Long overdue update

Well, I am long overdue for an update. We are at just about 164k miles and in the past year or so we have had just he usual suspects. New tires, oil changes, recommended maintenance, etc. etc. etc.  But a few interesting things to note.

1. During last appointment our Honda dealer told us we were needing a new battery. Not wanting to shell out more money than necessary to Honda, I decided to hold off and go to AutoZone as usual. Autozone claimed the battery was perfectly fine holding full charge. So i'll hold off on the replacement at this point and chalk it up to the dealer trying to just make a few extra bucks as always.

2. P3400 Code - Had the service light come on and AutoZone told me it was a P3400 - VALVE PAUSE SYSTEM (VPS) STUCK OFF BANK 1.  Based on that information i scoured the internet and tried to see if it was something i can repair myself and save a few hundred dollars. I came across a bunch of things but this YouTube video and https://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/ I felt i was ready for the repair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlorN9b4D9Y

I was able to order the two parts from Majestic Honda at the above URL for less than $40 shipped compared to the almost $100 the Honda manufacturer eStore or local dealer wanted to charge.

Luckily the day before i planned to perform the repair, the light went off. I will hold on to the parts since they were minimal cost just in case it shows up again.


3. Need replacement of lower radiator hose and clean off corrosion from thermostat housing. I haven't had these repairs done yet as they quoted me $301.93. I will see if i can hold out and get them to throw a coupon at me to bring that price down before i jump on it.


Overall, like i said just the usual suspects with a few interesting items. Hoping to see this thing hit 200k and the goal is to eventually reach 300k. We are over halfway there so we will just have to wait and see.

Rattle/Rumble

Had some routine maintenance back in mid August. It was a basic oil change and tire rotation. Shortly after that heard a faint rattling near the left side of the car, seemed to be towards the front but hard to tell for sure.

Brought the car back in about two weeks later but unfortunately they were not able to hear the noise and couldn't diagnose it. Basically said everything seems fine and sent me on my way.

Since my wife usually drives the Pilot, I hadn't noticed if it went away or got worse until i jumped in last night to go out and was very concerned that the noise had only gotten worse.  Now there was a definite vibration that accompanied the rattling / rumbling noise.

So here i am again today, sitting in the waiting room hoping they can figure out what it is and hoping that it is either covered under warranty or a fairly inexpensive repair.

Update @ 2:25pm cdt

Covered by extended warranty!!!!!! Need to acquire the parts so it will be scheduled for early next week.

Navigation Failing - DVD Disc Reading Error

I was not too happy during my last visit when as usual the service advisor came back and claimed they couldn't find any issues with the navigation system. Because we were seeing the issue off and on with increasing frequency, I decided when we left the dealership that I would start tracking how often it happens.

Here is the list as of 8:45am on 5/12/14

1. Sunday, April 27 @ 10:50am
2. Tuesday, April 29th @ 4pm
3. Saturday, May 3rd @ 10:15 am
4. Thursday, May 8th @ 7:20 am
5. Thursday, May 8th @ 4:05pm
6. Friday, May 9th @ 7:03am
7. Friday, May 9th @ 4:12pm
8. Sunday, May 11th @4:29pm
9. Sunday, May 11th @4:39pm
10. Sunday,  May 11th@4:54pm
11. Sunday, May 11th @ 7:16pm

As you can see, this happens quite a bit. During the drive on the 11th, I was able to open the DVD tray each time it happened and immediately close it. At that time the DVD based navigation system would reboot and would work fine. But then it would happen again shortly after.

I have an appointment today for a B-1 service and noted that I wanted this to be looked at as well. I am curious to see what happens this time.

My opinion is that the dvd optical drive is failing which is causing the issue.



Update (5/12/14 @ 12:45 cdt): Brought the car into McGrath Honda in Elgin, IL (which is where we bought the car and also always have it serviced) a few minutes past noon today. I was told most likely they will not be able to diagnose it since it is not happening at the moment, but they can try and it will be a $65 diagnostic fee. Now i am just sitting and waiting.

Update (5/12/14 @ 4:22 cdt): After having my B-1 service and a few other recommended services done, I am a few hundred dollars lighter in the pocket and was told by Tim that they were going to attempt to contact the warranty company for approval on the repair of the DVD Navigation system. According to the technician, they recommend a new DVD unit and new disc to repair the issue. Tim was not able to comment on if it would be covered or not.

Here we go again

This morning the Check Engine Light, Check Emissions System, and VTM-4 light came on again. Same as June 2013 post not including the VSA light. ( http://www.problemswithmynewhonda.com/2013/06/hit-trifecta.html )

Another odd thing that happens from time to time, the navigation system had a Disc Read Error this morning as well.

At the dealer now just waiting.

Update: I was given a loaner and told this misfire will be covered under the warranty extension that Honda implemented.  CJ (the service advisor) told me that they need to order the parts and basically since my car threw the P0302 code again and it already has the latest software update, then they need to replace the rings and clean the pistons (at least I think that is what i remember).  They got me in a loaner and told me they would be giving me a call tomorrow.

Update 2: I was able to get the car back and all seemed to be working as expected. They were able to fix the issue which was causing the P0302 code for no charge under the extended warranty, but stated they couldn't find any issue with the navigation system. So that part of my issue remains unsolved. Check out THIS POST for the latest on this navigation issue.