Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

hay · August 2004

Does anyone know where I can buy a front fender, driver-side for the Honda Pilot? I researched this community forum and someone asked the exact same question in March 2003. Unfortunately, no one answered. Thanks.

qbrozen · August 2004

top of my list would be to confirm that either it came from the factory with the tranny recall performed or the dealer has performed it after arrival to their lot.

also be sure they perform the idle-learn procedure of the PDI so you don't experience the poor mileage that some new owners in the past have.

qbrozen · August 2004

i would think you have to call the dealer on that one.

jazzie · August 2004

Thanks for the help, do you know a web site I can learn more about the Tranny recall and this PDI and what it stands for, I just want to be armed with all the info I can get.
Thanks

qbrozen · August 2004

hondapilot.org is full of folks who go into more detail than you'd ever want. But, before sifting through all that, you can easily search this discussion and the other Pilot discussions on Edmunds by using the search feature at the top of each discussion (in the dark grey bar where you see all the page numbers).

PDI=pre-delivery inspection and is SUPPOSED to be performed by the dealer's service department before handing you the keys. Not surprisingly, however, shortcuts are often taken and things like the idle-learn procedure are missed. The tranny recall is just an extra oil jet installed to better lubricate the 2nd gear.

freetibet · August 2004

Hi all. Finally Stopped lurking and decided to participate. What exactly is done to the car during an idle-learn procedure to improve gas milage? I'm looking to buy an EX sometime this month and if I mention this idle-learn thing, I don't want the dealer to call my bluff.

qbrozen · August 2004

i knew i posted the link somewhere - it was in the Honda Pilot Gas Mileage discussion which has since been converted to "read-only." Anyway, this is a pdf of the PDI (pre-delivery inspection) that is supposed to be performed by the dealer's service department before you drive off the lot, and includes a description of the idle-learn procedure.
http://www.eferdie.com/Pilot/pdi.pdf

firefighter2 · August 2004

The parking brake on my 03 Pilot with 39000 miles bearly holds, the parking brake when applied has little tension and feels sloppy. About how many miles can be expected on the original pads. Could worn pads be causing the parking brake problem?

grove4 · August 2004

If you had your Pilot inspected less than a year ago chances are you didnt wear your pads out that quick.More than likely the p-brake needs adjusted.No big deal really.

j2thomas · August 2004

Firefighter2, Pull a rear wheel and see how much pad you have left. Normally rear brakes last longer than 39Kmi but they could be worn to nothing. Does the parking brake hold the car on a grade?

oaky · August 2004

while test driving a pilot, to perhaps replace a wrecked 96 outback, I asked the salesrep about the 4wd system. He indicated that it was engaged by pressing the button on the dash and the vehicle had to be in R 1st, or 2nd and that the system disengages in Drive leaving only FWD.Was he out to lunch? Visiting the honda site it was not clear to me whether or not there is 4wd available all the time when in D. What is the button on the dash for? Could someone help me out. Thanks.

isellhondas · August 2004

What an idiot your salesperson is!

It works like a CRV. If slippage occurs, it go's into 4WD by itself. A very slick, foolproof system. The button is for manually engaging 4WD when you are stopped. It'll hold in 4WD until 18 MPH when it'sll release.

That "salesman" should be selling something else!

jonfromnewyork · August 2004

i recently took delivery of an ex from honda of nanuet. i paid 500 over invoice with less than 100 worth of dealer fees. i lost a lot of ability to negotiate because i was trading in an 03 odyssey with 40,000 kid car pool miles and the car wasnt in great shape (trade in allowance 17250). the big deal was the NY tax savings on 17250.
since the dealer did not have the color they got the car from mt kisco honda. while waiting for the dealer to put the plates on my new pilot i looked at the tires on my ex and on the other pilots on his lot. i noticed that the lx's had non goodyear tires while the ex's , (plain leather, navi..) all had goodyear tires. when i asked the sales man why my ex didnt have goodyears. he told me that's the way they come.

as this was not a good enough answer i called american honda on friday, and sure enough they searched my vin and my pilot ex left the factory with goodyears. they were going to investigate. i am not, at this point, pointing the blame on who switched my tires, but am wondering if any one else has had a similar problem?

the window sticker only says the size of the tire not the brand. why??

my other car a jeep grand cherokee specifies the tire on the window sticker.
does honda do this to allow their dealers to pull a switch?
i look forward to your replies.

jon

suavechavo · August 2004

My sister just had the tranny recall done and the following day both lights on the dash came on. She had the truck towed to the dealership and is waiting to find out what's up. Do you think that this has anything to do w/ the recall? Before this, she has never had any dash lights come on and she's a stickler about maintenance. Anyone else have this problem??

