Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

1616263646567»

Comments

  • bk12bk12 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Pilot and recently the fan stopped blowing cold or hot air. The fan controls and the AUTO functions do not have any effect of volume of air coming from the vents. I have read that it could be the blower motor, but have also read it is most likely the blower motor resistor/transistor. The dealer suggests I replace the motor, if that doesn't work, then the resistor. Should I have them try to repalce the resistor/transistor first? And then the motor? Or is it a relatively simple repair I can do myself. I have already replaced the cabin filter myself so I know how to get behind the glove box, for what that may be worth. Thanks in advance.
  • kpetrunkpetrun Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering how you ended up solving the speaker problem on your Honda Pilot? I had the same exact thing. Battery dead, jumped started (other car had cables wrong) needed new battery, and then set the radio code. Now I can hear the radio thru the woofers but the speakers don't work. Honda spent an hour on it and said they did not know what to do. It did not make sense, probably needed a new stereo. But if I can hear the radio, I did not think I need a new stereo. I checked the fuses under the hood. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
  • strokeoluck2strokeoluck2 Member Posts: 91
    edited December 2012
    Last night my wife called to tell me that the brakes on her 2008 Pilot EX-L didn't work as she tried to stop at an intersection. She claims the brake pedal was depressed, but the brakes "barely" worked, and she rolled right through the intersection at about 15 mph (from ~30 mph going into the intersection). After that she was able to use the brakes normally. My 12 year old son was with her and said it was pretty weird. She took it right to an independent shop we use and they looked at it today. They said upon initial inspection they can't find anything wrong with it. However, the guy told me ironically another Pilot owner stopped in to the shop a few weeks ago with the exact same problem. The shop is going to call the Honda dealer and look for some TSBs, but I don't have high hopes.

    My wife loves the Pilot, it "only" has 110k miles and we planned on handing this down to my daughter when she starts driving in 18 months. Now I'm a little nervous as to what's going on. My Dad and I replaced the rotors and pads with high grade parts a year ago, and even the shop says the work looks great, so he knows that's not the problem.

    Does anyone know what's going on here? I'm aware of the 2005 brake issue, but that sounds different than this one. My wife is a typical suburban soccer mom and puts ~20k miles/year on the Pilot, so we need to have confidence in this vehicle in order to keep it (or buy another one). Thanks in advance.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It sounds like a problem with the power brake booster--this would give the impression of no brakes, when in fact what really happens is that the brake pedal gets very hard to depress--but the brakes are still there.

    So I would check for vacuum leaks first off in the power brake booster feeder line or in the area of the vacuum tank reservoir.
  • walk_the_walk2walk_the_walk2 Member Posts: 140
    It sounds like air in the line, or a bad master cylinder or booster. This is a fixable problem, but a serious one. Don't dink around with it - any qualified mechanic at any competent repair shop can work on this. If you don't know one, I generally get great service nationwide at Firestone dealerships. Sears and Pep Boys are not so good.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    If you were recently denied auto warranty coverage for a surprising reason, please email PR@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, January 9, 2013 to tell your story to a reporter.
  • strokeoluck2strokeoluck2 Member Posts: 91
    We were going to buy another Pilot in a year anyway, thinking we'd give the '08 to our daughter to drive for another several years. But I bumped that timeline up and we purchased a new '13 Pilot Touring a few days ago. My wife loved her '08, but I sleep better knowing she's safe. We'll get our daughter a used CR-V instead of giving her the Pilot, so I'll save a few bucks on that purchase when the time comes. BTW, we love the new Pilot. Still a little too basic for my taste, but it rides and handles very well - and you can't beat the visibility of what I call the "frig on wheels." :-)
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    I just got the dreaded B-1-4 service indicator on "The Beast". The B I'm not worried about since its the routine Oil Change and such. I don't do the 1since the tires are fully covered and serviced by Goodyear. The 4 on the other hand is the biggie. I have been quoted by 2 seperate Honda Service centers as $1700 and he will need to be in between 8-10 hours total. Oh well, guess this needs to be done, but Ouch on the price for Regular service.

    Odie
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I calculated, for the #4 service, 9.1 hours labor and $275 in parts (list price) + whatever the oil change is. This includes new timing belt, new water pump, new spark plugs.

    So $1700 seems a bit high to me, but not too far off. There's some padding in that quote though, even at $130/hr labor rate.

