30k mile service, etc, etc

[notamiata]

Just took the Pilot in to the dealer for a few items from the 30k mile checklist.

I had them do the VTM 4 Diff. service, change the cabin filter and fix/adjust the parking brake since the light stays on all the time.

The price..........$157. Not bad IMO.

Now here is what they tried to sell me but I politely rejected (the Pilot is at 35k miles):

2 new front tires
Front and rear brake pads and turn the rotors $189/axle
Alignment

We did not even discuss the tires since it has the Goodyear Integritys on it and I am not happy with them. I will replace all four in a few months.

I politely rejected the brakes this time. Do we have wear sensors that trigger a light? Or some other method that tells you it is time?

I asked "Why the alignment?" when I got 35k+ on the crappy OEM Goodyears? Afterall it was not pulling and the wear is even on the fronts. He just said so the new tires will wear evenly!

Well looks like I have a pretty reasonable and honest dealer to work with.

-Eric

[ictvuser]

Originally posted by notamiata
I politely rejected the brakes this time. Do we have wear sensors that trigger a light? Or some other method that tells you it is time?

The dealer should have wrote down how much of the brake pad was left as part of the 30K service. There should be one number in "mm" for the front and one number for the back. The pads start at 10mm and usually should be replaced by the time you reach 2mm.

How much you use per year depends on driving style. On my Pilot, I average about 1-1.5 mm usage per year (15K miles).

[krygny]

I would also wonder why the rear brakes would need service so soon and before the front. The front brakes probably provide 60-70% of the stopping power. Typical lifetimes are about 40-50k mi for the front and 70-90k mi for the rear (unless you're nickname is "LeadFoot").

[notamiata]

How are you estimating rear brake life to 70-90k miles? Based on MDX and Odyssey?

I don't think anyone has that mileage on a Pilot yet?

-Eric

[krygny]

Originally posted by notamiata
How are you estimating rear brake life to 70-90k miles? Based on MDX and Odyssey?

I don't think anyone has that mileage on a Pilot yet?

-Eric

Personal experience on previous vehicles. Just conjecture, but either way, the rear should last longer than the front.

[ictvuser]

Originally posted by notamiata
I asked "Why the alignment?" when I got 35k+ on the crappy OEM Goodyears? Afterall it was not pulling and the wear is even on the fronts. He just said so the new tires will wear evenly!

I think you did the right thing since the Pilots tracks straight, you plan on replacing your tires and the tire wear is even.

The dealer was just trying to sell you preventative maintenance. How often an alignment is needed varies (e.g., potholes, hitting curbs while parking, amount of off-road use). I usually get an alignment after getting new tires, but an alignment at 35K is not unreasonable.

If you are rotating the tires per schedule, uneven wear due to alignment problems can be harder to detect. Also, don't forgot to check for even wear on the rear. The Pilot has McPherson struts on the front so I would only expect toe in/out related problems, but I believe the rear does not use struts.

[notamiata]

The fronts are quite worn. The rears look good. If I had rotated properly I would not be in this situation just yet.

I will likely rotate them now. I live in S. CA and am pretty confident I can get them through the remainder of the winter ok, and replace them with a nice set of Kumho's in summer.

-Eric

[ictvuser]

Originally posted by notamiata
The fronts are quite worn. The rears look good. If I had rotated properly I would not be in this situation just yet.

I will likely rotate them now. I live in S. CA and am pretty confident I can get them through the remainder of the winter ok, and replace them with a nice set of Kumho's in summer.

-Eric

If the front tires are quite worn with respect to the rears, I would recommend you seek professional advise BEFORE ROTATING THE TIRES.

In general (even on front wheel drive cars), if there is a big difference in traction, between the front and rear tires, the best tires should be on the rear and not the front. This configuration reduces the chances of a rear end spin out during emergency handling under wet conditions. If there is too much grip on the front verses the rear, oversteer can increase.

I saw video at Costco where the same car had much better emergency handling under wet conditions with the new tires on the rear verses the front.

Here's are article from TireRack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...llnewtires.jsp

However, there are exceptions, which is why you want professional advise.