Advise - about to purchase a 2007 Pilot EXL

[Burgermeister]

Hello Piloteers,

Im new to this formum and to honda pilots, but i like the appearance and price (compared to other suvs).

Is there anything i need to watch out for when purchasing a 2007 pilot EXL? Im looking at one from a dealership which is honda "certified" including their 100 point inspection yadda yadda yadda.... But after reading about the fender seal water leaking issue, headliner leaks and some others i'm a little worried.

Is there anything I should be aware of in terms of issues/problems and things i can check through a visual inspection?

Any advise would be appreciated.

thanks!

[hkellogg]

Nothing at all i have an 07 ex and it runs smooth as silk Bo issues ever

Originally Posted by Burgermeister

Hello Piloteers,

Im new to this formum and to honda pilots, but i like the appearance and price (compared to other suvs).

Is there anything i need to watch out for when purchasing a 2007 pilot EXL? Im looking at one from a dealership which is honda "certified" including their 100 point inspection yadda yadda yadda.... But after reading about the fender seal water leaking issue, headliner leaks and some others i'm a little worried.

Is there anything I should be aware of in terms of issues/problems and things i can check through a visual inspection?

Any advise would be appreciated.

thanks!

[Burgermeister]

Originally Posted by hkellogg

Nothing at all i have an 07 ex and it runs smooth as silk Bo issues ever

Thanks for the reply and piece of mind. Have you had any issues with the water leaks on your 07?

Also does everyone put regular fuel rather then mid or premium? I ask because the MDX uses the same engine but premium is recommended for that SUV..

Is synthetic oil recommended, thoughts?

Thanks

[deanmcneill]

I had a leased '07 LX Pilot (just returned after lease). Absolutely bullet-proof vehicle for entire 4 years and 96,000 km here in Nova Scotia. No leaks, no issues at all. I ran a couple of tanks of mid/premium in the early days before fuel prices went nuts (and when I was hauling some boats long distance) but other than that I ran regular all the time and no issues. I didn't use synthetic oil but many on this forum do. Solid vehicle, smooth ride, tons of space, a joy to drive.

[Burgermeister]

Originally Posted by deanmcneill

I had a leased '07 LX Pilot (just returned after lease). Absolutely bullet-proof vehicle for entire 4 years and 96,000 km here in Nova Scotia. No leaks, no issues at all. I ran a couple of tanks of mid/premium in the early days before fuel prices went nuts (and when I was hauling some boats long distance) but other than that I ran regular all the time and no issues. I didn't use synthetic oil but many on this forum do. Solid vehicle, smooth ride, tons of space, a joy to drive.

Great, thanks for the feedback. Might I ask whey you returned the Pilot when the lease was up?

[deanmcneill]

I returned the pilot after the lease expired because they wanted a little much (almost $16,000) for the lease buy-out. This was my first leased vehicle and with a 24,000 km / yr mileage cap, I found myself babying the usage over the last year to avoid paying an extra 0.12 / km. It's a catch 22 because the high end-of-lease value made for an attractive lease payment which is one reason why I got it.

But I decided leasing wasn't for me in the future (worrying about every little parking lot ding and scratch). I had 3 teenagers when I got it and did a lot of hauling of boats (2 sons sailed competitively) so the size (8 passengers) of the pilot was great for people/gear hauling. Fast-forward 4 years and there's only one kid left at home, gas is more expensive, I don't haul boats, gear and kids half way across the country anymore so I didn't need a Pilot-sized vehicle anymore (and I'm not a huge fan of the newer generation Pilot's styling/finish).

Wanted to stay with Honda and looked at a 2011 CRV, but it just didn't turn my crank. I actually bought a 2011 KIA Sorento, (perfect size for my needs now) and my payments are less than the lease payments were on the Pilot.

We absolutely loved the '07 Pilot and it remains one of my favourite vehicles. Having said that, I'm thrilled with the styling/quality/features/warranty of my new Sorento (after 9,000 km).

[Burgermeister]

Thanks to all for your feedback and replies. I'll be picking up my pilot ex-l on Tuesday!

[Burgermeister]

Another question - i noticed a slight vibration when driving at 115/120 km/h or 70/80 mph? I asked that the honda dealer fix this issue before i take ownership of the pilot. They said this is probably a tire balancing issue and said the mechanic fixed it but when i tested it was still there.

The alignment doesnt appear off, there is no vibration when braking at any speeds (ruling out warped rotors) and i made sure the tire pressure was equal in each time (32 psi).

It has Goodyear tires on it currently with no noticeable uneven wear.

I just don't want to sign the papers and this issue becomes a costly fix. Any advise would be much appreciated.

thanks.

[hkellogg]

Originally Posted by Burgermeister

Another question - i noticed a slight vibration when driving at 115/120 km/h or 70/80 mph? I asked that the honda dealer fix this issue before i take ownership of the pilot. They said this is probably a tire balancing issue and said the mechanic fixed it but when i tested it was still there.

The alignment doesnt appear off, there is no vibration when braking at any speeds (ruling out warped rotors) and i made sure the tire pressure was equal in each time (32 psi).

It has Goodyear tires on it currently with no noticeable uneven wear.

I just don't want to sign the papers and this issue becomes a costly fix. Any advise would be much appreciated.

thanks.

be adamant that the tires are rebalanced or you walk, I have no issues what so ever at that speed and I regularly commute on the highway at 80mph

[xGS]

Originally Posted by Burgermeister

I noticed a slight vibration when driving at 115/120 km/h or 70/80 mph?
I asked that the honda dealer fix this issue before i take ownership of the pilot.
They said this is probably a tire balancing issue and said the mechanic fixed it but when i tested it was still there.

It has Goodyear tires on it ...

Any advise would be much appreciated.

Does your dealer have a Hunter GSP9700 wheel balancer?
If not, you’ll have trouble getting to the root of the vibration issue.

Hunter GSP9700 Wheel vibration Control System solves wheel vibration and tire pull problems that balancers and aligners can't fix

Find one near you: Hunter GSP9700 Wheel vibration Control System solves wheel vibration and tire pull problems that balancers and aligners can't fix

The Goodyear Integrity tires have had issues with (lack of) uniformity causing vibration since the first generation Pilot was introduced. Most Honda vehicles also seem particularly sensitive to wheel balance and tire uniformity.

Using the GSP9700, you want to know what the final value of road force is after the tires have been correctly oriented on the wheels and the wheel/tire assemblies balanced.
Empirically, the value of road force needs to be fairly low, on the order of 10lbs. or less to minimize the vibration. If it’s not low enough, then you need to replace the tire.
The road force measurement takes into account wheel balance, tire roundness and variations in sidewall stiffness – all of which can contribute to vibration.

My suggestion would be to replace all four tires with something by Michelin – try the LTX M/S2. The tires are expensive, but Michelin products seem to have the best uniformity. See if you can work it with the dealer to minimize the cost of the new tires – new car dealers usually have an arrangement with a local tire dealer.

The vibration problem afflicted my 2003 Pilot, which came with the Goodyear Integrity tires. It went away when they were replaced with a set of Toyo’s and is still gone with the Michelin LTX M/S2’s, installed earlier this year.

[Burgermeister]

Thanks for the info xGS! Really some great information.
It so happens that when I picked up the vehicle, the vibration was gone, but i can't get a hold of the guy to find out what the did to fix it. I'm assuming they balanced the tires but whether they had a GPS7900 i cant be certain.

I'm officially a pilot owner now and member of this forum.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions.