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Honda Ridgeline Maintenance and Repair

472 messages,  Last post on May 11, 2013 at 3:25 PM

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Messages Page 46 of 48

#444 of 472 grease fittings by ljc2tall

Mar 10, 2011 (5:42 pm)

My 2007 does not have any grease fittings. I do my own oil changes.
Had a friend who bought the nissan and after a year he traded it for a dodge.

#445 of 472 Re: Does the 2011 RL have grease fittings [newlungs] by rcummelin

Mar 14, 2011 (9:22 am)

Replying to: newlungs (Mar 10, 2011 5:09 pm)
Nope, no grease fittings! No suspension squeaks either. I also do my own oil & filter changes and that is a super easy job on the RL. Just turn the front wheels all the way to the left & then reach in behind the front of the r/h tire to remove the oil filter. So simple.
 
FWIW, we had a new 2006 Frontier, and it couldn't hold a candle to the RL. Yes, it had a bit more power, but at a big price--gas mileage was dismal, like 12-14 in town and maybe 17 on the highway. Plus, it still rode like a truck. We kept it for about a year.
 
Before you buy, take a LOOONG test drive in each of the trucks you are considering. At least 25-30 miles over a variety of roads & surfaces. You will definitely notice some big differences between the RL and any other smaller-size truck.

#446 of 472 Re: Does the 2011 RL have grease fittings [rcummelin] by newlungs

Mar 14, 2011 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: rcummelin (Mar 14, 2011 9:22 am)
Thanks for the info and input. I have friends with both and I like both vehicles. The reliability and reviews of the RL impress me. Either is an upgrade from my Sonoma. I expect much less maintenance and issues.
 
I'm looking at the RT base model to help with cost. Looks like most people buy the other more loaded models. I hope to get the RL but not if they try to charge MSRP. Sounds like I should be able to get it for the reasonable TMV in my area.

#447 of 472 Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma by 604doc

Mar 15, 2011 (10:39 am)

It's funny. I'm in the exact same boat.
 
I'm researching between a one or two year old Ridgeline RTL /w nav, , and the Nissan Frontier SL.
 
I've sat in both, but haven't driven either one yet. My current lease expires in December, so I don't want to waste anyone's time quite yet on a test drive.
 
It seems that with rebates or low financing, you can get a new frontier for about the same price as a used Ridge.
 
I'm leaning towards the Ridgeline. I live in a city with bad streets, not much snow, but do have the occasional trip to the slopes. I think from what I've heard, the Ridgeline is way more comfortable than the Nissan.
 
I don't tow, or haul much besides the basic Home Depot stuff, so i don't need a full size truck, but when you need a truck, you need a truck.
 
I ruled out the Tacoma for a couple reasons that may seem minor to some folks. One, is no rear disc brakes available, which seems so backwards today. And the other, believe it or not, is there are no heated mirrors available.
 
Like I said, minor issues to most folks, but they would bug me the whole time I owned it.

#448 of 472 Re: Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma [604doc] by rcummelin

Mar 19, 2011 (8:59 am)

Replying to: 604doc (Mar 15, 2011 10:39 am)
From what I've seen, Frontiers have consistently been cheaper than Ridgelines when new, by several thousand dollars, which was a major motivation for my Frontier purchase back in '06. At the same time, used Ridgelines hold their value much better than used Frontiers. There's a message in there somewhere.
 
Toyota is treating the Tacoma just like Ford has treated the Ranger for many years--basically making only minor trim changes every few years without really adding meaningful features, or making any major improvements--both the Tacoma & Ranger just keep soldiering along though. I'm sure some Tacoma owners will disagree, but that's how it looks to me.
 
IMHO, the two biggest differences between the Frontier & Ridgeline are comfort and gas mileage, where the Ridgeline totally whips the Frontier every time. Also, the drivetrain & suspension in the RL performs much better in snow and ice than the Frontier. You just can't beat Front-Wheel-Drive that automatically & seamlessly kicks in the All-Wheel-Drive when things get slippery.
 
On the flip side, the Frontier & the Tacoma are better for off-road use. Sounds like you use your truck for the same thing I do, and since I no longer have the desire for driving challenging off-road trails, I sure prefer the Ridgeline for my day-to-day chores, hauling and long road trips.
 
BTW- Rumors from Honda indicate that the 2012 RL will remain essentially the same as the 2009-2011 models. Maybe a new color or two, and maybe dual exhaust, but that's it. If Honda decides to keep the RL around, there might be a major re-design in 2013, or maybe not. It looks like Honda is trying to decide if a re-designed RL has a good ROI or not. I think it's primarily dependent on better gas mileage. If that can't be improved, Honda will likely kill the RL, just like they did the Element.
 
One last thing: Don't waste your money on Honda's NAV system. It's horrifically expensive, not too user-friendly and difficult to update. You can buy a top-of-the-line Garmin for just a few hundred dollars and not only save at least a thousand dollars, but have a NAV you can move from car to car.

#449 of 472 Re: Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma [rcummelin] by 604doc

Mar 19, 2011 (4:43 pm)

Replying to: rcummelin (Mar 19, 2011 8:59 am)
Thanks for the reply.
 
Regarding nav, I agree, it's way more expensive from the factory, and not as good as aftermarket units.
 
I have a Tom Tom 920, which I use when traveling, but I don't keep it in the car for day to day driving. Sometimes it's nice to have a nav system at your fingertips. I figured if I bought a year or two old RL, the extra cost is "sort of" offset by the depreciation of buying used.
 
The other issue, is that you can't get bluetooth without getting nav on the RL.
 
I haven't looked, but are there aftermarket nav systems with bluetooth, that can be installed for a factory-ish look and sound quality? I don't have a garage, so keeping the factory look would be helpful as far as break ins go.
 
Thanks again for your reply. I really like Bali Blue on the ridge!

#450 of 472 Re: Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma [604doc] by rcummelin

Mar 19, 2011 (5:35 pm)

Replying to: 604doc (Mar 19, 2011 4:43 pm)
Our Garmin spends most of its time in the trunk of one of our vehicles, as we live in a small town where everything is only 15 minutes away. We only use the Garmin on road trips to unfamiliar places & we take it on vacation if we're renting a car.
 
We have factory Bluetooth in our 2010 Accord, and once again, it is pretty user-unfriendly. It took over an hour for me to initially program it, and now it only recognises my voice. It ignores my wife entirely, which irritates the heck out of her . So ok, I don't even carry my cell phone with me too often, so I don't much need Bluetooth at all. It won't work with every cell phone and it won't download your phone list/book from your phone. It's one of those irritating/frustrating options where the best I say about it is: "Yeah, it works more-or-less as advertised, but I'm not likely to use it much, if at all."
 
Given all that, I'm not aware of any aftermarket NAV systems that include Bluetooth, but I do know there are numerous relatively inexpensive aftermarket Bluetooth systems that can be installed and remain invisible to the bad guys.
 
Google the Ridgeline Owners Club and visit their forums for more info on the RL. In the electronics section there are several Bluetooth threads. Use their search function to find them.
 
Bali Blue is a great color, but too dark for our dusty environment. Our 2010 is silver and our old 2008 was white. We like the gray interior color best.

#451 of 472 Re: Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma [rcummelin] by 604doc

Mar 20, 2011 (9:08 am)

Replying to: rcummelin (Mar 19, 2011 5:35 pm)
I actually signed up with the Ridgeline owners club a few months ago. Great site with excellent information.
 
After I replied yesterday, I poked around and found quite a few in dash nav systems available. You can get nav, bluetooth, sat radio, HD radio, ipod, and live traffic all in one unit. You can even install a module that allows your steering wheel contols to work.
 
It's actually changed my thinking completely regarding factory nav. I think I'll look for one without, and use the savings for an aftermarket all in one unit.
 
Thanks for your help and advice. My current lease runs out in December, so I'll start looking for a RL around November to purchase.

#452 of 472 Re: Ridgeline vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma [604doc] by dboe

Mar 20, 2011 (7:11 pm)

Replying to: 604doc (Mar 20, 2011 9:08 am)
Been a member of ROC for a while now.. probably the best 'virtual' friend a Ridgeline owner can have. Lots of great information and helpful folks.

#453 of 472 Weird creaking noise by jhnfrmr

Jul 10, 2012 (5:58 pm)

I just got a Honda ridge line my father had and gave to me iv always wanted that truck but for the last few years I noticed a creak when you turned and gave it some gas when it was his and asked his employee who had one also and worked on all my dads employee cars and he said he thought it may need some grease but couldn't find any fittings so they have been just going with but I have truck now and it seems to have gotten a little worse and wonder what it could be... My dad got his employees a total of 6 ridge lines 3 of 6 do it I am wondering if it's something I may have to remove and grease.... Any ideas?

Messages Page 46 of 48

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