Marty

casworld · August 2004

My wife just returned from a trip. The Pilot was bucking and all of the engine lites were on. (and then it stopped and starting periodically) She ended up learning about a transmission recall. And spent $350 to replace a fuel injection valve. Honda dealer indicated there were six other valves that might go bad. Any advise or thoughts?

kevin23 · August 2004

Just purchased a 2004 in June. Since day 1, when I put the tranny in "R" reverse, I hear a loud locking noise. Anybody else with the same situation? Or, did anybody hear that this is normal? Thanks

kevin23 · August 2004

Why are you paying for a part? What's up with your warranty (3 years/36,000mi)?

qbrozen · August 2004

qbrozen Apr 26, 2004 9:34am

sorebackman · September 2004

Love my Pilot, but I get excess pressure from the lower portion of the driver's seat back against my lower back resulting in a minor ache. I've tried adjusting the seat front/back/up/down/tilt without much success yet. Anyone having this minor problem and have a solution?

driver101 · September 2004

This just happened to us a few minutes ago, lights on after the recall maintanence. I called the dealer and he said he had not heard of this before and wants us to take it back in. I came here to see if anyone has any information.

qbrozen · September 2004

nope. no problems here. i'd venture a guess that they left a wire disconnected somewhere.

driver101 · September 2004

yep, the dealer said the wires weren't re-connected properly

qbrozen · September 2004

ok. good deal that it was something minor.

eps105 · September 2004

Sorebackman,

Did you try adjusting the lumbar support? It's a mechanical handle on the right side of the seat, above the armrest.

bob11 · September 2004

Hi,
I was driving down a hwy recently and my car seem to pass over a dead animal most likely a deer on the rt wheels. I heard a loud noise and thought one of the tires had blown. I pulled over and tires checked out OK, however i saw that the front passenger seat airbag on the side had come out after tearing the seat. this is not the huge front bag. Its a small bag about foot long. I believe its the bag for side impact. There was no side impact on the car what so ever. I had a carry bag on my seat at the time this happened.
Following questions arise.

is this something honda warranty should cover. I am within the 3yr/36000 miles.

The SRS light has stayed on since that time.
Does this mean that the other air bags might not deploy god forbid there is another collision.

Thanks for the answers in advance.

qbrozen · September 2004

they most certainly should cover it. there was no side impact. that's a malfunction. i'd be interested to hear what they say about it, though, so make sure you let us know.

bob11 · September 2004

i talked to 2 different honda dealerships. both said that it wont be covered under warranty because of impact with an object on the road. Both said that sometimes a sudden impact and deceleration can deploy a side air bag and that side impact is not a necessary prerequisite. one said that recently they had an acura with a similar problem of side air bag deployment after hitting a bump on the road.

only thing i might say i learnt from the experience is not to keep my bag on the side seat which the sensors might hav mistaken for a passenger..... that is debatable though.

Well thats why these situations are called accidents. and i have to admit that the impact was pretty significant with what looked like an adult deer lying on the road and i was travelling at 74 mph. sudden deceleration was definitely involved. the accident did scare the hell out of me. i feel lucky that no human injury resulted and no other vehicles were involved.

qbrozen · September 2004

interesting. but i would call Honda on that, too. Personally, I'd find that unacceptable. So, in other words, you hit a speed bump or a pothole and that thing is going to deploy?! What if that happened on the driver's side?? That certainly would scare the hell out of me and quite possibly cause me to get into a real accident.

jay_24 · September 2004

You're driving 75 and hit a deer during hard braking. Ok, this one was already dead, but its still a deer and big. When do you want the air bags to deploy? Do you hit speed bumps that fast and hard? I'm curious why other air bags didn't deploy.
My Aunt hit a deer a year ago and both front airbags deployed. She was driving at about 45mph.
Car was undrivable due to damage of impact. (not including airbag damage)

The mechanics of deploying the airbag probably can't tell the difference between hard hits to the just the wheels vs hits to sheet metal/frame?

Note thats a question, because I don't know.

--Jay

qbrozen · September 2004

well, your aunt's deployed, i'm assuming, because she hit a standing deer. This collapsed the sheet metal/bumper enough to trigger the crash sensors and deploy the airbags.

Ok, so let's not talk about speedbumps because you really shouldn't hit those that hard, but how about a pothole? Not a winter thaw goes by that I don't hit one of those. The mechanics of the airbags should know the difference. Like you said, why didn't any others go off? Do the side airbags really get triggered from hard hits to the suspension? I would really expect a crumple-zone trigger just like on the front end. Sure, it might have to be a bit more sensitive because there isn't really much of a crumple-zone on the sides of the car, but I would still want damage to the outside of the vehicle in order to justify a side airbag going off.

