at
the expense of the others.
"there one thing about the sienna that does bother me that i'll just mention: the extremely large turning radius...it kills me having to make a 3-point turn out of every u-turn."
THe difference in turning radius is about
2 feet. You are exaggerating, to say the
least.
This was not a very honest post. It sounds
like something that I would expect from a
Honda salesman.
good luck!