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" #459 of 514 Grille insert for 2005 Ody by rsblaski Jun 17, 2005 (6:39 pm)
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A big thank you to jjtrindc for his info regarding Mr. Grille.
I just ordered the grille insert and will get 2 day UPS delivery for only $12 more.
You can find Mr. Grille with a simple search. Their phone # is 951-279-4360.
Having had one condensor replaced already, I figure $99 is cheap insurance against an $800+ repair (which Desert Honda, Las Vegas graciously picked up without my even asking)....."
AND here is the link to Mr. Grille:
http://mrgrille.com/MrGrille-Honda-Oddyssey-Page.html
Perhaps our hosts will create a new spot for these '06 posts?
The Accord 4 cyl engine is more refined than the base Taurus V6 and would out accelerate it as well.
I agree with you. My comparison was to the 4 cylinder Accords and Camrys. Either would have cost me around $15,000 for a one-year-old vehicle comparable to what I got in the Taurus (Taurus SES w/all power would compare to a loaded Accord LX or an Accord EX). I paid $11,000 for the Taurus.
While the $4,000 was important to me at the time, as I contemplate owning the vehicle for several more years, I'll admit that I sometimes wish I had "bitten the bullet" and bought an Accord. You see, I still have this fear that the Taurus will not hold up despite the evidence to the contrary. I myself am not immune to the lingering quality gap mystique.
I have read some of the posts on Mr Grille and the condenser problems. Can someone tell me if these problems were experienced on paved roads? Or just dirt/gravel roads??? How common is this problem???
TIA!!!
It seems obvious (to me anyway) that this, or any other kind of grille protector will only work against stones thrown up by another vehicle ahead of you. In other words, the only way to kick up a stone on a dirt/gravel road is by either kicking it up with your tires (in which case it will hit the undercarriage BEHIND the engine), or kicking it up by striking it with the undercarriage itself. Either way, a grille guard would be of nebulous value UNLESS you are FOLLOWING someone else (either on a paved road or a gravel road). Since speeds on dirt/gravel roads are typically much lower than highway speeds, it seems obvious that one would have to be following another car very closely on a dirt/gravel road to have a problem. From experience, I typically hang far enough back to not ingest a lung full of dust, so I've never had a problem with stones on a dirt/gravel road.
My wife and I live down a nearly 1 mile long gravel/dirt driveway. We've had ZERO problems with stones in the condensor because we are never FOLLOWING another vehicle closely. The problems I've seen reported are due to a stone either coming off of a truck ahead or hit by a vehicle ahead on a paved road and, as the stone is bouncing along the road, the driver of the Ody hits the flying stone.
Regarding this issue, I've got a few comments:
1. Yes, the condensor is exposed to stones kicked up from a vehicle traveling ahead.
2. So are your headlights. So are any number of other components on the front of your vehicle.
3. Yes, the condensor hangs fairly low. But since the problem is from stones which are BOUNCING along the road (ie, not stones which are just lying there motionless; I doubt inert items are simply LEAPING into the air at the last microsecond in a kamikaze attack on Ody condensors), a bouncing stone has a much chance of impacting other items on the front of the car as much as the AC condensor.
4. Possibly the AC condensor is more prone to damage (delicate) than other items. It certainly is much more expensive. In that light, spending a few bucks on some hardware cloth (wire mesh grid) from Home Depot is cheap insurance and worth the peace of mind.
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I have heard before that the invoice/msrp for the 05 Ody did go up after it was introduced last year. Could you please share with the forum what it was, at least for the EX-L R&N (and other models if you know), and when the price was changed. And, what you paid for your R&N. Thanks much.
I completely agree with you that it will be very difficult to beat the Ody on the price for what you get - mostly the standard safety features of Ody that is not standard (and can not be found in the base models) in any other vans in the market right now.
"Magic Seat" for the third row is a frequently used feature for most bulky transportation that it makes sense to introduce it. Sto & Go feature is a lesser used feature that it presents a less compelling business case to offer it by the other minivan makers
Other makers didn't offer it because they didn't think of it and it would mean altering their under carriage, that would take time. Let's see in coming years, if they offer it or not.