I can't accept "well, there is absolutely no damage to your vehicle... but your airbag went off anyway." No way. I want to hear that I bent something on that vehicle, which triggered one of the sensors.

514329 · September 2004

if I'm not mistaken, subaru recalled their outback for their airbag deploying just by driving through a pot hole.

qbrozen · September 2004

i hope we hear the final results of this issue ....

echetham · September 2004

Owner's Manual says to use 91 octane. Previous Pilots use regular gas. Dealer had no clue. Does anyone know why the change to premium?

qbrozen · September 2004

250 hp now. had to come from somewhere.

onnastick · September 2004

echetham, I haven't looked in the owner's manual for an 05 yet, but I just checked Honda's website for the 05 Pilot and it clearly states regular unleaded:

http://www.hondacars.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?Mod- elName=Pilot&Category=3

eps105 · October 2004

The CD player on my wife's Pilot gets so hot after about 45 minutes of normal use that I almost burn myself on the CD when it is ejected!

Seriously, another 10 degrees, and I would get a first degree burn. The CD player otherwise works perfectly and shows no signs of malfunction, and the dashboard above it stays reasonable to the touch, perhaps only a tad warm.

I'm afraid my dealer would say that it's operating normally and they can't do anything unless it's broken. So I'd like to get some feedback from other Pilot owners as to whether or not everyone experiences the 'undocumented feature' that you can cook an egg on a CD ejected after playing it for 45 minutes, or if we have a bad motor and are risking a fire.

Thanks,
Elliot

qbrozen · October 2004

actually, this is a common complaint, so your dealer probably will tell you its normal.

royallen · October 2004

The Outback recall was to remove tie-down loops extending down under the front of the vehicle which could (and did) hit things like high curbs resulting in air bag deployment. Roy

firefighter2 · October 2004

I've read on other postings that the dealer is installing shims in the brake pads to stop a clunking sound when shifting from reverse to forward. Can anyone tell me if there is a charge for this.

qbrozen · October 2004

nope. no charge. its a technical service bulletin (meaning it is a fix that the manufacturer has informed the dealers to do on the vehicle), so its free.

leoniv · October 2004

I checked and the compression ratios for both the 04 and 05 Pilots are the same (10.0:1) so the 05 should still take regular fuel.

qbrozen · October 2004

But the MDX is also 10:1 and that requires premium.

smcadow · October 2004

If you go to the Honda website you will note that the octane requirement for both 2004 and 2005 Pilots is regular.

My 2004 Pilot with 20,000 miles on the odometer runs great on regular, and delivers great gas mileage.

peiomi · October 2004

Well I just got home with my wife's 2005 Pilot and was wondering if you guys can help me? I am trying to install 2 Britax car seat in the 2nd row. I would like one directly behind the driver and the other one in the center facing the rear. I chose this location because I thought that somone could still move the seat to access the third row, I am open to your thoughts. I have attached the center seat with the rear strap connected to the seat mechanism. I can't seem to find another place to connect it. Even by doing all of this it seems the child seats still move a little. Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Also, my manual states 91 octane and the salesman said that is what the 2004 took as well.

mkc51 · October 2004

I bought a Honda Pilot EX 2004 earlier this year. At 900 miles the transmission fall apart, held it repalcd. Now at 3000 miles, it's at the dealership for a second transmission or third one for the vehicle. What is the problem with the Pilot?????

qbrozen · October 2004

so does my '03, but that's because the '03 and '04 are identicle. The '05 ups the horsepower, hence its not inconceivable that it requires different fuel. According to the posts thus far, some have said the '05 owner's manual states premium, but the website states regular, and I've read conflicting stories as to what honda's customer support says. Can anyone tell us what, if anything, it says ON the vehicle? For instance, one of my cars that requires premium actually states it on the fuel guage and inside the fuel filler door.

qbrozen · October 2004

Yours is the first I've heard of this, mkc51, so you are going to have to fill us in on what the dealership says and does, etc. and what the circumstances were when the failure occured (were you towing, etc).

mkc51 · October 2004

I had the same problem with my Pilot. As I'm responding to you, my lemon is at the dealership for 2nd transmission replace and at 3000 miles.

leoniv · October 2004

Good point. I always assumed the MDX had a higher compression ratio. Well, there goes my theory. Can anyone confirm the octane requirement?

qbrozen · October 2004

i believe Kevin was referring to the brake clunk which is fixed via a brake shim TSB. Completely unrelated to any transmission problems.

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