Honda Pilot Accessories and Modifications

lok888

I am not sure you want the DVD player or just the moniter at the back of the headrests. You just said you have an EX-L.

malo_4

I am pretty sure that I am going to put one of these on my '05 Pilot (after I pick it up from the dealer) but not sure which. I don't really care for how either one looks(though I have only seen them in thumbnail pics online) but I want to protect the vehicle so it's probably a good idea. Any suggestions? thoughts? Which do you prefer?

exhawk88

Thanks! so you have an Alpine CD changer in the mix. My setup is:
HU <-> Blitzsafe HON/AUX/DMX V.1 <-> DVD player
I am able to get it to work only if I wiggle the Blitzsafe adapter at the 14-pin end. Once it's working I can switch between the CD and CD/CDC with no problem as long as I don't leave it in the CD mode for longer than 15 sec. If I did it will not switch back to the CDC mode. To get it to work again I have to wiggle the adapter again. This is the second Blitzsafe adapter that I have tried. This is really strange!!! I am hoping that anyone else has experienced the same thing here and give me some tips to make this work. Thanks!

02xls

I am a little late on this response so I hope you have not made a purchase without first checking out a product by 3M. Go to the 3M website and check out their paint protection system that they have. I have seen it on some vehicles and several detail/tint shops are installing it. The same material is also being installed on the door pillar where the seat belt is creating nicks & scratches. Good Luck!

pilot04

Yep, I have the alpine CHA-S634 mp3 changer. I listen to all 6 cds and switch to AUX(dvd) all the time w/o any problems. I even have a game plate that is Y off the blitzsafe RCA for my xbox or portable VCR. Maybe it's the HU since you've already tried two different blitzsafes.

terumi1

Hi sysadmin. Yes, I do stop by on occassion to catch up. What's up? How's the dvd installation holding up? Mine is doing great. Kids love it. I see there are some people interested in installing dvd systems. I hope they refer back to the lengthy discussions we had about the aux-audio adapter, which dvd systems to go with, and the where to put the player. It's all there!

Otherwise, give me an update.

sysadmin1

The DVD installation itself is ok I guess, but the crummy hardware leaves a lot to be desired.
I am on my 4th DVD player, as the previous 3 had some sort of issue or other and were replaced by Best Buy.

I plan on picking it back up this morning as it spent all of yesterday in their shop getting all new hardware except for the player. The story on that one is: When the 3rd player went bad by refusing to play discs, I brought it in and they replaced it with a model that looked similar to yours (if you remember the pics, mine was much different looking, though same mfg) but, they did not replace the IR eye that goes to the unit so with the new player and remote, I could not get the remote to work with the old eye. They were not able to order just the eye so I had to wait 3 more weeks for them to order an entirely new kit, headrests and all. That is why it's in the shop yesterday. But it gets better....

The new kit they got in had all new stuff as well as a single rather than two a/v boxes under the seat which meant they had to replace both headrests as well since the connectors are different. That was the good part, get new clean screens after having the old ones for almost a year. But, the new player that came with the kit that they were going to put in was DOA. DOA!!! I couldnt believe it. Amazing that a retailer as large as Best Buy can have so many issues with a supplier. SO...they said they'd leave my current one in there for now but have ANOTHER kit on order in the event it dies on me. Also, they changed my mounting location to under the stack from under the seat where it used to be. I went back and looked at your pics to see how I'd like it and feel it will be ok. Do you have any issues with it being there? I do change discs fairly often and with all the issues I've had I guess it's good to have it close.

I did tell the installer to make it easy in themselves when they install it because they will probably be replacing it often...I can't believe you havent had any issues...your setup is working perfectly?

terumi1

Things perfect so far. But.....remember, I am in Miami. No cold extremes. Hot, yes. But it's always hot here.

So maybe with your location changing to the bottom of the radio stack, it will help. More temperate for the dvd player in the winter time. I remember that our units were different. But I can't think that Best Buy, at this point, is happy with the multiple failures of the unit they sold you. They have by far lost money in labor by now. I'm sure it was nothing malicious as they have stood by their warranty to you.

