Honda Pilot's milestone

[parshisa]

My wife’s ‘16 Honda Pilot just crossed the 100k miles mark. We've had this car since August 2016, purchased brand new, so a little over 9.5 yrs. Travelled across the Texas and a few times to Florida and back. Here are some interesting details about the car (they are for me, not sure if anyone else would care, but here you go anyways):

1. A total of 4,833 gallons of regular gasoline with an average mpg of 19.3. The total cost - 12,140$.
2. A total of 26 oil changes have been performed at various intervals, but mostly 3-4k miles (all oil changes were DIY). Different brands and viscosities have been used, and as of late i've been using Kirkland 5w30.
3. A total of 13 drain and fills were done with mostly DW1, and last couple of them I made a switch to VML transmission fluid.
4. Brake fluid was changed 4 times.
5. Rotors and pads (all around) were swapped out at around 40k miles (pulsation when braking at highway speeds). Lasted for 30k miles and had to be changed out again (this time rotors and pads from Autozone - still feel good).
6. Factory bridgestone tires were replaced with Coopers at around 33k miles. Didn't last as long as advertised, and were replaced with Michelen Defenders at 65k miles - best tires I've ever bought.
7. Lower control arms were replaced at 42k miles (warranty) - torn bushings.
8. External transmission cooler installed (DIY) at 42k miles - helps a lot with summer driving, cooler transmission temps.
9. Fuel injectors replaced at 48k miles (warranty), along with the start/stop button.
10. Engine air filer replaced every 15-20k miles. Cabin - once a year.
11. For whatever reason, the batteries don't last as long. I'm on the 3rd battery after replacing the original one at 32k miles.
12. Timing belt/WP/bearings replaced at 88k miles (DIY Asin Kit)
13. Front struts replaced at 90k miles (KYB absorbers, OEM bearing and miscellaneous parts) - 50% DIY, another 50% had to take it in after stripping the crown nut.
14. Spark plugs replaced at 90k miles (DIY) with NGK.
15. Recently developed a minor leak (not dripping, just sweating), I believe the oil pump seal. Ordered the PCV, should be in my possession this weekend, perhaps it'll help.

The car has some dent, dings and scratches, but interior is in a great condition. I suppose will drive it till it drives.

Y'all have a great day.

 

[wemay]

Why did i think this was an aircraft pilot obtaining significant hours...?

 

[parshisa]

Why did i think this was an aircraft pilot obtaining significant hours...?

Haha, good one. I need to change the title

 

[wemay]

...and congratulations. Better title

 

[rstsco]

Your historical documentation is admirable. and encouraging.

Our 2025 Pilot Elite will be one-year-old next month. We've put 16.7k miles on it so far, including 4k miles less than two weeks after purchasing due to my wife's mother passing away in CT. I changed the oil to AMSOIL Signature Series at 494 miles before we left, then changed it again upon return. It got another oil change at 10k and another at 13k when switching from AMSOIL Signature Series to HPL Premium Plus PCMO.

I have not been as meticulous documenting fuel consumption, but everything else goes into a 3-ring binder, documenting all purchases as well as all DIY service. I also make entries into Honda's MyGarage and Carfax for documenting DIY service. When I add an entry. I print out the history and put it in the binder.

I've yet to change the transmission fluid, but will do so at the next OCI at ~20k. Most of our driving has been out of state to our daughter's in Wisconsin. My wife's first trip to Wisconsin was solo, where she also drove into Canada to visit her sister. We went over Thanksgiving and again last month.

I do not like the OEM Bridgestone tires and can't wait until they've worn enough to justify replacing. I was a fan of Michelins most of my life, but have recently have changed to Continentals. Having been caught in a major snow storm on our way home a couple of years ago, I vowed to never make the winter trips to Wisconsin without winter tires. I found a like-new set of Honda wheels on craigslist and bought a set of Continental Viking Contact 8s. Didn't get to really try them out over Thanksgiving, but last month we did while in Madison. They were superb in the ice and snow. Fortunately, we had dry roads on our way back home. The downside of having them is not being able to leave them on all winter, since were we live it gets into the 70s and 80s during winter.

I hope we have as good a service from our Pilot as you've had. Thank you for sharing.

