Recently, I had bought a used 2015 Pilot. It is my 1st Pilot. Previously, I had the 04 Odyssey which was not a good year for that car due to transmission issues.

With that said, I have a few questions regarding the Pilot.

1. Overall, was 2015 a good year for Pilots? Any major issues that I should be aware of? Fluid leaks, transmission...
2. Is this car good on gas mileage? I understand it can vary depending on circumstances.
3. Oil Life- This is a new setting for me. Does oil life mean how much oil is left or an indicator on when I need to have the oil changed?

Overall I am happy with the car.

 

Usually this sort of thing should be done before purchase, not after. Pilots are good vehicles. However, like any vehicle they require specific maintenance in order to make it to the moon and back. How long it lasts is entirely up to you.

1) The transmissions require a fluid change (do not use a flush machine) with Honda factory fluid ONLY every 60-80 thousand miles. If that maintenance hasn't been done the transmission could be on borrowed time. Pull the dipstick and check the condition of the fluid. Is it red? Does it smell burnt? If it's brown and/or stinky you should consider changing it. Understand that sometimes changing the fluid can expose the true condition of the transmission, so if it's already at the end of it's life it will start to slip after the fluid change.

2) It's a V6. You can expect mid teens around town and mid-low 20's on the highway. Your fuel mileage depends mostly on how the vehicle is driven and the inflation of the tires.

3) Oil life is oil life, not oil level. Understand that this estimation is for the supplied Honda motor oil, so if you're using that conventional garbage you should change it a lot sooner. Or you can do like I do and buy AMSOil from AMSOil.com and pay $7.50 a quart (with preferred membership) and get free shipping on orders over $100. Why would you spend a little more money on oil, you ask? It's simple. For starters it costs considerably less than the bullshit GL4 synthetics you get at the auto parts store for $12/qt, and because it's a true GL5 you can run it for considerably longer than the oil life indicator specifies. I run my Accord to 12-14k regularly on oil changes, and I have the laboratory oil analysis that proves my engine is wearing considerably slower than average (compared to the same vehicle) even though I redline it probably 50 times per day, so don't let anyone tell you you're an idiot. I have 250k on my 2013 Accord and it idles smoother than ones with half the mileage. These facts in combination with the price means AMSOil can be cheaper than the cheapo garbage conventional oil. Additionally.... what costs more, good oil, or a replacement engine?

Don't forget these J series engines have a timing belt. That will need to be changed every 80-100k miles. If you don't and the belt fails it will cause catastrophic damage which carries a considerable repair cost. To the point where it can be cheaper to replace it with a used one.

Enjoy it.

 

I have another question. Does Garmin make the navigation system in this car? If so, how do I go about updating the databases?

 

https://hondanavi.navigation.com/hom...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Hey bud, GL4 and GL5 are gear oil specs and have zero to do with synthetic or conventional. Certainly don't want to be putting them in your engine.

The words are are looking for are base stocks. That's how you describe conventional or the various forms of synthetics.

 

Apologies. I was misinformed. I was under the impression that GL4 referred to petroleum base stock versus GL5 being ester based.

Believe it or not you can run gear oil in your motor without an issue. 75w90 is equivalent to about 10w40.