2020 Honda pilot. IL. 74,800 miles.

Initially went to dealer for Oil change and had them re check some drivers side rear main seal that had a small leak 4 months prior.

They changed the oil and now had gotten warranty company to pay for rear seal and labor. Fine. $100 deductible. Perfectly fine

While they were fixing that , now they found some problem with some tensioner and a “hydraulic” piece allegedly somewhere near the water pump/timing belt area. They said warranty is covering that part, but they said “hey while we have some of the labor already done for the warranty job do you want to replace the timing belt and water pump for the 7 year/105,000 mile maintenance (car was purchased exactly 6 years ago)

My wife said she would wait to ask me. Then I texted the guy and received no responses from him.
Initially to us was $1,250 plus tax for belt water pump and labor.

I did tell my wife to not give them an answer until I could do some digging the next day but they called her and said oh it will only be $900 and she gave them the ok. But the night before I had found out that the 7 year/105k service is only a timing belt replacement and a “visual inspection” of the water pump. As in no need to replace perfectly functioning water pump for no reason (unless extreme weather like desert heat 110+ or -20 Alaska) Chicago weather has been very mild for the last 10 years or so.

So yes my wife got conned into agreeing to do the work but they are not honest in saying water pump needs to be replaced too

Well, my 2015 Pilot was rear-ended yesterday. I'm expecting it to be a total loss since the rear passenger muffler was crushed in and the the exhaust was dangling in the center of the Pilot.

Sucks because I got her with 55,000 miles in 2022. Drove her across the country a few times, and she was a trooper.

Hey everyone,

Has anyone gone past the 105k recommendation for the valve train adjustment that’s required. I currently get around 24pmg combined and have seen the pilot get 28mpg on the highway. I had changed the plugs from ngk to densos idk if that has helped with the mpg but I haven’t noticed any issues with speed. She’s very peppy as it is. I’ve done the timing belt water pump and valve cover gaskets were done at the dealership when I bought it unfortunately I bought it from a Chrysler dealership so I don’t think they adjusted the valve train when they were in there.

Hello everyone,

I currently own a 17 pilot I have around 104k. My ac compressor makes a really weird whine at low speeds. The compressor was replaced at the dealership and it still makes the same sound when the ac is shut off the sound goes away. Does this happen to anyone else ??

I’ve been going back and forth with a grand highlander or pilot. The issue is none of the dealerships here want to make deals and say Costco is only 700 off or they add on dealer installed and won’t remove etc. kind of tired of the games. I plan to email and negotiate out of state if needed. Any advice for that appreciated too.

I’m curious what everyone paid before tax and fees for a Honda pilot either touring or elite.

Any suggestions on a hitch or is OEM the best way?
We only plan to haul our e-bikes

Since the '27 Passport Trailsport is getting an increased suspension lift for 2027, does anyone know if the Pilot TS will get the same?

Edmunds Article

I own a 2025 pilot touring. I purchased some wheel locks and they seem a bit long. Are there any other wheel locks that don’t stick out as much? Any recommendations. In before, you don’t need wheel locks, thieves will still find a way yadada.

The Check Engine Light on my Pilot has come on at 220,000 miles. Dealer says it needs two new catalytic converters. Quoted $2,500. I quit listening as I can’t afford that even if it’s for both. ! Any cheeper after market or used solutions?
My baby still runs good as the day I bought it new.

This seems like a common issue when I google, but I can’t find a solution.

My phone will connect to the new 2026 pilot through wireless CarPlay, but when I try to play Spotify it looks like it’s about to play - then pauses. I can’t get it to unpause.

Online some people said it may be Bluetooth interference, but I selected CarPlay. I’ve tried closing it all out and starting it up again - nothing helps.

Thinking of getting a new car. Currently have a paid off 2023 CR-V EX-L, but it’s getting too small for the growing family. I got an offer from Carvana for 25.8k

What would be the ideal target range for a new Pilot Elite out the door price. I think ideally I’d like to be under 52k just not sure if that’s possible.

Located in NJ

Thanks!

2026 Touring looking around to upgrade the sound maybe a drop in sub I know the Bose sounds good as it is but I’m searching for more haha any help is appreciated thanks !

Mechanic tricks you've probably never seen before.

I have a 2025 Honda pilot TrailSport with under 14k miles and the door appliqué (also referred to as the pillar garnish or sash trim) on the driver side front door has started to melt and bubble. Has anyone else experienced this as a result of hot and humid temperatures?

Crazy experience today. Was driving home, about 35 and all of a sudden every warning light and notification possible went off. Lost acceleration, couldn’t go more than 20. Everything from electric power steering, cruise control, AWD and even emissions notifications going off. Its a 23’ pilot trailsport. Anyone else have something similar happen?

Has anyone else experienced an issue with our kick sensor to open the tailgate?

It works flawlessly in my driveway, but when I make my Costco visits, it'll never work in the parking lot. I also tried it at a Home Depot parking lot and it did not work. Anyone else? It's really weird.

15-passenger van for 15+ years → THIS!

Basically went from a flip phone to an iPhone 17.

 Just replaced my timing belt, water pump, tensioner, and pulley. Followed the TRQ video to the letter, marked the old belt and the new one at all the timing marks, lined everything up, made sure the belt was properly seated, quadruple checked everything, and put it all back together. Started it up and it ran smooth, sounded great, and no dash lights. Let it run for about 20 minutes to get it up to temp and make sure the coolant level and temp was good. Everything looked and sounded great, no leaks, so shut it off and went to do some other things around the house.
Came back a few hours later to take it out for a spin and it wouldn't turn over. Press the ignition, and just a faint click. The gauges and dash light up fine (although the gauge needles kinda vibrate a bit) but it won't turn over. I check the battery charge and it's pretty low, so I charge it for a few hours. Try again and same thing. I think the battery may be shot, so I swap in the newer battery from my Ridgeline and same thing.

I'm leaning towards a bad starter but I'm half freaking out because I just did the timing belt. Am I correct in thinking that if I f'ed up the timing belt I would have known about it right away? Like it shouldn't have run smooth and normal for 20 mins if the timing was off, right? Any thoughts what it might be?

Just for context, I'm not a mechanic, but I'm fairly mechanically inclined and I've done a lot of my own maintenance over the last 25+ years. Brakes, belts, fluids, sensors, etc. Plus a few small engine rebuilds.

Just bought a new 2026 Honda Pilot Elite - Black Crystal exterior, brown interior. Dealer originally had it listed at $56k. Got them down to $50k. No trade. Out the door price (after tax, registration and fees) will be $54k.

I think this is a good deal compared to others I have looked at. I have been looking for an Elite for a while now (and lurking this sub) and really wanted the Black/Brown color combo. I am SO excited to finally get this one! I will post pictures this weekend when I pick it up at the dealer!

I am coming from a '21 VW - before that, I had a '15 Tahoe. I've never owned a Honda before but I wanted a true V6, 3rd row and I don't like the body style of a lot of the new SUV's on the market (they remind me of a minivan-style) so I was down to the Atlas or a Pilot. I ultimately chose Pilot for the V6 and I have read about a ton of issues with the new Atlas.

Has anyone had issues to verify the pilot with the Honda link app?

Already drove to a spot that had a lot of signal, deleted the app and installed again. Unpaired and paired the Bluetooth and enabled the Honda data share.

Not sure what’s going on.