 

[fantastic]

What type of NGK did you use (Platinum etc.) What were the OEM's & how did they look after 90k?

 

[melk]

Big agree on the Defenders. My favorite tire by a mile.

 

[ARB1977]

My wife’s ‘16 Honda Pilot just crossed the 100k miles mark. We've had this car since August 2016, purchased brand new, so a little over 9.5 yrs. Travelled across the Texas and a few times to Florida and back. Here are some interesting details about the car (they are for me, not sure if anyone else would care, but here you go anyways):

1. A total of 4,833 gallons of regular gasoline with an average mpg of 19.3. The total cost - 12,140$.
2. A total of 26 oil changes have been performed at various intervals, but mostly 3-4k miles (all oil changes were DIY). Different brands and viscosities have been used, and as of late i've been using Kirkland 5w30.
3. A total of 13 drain and fills were done with mostly DW1, and last couple of them I made a switch to VML transmission fluid.
4. Brake fluid was changed 4 times.
5. Rotors and pads (all around) were swapped out at around 40k miles (pulsation when braking at highway speeds). Lasted for 30k miles and had to be changed out again (this time rotors and pads from Autozone - still feel good).
6. Factory bridgestone tires were replaced with Coopers at around 33k miles. Didn't last as long as advertised, and were replaced with Michelen Defenders at 65k miles - best tires I've ever bought.
7. Lower control arms were replaced at 42k miles (warranty) - torn bushings.
8. External transmission cooler installed (DIY) at 42k miles - helps a lot with summer driving, cooler transmission temps.
9. Fuel injectors replaced at 48k miles (warranty), along with the start/stop button.
10. Engine air filer replaced every 15-20k miles. Cabin - once a year.
11. For whatever reason, the batteries don't last as long. I'm on the 3rd battery after replacing the original one at 32k miles.
12. Timing belt/WP/bearings replaced at 88k miles (DIY Asin Kit)
13. Front struts replaced at 90k miles (KYB absorbers, OEM bearing and miscellaneous parts) - 50% DIY, another 50% had to take it in after stripping the crown nut.
14. Spark plugs replaced at 90k miles (DIY) with NGK.
15. Recently developed a minor leak (not dripping, just sweating), I believe the oil pump seal. Ordered the PCV, should be in my possession this weekend, perhaps it'll help.

The car has some dent, dings and scratches, but interior is in a great condition. I suppose will drive it till it drives.

Y'all have a great day.

Congrats. My wife has a 19 Pilot. VCM disabled, AMSOIL Signature Series ATF and AMSOIL Signature Series 0W30 in the case. OLM maintained, oil filter changed every time. Original brakes…original brake fluid, lol. Speaking of how hard was it to change it?.

 

[parshisa]

What type of NGK did you use (Platinum etc.) What were the OEM's & how did they look after 90k?

Here’s what they factory plugs looked like, and what I’ve replaced it with

 

[parshisa]

Congrats. My wife has a 19 Pilot. VCM disabled, AMSOIL Signature Series ATF and AMSOIL Signature Series 0W30 in the case. OLM maintained, oil filter changed every time. Original brakes…original brake fluid, lol. Speaking of how hard was it to change it?.

Brake fluid is very easy. I’ve done it with someone else pumping the pedal twice. And then I bout a pressure bleeder - super easy now. However, I’ve never noticed any difference in breaking performance after changing the fluid. Breaks are mushy before and after lol

 

[parshisa]

Your historical documentation is admirable. and encouraging.

Our 2025 Pilot Elite will be one-year-old next month. We've put 16.7k miles on it so far, including 4k miles less than two weeks after purchasing due to my wife's mother passing away in CT. I changed the oil to AMSOIL Signature Series at 494 miles before we left, then changed it again upon return. It got another oil change at 10k and another at 13k when switching from AMSOIL Signature Series to HPL Premium Plus PCMO.

I have not been as meticulous documenting fuel consumption, but everything else goes into a 3-ring binder, documenting all purchases as well as all DIY service. I also make entries into Honda's MyGarage and Carfax for documenting DIY service. When I add an entry. I print out the history and put it in the binder.

