are you calling it a separation net or is that what you read or is that what you were told? I think of a separation net as something to keep animals in the back of the vehicle. The do offer that for the Pilot as an additional accessory.
I would think the '04 is the same, but the one that came with our '03 Pilot is a small cargo net. Its to keep small items from banging around in the back. There are 4 attachement points all on the floor in the very back of the vehicle near the tailgate. So, when the 4 hooks of the net are attached to the 4 tie-downs in the truck, the net is flat on the floor. You can stick things under it and it will hold them in place.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Anyone know how to remove the stereo/tape/single cd player dash unit on an 04 Pilot EX-L? I can even find any screws. They must be under the faceplate, but I can't seem to get an edge to pry the faceplate off.
Haven't brought the car back in yet. Am going to do it Friday.
I am taking it to a new Sound Advice here in Florida as the first install shop was just short of pitiful.
On discussing the humm with the second Sound Advice, he said that in fact, with the Aux Audio Cable, there should be no humm, and as qbrozen stated, it is probably a bad ground. According to the new installer, it IS a bad ground. He says I should hear nothing of ignition noise and that the FM modulator, if used, does quite often pick up noise. But not the cable I and you have gone with.
So lets see and compare notes when its done. Right now the out the door price (hardware, install, taxes) is $1880.00
They will probably come off of that another 100 due to their previous lackluster installation performance. Clearly, I would have rather paid the full install price and not have to go through all these hassles.
I did buy a 5 year warranty for $160.00 That goes on top of the 1880.
Curious of your complete pricing package, sysadmin1. Keep me posted on your install and I'll do the same.
I was given the XM Satellite Radio system for Christmas and it is unbelievable! I have the home kit plus the car adapter (cassette adapter). I also have the RF modulator kit but have yet to have it installed - mostly because there is no real convenient place on my 2004 Pilot EX-L dash to place it and I also got really nervous when the 20 year old kid at Circuit City pulled out his screwdriver! I'm intrigued by the Aux Audio Cable input discovery - perhaps I can use it instead of the RF Modulator. Any thoughts?
I'm thinking of installing the cradle for the Sat receiver on the front of the "not an ashtray". This way, if it gets botched or I change my mind later on about the system, I can get a replacement ashtray from Honda for about 20 bucks. Can anyone else suggest a better spot?
I know the RF modulator doesn't get mounted on dash, I was referring to the Sat unit itself. Another advantage of the ashtray install is that the wires can go straight back through the tray.
They re-installed my dvd system. They had to completely re-do it. It took them 6 hours. No ignition humm. No wires showing. It was done correctly.
They completely refunded my installation charge of $300.00
I have a major problem with the RF headphones. The first Sound Advice shop told me they were THE WAY to go. The second Sound Advice shop I bought the car to (because I had completely lost faith in the first one), said they detest the RF headphones.
And they do sound scratchy like AM radio. And it doesnt matter where you put the rf transmitter.
He recommends IR over RF any day of the week. And he said, with all the difficulties that have occured in my car, he would put the IR transmitter in my car and swap out the RF headsets at no charge. He said it will be a static free sound.
Watched the guy install my dvd player. He had to take out the radio to do this (aux audio cable in the back)
I have a Pilot 2004 EX-L
On either side of the cubby-hole at the bottom of the radio stack are two pseudo metal looking pieces. They are plastic. One on the left and one on the right. You remove (snaps off) those pieces first. Then you can remove the plastic strips that run up vertically on either side of the radio. It is about an 1.5" strip of plastic, left and right of the radio stack. Get those plastic strips off and there are the mounting bolts for the radio. Unscrew them and pull the whole radio unit forward into your hand.
and be done with it. You will have a good company backing you with piece of mind.
I bought some exhaust pipe finishers from them, amoung some other items. Honda sent them the wrong pipes and they did not fit on my car.
But..........H and A was very very receptive. Responded immediately. I was dumbfounded at the whole thing because the box parts numbers were correct and sealed from the factory. I thought it was me.
But it wasnt. And H and A didnt even pose the question of whether it was me. They just simply said, hey, we have another set coming to you in the mail. Express overnight. They pre-tested them there at their facility before they shipped them.
No questions asked and very responsive in time concerning my inquiries.
I received the new ones and returned the old ones. No charge, of course. Piece of cake.
