Model EX with NAV, dealer installed leather with type 2 trailer hitch (used for bike rack). Bought car new and it has 93,000 miles on it and has been well maintained and is in very good condition. Honda replaced the transmission in Feb. 2007 at 59,000 miles under their extension of the warranty.
Transmission has died again & needs to be replaced. It will cost about $2,700 with discounts from the Honda Dealership (including a 10% discount from American Honda). Additionally, timing belt should be replaced and it needs a new catalytic converter. Converter is not an immediate concern as car passed inspection in December and is good for 2 years. Should I repair it? If not, what is the best way to sell a vehicle that won’t move???
What size trailer have you been pulling and do you have an auxiliary transmission oil cooler?
If the car has seen rough (heavy) service, in spite of the maintenance, the time may have come to dispose of it.
93,000 is not a let of miles on a vehicle these days. If you spend $2700 for the transmission repair and $800 for a timing belt, you will have $3500 in the Odyssey. It should be good for at least another 50,000 miles and probably more. You can’t get much of a used car these days for $3500. If the undercarriage is not rusted, I would be tempted to fix it. You know the history of this vehicle.
My son is driving a 2000 Ford Windstar he bought from me. He had to have the transmission repaired to the tune of $1600 just recently. The Windstar has 130,000 miles. Since the body is in good shape and there are no other issues, he decided to have it repaired. He knows the history of the car since I originally owned it and is not in the position to buy another car. Your Odyssey at 93,000 should be worth more than the Ford Windstar of the same year.
Has anyone actually diagnosed the transmission? These days, especially on higher mileage and older vehicles people won’t even bother - they just say “rebuild.” It is true that those transmissions were worse than normal, but who told you that the trans is just shot? And on what basis?
I’d get a couple of other estimates on transmission work from transmission shops. Then I’d fix it and drive it for about 40K miles before either selling it or trading it in.
It seems these are good vehicles except for the transmission which isn’t robust enough to hold up. The transmission is just undersized for the vehicle.
based upon the slipping and a lound “clunk” noise when shifting from reverse to drive, and the fact that the car won’t move at all now, both the dealer as well as an independent mechanic who specializes in Hondas said it needed a new transmission. Are you suggesting that there is some repair other then replacing it???
If it is slipping, then no - there is probably no repair short of a rebuild. Its just that for lots of shops (dealers certainly included) any kind of transmission problem is a reason to rebuild/replace. Not all transmission problems require that, however. So I was just asking.
thanks, appreciated your thoughts.
Just curious, but a Class 2 hitch is rated for something like 3500 pounds. Is a bike rack the only thing this is used for or has there been some heavy duty towing involved?
One transmission failure I could see, but a second one after only 33k miles?
As to whether you should repair it or not, I don’t know the answer to that. If the next transmission would last longer than 30-40k miles I would say yes. If not, then dump it.
A 10 year old non-moving vehicle with serious mechanical issues is not worth much. It’s worth more than scrap iron so maybe listing it on Craigslist, etc. for X amount OBO is an option.
As stated in my original note, car has NEVER been used to tow anything. The cost difference between the larger and smaller trailer hitch was marginal, so we installed the larger one. Hitch was only used for an over-sized bike rack.
IF the catalytic converter needs to be replaced before 100k it should be covered under warranty for the parts. Check with your dealership.
The car has little value with the broken transmission. Craigslist or ebay is one method to sell it. Don’t expect a lot.
This is real unfortunate in these model year Honda’s especially those who were duped into buying them based on Honda “quality”.
Rock and a hard place.
The timing belt approaches $1000 and cat converter + o2 sensors likely $600-$1000. All that in 93k.
My answer depends on your needs and the overall condition of the minivan.
Since you say it is in good shape, I might be inclined to fix it.
If you were to trade it in, would your next vehicle be another minivan? If so, I might be inclined to fix it.
If you decide to keep it, I would find someone else to replace the transmission. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results. Give someone else (NOT AAMCO) a shot at fixing it right.
Since your last transmission only lasted 34000 miles I would be reluctant to invest $2700 for another one. I would find someone to install a used transmission and sell it.