Honda Pilot - Honda Pilot Forums banner

Maintenance Schedule for 2014 Pilot

45K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  markjenn 
#1 ·
Hi,


Just bought a Cert. 2014 Pilot EX-L (traded in my 05 EX) and I'm looking for the maintenance schedule.


I know the car prompts you for this, but there has to be something in writing when things should be changed at given mileage or year.


Does anyone have a link or know where I can get this info?


kezard,
 
#2 ·
On the 2006's onward, the MM system completely replaces the mileage-based schedule. (There are a few minor exceptions that are still mileage- or calendar-time based, especially for severe service - this is covered in the OM.) According to Honda, if the MM doesn't prompt you for the service, it isn't due.

The car hasn't changed fundamentally since 2003, so you certainly can use the 2005 schedule if you prefer to ignore the MM system. It's on Honda's owner web site.

- Mark
 
#3 ·
Thanks,

The reason why I'm asking is because the dealer mentioned something about the 60k maintenance.

And the dealer included a 3yr. 36k free maintenance plan with the deal, so I want to get as much done as I can under the "maintenance plan" they offered.

It won't do me any good if the starts prompting me for expense service outside of this "maintenance plan".

I did however find in the manual brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years and the car fax doesn't have it listed as being done.

Fortunately for me, this car was leased at the same dealer I purchased it from, and all the maintenance was completely done including oil changes. (I bought it with 31K)

In my research I did find this page, and it lists this "60k mile maintenance" the dealer must have been talking about.


Conventional oil change(Every)10,000 miles
Spark plugs (Replace)(Every)90,000 miles
Timing belt (Replace)(Every)60,000 miles
Air filter (Replace)(Every)30,000 miles
Rear differential fluid (Change)(Every)30,000 miles
Transfer case fluid (Change)(Every)60,000 miles
Brake fluid (Flush/replace)(Every)45,000 miles
Cabin air filter (Replace)(Every)30,000 miles
Tire Rotation(Every)10,000 miles
Coolant (Flush/replace)(Every)120,000 miles
Automatic transmission fluid (Change)(Every)60,000 miles

Apparently, it lists replacing the timing belt at 60k....My 05 I did at 105k...but then again, if the maintenance contract does it, I won't have to pay the $700 like I did on my 05.

kezard,
 
#4 ·
Thanks,
Conventional oil change(Every)10,000 miles I do this every 3-5K just because it is cheap and easy to do plus it is always good to keep this fluid clean. The actual oil doesn't break down but it just gets dirty.
Spark plugs (Replace)(Every)90,000 miles This is normal
Timing belt (Replace)(Every)60,000 miles - This seems very early, normally see honda doing the belt around 90-100K
Air filter (Replace)(Every)30,000 miles - Wouldn't replace unless needed, easy to check if dirty or bad
Rear differential fluid (Change)(Every)30,000 miles Just did this, only needed on 4wd model. Another fluid you really need to keep clean
Transfer case fluid (Change)(Every)60,000 miles Just did this with the rear diff, If you do it yourself, do it the same time you do the rear diff, not hard.
Brake fluid (Flush/replace)(Every)45,000 miles I have never flushed the brake fluid in any vehicle. I have drained some while doing new brakes and bleeding the system, but never a full flush
Cabin air filter (Replace)(Every)30,000 miles Another filter that would only replace if needed
Tire Rotation(Every)10,000 miles Only rotate front to back, I don't do side to side.
Coolant (Flush/replace)(Every)120,000 miles
Automatic transmission fluid (Change)(Every)60,000 miles I drain and fill this at same time as rear diff. Easy to do. Another fluid you need to keep clean
I just did a service on the 2013. New motor oil and filter, new trans fluid (drain and fill), new rear diff fluid and new transfer fluid. Cost me like $120 in fluid and around 1-2hrs of time, maybe 30-45minutes of actual work.
Get the oil and filter from walmart (cost around $30ish for synthetic 0w20 and fram ultra filter). Use Honda fluid for trans. 4qt of DW1 cost me $36 shipped. Rear diff uses VTM-4, gallon cost me $30 shipped. Then I used Motocraft 75w85 which cost $22 for the transfer. You will need a bottle pump (something like this ToughOne Engine Fluid Lubricant Pump W1141: Advance Auto Parts) to get the fluids into the transfer and rear diff. A funnel will not work.
 
