[amcmike]

Same issue came up on ours yesterday. Of course, the warning light resets right when wife restarts it for the service advisor. Luckily the code was still stored in memory.



So far, the dealer has done the software update (TSB strictly states they will not warranty other repairs until this is done first).


I guess now, we wait until the light comes back on again.


Curious, for those that have had it come on, do you spend most of your time driving with Eco mode on or off?


Interestingly, I couldn't find this coming up on the Acura MDX which basically has the same engine (slightly higher hp rating, but they also recommend premium fuel - could be the difference of a more aggressive ignition table?). Wondering if it's a tuning issue.

 

[amcmike]

The octane rating of the gasoline will have no effect on this issue.

I wouldn't be so positive.


This same basic engine is used in the Acura MDX models, and in researching this earlier, I didn't come across any online complaints from those owners. In their case, even with the same compression ratio, the owner's manual recommends premium (ours says regular fuel). I think that's how they are able to claim the 10hp difference (the Pilots are probably running less spark advance than optimal to be compatible with the CR).


So it could depend on whether the calibration software is setup to adapt for higher available octane. For example, GM uses a high and low octane fuel table set. If you run premium the ECU will use the high octane table. If you introduce regular, it senses knock and starts to blend the high/low octane tables until it's optimized for the resulting fuel octane. On GM V8 trucks, owners have reported better fuel economy and power simply by switching to mid-grade (89), and giving the ECU time to relearn. But not enough to justify the added $/gallon.


So if MDX owners really aren't seeing this issue, it's possible switching to premium could mitigate it. I'm not saying it's for certain, but I wouldn't rule it out either.

 

[amcmike]

I had to pay $300 of that for the pipe - 3rd party extended warranty wouldn't cover it.

Is that the "Honda Care" or different resource. I heard people say something to the effect the Honda Care is not truly and warranty extension, but I'm unclear as to why.

 

[amcmike]

I just got a letter informing the injector warranty has been extended to 10 years 150k (whichever is less). Pretty miffed that they finally admitted fault now, as I ended up buying Honda Care since it would've cost me nearly the same as the repair out of warranty.