[kennyray4809]

Hey all, this forum looks to be one of the best and most well informed of any vehicle owner group i've ever seen. Would love help from the group.

I am in the market to buy a used 06-10 Ridgeline with 75-90k miles and would love to know what things i should be looking for when finding these. Right now i'm close to pulling the trigger on an 07 RTL with 83k miles. This will be my daily drive so i need this to last.

any help would be VERY much appreciated.

thank you,
kenny

 

[Carsmak]

Look for all the service records you can find, from oil changes, and beyond. Also anything you buy will most likely be apart of the 07-14 Recall affecting all RL's.

Other things to look into would plan on changing out the Radiator Sooner rather than later, at the latest I'd wait would be Timing Belt Service, but it's a 2-3 hr job if you stay focused.

83k your 22k +/- from the 105k timing belt. Also while looking under the hood, the motor mounts do leak, doesn't mean a complete failure or require immediate replacement. Oh and look around the front spark plugs, CYL 4/5 have had some reported issues.

 

[bigdogrod]

not to contradict my esteemed forum mate....

but you are past the 7 year mark on that timing belt, if it hasn't been done, do it now (especially since you're not supposed to drive it anyways). the ridge has an interference engine, that belt goes and so does 4-5 grand out of your pocket.

yes there are some that have waiting till 100k, but since the owners manual recommends 7 years or 100k, you can gamble or not as you please. but really it's close enough to either to just get it done


change the water pump, tensioner, and sparkplugs while you are in there, as well as radiator

i'd also talk to the local honda delaer as to see about a loaner while this recall mess is in play

 

[IanRTL]

1. Fluid maintenance is very important - and not just engine oil. The tranny fluid and rear diff (VTM-4) fluids require regular drains and fills. The truck you're looking at should have had 2-3 D&F's for each of those by now. Also, the brake fluid needs flushed every 3 years regardless of mileage. It's also a good idea to suck out the power steering reservoir and fill with fresh fluid every other oil change, too. Check the Carfax and see if these services were completed by a dealership. If they aren't on there, it doesn't mean they weren't done. You'll just need to do some more digging to find out (e.g. contacting the original owner if possible).

2. The transmission fluid transfer unit fittings at the bottom of the radiator have been known to corrode and fail. If you search for "SMOD" on here, it will turn up many threads about it. If one of the fittings "lets loose" while driving and it goes unnoticed, coolant will seap into the tranny fluid and can cause total transmission failure. This is more prevalent if you're in one of the northern states that uses road salt or other treatments for winter roads, but it is a matter of galvanic reaction. The mild steel belleville washer reacts with the surrounding dissimilar metals and causes the washer to corrode, expand and eventually cause the fitting to let loose. The only way to counteract this is to proactively replace the radiator with an aftermarket unit that uses brass or aluminum in their fittings. Many have used Spectre, Koyorad or Silla radiators. They can be purchased for about $150 online and installed at a dealership for $250 in labor costs if you don't DIY.

3. The cylinder 4/5 issues are still quite rare and seem to be caused by either a bad head casting or loose spark plugs. Just ensure the spark plugs are properly torqued to 13lb/ft. There's no real way to test for this issue, but, as I said, it's quite a rare occurrence.

4. The Takata airbag issue is ongoing. I assume you'd be buying this truck from a non-Honda dealership because Honda has put a stop-sale on all pre-owned Ridgelines at their dealerships until the airbags are replaced. There is a parts shortage and some confusion within Honda as to the timing of availability. If you buy this truck, know that it has a defective airbag in it and you'll need to go through the process of having it replaced. There is a huge thread dedicated to this issue if you want to read up on it. Quite a mess.

5. When you look at the truck, flip up the rear seat bottoms to the upright position. If the seat support bars remain straight out on one or both sides, the plastic pulley within the seat mechanism has failed. This was a known issue in the first few years of production up until 2011 or so when the pullies were then made out of metal rather than plastic. It's a fairly easy and very inexpensive fix. The pullies can be bought at a dealership for about $7 each and simple hand tools and an hour of your time will get the job done.

