Honda Pilot Accessories and Modifications

kenniwu

i diddn't read all the replies, so i dont' know if this has been answered already, or if you're still looking for help, but i have an 04 pilot with over 3k invested in parts, and i got everything OEM for way less than anyone else at

http://www.handaaccessories.com/

they have OEM honda and acura accessories... they actally come in OEM box, you can look at the results at my cardomain page
http://www.cardomain.com/id/pilotation

good luck with everything

kenniwu

as most of us are here [assumed] we are all auto enthusiasts, and i drive an 04 pilot with a lot of parts installed by myself.. here ismy site
http://www.cardomain.com/id/pilotation

what i did recently was install red neons interior, and i was interested next in changing all the green bulbs on the dashboard and center console to red.. i found a site that sells the bulbs, so my only problem is dissassembling the dashboard and finding the light sources.. honda told me i had to buy the entire manual which is 80 bucks, but i'd only be using a few pagse of it, so i was wondering if anyone in here is a mechanic and has experience with this or whatnot, or maybe if you know somewhere i can get it cheaper, etc, let me know please? thanks for any advice it is greatly appreciated

kenni

qbrozen

i just found a few on ebay for quite a bit less than $80.

A couple of examples: I see one that is currently $20 and ends in 4 days. And there is another with a buy it now price of $55.

jm2257

recently had an avic-n1 navi put in. absolutely love it. however i have had poor fm reception ever since. tried a couple of antennas - one in dash and one on the windshield - without much improvement.

anyone know a way around this ?

rbatlanta

I want to install a wood trim on my new Pilot EX-L w/ Navi, and have a few questions. The car has a gray leather interior.

1. Has anyone installed an after-market wood trim? If so, where did you buy it? Was it easy to install, or did you have someone do it for you?

2. Any suggestions for what color wood to use for a gray interior? My other car has beige leather and a nice looking, darkish wood trim - however, I'm not sure how that color will look on gray. Any suggestions highly appreciated.

3. What's the difference between a "flat" dash trim and "molded" dash trim? I've seen these on a few web sites, and am not sure of the difference. Which is better? Why?

Thanks a lot for any advice you can provide.

RB

meyervilla

I've installed a K&N low restriction air filter to get more air into the engine. Is anyone aware of a larger diameter exhaust system for the Pilot to increase HP & mileage?

gils

Leo, thanks for your reply to my question. I have just ordered a k+n filter from ebay for my 2005 pilot.

gils

It has recently come to my attention that u can use any larger aftermarket exhaust system that exists for an acura 3.5rl(old design-not current design). This is due to the fact that the engine is the same and im told that the stock exhaust diameters are the same. Unfortunately, i dont know where u can get exhaust parts for a 3.5RL or a Honda Pilot.But maybe somehow u can use aftermarket parts for an accord with some mods on it.

gils

I want to put some HID otherwise known as xenon headlights in my 2005 pilot. Im not talking about JUST the bulbs. As many of u may or may not be aware of, In order to get the REAL HID lamps, what is required is a conversion kit. Where I live here in NYC, these kits with the bulbs included run approx $500. As NYC is known for having some of the highest prices in our great country, I was wondering if any other pilot owners know a website or something similar where i can purchase the kit and bulbs for cheaper price.

beer4799

I would like to replace my donut with a real spare. Can anyone direct me to where the best price would be located? I figure the tire part is easy and can be had locally. The dealer seemed a little pricey for the wheel. A lot of the websites I checked have many different fancy aftermarket wheels, but not the stock one I am looking to acquire. Any tips would be appreciated............Also, is anyone replacing their "Pilot" mats with aftermarket ones (better for winter). I hate to mess up the new ones; sounds crazy right!

newpilotman

Just bought a 2003 Pilot from dealer w/ installed towing package. I plan on towing a 2200 lb popup camper, and planned on installing electric brakes. Typical brake control units have 4 wires; a protected POS from the battery, GND from the battery, a wire connected to the 'switched' side of the brake switch, and a wire that will get routed to the trailer brakes themself.
Here's the problem, my Pilot's brake switch is different from anything I've connected to before. All others I've seen are 2 wire switches. A hot side, and a switched side that would activate the brake lights once brakes were depressed. Before I would just tap into this switched side.
This Pilot has a 4 terminal switch, which instead to 'making' a connection, actually breaks a connection when the pedal is depressed. I have no idea how to connect this brake controller to the car. Anyone out there ever tried connecting an electrical brake controller?

Many thanks

buck0086

I'm looking to get a cargo liner or cargo cover and I need some help deciding. I have a yellow labrador retriever who sheds like crazy. Would a cargo cover help keep the hair off of the actual carpet in the Pilot? Would it be easy to remove and vacuum the cargo liner? Thanks in advance for the help.

buck0086

From your experience, what accessories are most useful to have in the Pilot?

