The full service around 100k miles usually includes the timing belt service (and all associated parts), the spark plugs, and valve clearance inspection. Those are the things that Honda recommends at about this mileage...any other items like brakes would be in addition to the scheduled maintenance.

 

Spark plugs definitely if they're original. Any other repairs should be done as needed.

 

Let's define the words. You only need the timing belt, water pump, etc. If you don't the engine could die.

You don't need to replace the spark plugs. Sparks plugs and valve adjustments are something one should do, if we want your engine to be efficient, etc. You can probably run it till it no longer can spark. You get a check engine light. Then replace the spark plugs.

If you want to keep the car longer, much longer, then there is a list of things you want to do. If your goal is 200K miles, or 300k miles. Yes, you will need to spend $$$.

Many said Hondas last forever. That's not really true. You will need to spend $$$ on maintenance. It does not get to 200K miles with just oil changes. $13K is not a lot for a vehicle. You can probably run it to the ground for a few more years. Or you can aim for getting 10 more years out of this car. It's a personal decision we all have to face. Pour more $$$ or sell it "now."

 

You can probably run it till it no longer can spark. You get a check engine light. Then replace the spark plugs.

Yikes.

Meanwhile as the plug gaps get wider and wider the ECU has to work harder to maintain correct ignition timing while fuel mileage suffers. Why let them wear to the point of misfiring and causing a CEL? There is also potential that the coils can be damaged as well.

 

If you want to do the bare minimum now I'd do timing belt job (tensioner, water pump), transmission drain and fill, and that's it.

Tier two would be transfer case and rear differential drain and fill (if AWD) and brake fluid flush. Tier three would be spark plugs.

I would be inclined to defer plug out to 125K miles, and valve adjustment out to 150K. The J series motors tend to be fairly forgiving on both.

Brakes will be (probably) less than a grand if you go to an independent shop, and over a grand if you go to the dealer (OEM parts are more expensive). When the pads are worn down to the minimum, brakes have to be done....no putting it off. As usual, many shops will "recommend" service before it really has to be done. If you want to learn how to work on your own car, this is the place for DIY advice...along with YouTube, you can save a lot of money.

Try not to think of how much the car is worth if you sold it, but what it would cost you to replace it if it died. That's the true value; protect that investment.

 

Try not to think of how much the car is worth if you sold it, but what it would cost you to replace it if it died. That's the true value; protect that investment.

Well said. We are all consumers. As much as I want to spend $50K on a new Pilot, I really don't want to spend $50K on a new Pilot.

 

How well have you kept up on the other regular maintenance? Is it time for another oil change? Is it time for a transmission drain and fill? You said you "at least" did the tranny. How long ago was that? Collective wisdom says to do a brake fluid flush every 3 years, have you kept up with that? Is the VCM enabled or disabled and if so, how long?

What I'm trying to say is just because you hit that mileage doesn't mean everything needs to be done if you take care of the car and kept up with the maintenance.

 

Along with the timing belt and those associated parts (tensioner, water pump) I would also change out the serpentine belt at the same time. Should be no extra labor charge for that since it is coming off anyhow to do the timing belt.

 

I have gotten 2 different stories on what is needed once you get to 100-105K on my 2019 Pilot. I know about the timing belt replacement /water pump etc... possibly an oil change too if necessary. But what about spark plugs and drain and fill for brakes and tranny? I have done all of those already or at least the tranny.

I havent needed brakes yet but any idea on cost to replace pads and resurface rotors ? All in all this is sounding like a very large maintenance well over $2500. Hopefully can hold off on the brakes but doubt it.

Anyone get to this servicing and what did you end up doing? Im afraid not to change the timing belt. The car is only worth about $13K.

Are you following the maintenance minder?
Have you read the owner's manual?
If so, then you shouldn't need any "stories" to determine what maintenance is required.

 

See my reply to "stories" and what i meant.