Whether in the end the move to the bottom of the radio stack would be so helpful, we'll never know (hopefully!). Because if there are no problems from here on out, then you won't know whether it was finally a good unit given to you, or the change in location. That's why I said hopefully we'll never know!

If I had to gripe about anything, it would be a slight slight ignition noise. But that is only if you are sitting completely still, with the windows rolled up, and the stereo cranked up pretty loud with the dvd on pause. Then.....you can hear a slight slight ignition noise when you revv the engine. But take the dvd off pause, and start driving down the road with the windows still up, and you can't hear it.

But that, luckily so far, is it.

As far as the position, yes, it is easier to put a disc in there vs under the seat. And to date, I haven't missed the loss of space that the dvd takes up.

Well, we'll keep our fingers crossed that FIFTH time is a charm on this dvd player for you. And I agree....nice new screens might take the edge off all your extra efforts to date.

Keep me posted........

sagemajor

I just test drove a pilot and the sales person said that the pilot is wired with mic and speakers for bluetooth phone connectivity and that the actual unit will be avalable as a dealer add on around January. Does anyone know anything about this? This is the one feature that the acura has that the pilot does not that I want.

jabarano

I too just purchased an '05 with NAV and I too would like to have a remote starting system for my wife. Please let me know if you have any good info.

Thanks,

Joe

lok888

My brother just got the aftermarket alarm with remote starter installed on his '04 Pilot EX-L with DVD. You need to give one key for decoding since we have an engine immobilizer. He decided to get the full package (alarm & remote starter) even it has the factory installed security system.

familywu

Just got an 05 EXL and wanted to know whether the rails are the same as the 04 so I can buy the same Thule or Yakima roof rack bars or whether I need to wait until the 05 models come out.

tcvb22

I want to purchase a Pilot LX (don't need the EX with all the extra stuff) but want to get the roof rack (which I know I can get) but I can't get the privacy glass. Has anyone purchased an '05 - LX and added the privacy glass?

qbrozen

just go get it tinted at any aftermarket place.

snowskier68

We are seriously considering the '05 Pilot w/ leather and DVD to replace our problematic Volvo XC. We like everything about this SUV except its bland styling and the very poor sound system (the Volvo's is excellent). I can get over the styling, but I don't know that I can live with the sound system as is. Even with the audio upgrade and sub it doesn't sound good enough for us. With the system configured as it is, however, it doesn't seem possible to change out components. Has anyone upgraded speakers to improve the quality? Does anyone have any suggestions? The Bose system in the '05 Pathfinder would almost make me change my mind about the Pilot.

bbug1

Choose a different car just for the stereo?! I will agree that maybe the styling of the Pilot isn't too exciting, but it grows on you. I found that the audio for DVD's was better than for music in the Pilot. I think sometime back someone did post that they upgraded the speakers and it sounds much better. I test drove the new Pathfinder and it could not match the Pilot, IMO. I'm sure that since the Pilot has been out now for a few years there may be many options for upgrading the stereo/speakers.

bbug1

We probably would have done the 3M stuff if we'd thought of it. But it is more expensive than a nose mask. We got our nosemask/bra after we got several chips on the front of the hood. Normally I'm not into that type of look, but we needed it.

terumi1

In my experience, the thing to swap out when dealing with cars is to swap out the factory radio. Keep the same speakers. A TREMENDOUS difference will be heard. Immediately.

Go to Best Buy or Circuit City and tell them the car that you have. They will be able to reference the compatability and use various face plates to make the radio/cd look almost factory.

mountaineer

lots of road gravel year round. i got two part mask,then yr later took off top and put on hondas air deflector(not avail now,new type on way this mo.)these have saved me from significant front end and glass damage,and paint underneath still undamaged

mtbdad

Yeah, I have an EX and still put 20% tint on because the stock glass wasn't dark enough. Now, it is about equivalent to 5%. Dark enough for real privacy yet light enough to see out of at night.

x5lover

Hi! Maybe this has been posted before but I am just wondering if anyone have a Pilot with Nav and installed a HONDA RES also?

