[thooks]

I hit 200k miles last Thursday. For about the last 120k miles, the VSA and ! lights have been on. Funny how a car manufacturer can obtain a light to put behind a dash and NEVER burns out with CONSTANT use but puts bulbs in every other socket that won't last 20 hours of use...

Anyway, about 3-1/2 years ago I found out this was due to the Yaw Rate Sensor having gone bad. The dealers want about $1250 to replace this sensor. It's located under the center console at the rear. It takes a whopping 8 minutes to remove and replace it. A 10mm socket, a 3" extension and a 3/8" ratchet is what you need along with a tiny bit of mechanical skill. The part itself is about $650 from dealers who will sell over the internet.

I started trying to find a Ridgeline in a junkyard about 3 years ago. Finally, they are showing up. Found one about 60 miles away, same year, and they pulled the sensor and shipped it to me for $80.

I was skeptical at first, but went ahead and bought it. Their part was made in Hungary and mine was made in Germany. Did the swap last night after getting home and BAM! No more lights on the dash....


Except for the TPMS light. It's been coming on for the last 6 months. I found out that at least one of the TPMS sensors is gone. The dealers can tell you it's "left rear" but guess what? The idiots at the factory don't mark the OE wheels "LF", "RF", etc....so there's no telling what wheel it is.

So it's in the shop today for a balance and rotate, flat fix and to get all four TPMS sensors replaced. They are about $100/ea.


I've been looking at Tundras lately. The $4-500/mo in repairs is starting to etch at me. This thing has been a great vehicle but it's like most others...when it gets some age and wear on it, it's going to start hurting you.



Still doing the Snoopy dance, tho. I have wanted those damn VSA lights gone so bad for so long but I absolutely refuse to pay a dealer for most anything except the fluids that I change myself. They can take their rip-off labor and shove it.

 

[chiph]

There are wands that can pick up the TPMS signals and tell you which tire has the bad one.

That being said, I think you made the right choice in replacing all of them. The batteries in them last about 7-8 years (-ish) so if one is bad from a dead battery, the rest are soon to follow. Better to get them all taken care of at one time to minimize the hassle of going to the shop.

Chip H.

 

[thooks]

My truck is 10 years old. MFG date was 01/05 and put in service in 03/05.



What would be nice is if the TPMS manufacturers would build a serviceable sensor. There's a $4 watch battery that fails. That's what causes the light to turn on. The tire stores could offer to replace the batteries everytime you bought a set of tires.

But that would be on par with real estate agents telling builders to stop building garages that can only accommodate 2 golf carts and start making them where you can park two normal sized vehicles in them and walk around them.

 

[chiph]

Dude. Really?

Chip H.

 

[zroger73]

Funny how a car manufacturer can obtain a light to put behind a dash and NEVER burns out with CONSTANT use but puts bulbs in every other socket that won't last 20 hours of use...

Except for the TPMS light. It's been coming on for the last 6 months. I found out that at least one of the TPMS sensors is gone. The dealers can tell you it's "left rear" but guess what? The idiots at the factory don't mark the OE wheels "LF", "RF", etc....so there's no telling what wheel it is.

The instrument cluster uses LEDs that generally outlast the vehicle itself. An increasing number of vehicles are moving to LEDs throughout the vehicle. The Ridgeline wasn't one of them.

The Ridgeline learns the tire pressure monitor at each startup, so if the vehicle said "left rear" tire, then whatever tire is physically mounted on the left rear is the one that needs attention.

 

[Dnick]

I hope that was just a really bad attempt at humor...... other wise +1 on "Realy Dude?".
Sad/Disappointing commentary.

EDIT: for anyone trying to figure this out: this applied to a post that has been removed.

 

[Dnick]

The instrument cluster uses LEDs that generally outlast the vehicle itself. An increasing number of vehicles are moving to LEDs throughout the vehicle. The Ridgeline wasn't one of them.

The Ridgeline learns the tire pressure monitor at each startup, so if the vehicle said "left rear" tire, then whatever tire is physically mounted on the left rear is the one that needs attention.

The key is "generally outlast". I've had a select few of mine die in these 9 years (probably 3 or 4). And who knows.... it could I suppose be a connection problem vs. the LED itself. They were interemittent before they died altogether. (one of the seat warmer switch indicators... "HI" I think.., a couple of the radio indicators, etc.) I've not replaced any of them.

 

[AG87BlkLX]

What's he suppose to do?

Tried to quote the post others also referenced but it disappeared.

 

[Dnick]

What's he suppose to do?

Tried to quote the post others also referenced but it disappeared.

... that's probably a good thing. Onward & upward!

 

[ChrisM]

Strange that you mention you are spending $400 month on repairs. My work Ridgeline is sitting right at 198,500 today and I havent had to spend anything on parts or repairs on it pretty much ever outside of the maintenance minder telling me to change the fluids. I changed the serpentine belt about 30k miles ago IIRC.

I quite honestly have been waiting for it to start breaking down on me (Knock on wood) but it hasn't. I put a new set of headlight bulbs in it because Amazon was running a special on GE Nighthawks for $20. (which is still going on BTW)
They didn't burn out, I just wanted a brighter pair. Nothing else has gone wrong with the thing, not even a burnt out tail light.