I've yet to change the transmission fluid, but will do so at the next OCI at ~20k. Most of our driving has been out of state to our daughter's in Wisconsin. My wife's first trip to Wisconsin was solo, where she also drove into Canada to visit her sister. We went over Thanksgiving and again last month.

I do not like the OEM Bridgestone tires and can't wait until they've worn enough to justify replacing. I was a fan of Michelins most of my life, but have recently have changed to Continentals. Having been caught in a major snow storm on our way home a couple of years ago, I vowed to never make the winter trips to Wisconsin without winter tires. I found a like-new set of Honda wheels on craigslist and bought a set of Continental Viking Contact 8s. Didn't get to really try them out over Thanksgiving, but last month we did while in Madison. They were superb in the ice and snow. Fortunately, we had dry roads on our way back home. The downside of having them is not being able to leave them on all winter, since were we live it gets into the 70s and 80s during winter.

I hope we have as good a service from our Pilot as you've had. Thank you for sharing.

We’ve looked at the new pilot last year, even test drove it. My wife wasn’t very impressed in terms of not seeing anything dramatically different or better. I kinda agree with her. So we decided to keep rolling with the old one for now.

I’m using the myCarfax app to track all the services, and Fuelly to track the full ups (haven’t missed a single one for Pilot and my civic - I know, nothing to be proud of and sounds weird).

I’ve used AMSOIL Signature Series in the pilot, even did the UOA, and honestly, there’s was no measurable difference or improvement. For the past 70k miles being using different oils I was managing to get for cheap (thanks BITOG)

 

[tbm5690]

I own the same vehicle in the Acura flavor and have a similar history after 104k miles. I have yet to touch suspension components but they are needed soon, and no fuel injector issues like you had. I have the same seeping oil pump seal, but no leaking so not concerned about it. When I replaced the PCV it had no effect on the seal weep. I used ruthenium on my plugs instead of the laser iridium. I put EBC pads and rotors on all corners and that improved the pedal feel noticeably...they are a premium product and you can tell.

 

[TomYoung]

I have the Acura, same year, with 170,000 miles. Your experience is very similar to my own. I had Defenders on the car for a full 90,000 miles, and they were still acceptable (ie. legal). I gave up chasing down a root cause and accept that batteries need replaced every three years or thereabouts.

I have had a good number of J-series engines and maintained them through 750,000 miles of usage over a number of vehicles. Speaking from this experience, I would suggest that they will easily run five or six thousand miles between oil changes, maybe farther. In most of my experience I have used 0W20, but on an earlier TL, the owner's manual called for 5W30. Not sure what transmission you have, but if it is the ZF, you can use many other fluids and very easily go 30-50k, or more between fluid changes. If you have the Honda transmission, frequent fluid changes using Honda spec fluid is smart. My TL had three transmission replacements, two under warranty, and while they got better over the years, they are an Achilles Heel. I had the same suspension situation and had the mechanic change the front struts, but not with a recognizable brand. Best wishes.

 

[RobbS]

My wife’s ‘16 Honda Pilot just crossed the 100k miles mark. We've had this car since August 2016, purchased brand new, so a little over 9.5 yrs. Travelled across the Texas and a few times to Florida and back. Here are some interesting details about the car (they are for me, not sure if anyone else would care, but here you go anyways):