Is it possible? Thanks.

noxcuses

Hi. I am looking to get some all season floor mats to help keep the carpet clean in my Pilot. Should I get them at the dealer? How much should I pay?

Or, should I buy custom mats online for more money?

I don't want to pay the full 125 for them at the dealer, and the custom ones are 140 online.

 

What would you do? Make offer at dealer? I was thinking of 90 since that's how much they are on Ebay. Thanks.

mark16

Has anyone had a remote starter installed in their Pilot?

arob1

Go to http://www.cheapesthondaparts.com/.

 

They are selleing it for $83.30. I just ordered mine from there.

qbrozen

coincidentally, yes, I just had one installed before Xmas for the wife.

 

I can tell you that I'm not very happy with it. Due to the factory alarm, the only way to operate it is to unlock the doors with the remote before starting the car. So I strongly suggest going with a whole new alarm/remote start that will eliminate the factory alarm altogether.

terumi1

I posted many times on this subject. You can find them by doing a search under my name. Yes, it can be done. I finally ended up using the monitors in the headrest. But you can get the unit on the ceiling, if you want. I put the dvd player under the radio stack in that cubby hole. Make sure you use the aux audio adapter by blitzsafe. Then you will have component quality sound instead of just the rf signal that the regular units come with.

 

I had tonnes of discussions on this previously with some members in years past. The posts should answer all your questions. Good luck!

cccompson

The Honda all season mats are of excellent quality. I just switched ours out of my wife's '04 Pilot to her new '05. While washing them I examined them carefully and they showed no wear whatsoever after a year of use. The fit is excellent and the configuration is correct to prevent anything from dripping onto the carpet.

meyervilla

Can anyone tell me where to purchase a seat belt extension to fit an '04 Honda Pilot? Honda refuses to supply them and the dealer refuses to deactivate the ratchet which chokes me. It's been suggested that I purchase a seat belt from a wreck and fabricate my own. What about accessory houses? There's a fortune to be made selling seat belt extensions for Hondas. Perhaps I'll go into business myself.

ken15

I had a trailer hitch installed by U-Haul for $149 be aware that my towing needs are very light

 

The Dealer's price of $500 + includes cooling fins for your transmission and power steering in case you pull a 4500 lb boat, which I will never do.

jim55

Has anyone installed a driver seat position memory system (such as is available in the Acura MDX)?

tran

Hi,

I just bought 05 Pilot EX-L. I'd like to install the running board bought from CheapestHondarPart.com. I wonder if the running board can be installed from home without any special tool. Greatly appreciate your expertise. T

toca

I put them on without any trouble. It was about 2 years ago but I don't believe I jacked the Pilot up to install. Ground clearance was sufficient to get the job done.

dep

There is a very long and detailed discussion on upgrading the Pilot's sound system at hondapilot.org.

 

It would seem that simply replacing the 4 door speakers and leaving the sub and tweeters as is can make a huge difference.

laurheis

I just purchased a 2005 Pilot that is XM ready. I now want the XM radio, but can't figure out what I need to make this happen. My Honda dealership has not been helpful with this issue. Do I just need to buy an antenna, have it installed, and register for activation? Or do I also need the tuner? Will I use my existing radio or do I need one of those little receiver boxes that mounts on the dash? I am totally confused by the selection of products available on the XM website. Any suggestions or guidance out there?

dep

Well, your radio is not really XM ready. If the dealer told you that they were feeding you a spoon full of BS.

 

The Pilot head unit does, however, have an extra input that can be used from a CD changer, tape player, XM, or Sirius radio. In addition, the XM sound can be feed into the radio via an FM modulator.

 

The official Honda solution involves installing a special XM receiver in the center stack and running the sound in via an FM modulator. This runs over $500 just for the parts, labor is extra. This unit will not fit in the stack if you have the Nav or RES.

 

Your other choices are to buy an XM receiver like the Roady2 or to replace your entire radio head unit with an XM ready one.

 

Sorry for the bad news.

laurheis

I kind of figured this was going to be the case.

I do have the RES, so the official Honda solution wouldn't work for me anyway. The funny thing is that my dealership did not even offer me this solution - they just told me to go to Circuit City and figure out what I needed with them!

