Thinking of bying a van,Honda, Kia or Chrysler, need some answers pls

[cvcman]

Ok I have heard the Kia's are a PITA to work on as are the Chryslers so i have a few ?'s

1) Looking at a 2010,11 or 12 Honda how hard to chg plus and do oil and filter chgs ?

2) How hard to chg fuel filter ?

3) Fuel pump ?

4) Tranny fluid ?

Also what problems are these know for ?? tranny, brakes etc

I do all my own work and will probably buy a van with 20k on it..Also will I be able to fit 2 road bikes in the back with front tires off and still have luggage room ??Its just my wife and I

Thank you

[davedrivesody]

The Ody is generally very easy to work on.

All spark plugs are accessible, as is the engine oil filter.

The fuel pump and filter are inside the fuel tank. Replacement of either is done through an access panel inside the cabin. Not trivial, although rarely needed.

Draining transmission fluid is as simple as draining engine oil - a drain plug in the case. (Unfortunately, there is no drain plug for the torque converter.) Refill is done through the dipstick tube - less convenient than a filler port but not that bad.

[cvcman]

what year did they start with the access panel ?? Is there a tranny filter too or just drain and refill ?? Are the 2011's reliable

[RiaD'H]

While I don't work on my own vehicles I have owned both vans. I've had an '91 Dodge Gr. Caravan; '96 DGC; and '04 DGC (we still have the '04 with 125+K miles on it) and we purchased a new '12 Odyssey in October. I have to say we were very pleased with the DGC's especially this '04 that we chose to keep. Minimal repairs and the transmission is just fine for now.
I did lots of research and test drove both the Odyssey and the Chrysler T&C several times for our latest purchase. The Ody won out for a few factors - 8 passenger seating (as a mom of 5 and a foster mom I need all those seats!); seating comfort, and outside looks. While the T&C is a nice vehicle I hated the pitch to the back seats and am not a fan of the middle row Stow N Go seating idea. It also cannot give me 8 seats. I did love all the options it came with but am very satisfied with the Ody.
If you don't care about all the above then hopefully the maintenance issues will help you decide. I don't think you can go wrong with either. Good luck!

[davedrivesody]

what year did they start with the access panel ?? Is there a tranny filter too or just drain and refill ?? Are the 2011's reliable

The fuel pump access panel was present in 1999, maybe earlier.

Yes, a serviceable transmission filter was added in 2007. (Models from 2002 to 2006 had one too but it was a bear to change and not considered by Honda to be serviceable.)

2011 was the first year of Generation 4 and so it had some issues. Have a look at the 2011+ forum here on the site for members' experiences.

[frogbite]

My 2007 does not have a serviceable transmission filter. You need to remove the transmission to get to it. Looking at the parts diagram for the 2012 it seems the same as the 2007. Unless I am not looking at the parts diagram correctly.

[davedrivesody]

The ATF filter for your 2007 is #1 in this diagram.

2007 Ody trans.gif

[frogbite]

Yes, that is not serviceable without removing the transmission. To get to the cover to remove it you need to pull the transmission and remove cover to access the filter. On my buddies 2007 Accord I can see the filter housing under the air intake and MAF.