They are a good company.
Moral of the story is that not only are they a good company, but Honda shipped them the wrong pipes, even though the box was still factory sealed with the correct parts numbers on the outside of the box. And I would have never thought that could happen!! H and A simply took the factory direct box and put it in a bigger box and shipped the whole thing to me. It wasnt their fault. It was Honda's fault.
The 2004 Pilot cargo net was a problem I also had. I went to the dealer and he used the four rear connecting points to clip the net up. Two are on the floor and two, plastic hooks, are just above. The net is only about a foot from the tail gate when hooked up. For us, it holds several grocery bags, side by side, inplace while driving. No more containers etc. rolling around on the cargo tray....
I hope this will help some of you on another way to use the cargo net.
I have a 04' Ex-Navi. Want to put in DVD player but would rather hardwire the player as opposed to using the RF modulator. But I can't seem to find anyone around here in the So. Cal that seems know anything about this aux audio adaptor that some of you are talking about. Honda parts folks don't know about this. 1) Where can I buy this? 2) Does it create a HMMMM? 3) Due to the NAV screen, I hear that some have installed this on the bottom of the radio stack. It would fit ok, except that there is a little bump on the top of this space. If it weren't for this bump, the unit would fit ok. Does anyone if it's ok to just cut out this plastic bump?
This board has so much knowledge and people willing to share it. Thought I would ask if there is anything I should be concerned about in adding (through Honda) a 6-disc changer in my EXL-RES. It is my understanding that I have to get the one mounted under the drivers seat because of the RES... no room in the dash due to DVD player. I'm fine with that as I don't change CDs too often.... maybe once a week. I was told I still operate this through the dash buttons on the stereo. Will I be able to control anything with the steering wheel buttons? I still have time to back out of this option. Any reason why I should? (Adding an aftermarket one might save me money and be better, but I don't want to deal with all that. I'm sure my Honda dealer appreciates guys like me.)
it should work fine. steering wheel controls and all. Not sure if the steering wheel controls will actually control the changer, though, but I see no reason why they wouldn't work exactly as they do now for all the other functions (unless the installer disconnects it).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
You need the Blitzsafe aux audio adapter. Sysadmin1 was successfully able to buy one online. I have it installed and it works perfect. I think he is getting his installed soon.
The system was completely reinstalled, and all my money for installation refunded ($291.00). Yep. I had to burn a whole day off in order for them to redo the whole thing. It took them 6 hours to completely break down the previous install and do it all over again. Sound Advice down here in Florida, while they completely messed up the first installation, got it right the second time (almost....see below). And the refund of the money in appreciation for my time makes them at least a store I can go back to. BTW, I didnt trust the Sound Advice 5 minutes from me anymore and went to one 30 minutes away.
Frankly, I would have rather paid the money and have been done with it. It was a hassle. But at least Sound Advice made good on the whole situation with the refund of labor. So kudos to them for that.
No hum. Zero. But.....just discovered the other day that when I put the windshield wipers on, sound cuts out and get a loud popping over the speakers each time the blades cycle. So that will have to be addressed. Shouldn't be a problem to get that isolated and fixed.
If Honda offered both the Navi and RES as an option in the same vehicle, we wouldn't have to mess with these non-standard queer-trons (electrical) issues!
Are the rear splash guards as easy to install as they appear to be on handaaccessories.com? Dealer wants to charge me $59, so I was going to order the splash guards and rubber floor mats (I know I can install those myself from the website and save a few bucks... maybe an extra headset for the RES too. (Can you add as many headsets as you want for the DVD?)
After reading several of the posts, I have hope that I can get my DVD+R's to work if I download some utilities and use XCopy to burn the DVD. Are there any other solutions outside the use of XCopy? And, more importantly, has anyone had luck playing DVD+R's that contain "home movies"?
I'm in the process of creating DVD+R's from my camcorder and would like assurance that they can be played when finished.
Does anyone know if it's possible to get the keyless remote that's built into the key,like the one Honda uses for the Accord? They are so much less bulky than the old-fashioned one the pilot has now.
Be careful if you label tour CDR's with paper labels. The disc gets pretty warm while in the player and sticker type label can bubble and cause the disc to get stuck. Just a heads-up.
