Hey clutchfans, my 2004 honda pilot that I inherited needs some help. steering is loose, suspension is a mess, steering pump is leaking etc. AC is being weird also...rattles from the cabin filter area, uneven temperature (hot air comes at the same time as cold air is coming..wth?). It's only worth about 2000 bucks. So should I even bother fixing it? Can anyone suggest a good mechanic that can make it feel semi new again?
Can't recommend Jimmy of K-Auto high enough. He's actually from Japan; changed his name. Specializes on Toyota, Honda and Nissan. Was a factory manager in Japan. Moved here to start his own mechanic's shop. On Montrose between Gray and Dallas. https://local.yahoo.com/info-18996868-k-auto-repair-houston
Fixing any of those problems with a mechanic would cost at least 500 bucks, all of them costing more than the car is worth. Dump it.
Honda? You don't need to fix that stuff.. Just add a fart can exhaust and an air filter... Also, you could lower it by cutting suspension springs and you're good to go.... Do it!!
Unless you can afford another car payment, I'd consider repairing, especially if everything else is reliable on the car.
I am pretty sure I need both front and rear strut/shock replaced. Steering pump I think is 600? Drive belts need replacing also. AC...I have no idea what to fix. It does heat up and cool down the car but just has uneven temp control. These are just things I know. Transmission/Engine seems ok. Fluids probably need to be drained/flushed. I am hoping the estimate is less than the value of the car. But youre right, car payment free for another 1-2 years is worth 2K.
Shocks and struts/accesory drives can be handled by most shadetree mechanics. Do you have any friends that do work on their own cars? You can save some money there. Drive belts are east to replace. You can rent a tool from autozone/oreilly and do that yourself. Save some more $$$. If suspension is fried, you may want to have mechanic look at that.
So I went to two of the mechanics mentioned in this thread. Timing belt - 800 Front struts - 710 Rear shocks - 330 Front & right motor mounts - 506 Connecting links - 105 AC Mix Motor - 390 Driver side seat motor: 200? Total: ~3000 Unknowns: last time brake fluid, transmission oil, coolant was changed. Steering pump is leaking a little bit also. 11 years old. 150K miles. I am thinking it's not worth spending 3K on it. Thoughts?
When did timing belts cost $800 to replace.... Make some mechanic friends, have them do all the work and throw in some cash + pay for lunch or dinner imo. Replaced an alternator on my bros Lexus not too long ago. Dealership wanted $1,200-$1,500. Went to autozone and purchased a reman alternator for $150, grabbed a buddy and we knocked it out in four hours (first time). Check youtube to see if they have videos on how to replace those items. I'd say over half of the costs is labor, so is it worth spending over $2k to pay someone else to replace parts on your car that you could probably do yourself? If you really want to pay someone, try calling Burden Honda care. (281) 955-2565. Does a good job and charges less than the dealership. One of my bros had his brake fluid flush at John Eagle Honda and those dorks couldn't even get that right. The lines still had a bunch of air in them, because the brakes were still mushy. He took it to Burden and they fixed it for him for a lot less than what the dealership charged for the flush. If he asked me, I would've done it myself and saved him hundreds.
This was my thoughts and I was right on the estimates no? What do you want out of this car in terms of miles and years? How many miles are on it? Also what are connecting links, electrical? I don't know the condition and I found it weird you mentioned suspension in your first post (do you have shock literally hanging off the car?)but drivers seat, shock, struts, and timing belt are all maintenance items. Don't do them if this is short term. AC for 390 is worth it. Do that. Moto mounts broken and making tons of awful noise? Fix those. Connecting link? dunno.
i was hoping to keep it for another 2 years but the front suspension is on its last leg. Going over a tiny rock feels like I just ran into a 10ft deep pot hole. the link is part of the front suspension. seems like i am better off spending some money on a used car thats a little newer.
