so here goes nothing...

i bought the car from my mother in September 2012.

in October 2012 I was driving the vehicle when all of a sudden the car started struggling and the red oil light came on.

i pulled the car over asap and had it towed to a nearby shop who noticed that there was less than half a quart of oil left in the engine. (MM read 40%)

he refilled the oil, did a quick check to make sure no permanent damage was done and off i went. to this day i am completely **** about checking my oil level manually every 500-1000 miles.

however, ever since, i feel the car hasn't been 100% right. it could be in my head, but who knows.

fast forward to today. the car is approaching 95,000 miles and there are some lingering issues that i'd like to get some advise on.

first, the car rattles a bit at highway speed. a bit of wheel vibration and engine is relatively loud.

secondly, and perhaps more concerning, is the car shifts extremely harsh and seems to slip, or "forget", when to shift. for instance, i could i could be on a downgrade and the car will downshift, throwing the vehicle into higher RPMs. sometimes i'll be accelerating and it will wait an extra second or two to punch into the next gear. it just seems...harsh. there is also a slight rattle right before the car shifts into gear, just barely audible with the windows down.

i have had the car looked at multiple times, both by honda and independent shops. none have really caught any of the issues.

honda did recently flush the transmission fluid and tell me that the brakes need to be replaced, and i need new control arm bushings, new links and new heat shield totaling close to $1,700. i decided not to pursue the repairs as i am getting rid of the vehicle in a month BUT i want to at least get some insight into what some of the causes could be and if i should be concerned of anything failing within the next 30 days or so.

 

You shoud be "****" about checking oil levels in a car all the time. Heck I have a brand new one with ~2,500 miles on it and I've checked it at least three times since I bought it.

Next, auto trans cars need to have fresh fluid. I go over the top on these and change at least every 30K.

Last, the fact they say you need a heat shield leads me to believe that is the source of the "rattle".

So if you get the heat shield done, you had the trans fluid changed - hope for the best on that.

The "shake" could be related to the suspension items they have listed as needing replcement. I'll assume the shake happens when the brakes are not pressed and that the tires have been rotated and balanced.

 

I'm going to assume Honda didn't "flush" the transmission. And it was just your choice of word. You don't flush a (Honda) automatic transmission.


Your last paragraph perhaps answer your questions on what's going on. Will it "last" for 30 days, that's a gamble only you can decide.


When I sold my 88 Civic (in 97), it was perfect. After the new owner took possession of the car, the radiator hose decide to explode. He was stuck 3 hours later. I later give him $300 back. The point of this story is....anything can happen.

 

Just to share my story. I do 20-25K miles drain & fill (1X). At my last change, it "caught" up to me as I noticed how "brown" it was. So I did a 2X, and it looks a lot better. Currently at 70K.


Yes, I know about the 3X, but part of me just think that is just wasting good ATF.

 

I should have been clear, yes I do the one drain and fill every ~30K. The 89 is a stick so it will go further and I use reg dino oil (10w-40)....the 97 got the 3x when I first got it with 100K and been doing regular 1x since, the 07 Pilot I got it with 42K....been doing 1x changes since, currently at ~155K.

Not sure where I'm going to start on the 16 Pilot AWD....only at ~3K so I've got some time to figure that one out.

 

My 14 Ody is at 15K miles. I don't know if I should "start" already with 1X. Each time I start with a new Honda, the ATF drain bolt is like 80lbs torque (don't recall the exact number). Not sure if I'm still young enough to bust that.

 

Well I know I'm not young enough for that....I have to use leverage for way too many things these days ....pushing 50 and a buck forty (wet), I need all the help I can get.

With me it was the "fill bolt" I had issues with.....the story of the first change on the 07 Pilot still makes me laugh.

OP - Sorry the "off topic" talk......hope you get things going and give us an update.