    In the SF Bay Area, among the most expensive in the country, your bill would be more like $1500.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    this is including the oil change, air filters, and timing tensioner as well. At least the service dept is giving me a loaner for the day. They estimated between $1600 and $2000, but placing it about $1700. I'd rather it be on the lower end of the spectrum than the higher myself. It needs done cause I don't want to be stuck out in the woods if something was to happen.

    Odie.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited March 2013
    Okay that sounds about right then. Not sure the valve adjustment is really necessary but it's probably good to check it. if the clearance is good they should knock labor off the price, since the adjustment is time consuming.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    I made a "Nice" call to one of the service centers and spoke for a bit with the manager. He is going to waive the labor and everything in total will only run me $1200 since I've done so much buisness with them.

    Odie
  • davidm12davidm12 Member Posts: 12
    I have a 2004 Honda Pilot. A couple of months ago I had a minor accident which damaged the rear door on the driver's side. I had it fixed, but since picking it up from the body shop, the other rear door (on the passenger side) won't lock automatically with the remote or the master door lock switch. I can only lock it manually pushing down the tab on the door itself. All the other doors, including the one that was worked on, lock fine.

    My question: is that just a coincidence that this started once I picked the car up from the body shop, or, even though they supposedly worked on the other rear door only, they still could've somehow affected the passenger side rear door?
  • normkolnormkol Member Posts: 135
    It's possible the impact of the accident knocked some linkage off on the passenger door. Or, the actuator was damaged from the impact of the accident.

    The only way to tell is to remove the door panel and have a look.
  • owned3hondasowned3hondas Member Posts: 41
    I agree , Firestone is good. I take my 05 pilot there all the time
    I put on 4 destination LE 2 tires and they ride beautifully.
    They are smoother than the Destination LE. Nice tire for the
    Money! $515
    The Goodyear integrity was lousy in snow and rain
    Pilot runs just like it did when I bought it! 81500 mi now
  • outtairouttair Member Posts: 1
    I got home and was checking my bill from Pepboys for 4 new tires and was charged for 4 tire pressure monitoring system reset. I have never seen a light come on, find nothing in the manual and called the dealer and he said he did not think they were added until the 2006 Pilot. Anybody know?
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    If you have what is pictured below (the silver portion is the valve stem and sticks out through the rim) then yes you do have the TPMS. and they are very very sensitive when changing the tires.

    image

    Odie
  • mitch65mitch65 Member Posts: 26
    I have a 2005 Pilot, and I do have TPMS. And it does show on the dashboard. I think it shows both as a yellow warning icon on a circle light, and another diagram that shows the 4 tires and their positions, but only the lit one is the one low on pressure. But I think the warning doesn't come on till you're like 5-6 lbs under pressure.
  • walk_the_walk2walk_the_walk2 Member Posts: 140
    Welcome to "Rip Boys". Whether you have this feature or not, the better question is what did they charge you for it and do other tire vendors charge for that?

    I went to "Rip Boys" once and only once to get a quote to fix an A/C problem on my car. They dismantled half the A/C system, gave me a high quote; I told them I wanted a 2nd opinion, but they did not put it all back together. I blew a gasket at the manager to get the situation resolved.

    ...and never went back for the next 18 years. Nor will I ever shop there again. And this experience, if you read online is typical. So, if you got off with a small overcharge, IMHO, :shades: maybe you are the lucky one.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    My warning light for pressures won't come on till I'm down below 10 psi because of the ORV package. My tires can be taken down to between 10-12psi for sand / rock driving, but once I go below 10, the warning goes off.

    Odie
  • gtguy990gtguy990 Member Posts: 2
    I am with you! I have been searching the web for after market Honda Pilot Amber turn signal tail light assembly with no luck!
  • garyazgaryaz Member Posts: 1
    Not the best vehicle I've owned. Now 3 window actuators broke in the last 10 months. At $400 per this really sucks. I drove over railroad tracks and the rear passenger window just fell inside the door. It started with the driver side driver window. OK it gets used a lot. Then the driver passenger window. I don't have kids that ride with me. The salesman told me it's a design flaw. He said the using the remote to lock unlock affects these parts. So even if the window doesn't get use, this part wears out? I only had 1 window break with all the cars/SUVs I've owned. 2007 and 105,000. Gas mileage was good till I had to replace the wiring harness.
  • lakeeffectlakeeffect Member Posts: 1
    I purchased my first Honda Pilot this past September and have been pretty happy with it. However, now that winter has arrived, I've found that whenever we have a snow/melt/freeze cycle, water accumulates at the bottom inside of the circular plastic cover over the gas cap, causing it to freeze shut.
    The dealer has tried "adjusting" the cover, which did not sit flush with the back fender, but that hasn't helped.
    I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same problem and whether there is a good solution.
    Thanks for your help.
  • jennansgvjennansgv Member Posts: 2
    sddeb > I'm also going through this crap & it isn't nothing nice!!!!

