Hello all,

Just purchased a honda pilot exl. I am really interested in installing a avic Z1. I need some suggestions from u guys and also a few questions before installing it.

1) How is this nav system compared to the kenwood 6019 nav or any eclipse nav series? Pls suggest me is the AVIC Z1 is going to be the best choice. I have decided to add the ipod adapter too.

2) My Pilot has a factory sub woofer in it. Will the sub woofer work after installing the avic z1? do i need to install an AMP, to power the sub woofer or is it going to work fine just with the avic z1.

3) Will the factory steering wheel controls work?

4) Will the install match a factory finsh, i mean the exact trim kit, etc...

5) how easy is it to load songs on to the hard disk drive? Is it possible to view the video from the ipod on the display.

6) Is it ok to buy the avic z1 from the online sites, i mean about the warranty issues.., b'coz i find a huge difference in the price compared to the retail stores.

7) how does the rear view camera and the bluetooth works. also pls let me know how much will it cost (installed), apart from the avic z1.

It would be really great and helpful, if u guys can please answer my questions.

Thanks.

shak said:

Hello all,

Just purchased a honda pilot exl. I am really interested in installing a avic Z1. I need some suggestions from u guys and also a few questions before installing it.

2) My Pilot has a factory sub woofer in it. Will the sub woofer work after installing the avic z1? do i need to install an AMP, to power the sub woofer or is it going to work fine just with the avic z1.

3) Will the factory steering wheel controls work?

5) how easy is it to load songs on to the hard disk drive? Is it possible to view the video from the ipod on the display.

It would be really great and helpful, if u guys can please answer my questions.

Thanks.

Okay, I'm answering only the questions I can answer so here it goes:

Ans 2: Nope, the Z1 will not power the sub. There are only 4 channels on the built-in amp of the Z1. If you want to power the sub, you will need a separate amp. Or, you could buy one 5 channel amp and power everything. From your description, it sounds like you want to keep the stock speakers. If so, let the Z1's internal amp power the door speakers and get a cheap mono amp to power the stock sub...you will need an amp that can accept speaker level inputs or your will need a line converter.

Ans3: Yes and no. You will need to buy an adapter that will allow you to use the steering wheel controls. The Z1 by itself does not have the capacity to control your steering wheel.

Ans5: It is very easy to load songs onto the HDD. The default setting for the Z1 is to automatically transfer a whole CD onto the HDD once inserted into the disk player. You can change this setting if you want to...read the instruction manual. As for video, since you plan on purchasing the iPod module, all it does is play music from the iPod it will not display video.

I can tell you right now...you will notice a huge difference in your music when the sub is not connected. That's a good thing! The sub in the Pilot ruins the music but I guess that's what you can expect from a paper cone that gets about 15 watts RMS from the stock head unit. I tried giving the sub 50 watts RMS from an external amp and it could not handle it. If you want a good bass, buy an enclosed sub and a good amp. You can also modify the stock location to accept a shallow mount sub but unless you seal off the area and dynamat the crap out of it, you probably will not be happy with the results. You can also have somebody fiberglass the sub location but that will cost quite a bit of money and it will require a lot of metal cutting. Bottom line is: 1. your stock sub has 2 ohms so if you want to use it you will need a 2 ohm amp that provides less than 30 watts (good luck finding one). 2. Your sound system will benefit from not using the stock sub. 3. There's nothing better for an SUV than a sub in a sealed enclosure.

To answer another one of your questions. The Z1 will not fit perfectly in your Pilot. There is no such dash kit that will fill the gaps so you will need to make a trim piece out of ABS or you can modify the trim that comes with the Z1. I modified the Z1's trim and it looks fine.

I'd say about 50% of the people with Z1's bought theirs from 6ave.com for about $1499-$1550. 6th Avenue Electronics is an authorized dealer for Z1's so there's no worries about no having your warranty honored by Pioneer.