#5 ·
Thanks zillafreak,
I know I could do it all myself, as it I did it with my 05 EX.


But included with the sale was a 3yr 36k no cost maintenance contract so I'll let them do all the work at no charge.


My main writing was to see if I can get a maintenance schedule like the dealers use instead of relying on the car to tell me when it needs to be serviced.


I can understand how the car "knows" to change the oil, but doubt that things like timing belt, diff & trans fluid, etc. can be detected by the car.


My guess is that the car is "programmed" to display these service reminders based on mileage and time rather than the car itself "knowing" when it needs to be serviced....hence a maintenance schedule.


kezard,
 
#7 ·
My guess is that the car is "programmed" to display these service reminders based on mileage and time rather than the car itself "knowing" when it needs to be serviced....hence a maintenance schedule.
No one knows exactly what Honda includes in their MM algorithm but it is widely thought that it probably based on some kind of surrogate for mileage (i.e., total fuel burned) as well as things like number of cold starts. The general idea is that mileage, by itself, doesn't account for the extra wear/tear of stop/go city driving, high-speed driving, VTM4 engagements, cold starts, etc. There are no sensors to monitor the actual condition of any fluids.

There is NO elapsed time counter so the MM has no method to track calendar time. The only calendar-based service requirements I'm aware of are an annual oil change (if the MM hasn't called for an oil change within a year) and replacing the brake fluid every three years.

- Mark
 
#6 · (Edited)
When it is the customers paying, most dealers publish their own maintenance schedules that revert back to standard mileage-based intervals and typically have extra/unnecessary items that Honda doesn't include and/or they shorten the intervals compared to what the MM recommends. Dealers generally don't like the MM system as it reduces their service revenue. They want customers coming in for a "60K check" that includes $250 of legitimate services and $500 of fluff.

But.... if you sign up to a pre-paid maintenance plan, they'll likely go back to the MM system and refuse to do one iota of work beyond the minimum Honda recommends. That's one reason why these plans are typically a bad deal unless you can get them thrown into a deal as a freebie.

- Mark
 
#8 · (Edited)
You peaked my curiosity. I purchased a 2014 Pilot new in January 2014. It now has 108,000 miles. I've done all maintenance myself. The vehicle has never been serviced by a professional mechanic. Not once! I've followed the maintenance minder for services. Codes come up and the owners manual tells you what they are for. I use Mobil One Extended Mileage
Full synthetic Oil with Fram Ultra Synthetic filters from Walmart and OEM parts from the local dealer when needed. Here's the list

3/30/14 - 6,065. Oil & filter (O&F)
6/14/14 - 14,227 O&F, VTM4, Tire Rotation
8/28/14 - 22,353 O&F
11/22/14 - 30,268 O&F, VTM4, Tire Rotation, ATF, Transfer Fluid, Air Filter
4/5/15 - 39,105 O&F
7/3/15 - 48,596 O&F, Tire Rotation
9/20/15 - 57,296 O&F
1/10/16 - 66,908 O&F, VTM4, ATF, Transfer Fluid, Air Filter, New Michelins from Costco
4/9/16 - 75,313 O&F, Tire Rotation
6/26/16 - 83,747 O&F
9/16/16 - 92,583 O&F, Tire Rotation
1/15/17 - 102,275 O&F
3/15/17 - 106,125 O&F, VTM4, ATF, Transfer Fluid, Air Filter, Spark plugs, timing belt, water pump, coolant, pulleys, belts, front pads and rotors. (All the timing belt service components appeared to be in excellent condition...felt wasteful to throw them away, but I did)

THAT'S IT! The vehicle hasn't given me one bit of trouble. I guess I did forget to put a couple wiper blades in the list. Looks like I am going 8-9k miles between changes...nearly 10k once. I'm going to keep this vehicle for a couple more years so it will be interesting to see if there are any noticeable effects from the extended oil changes.