They down play any feature that the other vans have that the ODy doesn't have. As if Honda didn't put it in, it isn't worth having. But we really know differently don't we?
Since I have never owned a high performance vehicle (see list in my profile), aggressive driving has not been a habit.
I think the 5 speed AT contributes as much to more spirited driving of the Ody and Sienna as the more powerful engine. My son's 01 Ody EX with the 207 HP and 217 Lb-Ft torque never felt more spirited than another son's 02 GC Sport or my 02 T&C LX. Maybe I just never really "stomped" on the accelerator hard?
After reading mac's comments for some time, I finally test drove a NEW 2005 Ody EX and a 2004 Sienna LE on the open road Interstate. Mac is right: they do have better acceleration than the 3.3L in the DC minivans....at any speed above 30 to 40 MPH. They both had good acceleration 40 to 60, 50 to 70, and even 65 to 80 MPH.
Since the Ody EX had just 300 miles on the odometer, I did not stomp on it as hard as the Sienna.
I have also noticed the "whine" of the T&C transmission after reading mac's comments about it. Ody and Sienna have quieter transmissions.
Here's my dilemma :sick:
On EX-L R/N : I like the additional 8th seat. I miss the fog lamps, the compass, parking sensors.
On Touring R/N : I like the memory settings, MID :P plus I get my fog lamps, the compass, parking sensors factory installed. However I miss the 8th seat, and also don't want the run flat tires, as these would be costly to replace on case of a blow out.
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You can add the console to the EX-L, but can't add the +1 seat to the Touring (no seatbelt). You can also add the fog lights to the EX-L (don't know about the parking sensors).
Compass? You're talking about gettting a full NAV system. Doesn't that include a compass readout of some sort? Besides, if you have NAV, what would one use a compass for?
Good points. didn't know about the seatbelt thingy..
I am not a big fan for adjustable pedals, i would like a telescopic wheel more ...And when on trips I feel the +1 seat is more usefull than the console.
I probably should have put the things better. I actually wanted the automatic day night rear view mirror. This one comes with a built in compass. Again the rearview mirror was what I was after.
Also as for a Parking sensors, as an addon on the EX-L these cost $600 and can be installed only in rear, the Touring gives the sensor on the front too.
As mentioned earlier, on the touring I am missing the +1 seat and feel uncomfy with the PAX tires, but then adding the add-ons I need to EX-L adds about $1000 to the price and from that point the Touring is only $2,750 more with all the bells & whistles. Now at 32.5K another 3K doesn't pinch much...but then cost was not my dilemma....
No it's not. Not "totally". If we had Phyllis Diller and Pamela Anderson in bikinis...which one would you pick?(to go bowling) Now...mac may pick Phyllis because they are closer in age. But, most men would pick the more attractive Pamela.
That is why Honda changed the exterior styling of the Ody in 2005. They did marketing research that showed the design was not as appealing as the other minis on the market.
Could perhaps that fact that it was a 6 year old design have anything to do with it?
Looks definitely are subjective - your example being an extreme. As I've told my wife many times "Don't make me pick between 2 pretty things. But I'll tell you if it's downright ugly."
As long as manufacturers don't go too far into extremes in minivan designs (and IMO the current Nissan Quest is about as 'extreme' as one is likely to go given current tastes), you will probably find nearly as many 'fans' of any particular minivans exterior appearance as you will detractors.
None of the current crop will stop traffic as driver's of more pedestrian vehicles leave slobber marks all over the windows (Pam Anderson version of a minivan? Can't think of one). Just as none of the current crop will leave one reaching for the Pepto. The things are minivans. For the most part, they are invisible in traffic.
Personally, I think regarding 'style' real high on the list when considering a minivan purchase is a bit bass-akwards. Like worrying about the fuel economy of a Ford GT vs. a Ferrari Modena.
To test alignment, just find a flat road (with no crown) and take your hands off the wheel - if properly aligned, the vehicle should run straight and not drift or pull to either side.
As a later poster said, with the navigation system you don't really need a compass. Save your money and don't buy foglights either unless your weather truly requires them. The only memory setting on the Touring is for the driver's seat - period.
I avoid that like a plague with all of my 5 family vehicles.
