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2005 Pilot Replacement Radio Advice

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8.8K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  mallard  
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#1 ·
My 2005 Honda Pilot AWD has a factory radio with 8 disc CD Changer - never used though it does work. My daughter is going to be driving this extremely reliable vehicle and I would like to replace the radio with a stereo that has GPS and bluetooth capability so she can use her phone without taking her hands off the wheel.

I do not want to simply get a windshield Nav system with bluetooth because we have had two stolen already.

I tried putting in a Jensen unit but the screen became washed out to the point of uselessness every time the sun came out. We could also never get the controls to work even though we tried an axess (sp?) control unit that was supposed to be the best.

I'm sure I'm not the first to go through this so I wondered if anyone had any suggestions....
 
#2 ·
If you want a better display I would use a better quality head-unit, Kenwood, Alpine or Pioneer for a start. Depending on your wants you might also think about adding a 5 channel amp or several amps to power the speakers.

The install should not be that expensive because I think they make a dash-kit for the 2005.

Here is a link to my install on a 2012, it is a bit more complicated than yours would be since they do not make a dash-kit for the 2012. Let me know if I can be of any help.

http://www.piloteers.org/forums/19-audio-electronics/32406-2012-exl-stereo-build.html
 

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#3 ·
Before deciding to keep my stock HU, I narrowed down my choices to Kenwood and Alpine. They seem to be the most reliable and well-designed.

Consider getting one without the NAV and touchscreen, and getting a standalone GPS. You'll loose the convenience of the music attenuating when the voice reads directions, but it will be hundreds cheaper, and some GPSes give you free traffic info and lifetime map updates.

Before you get a touchscreen, make sure you're okay loosing real buttons for the stereo functions. I like having real preset and source buttons, so the touchscreen was a turn-off for me.
 
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