2006 Honda Pilot Opinions? (Sorry for the Deja Vu)

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As I have mentioned in my previous and sadly pointless thread I am looking for opinions on the car we are going to use in Ghana.

Car is a Metallic Grey 2006 Honda Pilot, 3.5v6.

Any hints, tips or opinions gratefully received.

Any common problems? Parts prices?

And obviously opinions on the oil and filter to use.

It will be getting an oil and oil filter change once a year. When I am over there next I will be changing air and fuel filters. And looking into a transmission flush.

Already looking at the US Pilot forums but would appreciate all advice.
 
Well it will need a timing belt if it hasn't already been done. I'm not sure what shop rates are in Ghana, but here in the US that's going to be $1000 with parts and labor if you have a garage do it.

Other than that, they are pretty good vehicles.
 
I don't know if this has changed recently, but Honda was never very interested in the African market. Other automakers like Toyota and Mitsubishi showed much more interest in Africa, not only in marketing and dealers, but in producing vehicles better suited to the conditions encountered there.

For that reason I would avoid Honda for use in Africa.
 
I have a 2008. Get the timing belt/accessory belt/water pump/tensioner done for sure before you leave.
I use M1 5w20 HM and a Fram 7317 Tough Guard.
Normal trans drain and fills with DW-1, Honda coolant, Honda hypoid gear oil, Honda VTS-4 fluid out back.
No issues to date over 87k minus me changing out the alternator when it started whining. Easy 2-hour job, Carquest reman from Advance Auto.
 
Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
I don't know if this has changed recently, but Honda was never very interested in the African market. Other automakers like Toyota and Mitsubishi showed much more interest in Africa, not only in marketing and dealers, but in producing vehicles better suited to the conditions encountered there.

For that reason I would avoid Honda for use in Africa.



I agree, Subaru are also rare which is why I ruled out one of those.

I must admit it wouldn't have been my choice, but what can you do. I was actually rather pleased when she said it was a Highlander.

Local mechanics can turn their hand to most things. Believe it or not there are a fair few Lamborghini's and Ferrari's and other super high end vehicles in Accra.

Parts are going to be an issue I suspect. Though I have done some research and there are a few For Sale in the classifieds. Only seen a few on the road when I was last over there.

They seem to have plenty of room and ground clearance seems ok.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I have a 2008. Get the timing belt/accessory belt/water pump/tensioner done for sure before you leave.
I use M1 5w20 HM and a Fram 7317 Tough Guard.
Normal trans drain and fills with DW-1, Honda coolant, Honda hypoid gear oil, Honda VTS-4 fluid out back.
No issues to date over 87k minus me changing out the alternator when it started whining. Easy 2-hour job, Carquest reman from Advance Auto.


Thanks for that info.

Is your Pilot the 03-08 model?

What's it like to own on a daily basis?

Can you get 20mpg out of it?

The weather is fairly hot in Ghana but i suspect not as hot as in many parts of the US. Anybopinion on wether I should be loooking at a 5w20 or a more common in Europe 5w30?
 
A coworker of mine has an '06 Pilot and some of his engine mounts have broken.
He is reluctant to pay for a repair and drives the thing as is...I would be scared to death.
 
I've driven on bad engine mounts, it's not dangerous as long as the suspension is still attached.

I hope he pays to have the timing belt changed
 
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I have a 2008. Get the timing belt/accessory belt/water pump/tensioner done for sure before you leave.
I use M1 5w20 HM and a Fram 7317 Tough Guard.
Normal trans drain and fills with DW-1, Honda coolant, Honda hypoid gear oil, Honda VTS-4 fluid out back.
No issues to date over 87k minus me changing out the alternator when it started whining. Easy 2-hour job, Carquest reman from Advance Auto.


Thanks for that info.

Is your Pilot the 03-08 model?

What's it like to own on a daily basis?

Can you get 20mpg out of it?

The weather is fairly hot in Ghana but i suspect not as hot as in many parts of the US. Anybopinion on wether I should be loooking at a 5w20 or a more common in Europe 5w30?





2008 model. I wouldn't do serious off-roading in it but mild off-roading is just fine. Very roomy, rides nice, reliable.
20mpg max, with a tailwind, is possible.
Pick the best 20w synthetic you can fine and you'll be fine. They're designed for it.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I've driven on bad engine mounts, it's not dangerous as long as the suspension is still attached.

I hope he pays to have the timing belt changed
With drive-by-wire it's probably not as scary as it used to be (throttle sticking open).
 
I have a 2006 Ridgeline. I believe same engine etc. The car maintenance items are pretty easy to do your self. I just did the timing belt/water pump at a local garage for like $500. Honda wanted like $1200.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I have a 2008. Get the timing belt/accessory belt/water pump/tensioner done for sure before you leave.
I use M1 5w20 HM and a Fram 7317 Tough Guard.
Normal trans drain and fills with DW-1, Honda coolant, Honda hypoid gear oil, Honda VTS-4 fluid out back.
No issues to date over 87k minus me changing out the alternator when it started whining. Easy 2-hour job, Carquest reman from Advance Auto.


Thanks for that info.

Is your Pilot the 03-08 model?

What's it like to own on a daily basis?

Can you get 20mpg out of it?

The weather is fairly hot in Ghana but i suspect not as hot as in many parts of the US. Anybopinion on wether I should be loooking at a 5w20 or a more common in Europe 5w30?





2008 model. I wouldn't do serious off-roading in it but mild off-roading is just fine. Very roomy, rides nice, reliable.
20mpg max, with a tailwind, is possible.
Pick the best 20w synthetic you can fine and you'll be fine. They're designed for it.