1. A total of 4,833 gallons of regular gasoline with an average mpg of 19.3. The total cost - 12,140$.
2. A total of 26 oil changes have been performed at various intervals, but mostly 3-4k miles (all oil changes were DIY). Different brands and viscosities have been used, and as of late i've been using Kirkland 5w30.
3. A total of 13 drain and fills were done with mostly DW1, and last couple of them I made a switch to VML transmission fluid.
4. Brake fluid was changed 4 times.
5. Rotors and pads (all around) were swapped out at around 40k miles (pulsation when braking at highway speeds). Lasted for 30k miles and had to be changed out again (this time rotors and pads from Autozone - still feel good).
6. Factory bridgestone tires were replaced with Coopers at around 33k miles. Didn't last as long as advertised, and were replaced with Michelen Defenders at 65k miles - best tires I've ever bought.
7. Lower control arms were replaced at 42k miles (warranty) - torn bushings.
8. External transmission cooler installed (DIY) at 42k miles - helps a lot with summer driving, cooler transmission temps.
9. Fuel injectors replaced at 48k miles (warranty), along with the start/stop button.
10. Engine air filer replaced every 15-20k miles. Cabin - once a year.
11. For whatever reason, the batteries don't last as long. I'm on the 3rd battery after replacing the original one at 32k miles.
12. Timing belt/WP/bearings replaced at 88k miles (DIY Asin Kit)
13. Front struts replaced at 90k miles (KYB absorbers, OEM bearing and miscellaneous parts) - 50% DIY, another 50% had to take it in after stripping the crown nut.
14. Spark plugs replaced at 90k miles (DIY) with NGK.
15. Recently developed a minor leak (not dripping, just sweating), I believe the oil pump seal. Ordered the PCV, should be in my possession this weekend, perhaps it'll help.

The car has some dent, dings and scratches, but interior is in a great condition. I suppose will drive it till it drives.

Y'all have a great day.

Congratulations on great maintenance habits and it paid off.
No PEA treatment stated. I feel that every car can use some cleaner with PEA at some point.

 

[bdc101]

Thanks @parshisa, I just bought my first J35 powered car (2020 MDX) and this provides a lot of good context!

On #11, does your car have idle-stop feature? I see that many J35 cars have had idle-stop recalls on them, including mine, and I'm wondering if that's the reason why your batteries failed so much.

 

[bdc101]

I have the Acura, same year, with 170,000 miles. Your experience is very similar to my own. I had Defenders on the car for a full 90,000 miles, and they were still acceptable (ie. legal). I gave up chasing down a root cause and accept that batteries need replaced every three years or thereabouts.

I have had a good number of J-series engines and maintained them through 750,000 miles of usage over a number of vehicles. Speaking from this experience, I would suggest that they will easily run five or six thousand miles between oil changes, maybe farther. In most of my experience I have used 0W20, but on an earlier TL, the owner's manual called for 5W30. Not sure what transmission you have, but if it is the ZF, you can use many other fluids and very easily go 30-50k, or more between fluid changes. If you have the Honda transmission, frequent fluid changes using Honda spec fluid is smart. My TL had three transmission replacements, two under warranty, and while they got better over the years, they are an Achilles Heel. I had the same suspension situation and had the mechanic change the front struts, but not with a recognizable brand. Best wishes.

Not to derail the thread, but what do you recommend for timing belt replacements on these J35 engines? Should it be time-based or mileage-based or both?

 

[parshisa]

Not to derail the thread, but what do you recommend for timing belt replacements on these J35 engines? Should it be time-based or mileage-based or both?

my belt look pretty good at 88k miles and 8.5 yrs. It certainly lost the elasticity (looked plasticky), but had no cracks or missing teeth. I’m sure it would’ve gone another 30-40k miles with no issues.

Tensioner, on the other hand, was leaking fluid, and needed to be changed. If anything, the decision to do the TB job needs to be driven by the condition of the tensioner, in my opinion

 

[parshisa]

Thanks @parshisa, I just bought my first J35 powered car (2020 MDX) and this provides a lot of good context!

On #11, does your car have idle-stop feature? I see that many J35 cars have had idle-stop recalls on them, including mine, and I'm wondering if that's the reason why your batteries failed so much.

Mine is EXL, and has no auto start-stop. I’m not sure what’s causing the batteries to die so quickly. Maybe my alternator is bad? Not sure

 

[parshisa]

Congratulations on great maintenance habits and it paid off.
No PEA treatment stated. I feel that every car can use some cleaner with PEA at some point.

I’ve used Techron 2 or 3 times. Not sure if it made any difference. We always pump the gas at top tier gas stations, mostly Costco

 

[TomYoung]

Not to derail the thread, but what do you recommend for timing belt replacements on these J35 engines? Should it be time-based or mileage-based or both?

I think that 90,000 is where the smart money is, even though the owners manual probably says 105,000. If you are a lower mileage driver, my suggestion is every seven years. I don’t think anyone will disagree with spending $450 for the Honda/Aisin kit, vs. $135 for Chinese stuff.