05pilot

I have an '05 EXL RES and have set up my kids gamecube with good results. I don't have the car power adapter yet to power the gamecube, but have a battery that lasts about an hour (not long enough). I run the gamecube through the audio/ video inputs near the rear heating vents..I either set the dash RES controls to "AUX" or I use the remote control included with the RES system to change the input signal from the dash DVD player to the rear audio/video..it worked fine.

05pilot

trailer hitch with 2" receiver (to pull trailer, carry bikes, etc.) and a thule roof rack. The factory rack is bunk in my opinion..the arched crossbars drove me nuts when I tried to carry stuff up there..like a sheet of plywood.

in terms of factory options, I would consider a navigation system if they ever upgrade it. The Pioneer AVIC-N1 in dash system looks superior to the factory system.

running boards or side steps (pipes) if you have a short spouse or young kids.

beer4799

Does anyone know of a better place than dealer to buy '05 Pilot rim? Also, any better front floor mats than Honda rubber ones. Weathertek perhaps. I just don't think the carpeted ones will hold up with the slush etc., the NE has to offer in winter.

qbrozen

there are heavy duty rubber matts available at the dealer (or any honda parts place online).

Have you tried ebay for stock rims? I'd say there's a pretty good chance of getting them there. You know how folks love to put big honkin rims on their SUVs and toss the stock ones.

beer4799

Thanks for the insight! EBay has several or sale, thanks.............

plldude

Rlonn1 and Jansens,
I am an amateur also and would be very appreciative if you have any ideas on installing a radio in my new 2005 Pilot.

kb2psm

A lot depends on what type of radio you wish to install in the Pilot. VHF, UHF or HF? The HF installation will be most critical given the larger antenna and greater ground dependency.

If you are concerned or queasy about drilling a hole...
For a 2M and/or 70cM band radio, you can easily get an adjustable rear hatch lip mount from Diamond or Comet.

Rob KB2PSM

ke5ri

I think I can help you. I installed a Yaesu 100D and an ATAS100 screwdriver antenna with excellent results. The installation is really clean and does not mess up the car. I would be happy to discuss it with you and even send you some pictures. I am new to this site, so if you send me your phone number by email, I can give you the full scoop.

John, KE5RI Santa Rosa, CA

beer4704

A/T cooler with no intention of towing anything? I am considering it just to allow the A/T to run a little cooler. Most of my miles are hwy, but, I do a fair share of stop and go NYC & Phila. With a a few of the problems I have read about, it may be a good idea. Maybe it would just make me feel better!

rossignols

I have been searching online for more info on these mats and the best I can tell is that the package comes with two front floor mats and one for the middle floor.

Does anyone know if it comes with a mat for the 3rd row? If not do they sell that separately?

alex9700

www.tirerack.com for a steel wheel

www.customfloormats.com for the mats

both these places have the best prices i've seen

tom3

Hi ALL
I am thinking to enabled Blue Tooth to my 2005 Pilot.
Can any one direct me to some site/shop/dealer to buy a car kit for the same.Any authorized stuff would be ggreat.
Any suggestions is highly appreciated.

Thanks

pilotman1

Anyone try installing a bluetooth cell phone kit on their Pilot? Like to know which products work well. Also does the radio support muting when a call comes in?

baby101

Does All season mats from Cheaphondaparts.com come with 2 front floor mats and 1 middle floor ? Does anyone know?

cameramatt

Honda all season mats are three pieces, two front and one for the 2nd row. Many owners are going to mats4less.com and getting the mats offered there. They offer mats for every row and the cargo area.

sportymonk

I think you have terms mixed up.

1. The Cargo Cover is a venetian blind like device to cover the back of the cargo area so that packages cannot be seen.

2. The Cargo Tray is a rubber like mat that will protect against spills and messy loads.

3. The Cargo liner is a flexible material that protects the sides of the vehicle as well as the back of the seats.

The cargo cover will do nothing to protect anything from your dog and most likely will be destroyed by the dog posthaste.

I just bought the cargo liner at www.hondacuraworld at considerable savings.

zen76

What is the practical difference between side steps and running boards? Which one should be preferred over the other

qbrozen

Which one is preferred is ... well ... personal preference.

Sides steps (aka, nerf bars) are tubular steel and, therefore, typically stronger than the flat aluminum running boards. In the case of the Pilot, the steps and boards attach the same way, so there is no difference in that aspect. On truck-based vehicles that have an actual frame, side steps usually attach right to the frame and, consequently, are VERY strong and can even help sustain damage in the case of minor accidents, but this really isn't the case in the pilot since the points at which the steps attach will most likely suffer damage before the actual steps do.

In which case, I think I just talked myself out of getting sidesteps. LOL. Here I kept thinking I'd get the steps over the boards, but I'd much rather have the boards fold and try to prevent damage to the underbody of the Pilot.

Anybody have a different opinion on this?

boscoe

I just bought my 05 pilot with Navi yesterday. I had been test driving both MDX and Pilots and thought that the Navi's were the same. Well, they are not. NO voice activated and not sure of what else. I found it odd that you can't add a "current position" input into your personal address.
So,
1- any way to upgrade the pilot to MDX navi? can you swap DVD's, can you change head unit??. Can you add voice to the Pilot system?
2-can any other modifications be made?
3- wonder if the 06 models will have any changes that could be upgraded to?

Also, how do you add blue tooth to an 05?

thanks

rossco1

Hi I am a new owner of a 05 pilot with factory rails. I am confused about Yakima or thule for a roof rack. What did you discover?

mach7

I think side steps look better than running boards on the pilot. They both attach to the frame using three brackets and 72 bolts. The running boards are wider than the side steps.

sja68

Just purchased a new Honda Pilot with leather last week. I would like to have a satellite radio installed. I would like it installed in the dash so that it blends in with dashboard. My question is what is a good quality brand to buy. I was at circuit city this morning and the guy was pointing me towards the pioneer brand. I noticed that some have installed the xm commander. Tweeters was pushing the Alpine brand. Also what price range am I looking at and what are the important features of the radio I should be looking at. Thank you for any assistance you can give.

drach

can someone suggest how to hookup a ipod to the radio. Pilot has navigation. Icalled icelink but they do not offer a unit that will work with the navigation?

drach

just received instructions from the manufacture on how to do the installation

Phone 562.595.5153
Fax 562.684.4010
www.densionusa.com
www.densionusa.com
Topic: Connecting I20_Honda_R3 iPod car kit to Navigation equipped Honda vehicles.
Procedure: You will need to make a “Y” cable connection
1) Remove the factory harness from the CD-changer port.
2) Gently open up the insulation on the green (11), yellow
(12), and black (3) wires.
3) Find the wires that are in the same position on the OEM
changer connector and gently open the insulation on
them.
4) Use copper wires to connect OEM pin 11 to iceLink
harness pin 11, OEM pin 12 to iceLink harness pin 12,
OEM pin 3 to iceLink harness pin 3.
5) Do not cut the wire on the harnesses, but only
make a Y connection on each side.
6) Connect the iceLink harness to the factory CD changer
port.
7) Verify operation.
Cable colors on factory harness will vary from
vehicle to vehicle.
If this procedure does not work then
you will have to use a factory Y harness cable
such as Honda part # 08A31-0F1-000

jonyor

I had the same problem...until I saw this "large" stainless steel "S" hook from my local hardware store. It just hook it on the hand rails. Hope this helps.

etantech

I am about to purchase a Honda Pilot EX-L. I have a question about an option listed on honda's website called "Enhanced Security System". What does it do? What does the factory standard one do? What does this Enhanced version give me that the factory one does not? I'm very confused.

Also did anyone get Windows Etching, or something like that?

Lastly - how do you folks think of:
- Foglights
- Auto Day night mirror?

Thanks! I'm excited to get this! My first new car ever... This forum has really helped me a lot in learning about the Pilot.

chris34

Am just getting a 2005 XL--dealer wants $125 to install ashtray/lighter--does this sound reasonable??? I saw them at around $30 at a site mentioned here but am not sure what, if anything, is involved in installing it. Also, he said none can be installed for back seats... Does anyone have any thoughts. Thank you.

qbrozen

I'm confused on this. Isn't the port already there? So for "installation", all they do is open the box the part came in and stick it in the hole, no? Or does this somehow involve replacing the entire outlet?

In either case, I don't see why this can't be done in the port found in the back of the console (in other words, the one for the backseat).

qbrozen

sorry, i don't know about the security system.

But, as far as the fog lights on our Pilot, my wife loves them. And I think they look cool. Just don't overpay for them ... Installed at a dealer should be no more than $400 (I bought ours online for $250 ... and install by a pro should be no more than an hour to 1.5 hours labor).

I have an auto day/night mirror on one of my other cars and it is nice to have ... but I wouldn't pay much for that feature, either. Its just not THAT big of a deal to me.

etantech

Thanks for the insight on the fog lights. I think I'll definitely get them.

The 2 dealers that I'm working with both quoted me $475 for the foglights, installed. I've tried to talk them down but they won't budge..

The day night mirror is not that big a deal to me either... I do like the compass though. Maybe I can just buy a cheap compass. Any idea on this?

Does anyone have any experience with the enhanced security system? I just want to make my pilot as theft-deterrent as possible, and also lower my insurance cost if possible.

qbrozen

well, i just went and searched on the alarm issue for you ... I'm not having any luck. There is ALOT of confusion out there as to what comes standard on the vehicle.

Now, I was trying to find what you are referring to on the Honda website. Are you speaking of the fact that I can choose a Pilot EX and then add the alarm accessory for an additional $199 (not including install, of course)?

Anyway... I'm getting the feeling this is a mistake on the Honda website and its really an accessory that you would only add on the LX since the EX comes with a security system standard. I also checked one of the online accessory dealers and they show the security system ... buts its alot more than $199 ... and it says "only for LX model since EX comes with security system from factory."

Don't know if any of that helps ... last resort would be to ask a dealer ??? Not that I'd expect a great answer. Maybe isellhondas can pop in here and give some details?? We'll see.

By the by ... what do they want for the mirror installed?

As for the fog lights ... try asking them what they are charging for labor on that. I'd be curious how long they are saying it takes. AND, if its less than $198 labor ... you could always buy them from H&A (link at top of this forum) for $276 and have your dealer just do the install. Of course, I don't see why they would do that when you could just show them the price from H&A and have them beat it (since they'll be making $$ on the install, they should want to comply). $475 is pretty ridiculous ... but if you really want them and really need them installed for you, what can ya do? What is that anyway? 2.5 hours labor? I had no experience at all and did it in that amount of time. Heck, now that I've done it once, I could probably get that down to under 2 hours. Give me 3 in a row and I'll have the last install down to an hour. That's why I said no more than 1.5 hours ... well, anyway, again, what can ya do?

etantech

Hi qbrozen - thanks for your insight again!

Well - now you know why I was confused about the security system. On one hand I really want to make sure my Pilot is as theft-deterrent as possible, on the other hand I cannot seem to find a good answer on what the heck is the difference between the factory one and the "enhanced" one.

I asked the 2 dealers I'm working with, and they gave me 2 different answers. One guy told me to get Window etching instead. The other guy said that the factory one is a "Passive" system that only stops the car from getting started without the proper key, but does not sound the alarm at any other time... And the one he's pushing that costs another $373 would sound the alarm even if the window is broken or the door is open before the alarm is turned off.

I'm so confused about this.

I'll ask them about the fog lights installation time. These dealers.. they will give you a great price on the car, but whack you in the accessories dept.

The Auto Day night mirror I'm getting quoted $246 to $265 for installing them. How hard can that be??? It costs like $180 on handa-accessories.com.

Also how hard is installing cross bars? They want $172 to $196, even though I can get them for $137.

qbrozen

installing the crossbars is a snap. Just gotta make sure the point the right way. The $172 price sounds just about right, though. Basically, most places charge 1/2 hour labor minimum for any job. So... figure, depending on the labor rate of your shop, ~$45 is the minimum.

I've heard the mirror isn't all that easy to install. You've got to run that power wire under the headliner, under the a-pillar trim, and behind the dash. Heck, I haven't installed one, but the instructions make it sound tougher than the fog light install.

Also, our factory alarm DOES sound the horn and flash the lights if, for instance, you arm the system, then manually pop the lock without the keyfob or key ... so its definitely more than just a starter-kill.

$373? Does that come with remote start, too? If not, definitely pass on it.

By the way, in case you didn't already know, window etching is a totally useless gimmick. HOWEVER, check with your insurance company. Most will give discounts for having it ... don't ask me why because I have NO idea how having something etched on your glass makes the car impervious to thieves.

srl99

The standard security system (at least on my EX-L) will sound the horn if the car door (or hatch) is opened when the doors are "locked". Grandma found this
out the hard way when we left her in the car one day, but locked the doors.

If entry is made through a window (ouch!), or the car is bumped, towed, etc...
no alarm.

I don't think there's a factory enhanced security system outside of LX, but I have
to believe it would be possible to install a bump/tilt sensor and glass break sensor
perhaps with it's own control module.

Sometimes enhanced security refers to the dealer's financial security...

--SRL

junobear

Have you found anything more on adding XM? I'm getting an '05 EX probably with DVD but was told my one dealer that Honda can't/won't add XM to the Pilot excepting I think an ES. So, I'm hopeful to add the XM to the Pilot after getting it. Love to know what if anything you've learned. Thanks.

pilothonda

I'm debating on buying either the EX-L RES or the EXL and adding aftermarket DVD. Can anyone out there with EX-L RES tell me a few things? What format DVD's does Pilot RES play (ie:dvd-r,dvd+r, etc.)

Also; where is actual DVD player in Pilot? dashboard, above LCD screen? both?

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

etantech

Thanks again for the info guys!

I have decided not to make the dealer richer with the enhanced security... And I don't think I'll pay $250 for the day night mirror either.

Now I'm debating on Chrome side steps (which I think looks better) or the running boards... Chrome side steps = $606 installed, vs running boards = $571. Is that too high?