What have you done to your Pilot today?

54703 Views 366 Replies 84 Participants Last post by aggrex, Nov 22, 2021

Coastie05

Discussion Starter · Apr 3, 2020

I couldn't find a thread like this, so if there is already a thread please delete or merge.

Today I changed the rear differential fluid for the first time and changed the engine oil and filter for the second time. Current mileage is 13,028 and the vehicle has been great. Both jobs were pretty easy, though I am not a fan of the oil filter location. I used a little over 2 quarts of Honda Dual Pump II for the diff and 5 quarts of Castrol Magnatec with .7 quarts of Valvoline FS that I had left over from my CRV oil change (both 0W20) with a Fram TG7317 filter.

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cintocrunch

· #20 · Apr 13, 2020

Our Pilot has barely moved in the last month. But after I get the lights installed in the garage I plan on washing the Pilot and Traverse and giving them a maintenance coat of spray wax.

cintocrunch

· #23 · Apr 13, 2020

I've found just getting out for an hour drive has been good to clear my head with everything going on. I'll probably set up a rotation with the cars and look to get each one out for an hour every week.

cintocrunch

· #28 · Apr 13, 2020

Daltongang said:
The nice thing about the Passport is that it is built on the Pilot/Ridgeline frame, has the same engine, transmission and drive train. It's 10" shorter in body, while retaining more full time cargo room, and has approximately 1" more ground clearance. The ride may be a touch stiffer as it is beefed up similar to the Ridgeline. The front end angle is much better for off roading. Most, but not all accessories are interchangeable with the Pilot/Ridgeline and Odyssey. The skid plate is not one of them due to the front end angle.

It's definitely not for everyone, but if you don't need the third row, then it is definitely a vehicle to look at.

The one down side that it has, and I believe is the same on the Pilots now, is the 20" wheels. I would prefer 18" wheels and taller tires, however the 20's on it haven't been bad.

Besides, the Passport has a IMO a better body profile than the new Pilots. My wife calls the new Pilot body style the Odyssey lite, as the profile is quite similar.

The current Pilot definitely makes some styling concessions in the name of functionality. The Passport is a great execution of the design language and I'm a big fan of it. I hope it sells well enough to stick around for multiple generations.

cintocrunch

· #30 · Apr 13, 2020

My wife loves our Pilot and will be keeping it for a LONG time. I drive the Traverse and while it is an excellent family vehicle and highway cruiser, I miss having a truck (and something sporty but I don't need to be getting tickets). I'll move on to a truck when the youngest is in a booster (3.5ish years but who's counting). I am really intrigued by the Gladiator with a manual but I will likely go back to the Tacoma since I loved mine before.

cintocrunch

· #32 · Apr 13, 2020

Captain_Pilot said:
Done nothing. Was sorting my receipts today. Had my Pilot filled up + Sta-Bil in early March. The same full take is still there. Guess I won't be taking an advantage of the low gas price anytime soon.

Does your Pilot sit a lot? What year is it? I was just a little surprised to see you use Sta-Bil. I put it in my classics and all of my small engines but the newer engines are all E10-E15 friendly.

cintocrunch

· #37 · Apr 14, 2020

Captain_Pilot said:
MY '19. Yes, it sits quite a bit lately. I have been working from home since Covid started. Did all my shoppings online. No need to venture out and risk infection. My Pilot is still on the same tank of fuel since stay home order.

Can certainly understand that since our Pilot is barely moving right now.

PilotElite16 said:
View attachment 135310 New to the Pilot bought 16 elite picked up 19 elite rim locally for a great deal. They where in a little ruff shape. I had to do a one step polish to get the scratches out the black paint then ceramic coat them for easier cleaning.

I like those wheels a lot, very nice pickup!

Highspeedbail said:
Which spray wax do you use?

I have the maguiars quick wax. Works well after a wash... interested what else is out there

I'm running through old stuff right now, Mothers Reflections is what I have. I can't wait until it's done so I can grab some Turtle Wax Seal n Shine, that stuff has been tearing up the detailing community since it was released.

cintocrunch

· #44 · Apr 23, 2020

Sha93 said:
Removed the factory fog-lights bulb and replaced with some 3000K (= yellow ) LEDS
Headlamps was hazy, sprayed on some All Purpose WD40, waited 30 seconds, dry with a rag, the lens look shiny as new now,
can't wait for nightfall to see how both "shine".

HD didn't have Rustoleum Primer , clear coat spray I also wanted, noticed 2 dings in the body of my Pilot and want to "cure" them now.

What brand LEDs? Got a beam pattern pic?

WD40 melts the plastic lens, it looks good for a short period of time but this is not a permanent fix. I guess it's cheaper than "Wipe New" but produces similar short term results.

cintocrunch

· #80 · May 4, 2020 (Edited)

Finished up installing the shop lights in my garage.

Then bathed the Pilot and gave it a maintenance coating of spray wax.

EDIT: Forgot to add I installed a new cabin air filter, cleaned the AEM engine air filter, installed new front wipers and ordered a new OEM replacement rear wiper since the replacement I bought on Amazon doesn't have the arm to guide the rear wiper into the holder.

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cintocrunch

· #91 · May 28, 2020

PilotElite16 said:
View attachment 136510
Polished out all the glass to get that clarity and water spotting out. Top it with Nanolex glass sealant. Detailing process continues.

Looks good! My preference is Aquapel... it lasts longer than my vehicles do!

cintocrunch

· #128 · Jul 6, 2020

Power steering fluid turkey baster suck and fill... 65k miles, I'll likely do this again this week and if the color looks more like the fluid going in I'll just start doing it every oil change.