 

In my mind on my first reply, I lumped in new spark plugs with valve adjustment. My cost at the dealership was $2K+. Yes, one can DIY or find it cheaper. True. Changing spark plugs is not that expensive by itself DIY.

 

The plugs are something like $45 at the dealer...each. That parts counter retail price will be included in their job cost. They're about $6 each in the aftermarket, so there is a pretty big cost savings doing it yourself, or even having it done by a trusted mechanic, who will probably mark the plugs up by 100%...but not by 700%. The Aisin belt kit is less than $250. Again, your shop might mark it up, but you're still way less in parts than the dealer would charge, and likely less in labor as well.

 

About $6 for an NGK DILZKR7B11G? From which authorized retailer?

 

To go slightly OT, if one found/know a mechanic they can trust, hang on to that.

In my town, there are two Honda dealerships. And two independent shops that specialize in Hondas. The rest are chain stores. These two independent shops are not dumb, in that they know how much the dealership charges. So a "$2,000" job at the dealership, they will charge less like be at $1,800 range. So always cheaper than the dealership, but not giving anything away. With that, I often just default back to the dealership for work I can't do DIY.

Good mechanics or shops are not going to do the work for peanuts when they know how much more they can make.

 

With that, I often just default back to the dealership for work I can't do DIY.

One thing that bugs me is a common attitude where people believe even if dealers cost more, they are automatically better at working on that vehicle than an independent shop. Really more often than not the opposite is true.

 

Yes -- while not the specific OEM plugs, they will likely work just as well. I did similar with my daughter's CR-V. I think the OEM NGKs were something like $12 each, and I put similar ones in it, also listed for the application on Rock Auto, that were about half that.

 

I don’t have much more to add to this discussion but wanted to make a couple points. If you have almost 100k on brakes and rotors you are doing great and must assume mostly highway driving. Also 13.5 k seems way low on what your pilot is worth, unless you have some damage or the dealer quoted as trade in value, I would expect closer to 20k but just do your research and don’t rely on the dealer telling you what it is worth.

 

The "story" is about which dealer says don't stretch the valve and spark plugs replacement past the recommended 105K that Honda recommends while another dealer would say you could stretch those items but do the timing belt first. Here is the breakdown of prices from Richmond,VA Honda dealer farther South and charges less than my local Honda nearby. . Timing belt/water pump etc.. $1375.00 Valva adjustment $546.00 Spark plug replacement range is $400-575.00-all plus tax.
I will need brakes close to 100K as they are still ok as my car is mostly highway-that runs around $900 for front and back. I need another tranny drain since last one was 30K miles before and that runs $250. Oil change and tire rotation needed also for $75. They probably would want a brake fluid change if i do the brakes but not sure. That will be a couple of hundred. It will add up with tax to $3500-4,000 if i do them all. My car has been through every required Honda scheduled maintenance and oil change from day 1. Its been kept up. Only one set of tires and second set still in great shape. In the end as someone mentioned in a reply that spending 4K on maintenance vs buying a new one for 50K is the big question. I love the car and its a personal decision and a crapshoot that something major will fail after i do the maintenance I do have a wrap warranty to 199K. This is a 2019 Pilot EX FWD. Currently at 90K Gets incredible gas mileage too way better than the new ones.
The best independent mechanic specializing in Honda repair now charges the same labor rate at Honda. They are no longer a bargain anymore. I am going to keep driving the car and decide what to do about selling it or not. i have until 105K or sooner if i want. But i prefer to do what Honda recommends and not stretch things out and taking a chance i am not ruining the engine etc..

Anyone know how long these engines will last? i know my year had premature tranny issues but so far i have escaped this for now. Carmax will only give me $13,500 and dropping as i add on mileage

 

I love the car and its a personal decision and a crapshoot that something major will fail after i do the maintenance I do have a wrap warranty to 199K.

