MDX or Pilot

Apples and oranges

Expect to pay alot more for parts for the MDX , it's a technological wonder ! If you got the dough , that's my vote fur sure ! I've got an 05 RL and this thing rocks ! I've found a lot of cross parts , so you can sometimes get away with going to the honda dealer instead of Acura (same part #) different bill header , thats the biggie where you pay !

RUBY

For most maintenance items they are pretty close when it comes to replacement parts. We service both Honda and Acura and most of the Acura stuff really isn't that much more than the equivalent Honda part.

The point I was trying to make , was that even on Maintenance items I find that the air filter on my 08 accord EX-L and 05 RL are the same , but when I go into an Acura dealership (same wholesale #) I pay a few bucks more , cause it's Acura , same with oil filters , wiper blades and fluids , just the way it is , no big deal , Lexus - Toyota , Infinity - Nissan they all do it , shoot , my Porsche 924 was filled with VW parts !

RUBY

PS , seems none of the above listed cross service around here .............................

We were shopping for these before we decided on an Element. Are you looking for the current or older body styles?

Basically the Pilot is bigger and more comfortable. The MDX is more expensive and has a little more "sports car" to the ride.

There were major transmission issues with both that were fixed in 06 on the Pilot and ? on the MDX. I wouldn't get an 03-05 Pilot for that reason. There was no sunroof or VSA in the 03 Pilot. They are both very reliable outside of the transmission issues.

Pilot and MDX have always been based on the same platform... if you are looknig at older models, stay away from the 2001-2002 MDXs as they suffered a lot of transmission problems; the transmission was fixed in 2003 in the MDX.

You are paying for the name 'Acura' in the MDX, and the Pilot is definitely a similar vehicle, but with a much more rugged exterior... personally, if it were me, I would be looking to get the most "bang for your buck" and go with the Pilot.

Hope this helps... but definitely stay clear of the 2001-2002 MDX; the transmission was one of the worst and most unreliable ever created by Acura/Honda!

jesbecause said:

The point I was trying to make , was that even on Maintenance items I find that the air filter on my 08 accord EX-L and 05 RL are the same , but when I go into an Acura dealership (same wholesale #) I pay a few bucks more , cause it's Acura , same with oil filters , wiper blades and fluids , just the way it is , no big deal , Lexus - Toyota , Infinity - Nissan they all do it , shoot , my Porsche 924 was filled with VW parts !

RUBY

PS , seems none of the above listed cross service around here .............................

Click to expand...

The `05 RL and `08 Accord take different air filters the RL uses PN 17220-RDA-A00 and the Accord either a 17220-R40-A00 or 17220-R70-A00 depending upon the engine. An `07 Accord V6 shares the same filter as an `05 RL. Any part that is a direct cross over from Honda to Acura will have the same Dealer cost and suggested retail price. If you are paying more for the Acura parts it is because the Dealer is using a price matrix that is making it so and not something that happens from American Honda. Porsche and VW were famous for sharing the same parts with the Porsche owner paying a premium for the priviledge.