Semi-Newbie's month-old 06 EX-L

[imercier]

I love this site! Great idea...
Here's my wife's new Pilot. She picked this over an Avalon...glad she did!

[deezee123]

Very, very nice! It's just like mine! Absolutely the best color of the bunch - at least in my opinion! I'm quite sure that others differ....

Now you just need to get a set of Wwong's pads, especially for the front, and you're all set!

Congratulations! As a woman myself, I can tell you that your wife will be very pleased with her purchase.

[Dina]

Congrats.....beautiful pilot.
This was our second color choice ....i absolutly love the color

[tgrimes]

That is a nice looking Pilot. That was my first color choice, but I was looking for a deal on an '06 and no dealer in my parts had what I was looking for in that color. I settled for the billet silver. Not bad, but I like the steel blue better. Oh well, at least I got it for a good price w/ 2.9% financing, plus it doesen't appear as dirty as quickly as the darker colors do.

[bgood7061]

Congrats! Love the Color!

[Red Dog]

Welcome to the forums. Nice looking vehicle you have there.

[imercier]

Actually, we picked the Sagebrush Pearl color (originally). The dealer is a tennis-buddy of mine. When I said we wanted the Sagebrush color, he said "oh, you mean the gold-colored one. No problem." I told him that Sagebrush was kind-of a dark blue-green. All he heard was "blue." So when we went-in to sign the paperwork, up rolled a steel blue pilot. OOPS! But, we LOVE the blue and are glad that we got it.

[bluesdog64]

Yes indeedy...that was my wife's and my fave color too! Went with it. Must...post...pix...this...weekend!!!

Congrats!!!

[bluesdog64]

Went with cloth interior though, 'cause our dog rides with us in this vehicle. Plus my wife drives the Pilot daily and I would've had to buy seat covers for the leather. She really doesn't like leather seats. So...why spend the extra $? No moonroof though...

[deezee123]

Originally posted by bluesdog64
Went with cloth interior though, 'cause our dog rides with us in this vehicle. Plus my wife drives the Pilot daily and I would've had to buy seat covers for the leather. She really doesn't like leather seats. So...why spend the extra $? No moonroof though...

I see you are another Jersey-ite with a Steelblue Pilot! Excellent color, I must say!

I also prefer cloth interiors. I hate sticking to the leather seats in the summer and being welcomed in the morning by cold seats in the winter. Covering them up defeats the esthetic purpose of having them, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, there were certain things I told myself I wanted in a new vehicle. When I had decided on the Pilot and learned I couldn't have a moonroof without the leather interior, leather it became. It's the first vehicle I've ever had in my 50-something years with leather and I'm learning to enjoy it. I absolutely DO love the nice leather smell and I purchased some Zaino "Leather in a Bottle" to keep it that way!

[imercier]

deezee,

you'll have to keep us in the loop with your Zaino experience. I will be ordering their leather products in a few weeks as our leather seats are almost due for a cleaning.

I don't really know why, but I'm determined to keep the new car "smell" as long as I can. When I get in our older vehicle (01 Mazda Tribute), it almost seems to stink. However, when a friend rode with me (recently in the Tribute) they stated that the car still had the "new" smell. Go figure...
So far my plan has been to run the A/C (even if it's cold) and keep the air on re-circulate. Our dealer said that running the A/C takes the moisture out of the air, which should help.

Good luck with your ride,
Ian

[deezee123]

Originally posted by imercier
deezee,

you'll have to keep us in the loop with your Zaino experience. I will be ordering their leather products in a few weeks as our leather seats are almost due for a cleaning.

Ian

Hi Ian ~

I purchased the Zaino leather cleaner, the Leather in a Bottle, and the car wash liquid. I found out about the Leather in a Bottle after doing research on car car products when I bought the Pilot. It's exactly what I was looking for to help retain the leather aroma. I would love to have the ambition and time to do the full Zaino treatment - clean, wax, seal, etc., but it's quite a lengthy process. It makes for a lovely finish, however!

It's quite expensive, but probably worth it if you'll use it, so I only bought what I knew I would use. It was really important to me to keep the leather nice as well as the "new car" leather smell! My last vehicle, a 1997 Mercury Villager, retained it's new car smell for a full year, even with a cloth interior.

I find that if I use the Leather in a Bottle about every couple of weeks, it's just perfect. I've only used the leather cleaner once, and basically it was just to try it out. With only 2500 miles on it, it's certainly not gotten very dirty inside!

The car wash liquid is very good and I'm quite satisfied with it. If you decide to go with any of the other products, let me know how you make out. If I could just do a wax without all the extra steps, I would probably go with it, but it looks too complicated to me!

deezee

[imercier]

Deezee,

I was thinking about trying both the cleaner and the LIAB. Have you used the cleaner too or just the leather in a bottle only?

thanks much,
Ian

[deezee123]

Originally posted by imercier
Deezee,

I was thinking about trying both the cleaner and the LIAB. Have you used the cleaner too or just the leather in a bottle only?

thanks much,
Ian

Ian ~

I have used the cleaner only once, just to try it out. It's supposed to work really well and I imagine it does, but since my Pilot is so new and definately not dirty when I used it, it's hard to say. Personally, I don't see the need to use the cleaner that often - maybe once every 1-2 months depending how dirty your Pilot gets - but I do think it's worthwhile to use the Leather in a Bottle regularly. Not only does it help keep the leather soft and conditioned, but that wonderful smell seals the deal! I just used it again yesterday and I LOVE riding in the Pilot after it has been sitting overnight!

I would recommend the product highly.

[imercier]

thanks again, dezee (sorry, feel silly calling you that). We'll see if we can keep our Blue Pilots looking brand new.

All the best,
Ian