It scares me to think how much would have been spent had I brought the vehicle in for regular service by the dealer. Edit - just did a tally and my total maintenance material costs are about $2,000 including tires and the complete timing belt service I just completed! Of course I'm not including my labor cost, but my maintenance on this vehicle is about two cents per mile so far. Gas is approximately 13 cents per mile.

BTW, I tow a 4,000 lb boat & trailer quite regularly. Tranny and VTM4 fluid always looks clean. Transfer Oil looks new.
 
#9 ·
WOW...you did the timing belt yourself...good for you.


You'll have to tell me how long that took you.


The most I've ever done on my 05 was, rear diff fluid, trans drain & fill, replaced radiator, replaced lower control arms.


I did not want to tackle the timing belt....looked intimidating.


kezard,
 
#11 ·
After doing timing belts on Audi and Porsche V8's, the one on the Pilot looks relatively straightforward. With the car at eye level with me sitting in my favorite roller seat, most everything appears to be "procedural". Plus the amazing library of yeau-teube how-I-did-it documentaries offers way more guidance that on those other "interesting" cars in the clinic fleet.

The comment on air tools is interesting; after careful consideration, I -might- use power tools on the Honda crank bolt and some others for disassembly. Assembly is ALWAYS done with hand tools and torque wrenches/screwdrivers. There's no forgiveness in the aluminum engine for cross-threading or over-tightening steel bolts. Anti-seize is a close friend too.

----

As far as basic maintenance intervals, my thinking is old-school I guess. I watch the MM oil life numbers and start stocking up on fluids when 50% shows up on the display. At the next available opportunity, it gets a full service and inspection. My "Bob's Engines Need To Last Forever" routines are experience-driven. They start with a first service and synthetics after the drive home from purchase at the dealer.

The OP's question though is about finding a Honda recommendation for a schedule other than the MM display, to get maximum value from his "free" extended service plan.

K's 4Runner has seen dealer service since it was new. She learned early that having them do it for her gave fewer problems in the longer term. Meanwhile, I watch her miles and roll the car into my workbay midway between the dealer sessions, and give it the full treatment too. Plus I do her coolant and brake fluid, transmission and differential fluids, which don't seem to make it into the dealer protocol nearly as often as they do mine. The V6 in her car has timing chains instead of a belt; noisier but not as critical for age-related deterioration vs. the belts.
 
#12 ·
As far as basic maintenance intervals, my thinking is old-school I guess. I watch the MM oil life numbers and start stocking up on fluids when 50% shows up on the display. At the next available opportunity, it gets a full service and inspection. My "Bob's Engines Need To Last Forever" routines are experience-driven.
Experience driven? When was the last time you had an oil lubrication engine failure?

I've been doing my own oil changes for about 40 years. I've never had an oil-change related engine failure, so I'm curious what your experience-driven "Bob's Engines Need To Last Forever" routines have proven.

My philosophy has been to trust the engineers that designed the vehicle and change oil at their recommendation. I've had plenty of problems over the years, but none related to oil change interval.
 
#17 ·
I just recently purchased a used 2014 Honda Pilot. I keep seeing valve adjustment intervals for the V6. I just can't find one specific for our J35Z4. My question, is it necessary? I keep seeing every 30k miles. Just need someone experienced with Honda's to clarify.. Thanks in advance..
 
#22 ·
The Pilot hasn’t changed a whole lot from the pre MM days. So google the owners manual for say 2005. That schedule has worked well for 239k. So I reckon Honda knows what it’s saying.
 
#27 ·
VTM-4 fluid and ATF are the ones I might change more often if the car is driven properly. ( DILYSI )

If you read the fine print in the manual, it notes that certain "severe service" conditions warrant more frequent fluid changes than the MM indicates. Towing, extreme heat or cold, frequent short trips are some of the conditions IIRC.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top