New Pilot owner from NH

[Hap]

just purchased an 04 Pilot EXL w/100,700 miles from Seacoast Wholesale in Hampton Falls, NH. It's still listed on their site if curious. It's a gray one with leather in real nice condition, inside and out. The carfax report was excellent. I paid 9,000 even which seemed to be the going rate around here for 03-05 with 100k. I dont think I made a great deal, but I dont think I got screwed either. Honda dealer says it needs a 800 dollar belt and pump replacement and a 200 spark plug change. Is that for real? If I had it over again, I might of thought about buying one with a little more miles directly from a Honda dealer that showed me the work was done already. I bought an 08 CRV brand new for my wife which also has 100,000 worry free miles so I am going to be stuck with two major services! The CRV still runs like new which makes me a real fan of the Hondas. That along with my 1997 Honda foreman ATV which I plow with and generally beat the snot out of year after year without it ever letting me down. My 1997 Ford Explorer is showing its age and is being downgraded to the kids. It did serve me well over the years towing my toys through the White Mountains and such so I will have to put a U Haul hitch on the Pilot. just wanted to say Hi to y'all and if there is any advice about towing and the 100,000 mile service please let me know. And if you want to say I got screwed paying that much, go ahead, I can take it!

[rocky]

The 105k/7 year service includes pretty much everything timing belt water pump tensioner accessory belts fluid spark plugs and filter changes.
Some differences in fluids between the crv and Pilot. Pilots use vtm4 in the rear diff.
At least you'll know the work has been done.
Towing you'll need to add coolers for the power steering and tranny. Honda or aftermarket the choice is yours.

[megatron]

Originally Posted by Hap

just purchased an 04 Pilot EXL w/100,700 miles from Seacoast Wholesale in Hampton Falls, NH. It's still listed on their site if curious. It's a gray one with leather in real nice condition, inside and out. The carfax report was excellent. I paid 9,000 even which seemed to be the going rate around here for 03-05 with 100k. I dont think I made a great deal, but I dont think I got screwed either. Honda dealer says it needs a 800 dollar belt and pump replacement and a 200 spark plug change. Is that for real? If I had it over again, I might of thought about buying one with a little more miles directly from a Honda dealer that showed me the work was done already. I bought an 08 CRV brand new for my wife which also has 100,000 worry free miles so I am going to be stuck with two major services! The CRV still runs like new which makes me a real fan of the Hondas. That along with my 1997 Honda foreman ATV which I plow with and generally beat the snot out of year after year without it ever letting me down. My 1997 Ford Explorer is showing its age and is being downgraded to the kids. It did serve me well over the years towing my toys through the White Mountains and such so I will have to put a U Haul hitch on the Pilot. just wanted to say Hi to y'all and if there is any advice about towing and the 100,000 mile service please let me know. And if you want to say I got screwed paying that much, go ahead, I can take it!

Welcome to the forum! Does your wife's 08 CRV really have 100,000 miles on it already??? That's a lot of miles in 3 years!

In any case, yes, the 100K service with timing belt, water pump, and spark plug change is pretty much the only expensive maintanence item on Hondas in general. When I buy used, I either buy in the 60K mile range so I have a few years before I have to get it done, or I buy in the 110K+ plus range and look for ones where the service has already been done. It kinda sucks to have to fork out a grand right after buying a vehicle, but I guess if you buy with that extra $1k in mind, it's really no different.

Don't skimp on this service... it's the only one really where your engine's life depends on it (i.e. timing belt failure is NOT something you want to have happen!). There is of course, some margin of safety built into that 105K mile rating on the timing belt, but I wouldn't go too long to have it done. It's a gamble you don't want to lose.

[Hap]

yea I will do the Pilot first before anything because the CRV has a chain. The 08 CRV was bought in December of 07 so has a full four years of driving. My wife sells insurance so she is driving quite often hence the 100K. I want her to have a safe car for NH winters. I actually tried to spin out on the road during an icy night on the CRV and was AMAZED on how it handled. It was actually difficult to slip around! The CRV amazed me so much that the Pilot became my choice to replace the explorer. Does it really cost an additional 200 bucks for spark plug change as well as the 800 for belt change? I thought it was 800 for everything.

[Mathspiffy]

Congrats on your new car! Enjoy it!

[xGS]

Originally Posted by Hap

Honda dealer says it needs a 800 dollar belt and pump replacement and a 200 spark plug change. Is that for real?

$800 is a typical price for that job done by a Honda dealer.
If you're ambitious, you can do-it-yourself for about a quarter of that price following instructions on this site.

Lowest dealer price for the the timing belt+accessory belts+water pump seems to be at Hamilton Honda in NJ - currently just under $400:

Honda Service Specials Available at Hamilton Honda

Some have had success using this price to negotiate with their local dealer.
Also check local dealer websites for their service special coupons.
Have the hydraulic tensioner checked and replaced, if necessary, at the same time.

A set of iridium plugs should run no more than $60 and the 'standard' platinum plugs would be less.
See how much the dealer is charging for parts versus labor and shop around.
Plugs are a candidate for a DIY job, but the three on the firewall side of the engine can be a challenge to access.

[Hap]

I printed out the coupon from the NJ Honda dealer and will bring it in to my Honda dealer. Hopefully I can negotiate a better price, especially with both CRV and Pilot needing 100k service. Thanks for posting the coupon!

[Hap]

kinda of a weird color but nice, it turns greenish or grey depending upon the angle you look at it. I think it is listed as grey but not sure. Anyone know official color name?

[AlphaOne]

Congrats!

Sage Brush Pearl?

[94eg!]

It's called Sage Brush Pearl NH-662P. It's nice because in the sunlight it has a lot of blue pearl too. Ours was listed as blue on Autotrader, and we had a hard time figuring out what it really was. It's a very nice color though. Goes well black accessories like side-steps and roof rack. I think it would like nice with the wheels painted black as well...

2004 Honda Pilot Touch Up Paint - Colors for 2004 Honda Pilot