First Pics, here is day one of ownership of my new RL on April 24, 2007:
Exactly five years later:
I've been posting this thread for I believe every year of ownership of my Ridgeline. I hope it helps new, current and potential owners of what the goods and not so goods have been. It's also nice to know that my last payment is due in a few weeks! Anyway, here's my analysis of my five-years of ownership of my 2007 DCP RTX.
1. Mileage-My ODO is at 51,345 as of today (10,269 miles/yr.), fairly low by most standards.
2, General appearance: Excellent, as you can see by the pics above, however there are a few scratches on the bumpers, lower passenger door, but I did have a couple door dings removed (pretty cheap actually to get them out). The RL still looks great (considering I drive from garage to parking garage five days a week in Nebraska). Exterior paint is still good but could probably use a good detailing with a clay bar. Interior, while a bit dirty due to lack of driver maintenance is still in excellent condition. I took a look underneath and found no leaks, nor did I find any engine leaks in the engine compartment.
3. Maintenance-I follow the MM for all routine maintenance. Total cost for maintenance over the last five-years is $821.79 (or about $164/year over five-years) Compare that to the four-year mark ($132/year) and three years ($112/year). That does include the $70.00 to get two door dings removed.
Maintenance/Repairs on my dime included:
-1 rear tailight bulb
-1 Nail in the tire, repair
-9 Oil Changes
-2 Rear Diff. Changes
-1 Transmission fluid change
-1 Brake fluid change
-1 Air/cabin filters at 30k (will change at 60k)
-5 tire rotations
-2 Door dings repaired
4. Messing with the dash-I put in a USASPEC Ipod Adaptor a few years back with the Aux in jack in one of the blank plates between the 12v power things. You will never get the center console to fit tight like it was from the factory! But it looks fine to everyone but me. I did run the IPOD adaptor through the glove box so the wire is only seen when the IPOD is used. OEM Michelin tires still look like they'll go another 10k, we'll see, I may want to change them prior to winter, but they were troopers in 15" of wet snow this past winter.
5. Warranty issues-I had more than my share of warranty/recall issues, however my local dealership (Williamson Honda) took care of everything with a smile. My warranty repairs included. The PS rack was new to this list.
-Replacement of swing tailgate latch
-Replacement of Drivers side Headlight assembly due to condensation
-Replacement of Battery due to bad cell
-Replacement of missing bolt in center console causing console to
rock L/R
-Replacement of blower motor 2P connector (recall).
-Replacement of power steering rack that was caught within warranty, just not diagnosed but replaced under warranty.
Mileage-I register around 15-16mpg in the city. I usually use Unleaded, but if E-10 is fifteen-cents cheaper I'll go with it. I have yet to break 20 mpg on the highway/interstate. Almost made it with 19.7 mpg once, but if I took out all the crap I carry for safety preparedness etc, I'd probably make it.
Overall-I'm very happy with this truck. I'm impressed with the lack of rattles etc. that tend to start showing themselves. Everything still works, but that's expected from a Honda. I'm surprised with the resale value of this truck after five-years as well. While most vehicles aren't an investment, at least this one isn't going down the tank value wise. I'll be keeping it for at least another five-years.
The RL is still in my recommend category, while Honda engines are bullet proof if maintained, Honda needs to increase MPG, and IMHO reinvent the Ridgeline if it is going to survive in 2013 any beyond. See you in 12-months...
Exactly five years later:
I've been posting this thread for I believe every year of ownership of my Ridgeline. I hope it helps new, current and potential owners of what the goods and not so goods have been. It's also nice to know that my last payment is due in a few weeks! Anyway, here's my analysis of my five-years of ownership of my 2007 DCP RTX.
1. Mileage-My ODO is at 51,345 as of today (10,269 miles/yr.), fairly low by most standards.
2, General appearance: Excellent, as you can see by the pics above, however there are a few scratches on the bumpers, lower passenger door, but I did have a couple door dings removed (pretty cheap actually to get them out). The RL still looks great (considering I drive from garage to parking garage five days a week in Nebraska). Exterior paint is still good but could probably use a good detailing with a clay bar. Interior, while a bit dirty due to lack of driver maintenance is still in excellent condition. I took a look underneath and found no leaks, nor did I find any engine leaks in the engine compartment.
3. Maintenance-I follow the MM for all routine maintenance. Total cost for maintenance over the last five-years is $821.79 (or about $164/year over five-years) Compare that to the four-year mark ($132/year) and three years ($112/year). That does include the $70.00 to get two door dings removed.
Maintenance/Repairs on my dime included:
-1 rear tailight bulb
-1 Nail in the tire, repair
-9 Oil Changes
-2 Rear Diff. Changes
-1 Transmission fluid change
-1 Brake fluid change
-1 Air/cabin filters at 30k (will change at 60k)
-5 tire rotations
-2 Door dings repaired
4. Messing with the dash-I put in a USASPEC Ipod Adaptor a few years back with the Aux in jack in one of the blank plates between the 12v power things. You will never get the center console to fit tight like it was from the factory! But it looks fine to everyone but me. I did run the IPOD adaptor through the glove box so the wire is only seen when the IPOD is used. OEM Michelin tires still look like they'll go another 10k, we'll see, I may want to change them prior to winter, but they were troopers in 15" of wet snow this past winter.
5. Warranty issues-I had more than my share of warranty/recall issues, however my local dealership (Williamson Honda) took care of everything with a smile. My warranty repairs included. The PS rack was new to this list.
-Replacement of swing tailgate latch
-Replacement of Drivers side Headlight assembly due to condensation
-Replacement of Battery due to bad cell
-Replacement of missing bolt in center console causing console to
rock L/R
-Replacement of blower motor 2P connector (recall).
-Replacement of power steering rack that was caught within warranty, just not diagnosed but replaced under warranty.
Mileage-I register around 15-16mpg in the city. I usually use Unleaded, but if E-10 is fifteen-cents cheaper I'll go with it. I have yet to break 20 mpg on the highway/interstate. Almost made it with 19.7 mpg once, but if I took out all the crap I carry for safety preparedness etc, I'd probably make it.
Overall-I'm very happy with this truck. I'm impressed with the lack of rattles etc. that tend to start showing themselves. Everything still works, but that's expected from a Honda. I'm surprised with the resale value of this truck after five-years as well. While most vehicles aren't an investment, at least this one isn't going down the tank value wise. I'll be keeping it for at least another five-years.
The RL is still in my recommend category, while Honda engines are bullet proof if maintained, Honda needs to increase MPG, and IMHO reinvent the Ridgeline if it is going to survive in 2013 any beyond. See you in 12-months...