    poodog13> your out there dude!!!!!!!

    ralphiehonda> you r dead on doggy :)
  • jennansgvjennansgv Member Posts: 2
    Oh ooops!!! ralphiehonda > what was your out come?
  • walk_the_walk2walk_the_walk2 Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2013
    We dont have this kind of problem down here in the Sunshine state, but since the dealer is clueless, I would suggest this: Have someone (and this may be you, if you are mechanically inclined) drill two small "weep holes" in the bottom of the plastic socket that the gas cap is attached to, where the water collects. Be sure to drill where, and in such a way, that you do not drill into the fuel tank intake tube. Water should then weep out of that area and not freeze.

    You could also coat the area with silicone spray (available in the sporting good section), if you are squeamish about drilling the weep holes.

    But the weep holes should do the trick. Hell, the dealer should be able to do it for you, for that matter.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    I'm going to be interested in watching this thread on the Maintenance that will be needed on the new '16s.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    So those who may be getting or have the new 2016 Pilot, this is directed for you.

    I purchased an EX-L with RES (means it has the 6spd, not the 9spd) on Labor Day. Love the vehicle so far. I had a Roof Rail system installed by the dealership. This is a standard item on the Touring and Elite trims. Well, after install I had to open the rear hatch and it pushed on the trim piece and creased the plastic. This was replaced within a few days with a new trim piece. A day later the new piece had caught the hatch upon opening and pushed up and out. At this time it scratched both the hatch and the roof. A 2nd roof rail system had to be ordered and reinstalled. Now the rear trim looks to be fine, but the trim on both rails seems to be popping out from the roof line where it meets the window. I'm thinking the wind is somehow getting under it and pulling it up. I have been in contact with my dealership, who has been working with me to fix these issues, and now the main corporate office in California is involved.

    After looking into this, there does seem to be a design issue with the rail system and even the factory installed ones are having it. So, if you do have a new '16 Pilot and you have the rail system, keep a close eye on the front and rear trims. if it is not flush, or loose at all, Get it to the service center immediately to get it documented.

    Odie.

    P.S. - I'm attaching a couple pictures so that you will see what I'm talking about.



  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Well, that's a pain. Thanks for keeping us posted @odie61.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    stever said:

    Well, that's a pain. Thanks for keeping us posted @odie61.

    you're telling me. Thankfully the dealership / service center is all over this. I will keep everyone updated as it gets worked out.

    Odie
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    Update...

    Took Smoky back out to the dealership / service center and had the roof trim looked at. Between service, sales, and the body shop we all looked at even the other models / trims sitting on the lot without the roof rails and they too are having the front trim twisted up. The body shop manager then had me pull into the shop and had one of the techs look at it. They used a double think automotive adhesive on the underside to see if this should help with it. All were agreed that this is a design flaw and with no mount or clip for holding they will see a lot coming back. The sales manager is going to bring this to the dealer network rep's attention when they visit later today and have it forwarded to Honda for clarification. There is also concern that water will get under there in the winter, freeze, and cause damage to the roof systems. At least corporate is involved and is aware of this issue now as well.

    I'm about ready to rename Smoky and start calling him the Kobayashi Maru.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    3M and others make a good double stick tape for the auto industry - I bet something like that will wind up being the fix.

    Congrats on being the first. :'(
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Hey @odie6l, Edmunds just added a 2016 Pilot to the long term fleet. It's an Elite loaner from Honda.

    2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test - Introduction
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    So far so good. I haven't had any issue with the rear pieces since the re-install of the 2nd rail system. The front pieces have stayed down (so far). I'm waiting on the body shop to schedule the appointment for the repaint of the hatch / roof from the damage caused from the trim piece.

    Odie
Sign In or Register to comment.