You nailed it. Decide how long you want to keep the car, and maintain it to reach that point. Also, make sure you are planning financially to replace it at that point. I want to say that Pilots can easily get to 200K+ miles if driven a lot, although to be fair the 9-speed is not ZF's finest work, and the direct inject engine is Honda's first generation of DI V-6, so the true sample size probably only goes back to the 2016 model year. See this long laster: https://www.piloteers.org/threads/237-000-miles-threw-a-rod.169370/

By the way, the $13.5K Carmax quote is a joke. They are selling your vehicle for around $20K. You could expect to get roughly that much if you sold it outright rather than a trade in.

 

If you want to do some of the work yourself to save money, and have modest skills, replace the brakes and spark plugs on your own. You will save a lot of money. I've replaced the brakes on my 2005 several times. The rear brakes are slightly harder because the emergency brake is a drum brake which is part of the rotor (I think) and it is slightly harder to get off and put back on. Disk brakes are easy. If you are using daily driver brakes and rotors just replace the rotors. Turning them isn't worth the trouble. It costs $25 per rotor to turn them at my auto parts place. Replacement rotors are not much more.

You can replace the serpentine belt rather easily, as well. However, it should not cost you any extra to have the belt replaced since they have to remove it to do the water pump.

I had my timing belt break at about 191K miles. I had it done at an independent shop at 105K. The break was about 7 years ago. The cost to repair all the damage from the timing belt break, which included replacing all the valves and some other stuff I can't remember, was about $3,800. Today it would be much more. It took two weeks to get the car fixed because several parts had to be sent to a machine shop. The dealer wanted $8K to repair the damage. I thought that was beyond ridiculous.

Doing the major maintenance work at 105K miles is part of the cost of owning the vehicle. The cost of a timing belt failure or water pump failure is very high.

 

I was just quoted $2900 for the timing belt/water pump/tensioners job including plugs and an oil change at my local Honda dealer in Virginia Beach area. The local independent specialist has quoted $1400 for just the same timing belt etc job. They say I can wait longer for the plugs. I'll investigate installing those myself, based on what I've seen on these pages about the plugs costing 25% of the dealer price from RockAuto or similar.

 

What mileage are you at?

Installing new plugs isn't that difficult, but yes definitely get them from your local parts store or Rock Auto. Stay away from Amazon....too many counterfeit parts.

Aisin timing belt kit from Rock Auto is a good buy as well.

 

Did they mention also at 105K miles Honda recommends a valve adjustment ? The price is costly. Not sure if that can be stretched but the plugs can.

I'll ask the independent shop about that as well. I know the dealership said that part was about $400, if I remember correctly.

In most cases I'd defer valve adjustment longer than plugs. 150k isn't a bad valve interval for most people IMO.

That makes sense. The valve lash being off would only lead to poorer performance and not to a catastrophe as would a belt failing. And I'm sure the 105k miles interval has a lot of cushion built into it.

 

The valve lash being off would only lead to poorer performance and not to a catastrophe as would a belt failing. And I'm sure the 105k miles interval has a lot of cushion built into it.

Poor valve adjustment can lead to hard part failures that would require extensive engine work (like a burned valve, requiring cylinder head removal and refurbishment), but the recommended interval probably does have plenty of safety factor built into it. You'd likely need to run the engine for a long time with valves that have come out of adjustment for permanent damage to happen...but it's also easy to not notice small incremental changes in performance over time that may be indicators of something out of adjustment.

I did a valve adjustment on our 2005 MDX at about 100k miles, and the exhaust valves were indeed a little tight (they typically will be tight if they're out of adjustment). I did loosen them, and it's nearing in on 200k miles soon and I'll likely do them again in the next year or so (along with the timing belt again). I checked the valve adjustment on our 2009 Ridgeline at about 100k miles, when I did the timing belt, and I don't recall having to adjust them. This vehicle has 170k miles on it now and I'll do the belt on it in another year or so. I'll certainly check the valves again on it when I do that job.

It does seem that some engines need a small adjustment while others do not.