I just picked up by black exl-nav after wiating 3 months for it. Although I like the car itself, whats up with the low quality rear view mirror and vanity mirrors in the visors? The images are a bit distorted and the mirrors themselves are tiny. Seems like a scimp on a pretty nice car.
I just purchased a 2004 Pilot EX. It is great looking and I want to keep it that way. I am considering "bug" deflector, a bumper/hood cover (or bra), or the 3M paint protection films.
What have you folks used?
On the surface, the 3m films seem to be an excellent choice. Does anyone have experience with this product? Is this something one can install without professional help?
A simple protection for the hood can be purchased for around forty dollars. It is an Auto Ventshade Bugflector two hood protector. It installs easily and looks better than the more expensive Honda equivalent. Most auto parts stores carry them. All you do is order the one specifically made for the Pilot. Mine came in within 24 hours. Installed in 15 minutes. Go to the Auto Ventshade website.
Dropped my baby off this morning...hate giving up the keys...hope they don't scratch, mar or cause any issues. Better not be any ignition hum or feedback...
Will let you know later today how it looks and will post some pics as well.
Good luck on the install. They are going to have a tough time with it. It ain't easy to get rid of the hum. We got rid of the hum, but now the video and audio cut out when the wipers are on. Im out of the country on business right now, so will be taking it back in when I get back. Lemme know how it works out. Anxious to see the pics.
The system cost $1430, then paid $250 to have it installed. So, $1680 pretty good for the whole setup. I also got the $199 4yr warranty from them since who knows what can happen to the system.
I am pleased with all except a few parts of the install. There really wasn't many options on mounting all the hardware, and the best place found was under the drivers seat. The DVD player is accessible from the front, and the control boxes are mounted near the back. There are rails and stuff under the seat , so the guy couldn't tuck it all way under and when you see the pictures, you'll see what I mean. But for now the rear carpet and the seat hide it from sight. When the weather turns nicer and I can work on it outside, I'll use my Dremel to cut into the plastic shield they took off and fit it back on, and maybe adjust where they mounted the boxes. Too cold here in NH...
As far as the actual operation, it works very well. The two screens are FAR better than the ceiling mounted one I had in Pathfinder. It had a 6.5" square drop down, these are two 7" wide screen style screens. Much better looking, and having it right in front of you for each person, rather than cokcing your head up and to the left to look at the ceiling one is better. Some may say it's personal preference, mine is to have it in the seats.
The audio is flawless. No hiss, no hum, no interference. They guy must have gotten the wiring right the first time. I LOVE the fact that it is loud and clear and interference free. The old RF in the Pathfinder picked up engine noise, other stations...was bad.
Doubt I'll use headsets much so haven't even tried them.
Boy, am I happy for you. That worked out really well. It only makes me question all the more the problems at this, "upscale", store that I thought was going to make this a completely painless install. I would not, to anyone, recommend Sound Advice in Florida. A premium price paid for an abundance of ignition noise, and now a system that cuts out with video and audio when the wipers are turned on. Incredible. I am still out of town, so have yet to take it back to the shop to get this last detail ironed out. Unless it causes another one to pop up, it should, third time around, complete the install! They did get rid of the ignition noise.
To their credit, the install was free. But...it wasn't the point. I would have rather paid the money to have the turn-key operation.
So, where exactly did you put the dvd player? I'll look forward to the pics. It sounds like you put it under the driver seat.
Yeah, the Aux audio cable was a THE way to go. Especially since you have the comparison of what the RF modulator sounded like.
The radio headsets, we will get swapped out for the IR. I at least want the option of the passengers having static free listening on the headsets.
They say that install, from one car to another, even if the exact same model, is completely different. I think that the second place I brought the car to, really did work their collective a··es off to get it in there correctly. I have no idea why they can't get it right. As I said, now the wipers are a problem.
Are both of your headrests on the same angle? Meaning, if both headrests are set to the same clicked position of the epic headrests, do they sit at the same angle? On mine, one is at a slightly different angle than the other.
That's good to hear that you like the individual headrests rather than one on the ceiling. My two kids will like that. I have always wondered as to the wisdom of going the way I did. I liked the cleanliness of the all in one overhead. But I liked having two screens, even if I did lose the space at the bottom of the radio stack to mount the dvd. But I was also concerned, on the overhead system, that everyone, as you said, would have to crane their neck to look up at the screen.