OK, so my next question is...my husband has a Sirius subscription in another car. Since it sounds like I am basically starting from scratch in the Pilot, do I HAVE to go with XM, or can I go the Sirius route and become a second subscriber under his account?

dep

You can do XM or Sirius. I am getting the XM Commander installed on Wed. so I can send you a photo if you are interested. Sirius has a similar unit available as well.

 

I would suggest you NOT go to Best Buy or CC. Find a 'high end' car audio store and go there. You will pay about the same for the sat. hardware and you might pay an extra $20-50 for the install over the chains but you have a much better chance of getting a quality job done. IMO.

kennynmd

I second that opinion as far asgoing to a high-end shop and not to Circuit City do the installation. My brother owns a car audio store and he installs the XM Commander (parts and labor) for $300. Also, if you use the FM Modulator you will be tuned to either 87.7. or 87.9 FM to be able to listen to XM. Some companies make an adaptor so you won't have to go through the FM and it also offers better sound quality.

chuminthewater

There is a Panasonic model at CC that is about $720 (free install?), that is supposed to rival the current Sony for about $300 more?

 

Both are 9" widescreen models, with the DVD player a part of the ceiling mounted screen.

 

Further, with a good install the trim ring is not needed, and it almost does not imede vision (so I am told).

 

In my area we have a few very good CC places (by size and volume) - so install is a good deal and not an issue - I am told.

 

So, 2 questions:

 

1. Is this model - sorry I have little info on it, a good one?

 

2. What else is needed and what is the lingo in obtaining it - such that the buyer does not get hosed. I think I want the modulator so we can all hear it, but I can also use the wireless, and allow for radio/cd at the same time the dvd is playing? And, I want the kids to be able to attach a video game system - so, do I need an upgrade/extra in order to do that - and what would it be called?

 

I will be putting this in an 05 Pilot EX.

 

Thanks!

laurheis

Thank you both for the information. I think I will assign my husband to take care of this for me.

I spent 20 minutes on the phone today with Honda Customer Service, and found out exactly what I had been told on this site (in a much faster time!) I then called my Honda dealership and spoke to the Sales Manager (felt like I had been a little misled by their explanation of what XM Ready was.) He told me that the XM option is $850.00!! - and was trying to tell me that, yes, I COULD have this installed in my Pilot with RES...Sounds like I am not the only one out there who is confused...

kennynmd

$850.00 is crazy for a job that takes about an hour or so. Would you happen to live in the DC area?

laurheis

No, I live in Southern California. I felt, though, that the Sales Manager was completely confused about the option when I spoke to him yesterday, so he might have misquoted me.

 

Doesn't matter - can't get it on my car anyway.

laurheis

I would really like to see a picture of your radio installed. Thank you.

piloteer

Does anybody know if its possible to install an after market sunroof for a 2004 Pilot with RES??

qbrozen

anything is possible with a good installer and enough money.

piloteer

thanks for you insight, but i'm looking for anybody who had it done. if the RES was affected

dep

I now have the XM Commander installed in my Pilot and they did a really great job.

If you want to see some photos I have posted them here:
www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11081

Total cost was ~$330 including a custom mounting bracket made to fit the Commander just under the seat heater switches.

If you are in North Chicagoland I can point you to Tweeter in Gurnee...1st class job and not that much more than Worst Buy or Short-Curcuit City

-D

qbrozen

i'm pretty positive this has been done. if you search on hondapilot.org, you'll find your answers.

pilot seeker

can anyone suggest all-weather type mats for my '05 Pilot EX-L (Fern interior)..Weathertech? standard Honda mats???

chuminthewater

Installed at Circuit City.

Couple questions - in case anyone has a similar unit or experience.

1. Is it connected to anything other than the headliner? Seems the headliner is sagging a tad - but could be me, as the car is new - and my experience with the headliner is well - there is no experience with it.

2. The screen seems to shake or vibrate because of the pivot design of the screen/frame.

But, maybe they all do this a bit.

Anyone have the Sony or Panny (both were 9" widescreen types.

If anyone has any input, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks