Pilot concerns

[gopilot]

Hi Canada!

Will be getting a Pilot in October, but have some concerns with all the messages I have been reading... and it surprises me because all my vechicles have been Honda's and they have been awesome in quality, service and trade in value..

I heard there is a recall with the water pump (depending on VIN#)
heard a BAD story in the states when one driver and family stalled in the middle of a freeway, when the water pump gave out, of course this was on a Sunday and (NO Road side assistance)

Whats this with the road noise (how bad is it) everyone seems to be mentioning it..

How many people out there are having the front strut noise problems and with does it occur?


I am very surprised with Honda having problems with the Pilot, but I am sure they will fix everything, as they did with my other Honda's (maybe should wait till 2004, but we all know the price with be 3 to 4 k more..

have fun with the Pilots!!


rob

[PrG]

By the time you get your PILOT in October many of the problems will have already been dealt with so ... No Worries ...

Check the other posts ... there have been many apprehensive such as you while waiting for their PILOT ... but once the vehicle is sitting in their driveway all those jitters seem to melt away.

Also surf the other boards ... this type of banter and identification of problems and deficiencies is standard fare for all the vehicles whether an Acura ... Benz ... or Chevrolet ... It's just the nature of the Board ...

PrG

[vegasdude]

Your concerns are warranted but I agree with PRG regarding most of the bugs being fixed by October.

IMHO most of us complaining about road noise are tires. This is my first SUV and I think it is fairly quiet and very smooth. If you are expecting noise level like a luxury car then the Pilot or an SUV might not be for you.

A Pilot test drive should answer most of your concerns regarding road and wind noise.

Good Luck!

[xyzzy]

I would actually say that you should assume that none of the problems will be fixed by then. You need to set your expectations and be willing to accept the vehicle as it is shipping today. Rattles & noises, learn to accept them. Shift quirks, thats a feature. Of course, any real mechenical problems like the water pump recall would be taken care of. I think as you read through the forums you'll get a good idea of what is a quirk and what is a real problem. I would expect to have the quirks. If you find them unacceptable, then you should reconsider your purchase. The trouble is, I'm not aware of a vehicle that doesn't have their share of quirks & rattles.

Just my opinions.

Chris

[whitepilot]

I LOVE my pilot Quirks and all!!

[r_hammel]

You aren't the first one to show concern. The long and short of it is that, as with most things, some poeple are very pleased, some are indifferent, and some are unhappy. I think most on this forum are pretty pleased with their Pilots, but there are obviously some that aren't.

I was talking with a guy the other day at the Honda dealer when I took mine in for service and he is considering trading his in already. He said the noises were driving him and his wife crazy. They traded a Lexus RX300 in for the Pilot and he said that they were very disappointed with it.

The only sound issue that I have, is the gas tank thud. I have NONE of the other clicks, whistles, scrunches, etc, etc. So not all Pilot's will have the same issues, you may get one that is worse than anyone here, or you may get one without any of the problems (though I think the gas tank thud is there for just about everyone).

I'm very happy with my Pilot and I am very happy I chose it over the competition. There is no telling what issues you will have, nor how you will feel about them. You, and only you, can know how you will feel about these things.

For instance, I and a lot of other people have complained about the gas tank thud. I think it is bearable, but there are some that think it is unacceptable. we all have different opinions and toleration levels.

I would seriously consider taking your new Pilot on a very comprehensive test drive before you sign the purchase papers, and if you aren't happy with it, walk away.

[srpbep]

Some problems do NOT get fixed quickly at all ...

The water pump did because most [all?] were going to fail under warranty and it could really hurt the engine. Other problems where the failure rate is "tolerable to warranty claims cost" vs. recall don't get fixed so quickly:

The 4-speed transmission problmes [Accord V6, some Odys] and the 5-speed transmission problems [TL, CL, some Odys] look like they have been going on for years.

We're on our 4th Honda/Acura. 1st one [1991 Accord EX was great] but that was the only great one. Have had problems will all the others to varying degrees. Big headache at the moment is our 2001 Accord V6 [apparently there is a design defect in the trans]. At the moment, no recall ...

[banningjr]

What is the road noise he is talking about? I haven't ehard anything about that. Drive a first generation CR-V, that's road noise and engine noise.

The only other noises (I have/ had) have been accessories and so far they have been fixable.

[Len]

Fo my two cents, my only complaint is the second-row a/c louvers. My a/c and radio drown out the gas tank noise, and I don't have any of the other noise problems. Maybe I have a higher tolerance level, but at over 3000 miles, I find my Pilot very enjoyable to drive.