Like someone already mentioned, you can use you steering wheel controls but you will need to purchase the adapter for it. I think most people here would agree that Pioneer's steering wheel remote allows you to control more features than any stock steering wheel controls can. I haven't used my steering wheel controls for 3 1/2 years and I don't miss them.

I take it the Pilot doesn't have it's own sub amp from the factory? If it does, the Z1 will handle it for you. If not, you will need an amp...which the Z1 will control.

Thank you so much for your replies.. today i was at a installer's shop and he told me that the sub is going to work fine and just needs a harness to inegrate with the Z1. I am confused. But if it requires only an amp to power the sub and get a decent bass out of it, then pls let me know what kind of amp to be purchased.

Thank you.

Read Palacios' reply...he has suggestions for an amp. I'm not sure what your installer is talking about in regards to "harness" but if he intends on using the Z1 by itself, you WILL NOT have sub control. I have a Ridgeline and the stock HU has a subwoofer control...I'm guessing your Pilot has the same thing. I wonder if your installer is going to tap into the other speaker leads from the Z1 and connect it to the sub. My stock HU had a dedicated input for the sub so I'm guessing there is an internal amp that powers the sub...a very weak amp as was mentioned by Palacios. As a side note...if you are spending over $1500 on a HU like the Z1 why not go with new speakers and an amp (or amps)?

So if i have to put in a new AMP then do i have to replace the factory speakers too?...if not then just suggest me an AMP that will power the sub woofer...

So if i have to put in a new AMP then do i have to replace the factory speakers too?...if not then just suggest me an AMP that will power the sub woofer...

I have a honda ridgeline and I belive that the factory systems are comparable. The sub in my ridgeline did not have it's own amp. Where you instraler may be getting confused is that some vehicals have an amp'ed sub so all that is nessesary is a harness to make the sub work. That is not the case in the Pilot. You would need as previously stated to buy a small cheap amp to power the sub. As far as the speakers go you can fun the factory speakers without replacing them. Your instaler will use a harness to conect them up. If you wnat better sound and have an extra $300 or so $, you could have them replaced when you have the job done, but that is your choice as to what is acceptable sound.

Greg

Thanks greg.. Can u also suggest me small good amp, i mean some brand, b'coz i am pretty new to this and also want a decent sound quality. Can u also let me know some places online where i can get the Z1 with a warranty n decent price.

thank u

Can somebody pls tell me what is function of ducatiboy flasher circuit(DC-BP1).?

shak said:

Can somebody pls tell me what is function of ducatiboy flasher circuit(DC-BP1).?

It makes every feature of the Z1 available all the time. Normally when you disengage the parking brake and start to move, the Z1 locks you out of 50% of the functions of the unit (mostly nav and DVD).

If you flash your headlights when you start the car, you have 100% functionality all the time, moving or not.

But with my circuit installed it will just tell the Z1 that you flashed the lights automatically for you.

Anything should work, since it is such a small sub. The only thing that it has to be able to do is bridge to mono. Your installer should have something on hand.

Greg

So where can i get the ducati flasher circuit. Any internet store and how much does it cost? OR The installer will carry this circuit ? Pls let me know..

shak said:

So where can i get the ducati flasher circuit. Any internet store and how much does it cost? OR The installer will carry this circuit ? Pls let me know..

Just through my web site: www.sminntech.com

new here and reading as much as possible but I have seen a little confusion on suggested products for the thread starter. as far as the stock sub and what to use for it with the z1 you can use ANY 2 ohm stable amp (if the stock sub is 2 ohms) as far as the other poster saying it cant handle much before sounding like crap, that isnt necessarily the power that is causing the sub to sound poor. There should be gain controls and possibly a crossover to dial in just what the sub can handle. 99.999999% of blown speakers are not because the operator sent too much power to the speaker but sent a dirty or improper signal, like bass to a tweeter and ran it for some time. I dont believe I have ever seen a blown speaker due to too much power. hopefully this will help you locate a compatible amp even if it is a bit overdone in the power specs.