6. There's more than a good chance that there will be some dash bulbs burned out in some of the switches. Turn on the lights and try to get into a darker area to check which ones do or do not work. Honda will charge you about $8 a piece for the tiny little T3 bulbs and a few hours of labor to replace them. It's extremely simple to do on your own and you can use LED's sourced from Ebay or Amazon for a fraction of the price. You can then choose your own color for the switches, too. Full thread with instructions exists here.

That's about it for the specific things. Do the normal look-over just as you would with any used vehicle. Test drive it thoroughly. Get under the truck to look for signs of leaks or exorbitant rust. It's a 2007, so it will have some surface rust under there. Listen for any strange sounds, squeaks, rattles, etc. Test the alignment at speed by pointing the truck straight and letting go of the wheel. Check the tires for uneven wear. Check the brake rotors for scoring or gouges. Check that the air conditioning blows cold and the heat blows hot and that the air doesn't smell funny. Test all the windows for up/down motion and all the door locks. Test the moonroof for proper function as well as the sliding rear window. Ensure all the door seals are intact and that none of the carpet is damp. Spend some time looking at the truck and don't let the salesman push you. Where are you located and how much are they asking for this truck? Is it listed online and is there a link to the ad for it?

 

[Flyboy]

If it still has the stock radio and it's non nav, make sure the lights work. The dash lights may all light up and the Radio doesn't. There is a fix, I just replaced my radio with a modern one.
Crank up the sound and listen for speakers that are dried out. 2 of mine were in terrible shape.
Make sure it has rear seat head rests.

 

[Nevans2007]

Agree with all above statements. I bought my 07 with about 55k and have 69k on it now. Just had my one year anniversary with the "Uge" and have already done VTM4 flush, coolant flush, steering flush, and three oil changes. Still need a brake flush and timing belt just haven't tackled that yet. Fluids are the best way to get longevity.

Oh and if they haven't already sway bar links will probably be going soon. I've already done the rears.

 

[speedlever]

Technically speaking, I would point out that the OM does not provide a time frame reference for the timing belt change. It is strictly called out by the Maintenance Minder and should occur at the OCI just prior to reaching 105k miles.

Before the MM became the de facto standard Honda uses for maintenance intervals, there was indeed a 7 year/105k mile TB change. But since the MM became standard in 2006, the only time limited items on the maintenance page are brake fluid every 3 years and an oil change every 12 months if not driven enough to trigger the MM callout for the oil change.

Towing or operation in severe service conditions call for shorter service intervals.

Here's a shot of my OM page showing the severe service intervals:

Now I realize that some of you like to operate on the conservative side of things and I have no problem with that. Please own up to it and don't call out references to authoritative documents that say otherwise. The maintenance charts that float around are no longer official Honda maintenance schemes. They do approximate the MM, and in my experience are often more conservative than the MM.

I do the same thing with my preferred tranny fluid D&F every other OCI. But that is MY personal preference and not one called out by Honda in any way, shape or form.

The other addendum I would add to the Honda maintenance page would be where Honda says to adjust the valves "only if they are noisy." I would add, "and especially if they are quiet." (which would indicate tight valves that are likely to burn and may cause significant engine damage).

 

[Carsmak]

Look for all the service records you can find, from oil changes, and beyond. Also anything you buy will most likely be apart of the 07-14 Recall affecting all RL's.

Other things to look into would plan on changing out the Radiator Sooner rather than later, at the latest I'd wait would be Timing Belt Service, but it's a 2-3 hr job if you stay focused.

83k your 22k +/- from the 105k timing belt. Also while looking under the hood, the motor mounts do leak, doesn't mean a complete failure or require immediate replacement. Oh and look around the front spark plugs, CYL 4/5 have had some reported issues.

I was purposely vague because I was trying to generalize

not to contradict my esteemed forum mate....

but you are past the 7 year mark on that timing belt, if it hasn't been done, do it now (especially since you're not supposed to drive it anyways). the ridge has an interference engine, that belt goes and so does 4-5 grand out of your pocket.

yes there are some that have waiting till 100k, but since the owners manual recommends 7 years or 100k, you can gamble or not as you please. but really it's close enough to either to just get it done


change the water pump, tensioner, and sparkplugs while you are in there, as well as radiator

i'd also talk to the local honda delaer as to see about a loaner while this recall mess is in play

Thanks BigDog, I owe you a beverage of your choice shall we ever meet up!

Technically speaking, I would point out that the OM does not provide a time frame reference for the timing belt change. It is strictly called out by the Maintenance Minder and should occur at the OCI just prior to reaching 105k miles.

Before the MM became the de facto standard Honda uses for maintenance intervals, there was indeed a 7 year/105k mile TB change. But since the MM became standard in 2006, the only time items on the maintenance page are brake fluid every 3 years and an oil change every 12 months if not driven enough to trigger the MM callout for the oil change.

Towing or operation in severe service conditions call for shorter service intervals.

Here's a shot of my OM page showing the severe service intervals:

Now I realize that some of you like to operate on the conservative side of things and I have no problem with that. Please own up to it and don't call out references to authoritative documents that say otherwise. The maintenance charts that float around are no longer official Honda maintenance schemes. They do approximate the MM, and in my experience are often more conservative than the MM.

I do the same thing with my preferred tranny fluid D&F every other OCI. But that is MY personal preference and not one called out by Honda in any way, shape or form.

The other addendum I would add to the Honda maintenance page would be where Honda says to adjust the valves "only if they are noisy." I would add, "and especially if they are quiet." (which would indicate tight valves that are likely to burn and may cause significant engine damage).

And although technically correct as of today, in 2006, the OM specifically said 7yrs or 105k miles for the timing belt. The Online versions have been updated, but I'll gladly scan the page for those who doubt me.

Also by now a 2007 has a 10 yr old timing belt or 142% of it's original expected life span, by age. I waited until I'd owned my RL 10 years, and changed it last June, with near 80k miles.

YMMV

 

[speedlever]

mak,

I have a 2006 Pilot with the MM system and there is no callout for the TB service at 7 years. Simply the MM callout.

Here's the page from my 2006 OM:

Now my 2004 Pilot did not have the MM system and had the schedule as mentioned above.

If the 2006 RL MM schedule is different from my 2006 Pilot MM schedule, I'll believe you if you say so, but would be very surprised if Honda differentiated the vehicles in any way as they are functionally identical in systems and maintenance procedures.

 

[IanRTL]

The timing belt is really personal preference, if you ask me. True, there is no longer any time-elapsed requirement such as 7 years. The timing belts of today are much more robust than they used to be. There are many on here who have gone to 150,000 miles or more before changing it. I'm sure there are 1st Gen RL's out there that STILL have not had their belts done at very high mileage. However, the last thing anyone would want is a belt to slip, fray or break which would basically lunch the engine. If I were the OP, if I were to purchase the truck, I would plan on doing the service sometime in the next year or so. But, that's just me. He could likely go for several more years and be just fine. This is, of course, assuming the truck has not seen severe use, which would necessitate an earlier service date.

As a note: the hitch wasn't a standard feature on the 2007 model. If this truck has one and the hitch receiver is scratched and beaten up, you can easily assume the truck was used for towing. If it doesn't have one on it, you can conversely assume it wasn't used for towing. My truck did not have and has never had a hitch on it.

 

[bigdogrod]

apologies if i'm off, but i could have sworn i read on this very forum that one should replace one's timing belt at 7 years. but when i looked up the owners manual online, i can not find such a reference.

let me look in my paper manual to see if it's there. i'm curious because i have a warranty that covers timing belt failure, as long as i do the prescribed maintenance.

 

[IanRTL]

apologies if i'm off, but i could have sworn i read on this very forum that one should replace one's timing belt at 7 years. but when i looked up the owners manual online, i can not find such a reference.

let me look in my paper manual to see if it's there. i'm curious because i have a warranty that covers timing belt failure, as long as i do the prescribed maintenance.

That was the directive before the MM system. The 7-year time allowance would show up in owners manuals of some older V6 Hondas, but it hasn't been a rule of thumb for several years now. If it were me, I would still want to change the best after 7-8 years regardless of mileage, but each owner will vary. Some have 2006 RL's that have a pile of miles on them that have yet to have the service done, I'm sure. Let the MM tell you when the timing belt is due.

 

[kennyray4809]

thank you to everyone for all the help, love the passion on this forum!

 

[eurban]

One more thing to consider . . .In 09 Honda refreshed the Ridgeline both cosmetically and mechanically. The 09+ make a bit more power, have transmission tweaks for better performance and seem to get SLIGHTLY better gas mileage on average.