[xyzzy]

Your perceptions can vary also based on how you address the little problems. For instance, when I had an annoying "popping" noise in my front seat, it drove me nuts. Each time I would move at all, it would pop. I decided to pull the back of the seat off, find the friction point, and fixed the problem. I probably put about 1 to 1.5 hours into solving the problem. If I would have taken it to the dealer to handle, it probably would have cost me a few trips to the dealer at 1 hour per trip (1/2 hour each way) and two trips each visit (1 to drop it off, another to pick it up), plus all of the coordination of schedules with someone else for transportation, scheduling good days to do it, etc. This is the reason that I try to take care of some of the small things on my own. Sure there are some of the small issues that still need to be taken to the dealer (rear vents popping out comes to mind), but I'll usually give a try myself at the ones that don't require parts. There are some who take it to the dealer on principal and some who just don't feel comfortable taking things apart and I fully respect that. I do, however, feel that people in these categories are much more likely to get frustrated with the situation because of the time and effort it can take to coordinate dealer visits and because they may not be getting much detail from the service department other than "it's still not fixed."

Chris

[banningjr]

Chris there is a flip side to that as well. When we fix it ourselves the dealerships never know its an issue. (Although for convenience sake it saved you.) We just need to somehow get the information back out to the main stream so Honda and other soon to be owners know what is happeing with the vehicle.

For instance: I had the whistle with my bug deflector. I passed along the changes I made to stop it from whistling to my dealer, this board, the hondasuv.com board, and my regional rep (twice) in discussions about a paint issue.

I guess I'm just hoping you put the info on how you stopped the pop out there for someone else who has it. That way when they return to the dealer they can show off your post or at least direct the dealership to the right place.

These boards are great!

[xyzzy]

Yep. I posted the fix to the seat pop here:

http://www.honda-pilot.org/forums/sh...=&threadid=605

While I agree that the information needs to get back, I've lost faith in the feedback channels. I could tell my local dealer, but I would probably get dismissed as some dummy who took his new seat apart. I also doubt that Honda corporate has a way to catch this. Any company that is so full of themselves that they only want feedback on their dealers as "5" (perfect), or "0", is not interested in honest feedback.

I'll just continue to interact with the great folks at places like this and hopefully offer a little back for the wealth of information that I receive.

Sorry for the rant.

Chris

[mdelnin]

There has been quite a bit of debate about this issue. As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite happy with my Pilot and it was manufactured in June.

See additional details at:

http://www.honda-pilot.org/forums/sh...3271#post13271

A word about road noise . . . this is the quietest vehicle I've ever owned (previously Accords). I've also driven a number of SUVs and it is quieter than all of the ones I've tried except the Expedition.

[gopilot]

Hi Again, well, I did take a blue pilot on an hour test drive, and did everything with it! Road noise is NOT an issue at all. We have to remember that this is an SUV and not a Lexus.

My Pilot will be made in late September or early October, so dealer explained Water pump will fixed at plant.. (so far in Canada this is the only recall)

Did not hear any door rubbing sounds or scrunches (again only had it for 1 hour so this may come later)

I did hear a little bit of a sound coming from the front end, and it did seem like the struts, (but minor sound, and I hear it in almost every car or SUV i have tried out espeically when you come to a quick stop
if it gets worse, then Honda will have to fix this problem for sure..)

The only thing that pissed me off was those cheap little AC vents in the back (What was Honda thinking of when they made those, I took my hand and hit them with a good blow!,, and yes, they came off with no trouble at all... I looked at them, and man, they are cheap! this will not stand up to the usuall Honda quality, and I think Honda will have to make a whole new design in 2004, (hopefully they will fix this in the year 2003 with a WAY better design then thay have now, but I doubt it.. (keep bugging Honda and we will get our way people!)


I love the Blue color and the drive was smooth and satisfactory, seat comfortable, stereo was good, AC great! (don't care for the nets behind front seats, should have made vinyl or leather instead of netting, but thats minor..

Even the third row seat was not too bad, yes, I agree should have made secound row adjustable so you can have a little feet room back there, but we can still take a truck load of people without using two cars! thats a plus!

The only real thing that worries me is they did use some cheap material in the Pilot (Very uncommon for Honda) they better not go the same rute as GM or Ford, or they will lose all of those people who buy Honda's for there quality and great trade in values..

Otherwise, I am Happy with the test drive, and look forward to getting mine in October... Have fun with those Honda Pilots and thanks for all the messages and info from all those people who love Hondas


take care


rob