Here is a fun question. I have 2 vehicles and I need to sell one in the next 6 months.
Honda Pilot Elite 2019, 50k miles
Lexus GS 350 2015, 35k miles
I struggle because I love the handling of the RWD Lexus sedan and I feel like it will last forever.
The Pilot is nice because it has the utility of an SUV and AWD but I also have a Truck.
Both are in excellent condition. Which vehicle will give me less problems down the road?
If the Pilot has the ZF 9 Speed Transmission, get rid of that one. 6 speed may be okay to keep.
Also, the Pilot will eventually need its timing belt replaced. Check the owners manual for the interval. It’s part of basic maintenance, but can cost a pretty penny.
With that said, I have seen the older generation of the Pilot with the same engine last forever.
I'm getting rid of one because I need a truck for work purposes. No reason to have 3. The Honda does have the 9 speed transmission. I think the timing belt interval is 105k miles. I imagine that might be 1500$?
I called the dealer to price them out. 1200$ for the timing belt, drive shaft, etc. He also mentioned 495$ for a spark plug change at 100k miles as well. Why is that so expensive?
Timing belt sounds about right. I’m pretty sure it is a fair but expensive price. It’s so expensive because soooooooooo much has to come off to get to the belt. Like it takes just as much time to take off all the stuff to get to the belt, then to change and time the actual belt.
I’m not sure about the spark plugs, but I imagine it is that expensive because it is hard to get access to 3 of the 6 cylinders. But I’m less certain on that.
Both good cars, depends on what your needs are. Why do you have to get rid of one?
Sell the Honda Pilot.
The ZF 9 Speed has been problematic not just for Honda, but for many car makes that have used the 9 speed.
Some say it is a design flaw. ZF says it is software related.
I can say we had rough shifting on the pilot and the dealer "reset" some software and it fixed the problem
Interesting. Maybe it was just software!