No, not with the drastic change from the sharp and functional lines that dennistic says he likes on the pre 2005 Odys. Ody's style kind of went from... say a Ellen Degenerate(plain,straight lines ) to a older Rachel Welch (more curvy with a lot of cosmetic touch ups) If Honda thought the pre 2005 Ody look was sharp and functional...why wasn't the new designed based even slightly on the old one. It was a total new look. Why? Because the old design was plain and boring to a lot of people.Not all people...but more than enough to warrant a drastic chance... it cost them a sale with me because of it. I didn't hold exterior styling at the top of my list. But, I wanted a nice looking van. 2005 Ody much better.
I was also going to add the auto-dimming mirror to our EX, but after driving it awhile now I'm not going to bother. I don't have much problem with the glare in it (tinted windows help) and the side mirrors don't dim anyway which is where I get more glare. My previous vehicles have dimmed the side mirrors as well, which seemed more helpful.
As for the parking sensors....the backup camera makes them redundant IMHO. I suppose the side/front sensors could be helpful, but neither I nor my wife have any problem with knowing where the bumpers are on the Ody. I have a feeling the sensors would always be turned off.
If the Touring came with an 8th seat, I would have bought it without a doubt. I'm more pleased with the EX-L than I expected though. The only thing I really miss is the auto-programmable door locks and the auto headlamps. With the EX, I just leave my headlamps on all the time and they shut-off automatically (but are a bit quirky at times).
"It was a total new look. Why? Because the old design was plain and boring to a lot of people.Not all people...but more than enough to warrant a drastic chance... it cost them a sale with me because of it. I didn't hold exterior styling at the top of my list. But, I wanted a nice looking van. 2005 Ody much better."
So, basically you believe the old Dr. Pepper sales spiel: Be original; Join the crowd?! The very definition of oxymoron, I believe. Odyssey went from being a stand-out design to becoming a bulbous clone of some of the uglier minivan design solutions out there (Ford, GM, and -- yuck!!! -- Mazda offerings).
I agree with you on one thing: Honda did do market research.
What did it tell them? Most likely that minivan consumers want more interior space in more flexible configurations, even more safety features, and more "luxury" options available.
What did they give up to achieve those results? Sleekness on the exterior was lost (you have to push the engine forward, forcing a bulging hood line, to get the space inside without lengthening the vehicle), and real-world gas mileage suffered (you can't accelerate the weight of all those extra conveniences without burning lots of petrochemicals).
Certainly, they did want a pretty dramatic exterior style change to play up the model's newness. But I'll bet that external styling was severely limited by the other, more-important design concerns. The clay-model concept stage wasn't the first step in this redesign, you can be sure of that!
IOW, Honda guessed (and probably pretty much correctly) that most consumers would forgive (or self-justify) the new looks and the worsened gas mileage for all the new safety and convenience gains.
And, if you really prefer the new design, then you gain twice, don't you?
Are you a shadetree mechanical engineer? I doubt very seriously that the difference in exterior styling had anything to do with safety or convenience gains.And I thought the 2005 Ody was suppose to have better mpg ...not worse. :confuse: I think if a poll of non Ody owners were asked which were the more attractive of the two generations...the 2005 Ody would win hands down(80%)
Why? Because Honda stole(borrowed) the exterior styling of the other minivans.
In paticular the front hood of the Mazda MPV...to gain more market share.
As I am a Mazda MPV owner...you should know that I could care less about being a part of "the crowd."
In paticular the front hood of the Mazda MPV...to gain more market share.
Well, there's a familiarity between the two vans, but I wouldn't call it a stolen look. The Mazda is a much shorter/pudgier front, completely different headlamp shape, etc. The only thing that's about right on is the outline shape of the grille. The sides and rear aren't even in the ballpark.
I personally can't see Honda desiring to impersonate a vehicle that sells a fraction of the Ody sales, nevermind one on the chopping block for lackluster demand.
I would think the right bargainer could still get them for invoice considering it's the end of the model year. Some dealers will deal, some won't. I just call around until I find one that will, although I don't usually get too worked up. I was fairly content with the dealer that offered me $500 over, but tried another that was closer and had a better service dept. They said invoice and that worked for me! I still had a trade to deal with, and they ended up giving me what I wanted for that as well. Didn't even try to hard-sell me the accessories or warranty. Offered me the 7/100k Honda Extend Care for $999 and I actually thought about that for a minute. I however rarely keep a vehicle long enough to warrant a warranty, plus I'm not a fan of insurance anyway.