Oil and transmission fluid change. My drain pan was about 2" too short so I ended up with a little bit of dribbling on the floor towards the end. Oil used was Mobil1 5W20 I had from my Accord that I wanted to use up. Filter was K&N.

Yes I know the wheels are pointing the wrong way, I had to correct that with the engine off since I determined while draining the oil.

Transmission fluid was the infamous MaxLife... and my setup for putting the fluid in via the dipstick tube. Work wonderful, I can dump a full quart in at a time with no leaks or drips at all. I put in 3.5 quarts and it was right at the low line after a drive. I'm gonna check again this weekend and top off as needed.

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cintocrunch

· #130 · Jul 7, 2020

plplplpl said:
Nice. A couple of observations:

"infamous Maxlife" I think you mean "famous and the choice of connoisseurs."

I found the turkey baster somewhat slow and messy and quickly switched to a little hand pump I got for VTM-4 fluid. How much power steering fluid?

Get a jug of the "famous" Valvoline MaxLife ATF instead of the quart bottles and spend the savings on a cold beer recompense.

That syringe contraption for the dipstick port looks like something Dr. Evil would use to inject you with truth serum where you don't want the truth to come out.

As always, vote in the infamous poll. Vote early, vote late, but vote often. ATF: Fill Hole or Dipstick Port?

Haha both the Pilot and Sonata like it... and I use the Valvoline full synthetic DexVI in the Traverse (it's power steering uses DexVI as well).
I tried the hand pump method as well. Both work fine for my use. I didn't have any mess with the baster since I have a small metal pail that I can easily get the baster into. I like the idea of keeping my pumps clean for new fluid. Honestly I used the little metal pail a ton, it's one of my go to "tools". It's the 2.5 qt model, I use it almost exclusively for any work on small engines and more than you'd think on my cars.
I did a jug for my first transmission fluid change. The one downside to my contraption is that it is slow. The larger funnel holds a full quart so it's no issue with the quart bottles but with the 4 qt jugs it was a pain. Additionally I find it easier to be more precise with how much fluid I add using quart bottles.
You like that, huh? I can make you one for the mighty sum of $50 shipped...
ALREADY VOTED! You could at least badger the non-voters, I am always a good American and vote!

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cintocrunch

· #250 · May 13, 2021

Nail Grease said:
I'd probably be obsessing, checking it all the time. Just what I need. 🤦‍♂️

Why do you think I haven't put one on my only DI vehicle, the Traverse? I check the oil and in the span of the oil life monitor telling me I'm at zero I've typically barely budged off of the max line. If no oil is being lost, no oil is being sucked through the PCV system so no need to catch it.

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cintocrunch

· #267 · May 26, 2021

plplplpl said:
Nine times out of twenty, it's gravel.

One time out of twenty, it's a %#&*! screw.

What about the other 10?

cintocrunch

· #292 · Jul 1, 2021

Mingus Jim said:
You might want to try out a 2021 that actually has running boards. They were installed on my 2021 SE when I bought it. I had them removed. They were a pain, literally in the shins. Our friends who rode in it just once didn't like them. I didn't like them. For us, they were useless in exiting or entering the vehicle as stepping on them just did not work. We had to step over them to get in and getting out also, which meant if they were wet or dirty, the dirt or water got on the legs of our jeans. Worse than that was, if I opened the door and wanted to reach in for something, say to the center console, I always banged my shin on the running board. What an improvement in utility, convenience and comfort after they were removed. The only plus: they did look nice.

View attachment 150111

But running boards that size are great for kids to climb in and for those old enough to have trouble getting in and out of cars. We have both of those in our lives right now and on both of our vehicles (Pilot and Traverse) the running boards are a pain to us but great to those people.

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cintocrunch

· #296 · Jul 2, 2021

Yea I definitely like that the running boards help keep the side of the vehicle less dirty. Clay bar doesn't take nearly as long and I don't need to do it as often to remove all of the embedded crap kicked up by the tire.

cintocrunch

· #304 · Jul 16, 2021

Very cool setup!

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cintocrunch

· #311 · Jul 22, 2021

Jsome said:
Installed the S-VCM today. Very pleased with the ease of installation.

The car actually coasts like it should! I didn’t think it would make a huge difference, but it’s significant.

It's amazing how many people say the same thing. Glad you are enjoying your 6 cylinder 100% of the time Pilot!

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cintocrunch

· #328 · Aug 16, 2021

Nail Grease said:
What are the advantages of doing this?

Queue said:
No pics yet of my Pilot loaded up, but this is why... I know the liftgate is supposed to reverse when it hits something, but I can't trust it to not do irreparable damage to my surfboard first before reversing. I also cannot trust myself to not mistakenly hit the liftgate switch on the fob or the door. This way, I flick the switch (disabling power liftgate), load up the car, and no chance of mishaps until I unload the boards and flip the switch again. Not exactly a feature for everyone, but definitely worth it for me. Cost me under $50 for the switch, wire, and connectors, and several hours of research, and another few hours to install.

Can't wait to take her to the beach, and get an updated pic.

View attachment 151838

Some other brands offer this as a standard feature. My '14 Traverse has a "2 way" switch. If I push it up it stays up and turns the power tailgate off (though the latch is still power operated and works). If I push it down it is momentary to power open or close the tailgate.

Can't say I've ever turned it off but it would have worked for this use case! I have my cargo box set up to mount about 3" in front of the tailgate while it's open.

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