Hello,
I am looking at a used 2011 Honda Pilot Touring. It says the axel(s ) and seals have been replaced. Should I stay away or is ok to consider purchasing?
Thank you, jean
Get it checked out by a mechanic to see what is coming up soon in the way of repairs. Maintenance records would be a plus.
Thank you for your reply, Barkydog -
It is being sold on Shift which offers Carfax where it shows the maintenance records. The axles were repaired after being sold to Shift. The vehicle has 68,500 miles on it. I just wondered if new axles indicated other repairs related to it down the road that weren’t taken care of now. Great advice taking to a mechanic!
My guess is the axle repair is probably independent of other factors, but not sure without a full inspection. Does it have a timing belt that should be changed, trans fluid, brakes and tires coming up? Suspension components all solid and good? These are things an inspection can tell you.
For me the axels at 68000 miles would be a red flag . Honda normally considered a reliable vehicle having issues like that at low mileage is suspect .
I would have the vehicle checked over by a mechanic to ensure it is up to par.
The repairs to me indicate an owner who actually maintained the vehicle. You realize a the 2011 is an 8 year vehicle and ALL vehicles of all makes require some repair over time.
ALL VEHICLES MAKES REQUIRE SOME REPAIRS AT 7yr+ time range.
Except the OP stated this in the post up above-
So the original owner didn’t do the repairs.
However, I agree that at that age some repairs are to be expected. We don’t know the back story regarding the axles. They could have been defective or the owner may have done something to damage them, like hopping a curb or something. They might have also been replaced unnecessarily. No way to know for sure. It would be a yellow flag for me…
Really? Says who? If you’re talking PM on wear items (brakes, battery…etc.) then I agree with you. But if your talking repairs on not normal wear items then sorry that’s wrong. We’ve owned several vehicles that had 0 repairs their first 7 years. My wife’s 1996 Honda Accord’s first repair was at 220k miles. Cost me $4 for a HVAC control knob.
This makes sense, fog lights were also replaced I noticed. At any rate, thank you all for chiming in. It didn’t sound right to me and replies have confirmed this.
… Especially when you consider that the trans fluid should have been changed at least twice so far. Honda Pilots of this vintage are known for transmission problems, and while not every Pilot will develop a trans problem, skipping the really important trans fluid change every 30k miles will only serve to make that type of problem more likely.
The other known issue with these vehicles is weak motor mounts and transmission mounts. The OP should have a mechanic who is familiar with Honda mounts take a careful look at those components.
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Repaired fog lights and axles make me wonder if the lower front end of this vehicle had an encounter with something. Maybe water?
The timing belt needs to be changed at 7 years or 105,000 miles. This SUV hit the age requirement and needs the timing belt changed even though the mileage is low. If the previous owner did not keep up with other maintnenance, you can bet that the timing belt wasn’t changed last year. It also needs coolant change and a new water pump. That’s about $1000 right now unless you can see receipts or other positive proof that the work was already done.
Thank you so much, jt. While I’m not going to purchase this vehicle, your information is invaluable to me for a future purchase regarding things I need to consider!!!
Stay away and save your money.
I had a 2009 bought new and took great care of it, oil changed every 5k. Major problems with the motor at 128k, then bought a 2015 and had a few problems with that, even had to replace the driveshaft had a lot of vibration that they couldn’t find out what the problem was.
Sadly, I find Honda’s aren’t as reliable as they once were.
That is sad. I guess it’s true we live in a disposable society and they just don’t make em like they used to.
I had some cars in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s that were terrible pieces of junk. In general cars seem to be made better today. Of course there are exceptions, and we have the internet to help us learn about them.
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