Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Honda Pilot Honda Pilot Accessories and Modifications
1052 messages, Last post on Nov 07, 2009 at 6:43 AM
You are in the Honda Pilot Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
| I have a 8 year old and a 5 year old and the sidesteps help a lot for them to get in and out of vehicle. I like sidesteps because it looks sportier. I got the black ones and they are made of steel. It is like a steel tube. I am 170 pounds and can stand on it without feeling it move at all. There are lots of bolts that must be tighten and probably take you a good 2 hours to install. Pain in the butt job as you must lie down to tighten the bolts. | |
|
I got the running boards and if I had to do it again, I would prefer the side steps. Me personally, the chrome ones. Only because my pilot is black and I think it would have been a nice look. The running boards, however, are a nice look. Just not as nice as I think it could have been. Looks aside, they are solid. But.....I dont think they stick as far out to the sides as the steps. Not sure about this....just my hunch. Never measured or stepped onto the side step ones. But the running boards kind of recess a little bit. You might have to be more inclined to find it with your foot than the side steps. Im sure the dealer will have both for your own, "foot test". I would think would hold 270#. Both styles. Running boards are steel, same as the side steps. In closing, in truth, I dont use the running boards as a step into the car. My son does, though. And my parents when they come to visit do. I like the running boards. But think the chrome side steps would have looked sportier on my black pilot. Hope it helps! |
|
|
I too, am installing a dvd player in my 2004 Pilot. I am going to go with the all in one player...meaning...the disk is built into the unit that goes onto your headliner. I am doing the all in one because I have the Navi package, which leaves no room on the radio stack for another unit. It doesnt mean that I would have to buy the all in one unit...they could put the dvd player in a few other places...tucked away. But it will involve cutting. And I dont want them to cut. Anything. Besides of course the headliner. Which would be cut even if I were to order it from the Honda factory. If you have room on your radio stack, you wont be limited to having to buy the all in one unit. As long as whatever dvd player they put in the stack looks factory installed, it wouldnt make any difference at all. I think the price is about the same whether get a separate player in the radio stack and have the screen on the ceiling or the all in one. But, depending on the model dvd player you buy....meaning...one with more outputs, you might be able to more easily add additional screens later on. With the all in one unit on the ceiling, I will have to get into the headliner to do anything in the future. Or, I better run any wires now, in preparation for doing something in the future. And have them tucked away somewhere for future use. I went to an upscale stereo store that sells the car dvds. I guess that is a big market now. Here in Florida, we have Sound Advice. The salesman educated me on all the options available in todays market. And there are many. Screens can go anywhere practically. DVD players can go anywhere. He told me of a 20k job he was doing on an Escalade. The big one, not the SUV. Three rows. He is putting in two separate dvd players and 6 screens and other sound options and so on. Navi systems and backup camera systems can also be tapped into easily and be used as a dvd screen. But that is illegal as you are not permitted to have a dvd screen where the driver can see it. But it can be done and they will do it if you want. You can put screens in the headrests. On the front visor swing down units that would otherwise block the sun. On the ceiling. And so on. With the Pilot, he said something interesting. That my kids, when they get older, will prefer to go back to the third row. Fold down the middle row of seats, and sit there all stretched out to watch a movie. That meant two things 1..that you have to have the screen mounted on the ceiling 2...it at least has to be 9 inches as to be viewable from that distance. Another consideration he brought up was the age difference of the children. They might not want to watch the same movie or tv show. Or one might want to watch a movie and the other play computer games. Yes, they come with tv receivers and the ability to play video games. And even satellite with a dish you put on a luggage rack! With the video games, they run an extra cable that you plug your gaming source into and the video signal goes to the screen. hahahaha...its really something. But anyway, in the above scenario, you might desire two different screens for each to do their own thing. Just some options given to me. I would just go to any reputable car dvd dealer and talk with them....there are so many options and configurations...although I think a good broadbrush of these options and configurations here....and they will be able to guide you accordingly. In the end, I am going to go with a self contained Audiovox unit that goes on the ceiling. And a 9 inch 16x9 aspect ration screen. I am going to use instead of an fm modulator which allows the sound from the dvd to come over your speakers using an fm signal, I am going to use something else that I cant remember what they called it. An audio auxiliary adapter unit. Or something like that. Gives the same quality of sound as you would get from the dvd player being hooked up directly to your sound system, without using an fm signal. It costs about 65 dollars. It plugs into the back of your radio on the car. A long post! But hopefully will help in the options available! We will be installing this in the next weeks. |
|
|