For you, sounds like a good experience. For me, a bad one. But they did refund me the 291.00 for the install.
You probably went in there, loaded for bear! Saying, hey, this guy had this problem and that problem and I don't want ANY of these problems! That's what I would have done!
The out the door price ended up being $1760 for all hardware and installation, including sales tax and 5 year bumper to bumper warranty and free install from one vehicle to the next for the life of the unit.
Again, I would have rather paid the extra 291.00 to have it done correctly the first time.
Post some pics! I'll do the same, I just need a site to post them on. So if you have one, tell me!
Actually, they are at a slightly different angle. If you look from the drivers side, and try to line them up, the drives headrest is tilted slightly more forward than the passenger one. I figured it might be due to the seat back angle or something. Noticeable, but only to me or someone that like to look for flaws. Obviously, with us spending such a large amount of money, we will look for every flaw.
You'll see in the posts that the guy didn't mount it al perfectly, such as the boxes at the rear of the seat, he used those self tapping screws and screwed them into the carpet, but they barely grabbed a few fibers. I can pull them right up. What I might do is cut the carpet way under the seat and slide them under.
They mounted the DVD player under drivers seat, facing forward, and a inch or two back from being flush with the seat front.
Just got my EXL-RES last night. Added a dealer-installed 6 CD changer. 2 questions from the newbie owner:
1) When I play a DVD that requires me to hit the "play" button from a main menu, how can I do that without the remote? My oldest 2nd row passenger is 3 so I have to operate from the drivers seat. Am I missing something that is staring me right in the face?
2) The dealer installed my 6 CD changer under the drivers seat. I think most of you had it under the passenger seat. Are there some concerns with this? I like the easier accessibility under the drivers seat (since I usually drive by myself), but is there a problem with putting it there? (p.s. Love the fact that I can still use the single CD player in the dash)
I like your mounting! I dont know if it would have been for me, but of course in the process of putting the dvd where I did, I lost that space at the bottom of the radios. But it hasnt been a problem to date. And the remote can be used from the people in the back seat. You will have to put repeaters in so the remote can be used with the dvd being mounted under the seat.
I have the exact same tilt situation as you do. Same tilt with same seats. Not noticeable, unless you really look. And not an issue.
I like the accessability of where mine is mounted, but I realize and regret that it comes with the cost of losing that space.
Time will tell for us on how damaging the loss of that space will be. To date, it has been ok.
And its good re-assurance that I made the right choice on the headrest system vs the overhead system. As your comments about people craning their necks to look up and to the side always did kind of bother me. But it looks cool! I liked how it looked up there, even if it wasnt as practical in its use.
Anyway, time will tell. As Im sure the mfg's feel the same way. If the customer ever gets a clear cut choice on their preference, then thats what they will do.
I would have preferred the bottom of the stack mounting, but the installer said it wouldn't fit, and I was really nervous about the Bes Buy guy cutting if he had to. I may relocate the unit in time to under the dash myself in time and do my own cutting. I'll only have myself to blame.
As far as the repeaters, the one receiver for the infrared remote is mounted on the blank switch panel next to the interior light switch by the left knee. YOu can hit it with the remote from the back if your aim is right, but usually it is me doing the aiming from the drivers seat anyway.
Having had both the ceiling and the seatback type now, I can see benefits of both. The ceiling one definitely is hidden better by being tucked up on the headliner, but my kids were opening and closing it every trip. TO school, from school, everywhere...I didn't mind them watching, but after a year and a half the unit's hinge wore out and I needed to send it back to Audiovox for repair. It cost me $100 to have a new hinge on it and was without it for a month while it got shipped to Japan or somewhere. The windows on the Pilot are tinted enough that you wouldn't notice the seatback screens unless you peered in or they were on at night. Now the kids dont touch them at all, no moving parts to wear out, and both kids get their own 7" screen. Life is good.
I promise to post pics...go to bed too late forget in morning to take em, get out and home and almost dark at night .
Hey.. I meant to tell you. I live in NH and the weather here has been below 30 every night and during the day. I have found a problem with the DVD unit. It gets stuck at "loading" whenever the unit is cold. I need to run the floor heat for 10-15 min minimum to get the unit to a certain operating temp in order for it to finally play. I have tried many different disks, all with same issue. I called the Epik tech line and kinda put words in the guy's mouth about this, but he said yes the unit needs to be at least 40 degrees to operate.