Quite honestly I kinda neglect the thing but it keeps on going. I don't wash it but 3 or 4 times a year. I constantly haul crap in it. I haul stuff inside it so much that I haven't folded the back seats down in over a year.

It still has the original shocks, struts, timing belt, and water pump. It starts every morning no matter how cold or hot it is. I get crappy gas mileage but thats because I don't baby the thing. I drive it fairly hard.

One day I guess it will happen. It will let me down. I guess I can't be mad. I have spent less than $50 total outside of normal maintenance items on the truck since the day I got it. In fact, I bet I have spent more money on air fresheners for the truck than I have on parts.

 

[ChrisM]

Tried to quote the post others also referenced but it disappeared.

Yes it did. It didn't add anything to the conversation.

 

[zroger73]

The key is "generally outlast". I've had a select few of mine die in these 9 years (probably 3 or 4). And who knows.... it could I suppose be a connection problem vs. the LED itself. They were interemittent before they died altogether. (one of the seat warmer switch indicators... "HI" I think.., a couple of the radio indicators, etc.) I've not replaced any of them.

The seat warmer switch backlighting, indicators, and the radio button backlighting are all incandescent, not LED.

All backlighting and indicators in the instrument clusters are LED.

All other cabin backlighting is incandescent except the steering wheel buttons and power windows buttons, which are LED.

Being somewhat OCD, I'm bothered by the mismatched shades of blue, green, and white used throughout the interior.

One way to dramatically extend the life of your interior incandescent backlighting is to turn the dimmer down "one notch".

 

[thooks]

Strange that you mention you are spending $400 month on repairs. My work Ridgeline is sitting right at 198,500 today and I havent had to spend anything on parts or repairs on it pretty much ever outside of the maintenance minder telling me to change the fluids. I changed the serpentine belt about 30k miles ago IIRC.

I quite honestly have been waiting for it to start breaking down on me (Knock on wood) but it hasn't. I put a new set of headlight bulbs in it because Amazon was running a special on GE Nighthawks for $20. (which is still going on BTW) http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006IPTOWQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They didn't burn out, I just wanted a brighter pair. Nothing else has gone wrong with the thing, not even a burnt out tail light.

Quite honestly I kinda neglect the thing but it keeps on going. I don't wash it but 3 or 4 times a year. I constantly haul crap in it. I haul stuff inside it so much that I haven't folded the back seats down in over a year.

It still has the original shocks, struts, timing belt, and water pump. It starts every morning no matter how cold or hot it is. I get crappy gas mileage but thats because I don't baby the thing. I drive it fairly hard.

One day I guess it will happen. It will let me down. I guess I can't be mad. I have spent less than $50 total outside of normal maintenance items on the truck since the day I got it. In fact, I bet I have spent more money on air fresheners for the truck than I have on parts.

Well, the reason why you feel it's strange mentioning $400/mo in maintenance/repairs is because evidently you don't do much in the way of maintenance. If you've really made it 200k miles on the OE Water pump, timing belt, tensioner, serp belt, struts, etc....I'd go buy some lottery tickets.


I'm on my third set of front struts (OE, replacement at 100k, replacement at 195k), second set of rears, new sway bar bushings, and a host of other stuff.

I just got back from the tire store $460 lighter for the TPMS sensors. They tell me (and they are the third service company to tell me this) that I need new front CV Axles due to the grease slinging out of the leaking boots.

It's ready for it's 2nd timing belt/water pump/tensioner/serp belt change. $400 in parts. My labor.

6 months ago, I put a new thermostat and radiator hoses on. Not because they needed it, but because they were 9 years old and 180k miles old.

I have taken very good care of this thing mechanically. It has it's bumps and bruises from being worked like a dog. It's definitely not a suburban neighborhood queen.

 

[thooks]

The Ridgeline learns the tire pressure monitor at each startup, so if the vehicle said "left rear" tire, then whatever tire is physically mounted on the left rear is the one that needs attention.

I suspect you've never experienced the TPMS die from battery life expiration on you. That's not how they 'notify' you.

What happens is the TPMS light comes on intermittently while running down the road. This is because the computer has lost contact with a sensor (dead battery). No wheel indicator lamp comes on. It goes off here and there.

Then it becomes on more often, to where it's on constantly about 5 minutes after start-up all the time.

They said 3 of them were completely dead.

 

[AG87BlkLX]

ChrisM,

You described my RL's life to a T. Mines sitting right at 210K & I've done nothing but fluids. Run it through a car wash a few times a year & beat the crap out of it. I figure one day it will spontaneously combust & I'll have to decide what I want to buy.

And mines off road almost every weekend during hunting season. It's not had an easy life.

 

[jonesbb630]

So it's in the shop today for a balance and rotate, flat fix and to get all four TPMS sensors replaced. They are about $100/ea.

Well, I live in Canada and normally here, everything is more expensive than the US. Honda dealer OEM sensors here go for about $45 each. So where did you go that they charged you $100 each?

J

 

[Dnick]

Well, I live in Canada and normally here, everything is more expensive than the US. Honda dealer OEM sensors here go for about $45 each. So where did you go that they charged you $100 each?

J

No Kidding.... I'm seeing $38.75 each at discount OEM dealers.