Thanks for the post, very informative. Please post when you get it installed and the terms on the modulator. That approach sounds good to me. Oh, and the final cost if you don't mind. |
|
|
Right now the price is 1699.00 for the unit. Another 65 for that auxiliary audio adapter. Another 30 for the cable for the games. And 250 for installation. They paint the trim piece that goes around the unit the same as your interior. Plus tax. I am hoping to get the whole thing for 2k installed. I know he will come off the price a little. He has already said so. But just how much, I dont know. The best I might be able to hope for is 10%. So figure on those prices above, minus 10%, if your shopping is going to be imminent and you need an immediate comparison. On putting the Audiovox PROV916 unit in on google.com, I find the price of 1299 and 1499 at two online dealers respectively doesnt include the wireless headsets or the tv antenna. So that brings the price back up. Sound Advice, according to them, has their own package that they get from Audiovox which includes everything. Hope it helps! |
|
| I'm considering the purchase of a 2004 Pilot and here are the prices the dealer provided for various installed accessories: fog Lights, $689.00; running boards, $699.00; crossbars, $207.50; cargo tray, $96.50; cargo liner, $220.00. He went on to say that he could probably discount those prices some once I made my final selections. Do those prices seem reasonable? If not, what should I expect to pay for them? Thanks. | |
|
www.handa-accessories.com When I took delivery of my Honda last month, I got the same prices as listed on the web page. Only difference was that I also got them installed at the dealer. So the dealer ordered and installed them. The web page will have all the accessories you listed. Use that as a gauge. See my previous posts for what I ordered in accessories. |
|
|
I was planning on buying all my accessories aftermarket but the dealer matched the web prices and discounted the install to apoint where I couldn't say no. And this was one year ago. You should be able to do even better now. |
|
|
I've reviewed the postings on the board and I've discovered two things: 1) There are a lot of people out there that are a LOT more handy with installing their own accessories than I am (or am willing to be!), and 2) There seems to be a wide range of installation charges for accessories at dealers On the premise that #1 is relatively unchangeable  , what is the concensus on a reasonable % markup for installation over, say, the accessory prices on H and A? Let's assume for the sake of argument that I've beaten the dealer down to $600-800 over invoice, so there's not a lot of wiggle room there. Accessories considered: Auto Day/Night Mirror Tow Package EX Cross Bars Running Boards Fog Lights Lower Trim ...that's about $1850 per H and A... Thoughts? |
|
|
Of course, what you are willing to pay, is a personal thing. I can only tell you what occured with me on accessories when I took delivery of my Honda Pilot a month ago. See my previous posts for what accessories I had installed. handa-accessories.com (H and A) will have all the accessories you will need for your pilot. Im sure there are other sites, this was just the first one that came up on a google search. You could probably use that as a valid benchmark for pricing. The total price for my accessories from handa-accessories was 1100. Plus shipping. Then you install them. The total price I paid from the dealer for the same accessories was 1184. Which came with installation. So there is your benchmark. You should be trying for the same prices, including installation, as the handa-accessories web page, when purchasing from the dealer. Of course, the dealer doesnt have to do anything! Your bargaining position will be much better if you verbally agree on the price of the car, then go onto the accessories. Meaning, the shell game that the dealer plays of msrp, invoice, dealer prep, advertising fees, trade in, and so on, will only be expanded on if you bring in the accessories. If you can keep them all separate in your head, then fine, negotiate them all at once. Realizing in your head what you want to pay for the car and what you want to pay for the accessories. Add them together and you have the final bottom line price for the car. So, in short, your benchmark, assuming that is what you are looking for here, would be the hand-accessories web page prices, with installation included from the dealer. If you have already taken delivery of the vehicle, then understandably, your bargaining position is weaker. The dealer has no real incentive to negotiate with a deep discount on these accessory items. So you can only hope for the best in that scenario. I have made multiple postings within the past month to help people in their purchase. I have listed in detail the price I paid for the Pilot, and the accessories I added. Look in the prices paid section and the accessories section. You only have about 2-3 weeks to review, and it will well answer all your questions. Hope it helps! As a final note, I noticed you are going to put fog lights on. I also had fog lights installed. That is something that you would definitely want the dealer to do because it involves cutting your bumper. And if doesnt look right, you are gonna' be pissed. There probably is a template that makes the job easier (handa-accessories does have installation instructions), but cutting is cutting. That is irreversable if you mess it up. So as a minimum, fog lights installed at the dealer would be highly advisable. Hope it helps you in your decision! |
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Honda Pilot Honda Pilot Accessories and Modifications
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Honda Pilot
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