Vehicle will only be used for 4 or 5 weeks of the year so 20mpg should be enough. No serious off-roading some driving on unmade roads and the roads away from the capital are occasionally potholed. The biggest hurdle are the rather large speed jumps in most of the main roads, which make a normal car a bit of a bind.

5w20 is not that common in the UK. I can find 5w20 Redline on Opieoils and Amsoil is available in the U.K. But it's not cheap.

I need to locate a source for service parts in the first instance.

If availability is as tricky as already mentioned due to the lack of Hondas in Africa in general.

We were in a similar position about 10years ago when we had a Daewoo Espero over there. They are very common in Nigeria but like hens teeth in Ghana. All of our Taxis are Hyundai Accents (03/05 models) which are common and parts are easily sourced.
 
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I doubt it ever gets cold in Accra, so I wouldn't be afraid to use 5w-30 or 10w-30 if that's all you can get.

If you only use the vehicle five weeks a year it will age faster than it will wear anyway. And all those other fluids won't need replacement for years if they have been refreshed recently. As you wrote, a Pilot will give you ground clearance and plenty cabin space. Enjoy!
 
As far as oil and oil filters, it's likely the Pilot uses the same filter as many Nissans and Mitsubishi vehicles. So if those are more plentiful, those filters are more likely available.

As others have pointed out, the Fram 7317 which is listed for this vehicle is also listed for many Nissans and Mitsubishi applications. Which means you could find an oil filter at any of those dealers to use on your Honda.

Probably dealers and parts stores for each of those brands.

Edited to add:

You mentioned Hyundai as well. Seems the same Fram fits Hyundai vehicles as well, so I don't think you'll have issues finding oil filters.

Things more specific to the Honda may more of a concern.
 
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I have just done a search for the Honda Legend with the 3.5 V6 and they mention the J35A8 engine type.

A Bosch filter (one of my favourite makes) is 85mm tall and has an M20x1.5 thread with a diameter of 65mm.

Will do some research to see if that filter will do the job.

From memory the Legend had a good reputation for reliability, though they were rare on UK roads.

Edit. Just found that the K&N HP 10 10 cross references with the Fram 7317. And does indeed have the same M20x1.5 thread and near identical 68mm diameter but is taller at 95mm.
 
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Have just searched the Honda Legend 3.5V6 VTEC engine on the UK Mobil website and it has come up with a wide range of options.

From Mobil 1 0w20 to Mobil 1 0w30. But also Mobil Super 3000 X1 FE 5w30 and good old Mobil 1 New Life 0w40!

I can't see the 3.5 Vtec in a Legend being much different to the 3.5 Vtec in the Pilot.

As protection is what I want over fuel economy, as I have said already it won't do many miles, maybe 1200/1500 a year, I think I have a plan.

Oil.
1st Choice Mobil 1 New Life 0w40 £30 in Costco

2nd Choice Mobil 1 Super 3000 X1 FE 5w30 £

3rd Choice Amsoil or Red Line 5w20

Oil Filters.
1st Choice K&N HT 1010 £15 (ish) online from K&N

2nd Choice Bosch Filter £9 (ish) locally at EuroCarParts.

Air Filter ( I am limited in Choice, can only find a K&N so far!)
K&N Air filter. £53 (ish) Online from K&N

(Optional) K&N Cabin Filter. £64 (ish) Online from K&N.

That's the tentative plan of action.
 
We have essentially the same vehicle, a 2005 Acura MDX. The transmission issues typical of the early 2000s for Honda were pretty much sorted by then. An '06 should have a good transmission and it probably won't have the variable cylinder management system, meaning you don't have to worry about that. Broken engine mounts from this era are somewhat common. Our '05 MDX doesn't have a single broken one, and it has 141k miles on it. Our '09 Ridgeline has one side mount that has lost its fluid. I may replace it one day if I get around to it -- there aren't any perceptible side effects. The 3.5L V-6 is Honda's J-series engine, which is a global engine. The previous comment about Hondas not being common in Africa may be great advice -- if a brand is not common, it may be hard to find replacement parts if you need them. Maintenance stuff should be pretty standard. Typical 5W-20 or 5W-30 motor oil, Honda DW-1 transmission fluid, hypoid 80W-90 GL-5 in the transfer case, and Honda VTM-4 fluid for the rear.

You'll like the VTM-4 system. While it's not torque-vectoring like Acura's SH-AWD, it is somewhat predictive in nature, and applies torque to the rear wheels under acceleration. So it's not completely reactionary in nature. There's also a VTM-4 Lock button, which provides pretty effective locking of the rear differential up to a certain speed (18 mph I think). It's an electronic clutch lock, and it's not designed for rock crawling, but it's effective when used as designed.
 
I don't believe they started using the better 4-shaft, 5spd automatic until 2007, so I'd be most concerned with the AT in this SUV. ATF drain/fills can't hurt and are ridiculously easy on Hondas. I used Valvoline Maxlife ATF in our 2008 Honda Odyssey.
 
JTK, I believe the Odyssey received the 4-shaft transmission in 2007, but the MDX debuted it in 2005 and the Pilot and then-new Ridgeline had it in 2006.

Relevant link

This transmission has an excellent reliability record...at least as good as industry average. Our '05 MDX still shifts beautifully at 141k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
JTK, I believe the Odyssey received the 4-shaft transmission in 2007, but the MDX debuted it in 2005 and the Pilot and then-new Ridgeline had it in 2006.

Relevant link

This transmission has an excellent reliability record...at least as good as industry average. Our '05 MDX still shifts beautifully at 141k miles.


That's a great thing! You don't hear of many issues at all with the 4-shaft.
 
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