This seems foolish to me, but I never got the manual from the guy at Best Buy so I'm flyin blind. The tech guy at Epik said he would put one in the mail, so I hope to get that soon. Do you live in a cold area? What model DVD player do you have? Mine says Epik EP6000 on the front. I am hoping the manual will state some type of operating temp range for the unit.
THis bothers me, but not much. Only real cold here during winter months, and once the unit warms up, it runs flawless. I usually run the cars for 10-15 min anyway on cold days for the kids and stuff before we leave, but my old Panasonic DVD player in the Pathfinder worked flawless for 3 years. Nver had cold issues or anything like this.
I too, was concerned about cutting at the bottom of the radio stack. There is a little finger of plastic sticking out on the ceiling of that cubbyhole. They cut it. Well....so far so good, besides the electrical problems. But I dont think this has anything to do with the cut of that plastic. That should be just a structural thing.
They told me (right...like I should trust them after how much they screwed this install up...still have to find time to take it back to get it working with the wipers on), that that cubbyhole piece is replaceable, anyway, from the factory. So if needed, can turn the car back into 100% factory fresh.
I too, questioned the salesperson about those hinges on the Audiovox overhead unit. They said (suprise suprise), that they have never had a problem with them. But I'm really glad that you've had both and seem happier with the headrest ones. I am feeling better about the choice each day.
The installer told me that I could go to a car fabric shop and they could make an exact dye matched piece of leather to fit over each headrest screen attached with velcro. That way when out of the car for extended periods, you could completely hide the screens from robbers.
I don't think the extreme temps you are talking about make the Epic unit a bad one. I think it is reasonable that they have to be above freezing! It is not an airplane part! 40 degrees seem a little warm for the interior parts to be at, but I bet you it works a little below that, anyway. Who knows whether Epic actually looked at this cold weather survivability. Again, those temps are pretty extreme. And I've spent a fair amount of time in Manchester, NH...so I know what you are talking about.
Plus, keep in mind that with the player sitting on the floor under the drivers seat, not much insulation there, vs the bottom of the radio stack. Could conceivably make a world of a difference temp-wise. But, come to think about it, the factory navi system is under the front pax seat in my car. It has a cdrom in it. I wonder if guys living up north have a problem with it needing to be warmed up. It coming from Honda, and needing to be designed to a much higher specification by the auto maker people, it probably isnt a problem.
I live in Miami, so cold temps not an issue. I'll tell you come summer whether the thing melts into a puddle of plastic glue or not.
Don't know the model of it. It is also made by Epic. It cost $150.00. I think is the same one you have. But the wife has the car and can't go out and look.
Nice pics. The headrest mounted screens seem slick, but aren't they more susceptible to glares from the sun since they are much lower than a ceiling mounted one (and closer to the side windows)? And I assume you can't tilt these either, based on if your viewer is 4 years old or 6'4"?
You can tilt them forward 3 steeings but not back. I have no complaints yet from the peanut gallery...as the screens could be in the off positon...:)
The viewing position is just fine for me -5'10"
I have spent a little time back there and glare hasn't been a problem yet. The rear windows of the Pilot are tinted dark enough that unless the direct sun is on them, you can still see fine.
Comments
I would think the '04 is the same, but the one that came with our '03 Pilot is a small cargo net. Its to keep small items from banging around in the back. There are 4 attachement points all on the floor in the very back of the vehicle near the tailgate. So, when the 4 hooks of the net are attached to the 4 tie-downs in the truck, the net is flat on the floor. You can stick things under it and it will hold them in place.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Anyone have any experience with it?
I am taking it to a new Sound Advice here in Florida as the first install shop was just short of pitiful.
On discussing the humm with the second Sound Advice, he said that in fact, with the Aux Audio Cable, there should be no humm, and as qbrozen stated, it is probably a bad ground. According to the new installer, it IS a bad ground. He says I should hear nothing of ignition noise and that the FM modulator, if used, does quite often pick up noise. But not the cable I and you have gone with.
So lets see and compare notes when its done. Right now the out the door price (hardware, install, taxes) is $1880.00
They will probably come off of that another 100 due to their previous lackluster installation performance. Clearly, I would have rather paid the full install price and not have to go through all these hassles.
I did buy a 5 year warranty for $160.00 That goes on top of the 1880.
Curious of your complete pricing package, sysadmin1. Keep me posted on your install and I'll do the same.
I'm thinking of installing the cradle for the Sat receiver on the front of the "not an ashtray". This way, if it gets botched or I change my mind later on about the system, I can get a replacement ashtray from Honda for about 20 bucks. Can anyone else suggest a better spot?
They completely refunded my installation charge of $300.00
I have a major problem with the RF headphones. The first Sound Advice shop told me they were THE WAY to go. The second Sound Advice shop I bought the car to (because I had completely lost faith in the first one), said they detest the RF headphones.
And they do sound scratchy like AM radio. And it doesnt matter where you put the rf transmitter.
He recommends IR over RF any day of the week. And he said, with all the difficulties that have occured in my car, he would put the IR transmitter in my car and swap out the RF headsets at no charge. He said it will be a static free sound.
I have a Pilot 2004 EX-L
On either side of the cubby-hole at the bottom of the radio stack are two pseudo metal looking pieces. They are plastic. One on the left and one on the right. You remove (snaps off) those pieces first. Then you can remove the plastic strips that run up vertically on either side of the radio. It is about an 1.5" strip of plastic, left and right of the radio stack. Get those plastic strips off and there are the mounting bolts for the radio. Unscrew them and pull the whole radio unit forward into your hand.
www.handa-accessories.com
and be done with it. You will have a good company backing you with piece of mind.
I bought some exhaust pipe finishers from them, amoung some other items. Honda sent them the wrong pipes and they did not fit on my car.
But..........H and A was very very receptive. Responded immediately. I was dumbfounded at the whole thing because the box parts numbers were correct and sealed from the factory. I thought it was me.
But it wasnt. And H and A didnt even pose the question of whether it was me. They just simply said, hey, we have another set coming to you in the mail. Express overnight. They pre-tested them there at their facility before they shipped them.
No questions asked and very responsive in time concerning my inquiries.
I received the new ones and returned the old ones. No charge, of course. Piece of cake.
They are a good company.
Moral of the story is that not only are they a good company, but Honda shipped them the wrong pipes, even though the box was still factory sealed with the correct parts numbers on the outside of the box. And I would have never thought that could happen!! H and A simply took the factory direct box and put it in a bigger box and shipped the whole thing to me. It wasnt their fault. It was Honda's fault.
I hope this will help some of you on another way to use the cargo net.
Highly recommend as well.
1) Where can I buy this?
2) Does it create a HMMMM?
3) Due to the NAV screen, I hear that some have installed this on the bottom of the radio stack. It would fit ok, except that there is a little bump on the top of this space. If it weren't for this bump, the unit would fit ok. Does anyone if it's ok to just cut out this plastic bump?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The system was completely reinstalled, and all my money for installation refunded ($291.00). Yep. I had to burn a whole day off in order for them to redo the whole thing. It took them 6 hours to completely break down the previous install and do it all over again. Sound Advice down here in Florida, while they completely messed up the first installation, got it right the second time (almost....see below). And the refund of the money in appreciation for my time makes them at least a store I can go back to. BTW, I didnt trust the Sound Advice 5 minutes from me anymore and went to one 30 minutes away.
Frankly, I would have rather paid the money and have been done with it. It was a hassle. But at least Sound Advice made good on the whole situation with the refund of labor. So kudos to them for that.
No hum. Zero. But.....just discovered the other day that when I put the windshield wipers on, sound cuts out and get a loud popping over the speakers each time the blades cycle. So that will have to be addressed. Shouldn't be a problem to get that isolated and fixed.
If Honda offered both the Navi and RES as an option in the same vehicle, we wouldn't have to mess with these non-standard queer-trons (electrical) issues!
I know, 2005.
I'm in the process of creating DVD+R's from my camcorder and would like assurance that they can be played when finished.
Thanks!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
What have you folks used?
On the surface, the 3m films seem to be an excellent choice. Does anyone have experience with this product? Is this something one can install without professional help?
Thanks
Will let you know later today how it looks and will post some pics as well.
Install complete. 90% happy.
The system cost $1430, then paid $250 to have it installed. So, $1680 pretty good for the whole setup. I also got the $199 4yr warranty from them since who knows what can happen to the system.