I think the 1999-2004 Odyssey is VERY ATTRACTIVE and the 2005 is 2 steps down in exterior appearance. However, I would still prefer the 2005 over a brand new 2004 due to improvements like 60/40 rear seat (copied from Sienna).
It is still a toss-up between Ody EX (cloth), Sienna LE, and GC SXT for us. IF Denver Region imported Sienna XLE with no extra options, it would be FIRST choice .
Moot point because we have ordered a Ocean Mist Metallic 2006 Odyssey EX (cloth) with the guarantee that the deposit will be refunded if we find a nice NEW 2005 GC SXT or 2005 Sienna LE (or 2006 of either with a nice discount) before the 2006 Odyssey arrives.
I think the Odyssey has THE most comfortable seats, the best and most easily folded 60/40 rear seat, and love the OMM color with grey interior. However, I find it very difficult to spend thousands of dollars more for the Ody EX over a GC SXT or Sienna LE when each of them has advantages over the Odyssey. :confuse:
Honda dealers are NOT willing to pay anywhere near the value of any used Honda so the high resale value is meaningless to me as a buyer.
As the owner of an '05 Ocean Mist Metallic EX-L, all I can say is "Welcome to the Club".
Does the EX cloth have dual-zone (driver/passenger) automatic climate control? I know our EX-L does but can't remember re: the cloth version.
Just out of curiousity, how long have you been looking at minivans?
One son got a new 2001 Ody EX and about 2 years later his brother got a used 2002 GC Sport.
Each of them was very nice so I finally got another minivan last year when I got a used 2002 T&C LX after closely comparing 01 Ody EX with 02 GC Sport. A used Sienna or Ody was too expensive.
Yes, the EX cloth has the dual zone automatic climate control but manual rear control but does not have the VCM.
I would prefer the LX if it had the dual zone climate control as we do not really want power sliding doors but do like the cast wheels and 8 way power driver's seat.
The JD Power data is another story and does support your (apparently misplaced) contention that Honda did poorly. In this data, Honda is making new buyers a lot less happy than Chrysler is doing.
If people were wearing seat belts as instructed, no one would fall out just like no one would fall out of a DC minivan when the liftgate flew open if they were wearing a seat belt or if they were sitting in the seat where they are supposed to sit.
When I click on the NHTSA link posted, it shows the Honda Odyssey w/ SAB as "Not Tested" in the 'Side Star Rating'.
And the Honda has the exact same rating (four stars) as the Town and Country in the Rollover Rating.
"Honda Ody door flew open in a crash test." was refering to the 2005 side impact test.
The 2006 Odyssey has not yet been tested for side impact.
I personallay would be more worrkied about driving something this big (width in particular) in most of Europe, especailly the old parts!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hey the thing is butt ugly my father-in-law bought one. But CR can't recommend a first year model ever!! Honda history is good. So, sit back and enjoy no need to get all worked up. With the way this truck looks it dosen't matter who reccomends it!!
Now my Oddy it looks good!!(for a minivan LOL)
No it's not. Not "totally". If we had Phyllis Diller and Pamela Anderson in bikinis...which one would you pick?(to go bowling) Now...mac may pick Phyllis because they are closer in age. But, most men would pick the more attractive Pamela.
That is why Honda changed the exterior styling of the Ody in 2005. They did marketing research that showed the design was not as appealing as the other minis on the market.
I would pick niether they are both fake!! And Pamela's been with Tommy Lee who knows what he's got. As far as cars only the Aztek, Ridgeline, xA, and xB make my stomach turn!!
I asked the dealer about replacing the ATF at 1,500km (about 1,000 miles) and he said he does that on his own cars. But, he said that the car will tell me when it needs an oil change. When the oil % gets to 10%, its time for an oil change, not when you drive 6,000km. He said if I do mostly highway driving, it could be closer to 10,000km. Does that sound right? I'm pretty used to doing oil changes every 6,000km or even sooner.
Thoughts?
Thanks again!