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After Five-Years of Ownership

4K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  wrenrj1 
#1 · (Edited)
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...
 
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#2 ·
How nice is that? That's impressive Wren, and comparing the 2 pics the only big difference is one less oil spot in the driveway! And the tree has grown... :)

Seriously, I am sure your experience shadows those of most owners, with relatively few exceptions. Great truck, and a good job keeping it that way!:act035:
 
#8 ·
How nice is that? That's impressive Wren, and comparing the 2 pics the only big difference is one less oil spot in the driveway! And the tree has grown... :)
Actually I think that's a water drip post car wash...Oil is not authorized on my driveway...:act024:
 
#3 ·
Looks good.

The trees in the background are interesting. Not only how much they've grown over 5 years, but 2007 must have been a late spring, and this year an early spring (or some combination). The deciduous tree was still barren on 4/24/2007 but fully laden on the same day in 2012.
 
#6 ·
Thank you for sharing all the vital statistics of your truck--I love the color. The RL is reliable as well as good looking. Nice pics.

Brad
 
#7 ·
HA! You guys kill me! I tried to match up the original pic, printing it off from my computer, which was virtually impossible to match up by myself. I did try to show the growth of the tree behind but I didn't have the right angle. At least my garage was still open...

The Pine tree behind is about four ft. taller, here in Nebraska we've had an early spring. It was 89 degrees here today. Global warming don't ya know, or so say the Democrats...
 
#9 ·
What a great post! Yea, I found myself looking at the trees too!! It is amaizing that after 5 years the RL looks as good as it did when it was new. You have proved why I am so happy with the RL.:act018:
 
#13 ·
We picked up the 2007 Dark Cherry Pearl RTL a few months before your purchase. Untill last week I have not been in the truck since September when I last took it in for service. I don't take my weekly run to Southern Maryland like I did when the truck was new at my sisters house. My nephew is grown & has his own car now so I don't drive the Ridgeline. I put maybe 40,000 miles on it myself but I drive my Acura TL mainly again. I have put new Timing Belt & spark plugs motor mounts replaced each HID headlight bulb & all fluids flushed. This includes brake & power steering. It has 93,000 miles at 12yrs & riding like new. The Ridgeline went in for service last week with 87,500 on it. They replaced it's filters & did the synthetic oil change replaced front brakes resurfaced rotors & did the checks. Also fix loose front grab handle they replaced rear grab in September when in for service.
I did make use of it while I had the truck for a few days I went to Home Depot to get about 12 bags of mulch for my yard.
 
#14 ·
Gotta haul the Kawasaki KLR down to the dealership for it's first maintenance tomorrow. A pic of the RL towing is due. If I haven't mentioned it, the Honda financial services website is a great place to track you maintenance. That's where I've tracked my stats for the past five-years, check the site out.
 
#15 ·
The next year will probably include new tires, new air filters (60k), and at least one oil change. Brakes may be coming as well, we'll see. My final RL truck payment is 13-days away. See you all in year six.
 
#19 ·
Great thread wrenrj1. You've kept your truck in really good shape too. Our 06 RL has truly been the best vehicle we've ever owned but I've also recently bought a summer ride. A hundred bucks to fill the truck or six bucks to fill the bike!

Ride safe...
 
#20 ·
Good to hear positive things about Williamson. My wife and I drove up from Kansas City to buy an S2000 from them in 2010. I bought my Ridge here in Kansas City, and we have at least 5 Honda dealers in the area, but will give Williamson a chance when we look to buy another new Honda. They are head and shoulders above my local dealers, in our experience.
Like your summer ride. I bought this last year, for the same basic purpose as you. Very fun.
 
#21 ·
Sweet ride! My folks live in Overland Park and have land down in Ottawa! My cousin got a great deal on a 90's KLR for the farm just south of Lawrence on59 HWY.

I have gone to Williamson Honda three times to buy a Honda, and ended up buying three Hondas from Honda cars of Bellevue. They are walking distance from my home, they do all of our service, and I always give them the first chance for purchases, but they have yet to give me the deal better than Honda Cars Of Bellevue. They are now known as Honda of Lincoln by the way.

Wren
 
#23 ·
Arrgh! A coworker commented to me yesterday that I have a center brake light out! Guess I'll add that to the list for next year...gotta figure out how to change that.
 
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