I am pleased with all except a few parts of the install. There really wasn't many options on mounting all the hardware, and the best place found was under the drivers seat. The DVD player is accessible from the front, and the control boxes are mounted near the back. There are rails and stuff under the seat , so the guy couldn't tuck it all way under and when you see the pictures, you'll see what I mean. But for now the rear carpet and the seat hide it from sight. When the weather turns nicer and I can work on it outside, I'll use my Dremel to cut into the plastic shield they took off and fit it back on, and maybe adjust where they mounted the boxes. Too cold here in NH...
As far as the actual operation, it works very well. The two screens are FAR better than the ceiling mounted one I had in Pathfinder. It had a 6.5" square drop down, these are two 7" wide screen style screens. Much better looking, and having it right in front of you for each person, rather than cokcing your head up and to the left to look at the ceiling one is better. Some may say it's personal preference, mine is to have it in the seats.
The audio is flawless. No hiss, no hum, no interference. They guy must have gotten the wiring right the first time. I LOVE the fact that it is loud and clear and interference free. The old RF in the Pathfinder picked up engine noise, other stations...was bad.
Doubt I'll use headsets much so haven't even tried them.
I'll post pics and other comments tomorrow...
To their credit, the install was free. But...it wasn't the point. I would have rather paid the money to have the turn-key operation.
So, where exactly did you put the dvd player? I'll look forward to the pics. It sounds like you put it under the driver seat.
Yeah, the Aux audio cable was a THE way to go. Especially since you have the comparison of what the RF modulator sounded like.
The radio headsets, we will get swapped out for the IR. I at least want the option of the passengers having static free listening on the headsets.
They say that install, from one car to another, even if the exact same model, is completely different. I think that the second place I brought the car to, really did work their collective a··es off to get it in there correctly. I have no idea why they can't get it right. As I said, now the wipers are a problem.
Are both of your headrests on the same angle? Meaning, if both headrests are set to the same clicked position of the epic headrests, do they sit at the same angle? On mine, one is at a slightly different angle than the other.
That's good to hear that you like the individual headrests rather than one on the ceiling. My two kids will like that. I have always wondered as to the wisdom of going the way I did. I liked the cleanliness of the all in one overhead. But I liked having two screens, even if I did lose the space at the bottom of the radio stack to mount the dvd. But I was also concerned, on the overhead system, that everyone, as you said, would have to crane their neck to look up at the screen.
For you, sounds like a good experience. For me, a bad one. But they did refund me the 291.00 for the install.
You probably went in there, loaded for bear! Saying, hey, this guy had this problem and that problem and I don't want ANY of these problems! That's what I would have done!
The out the door price ended up being $1760 for all hardware and installation, including sales tax and 5 year bumper to bumper warranty and free install from one vehicle to the next for the life of the unit.
Again, I would have rather paid the extra 291.00 to have it done correctly the first time.
Post some pics! I'll do the same, I just need a site to post them on. So if you have one, tell me!
You'll see in the posts that the guy didn't mount it al perfectly, such as the boxes at the rear of the seat, he used those self tapping screws and screwed them into the carpet, but they barely grabbed a few fibers. I can pull them right up. What I might do is cut the carpet way under the seat and slide them under.
They mounted the DVD player under drivers seat, facing forward, and a inch or two back from being flush with the seat front.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
1) When I play a DVD that requires me to hit the "play" button from a main menu, how can I do that without the remote? My oldest 2nd row passenger is 3 so I have to operate from the drivers seat. Am I missing something that is staring me right in the face?
2) The dealer installed my 6 CD changer under the drivers seat. I think most of you had it under the passenger seat. Are there some concerns with this? I like the easier accessibility under the drivers seat (since I usually drive by myself), but is there a problem with putting it there?
(p.s. Love the fact that I can still use the single CD player in the dash)
I have the exact same tilt situation as you do. Same tilt with same seats. Not noticeable, unless you really look. And not an issue.
I like the accessability of where mine is mounted, but I realize and regret that it comes with the cost of losing that space.
Time will tell for us on how damaging the loss of that space will be. To date, it has been ok.
And its good re-assurance that I made the right choice on the headrest system vs the overhead system. As your comments about people craning their necks to look up and to the side always did kind of bother me. But it looks cool! I liked how it looked up there, even if it wasnt as practical in its use.
