I went to the dealer for an oil change and was told that I need to replace front and side motor mounts. Its a 2003 with 86,000 miles. How much does it cost and how soon should I get them replaced? Is this a common problem with Honda Odesseys???
Yes, unfortunately, this is a very common problem with Odysseys of that era.
The other common problem on that model is transmission failure, with both of these issues cropping up any time after 75k-100k miles.
As to cost, my best estimate is that–depending on where you live–this repair will cost anywhere from $900-$1500, with dealers being at the high end of that range and a good independent shop being at the low end of the range.
Really? That seems awfully high. The mounts I can find (I can find 3 available) total about $270. Do you have to remove the engine or something special to replace this model’s mounts? It’s a serious question, as I really don’t know this particular vehicle.
On the vehicles I’ve done mounts on (BMW 323 {RWD}, Toyota Corolla {RWD}, Renault 5 {FWD} and VW Scirocco {FWD}), I simply used a hoist (or even a jack), held or lifted the motor, then changed them out. I would think an independent could do better than that. More in the region of $400, providing nothing goes terribly wrong.
Not to mention the number of times I’ve had to remove a mount just to change a timing belt. Added an entire 20 minutes or so to the job.
It’s fairly common, it’s also a money maker for Honda dealers. Here’s some less expensive parts: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1429310,parttype,5552
There are discussions about this at the Ody Club web site: http://www.odyclub.com/index.php
The side mount is easy to replace. Front one takes a little more time but is much easier than the “back” one. It shouldn’t cost too much as long as you stay away from the dealer. Are you a DIY-er? I have an Odyssey shop manual and could look up the procedure.
The side mount has to come off when somebody changes the timing belt, has this been done or when will you have this done? That’ll be $1,000 most likely. Again, it’ll be most expensive at the dealer. I did mine for $15 at home.