2006 LX Pilot vs 2006 MDX Touring

[maverickfhs]

Alright, so here's another thread seeking some help from any MDX(190K) or Pilot(220K) owners.

Understand transmission is the weakest point, is there anything else current owners would advise I should be paying attention too?

I am planning to check both of these vehicle and both are in $3K range. What should be a good price for them? Thanks for help

 

[zfasts03]

Timing belt and associated components. Maintenance history. Accident, flood, thief, etc.

 

[HangFire]

I have a 2005 Pilot. By 2006 the transmission was well sorted, except the external sensors do wear out. They are cheap and easy to replace yourself.

Look for:

Blinking "D" light. May have to take a long drive to get it. If no CEL, use it as a bargaining chip (see above). If goes with CEL, avoid buying, truly bad transmission.

Pink milkshake in coolant, purple ATF. Means it needs a new radiator yesterday.

Rocking driver's seat. The metal seat frame cracks. The fix is either a $600 assembly, or fabricate a plate, remove 2 bolts and grind away 2 rivets and put plate in place.

Burnt out resistor or control disables rear HVAC. A couple of simple/cheap fixes here, use as bargaining chip.

Check front HVAC mix and blend operation. Both of these motors tend to go out around 150K, pick up rebuilds on eBay for $90. I rebuilt mine myself using pick and pull parts, kept parts swapping internals until I got a good mix. Clicking noise is your clue.

What zfast03 said, in maintenance history you also need to look for VTM-4 (rear diff) fluid changes.

If the engine burns oil, it may just need a new PCV valve, which is affordable and easy to replace, but replacement was not part of the original maintenance schedule (other than "check operation").

Given my 211K mile Pilot experience, I would jump on a good deal on a 2006 MDX or Pilot.

 

[maverickfhs]

Thanks hangFire

 

[maverickfhs]

Unfortunately no maintainece records on either, except the verbal maintenance confirmation. Might have to wait or go and rest drive them.

 

[HangFire]

You're welcome. Let us know what you end up with.

 

[Andrew1972]

The timing belts are due on each so ask. What's better not sure , it's flip of coin and what appeals to your needs as they are different.

 

[BryanTDI12]

Make sure the Pilot is the AWD model and not FWD. The FWD have cylinder deactivation and my aunt had a 2007 FWD Pilot that ejected the spark plug at ~110k miles and loved to burn oil. Too costly to repair so she replaced it with a 2015 Pilot with VCM.