Anyway, time will tell. As Im sure the mfg's feel the same way. If the customer ever gets a clear cut choice on their preference, then thats what they will do.
Post the pics!
As far as the repeaters, the one receiver for the infrared remote is mounted on the blank switch panel next to the interior light switch by the left knee. YOu can hit it with the remote from the back if your aim is right, but usually it is me doing the aiming from the drivers seat anyway.
Having had both the ceiling and the seatback type now, I can see benefits of both. The ceiling one definitely is hidden better by being tucked up on the headliner, but my kids were opening and closing it every trip. TO school, from school, everywhere...I didn't mind them watching, but after a year and a half the unit's hinge wore out and I needed to send it back to Audiovox for repair. It cost me $100 to have a new hinge on it and was without it for a month while it got shipped to Japan or somewhere. The windows on the Pilot are tinted enough that you wouldn't notice the seatback screens unless you peered in or they were on at night. Now the kids dont touch them at all, no moving parts to wear out, and both kids get their own 7" screen. Life is good.
I promise to post pics...go to bed too late forget in morning to take em, get out and home and almost dark at night
I'll def. take the pics tonight and post em...
I meant to tell you. I live in NH and the weather here has been below 30 every night and during the day. I have found a problem with the DVD unit. It gets stuck at "loading" whenever the unit is cold. I need to run the floor heat for 10-15 min minimum to get the unit to a certain operating temp in order for it to finally play. I have tried many different disks, all with same issue. I called the Epik tech line and kinda put words in the guy's mouth about this, but he said yes the unit needs to be at least 40 degrees to operate.
This seems foolish to me, but I never got the manual from the guy at Best Buy so I'm flyin blind. The tech guy at Epik said he would put one in the mail, so I hope to get that soon. Do you live in a cold area? What model DVD player do you have? Mine says Epik EP6000 on the front. I am hoping the manual will state some type of operating temp range for the unit.
THis bothers me, but not much. Only real cold here during winter months, and once the unit warms up, it runs flawless. I usually run the cars for 10-15 min anyway on cold days for the kids and stuff before we leave, but my old Panasonic DVD player in the Pathfinder worked flawless for 3 years. Nver had cold issues or anything like this.
How about you?
They told me (right...like I should trust them after how much they screwed this install up...still have to find time to take it back to get it working with the wipers on), that that cubbyhole piece is replaceable, anyway, from the factory. So if needed, can turn the car back into 100% factory fresh.
I too, questioned the salesperson about those hinges on the Audiovox overhead unit. They said (suprise suprise), that they have never had a problem with them. But I'm really glad that you've had both and seem happier with the headrest ones. I am feeling better about the choice each day.
The installer told me that I could go to a car fabric shop and they could make an exact dye matched piece of leather to fit over each headrest screen attached with velcro. That way when out of the car for extended periods, you could completely hide the screens from robbers.
I don't think the extreme temps you are talking about make the Epic unit a bad one. I think it is reasonable that they have to be above freezing! It is not an airplane part! 40 degrees seem a little warm for the interior parts to be at, but I bet you it works a little below that, anyway. Who knows whether Epic actually looked at this cold weather survivability. Again, those temps are pretty extreme. And I've spent a fair amount of time in Manchester, NH...so I know what you are talking about.
Plus, keep in mind that with the player sitting on the floor under the drivers seat, not much insulation there, vs the bottom of the radio stack. Could conceivably make a world of a difference temp-wise. But, come to think about it, the factory navi system is under the front pax seat in my car. It has a cdrom in it. I wonder if guys living up north have a problem with it needing to be warmed up. It coming from Honda, and needing to be designed to a much higher specification by the auto maker people, it probably isnt a problem.
I live in Miami, so cold temps not an issue. I'll tell you come summer whether the thing melts into a puddle of plastic glue or not.
Don't know the model of it. It is also made by Epic. It cost $150.00. I think is the same one you have. But the wife has the car and can't go out and look.
Where do I post pics?
http://photos.yahoo.com/mpresseau1
The viewing position is just fine for me -5'10"
I have spent a little time back there and glare hasn't been a problem yet. The rear windows of the Pilot are tinted dark enough that unless the direct sun is on them, you can still see fine.