This month our happy little minivan cramped yet another swingin' staffer's style and underwent some reconstructive surgery. We also encountered some difficulty with securing tires for this popular family caravan. Our editorial assistant, Erin Riches, was put in charge of getting the Odyssey fixed up like new and reported the following:
"All of the damage from three separate incidents (see previous updates) was concentrated at the Odyssey's left rear. There was a sizeable dent in the rear left quarter, a large tear in the plastic rear bumper and a broken taillight. I delivered the Odyssey to Auto Body Masters on Monday, March 6th and explained the damages and the insurance arrangements.
"Auto Body Masters completed the work late Friday afternoon, and we picked up the Odyssey the following Monday. The bumper and the left taillight were replaced. The dent on the left rear was pounded out, and the area was repainted, etc. Five days seems like a reasonable amount of time to spend on the work the Odyssey needed."
Erin got to take another field trip with the Oddie due to a manufacturer's recall. She gave the following account:
"We received a notice from Honda that our 1999 Odyssey had a defective section of wiring harness that may be rubbed during engine movement. This rubbing may place undue wear on the harness that may cause a short. Such a short, the letter explained, could at worst cause engine failure or electrical system failure, or on a more localized level, antilock brake or windshield wiper failure. The letter instructed us to bring the Odyssey into any authorized Honda dealer for free repair - apparently the procedure takes less than an hour, but it was suggested that we allow dealers half a day. I called Miller Honda in Culver City on Monday afternoon and made an appointment to bring the Odyssey in at about 11:30 Tuesday morning.
"After delivering the van to Miller Honda, I asked for a shuttle back to work, but was told that the shuttle was currently out. I could wait for it to return, or if I wanted to wait, the repair would only take 40 minutes. I decided to leave both options open. Twenty minutes later, they told me that the shuttle was back or I could wait 30 minutes for the repair to be finished. Since the wait time had already increased from 40 minutes to 50 minutes and since I saw other customers complaining privately and/or loudly about unforeseen delays, I decided to take the shuttle. It was a smart decision - the Odyssey was not ready until 1:30 p.m.
"The repair for the wiring harness is as follows: If the wiring harness is damaged when the mechanic inspects it, the dealer replaces it. If the wiring harness is not damaged (as with our Odyssey), the mechanic fits the harness with a plastic sleeve to protect against rubbing and subsequent electrical shorts.
"Miller Honda may have a tendency to underestimate how long a particular service will take. If we return, we should allow plenty of time," Erin concluded.
Our hip, young and single shutterbug, Scott Jacobs, had the pleasure of cruising around town in the oh-so-sexy Odyssey again this month. He had the following to say:
"Driving the Oddie is a humbling experience. I'm a single guy trying to make my own way down here in L.A., having fun and all. But getting into that van just kills that whole single guy image. Not only did it kill the single guy image, but it's not all that fun to drive unless given a purpose...I was disappointed by the V6. It just didn't feel all that powerful. The brakes felt a little mushy, the steering is a little loose, and the van dips when braking. All minor quibbles considering it is a van."
One of our drivers forgot to turn off the interior dome light in the Odyssey one night. Fortunately, the battery was not dead the next morning. What did we learn form the experience? Our Oddie is not equipped with battery rundown protection, which would have turned the light off automatically.
We also found occasion to replace two of the Odyssey's tires during the last 30 days; we discovered chunks missing from the sidewalls of both of the front tires (we don't know how this occurred, but we suspect someone of going over sizable potholes a little too abruptly). This task was not nearly as simple as one might think. Apparently, there is great demand for the Odyssey's factory-installed Firestone 215/65 R16 all season tires at the moment. It would have taken a week to have them shipped to Stokes Tire Pros in Santa Monica, so we just had them replaced with Michelin MX4s instead.
Right now, our lovable family-hauler is on its way to Detroit, to fulfill the needs of editor John Clor and his illustrious family. Stay tuned for more adventures.
Current Odometer: 19,922
Best Fuel Economy: 14.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.7 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $238.50 to replace tires.
Body Repair Costs: $1202.92
Problems: Recall on defective section of wiring harness.
