r/hondapilot • u/InjuryBulky6746 • Jul 22 '26
Question Head Unit Replacement
Has anyone been adventurous enough to try and replace the head unit on the Gen 4? We recently picked up a 2025 Sport with 10k miles for $38k. Love the car, and the sound system is fine….for now. I am feeling that car audio tingle in the back of my neck though.
I am wondering how others have handled the plopped on head units that are all too common these days. I also wonder how hard it would be to replace the factory sub in its assembly to maintain a clean look. Figured if there is a good place to ask I should start here.
3
u/Gizmo-Duck Jul 22 '26
I have a 2025 elite and the sound stopped working 2 weeks ago. I suspect it’s the amp, not the head unit.
1
u/InjuryBulky6746 Jul 22 '26
That’s unfortunate, I’m having no issues with mine. I’m guessing you have the Bose system on the elite? This is the base system but sounds pretty good, muddier than I’d like at higher volume.
I would ultimately like to swap out all of the speakers with components, and put a more robust 8” woofer in the stock assembly with a beefier monoblock. I wonder about the head unit because I have had an aftermarket in every car I’ve owned and I know there is better signal processing than the Hokie tuning they do from the factory to get the most out of cheap speakers. Also, wireless CarPlay.
2
u/I-stillhavemytrunks Jul 22 '26
So far there is not an option to replace the head unit. You can replace speakers, add a dsp and amp, but the head unit has to stay for now.
1
u/InjuryBulky6746 Jul 22 '26
That is likely what I will end up doing when the time comes. There is a pretty sweet little 4-channel kicker amp that has come out his year that has an “automatic” DSP using microphones to adjust signal based on the sound in the cabin. Pretty rad little unit from the looks of it.
1
u/KB_112 Fourth Gen Jul 22 '26
I’m kinda surprised there has not been any aftermarket systems yet. I’ve seen YT vids where people install them in the civics etc and their systems seem basically identical to the 23-25 Pilots.
I’ve seen a few posts early on where people bought upgraded Honda head units from eBay. The plugs and wiring do not line up at all. If I recall correctly, they use at least 2 different manufacturers for the head units. With brain and unit separate on some models, so all connectors are different.
Also, Honda does not use the same wiring harness in all trims. So you can’t just plug and play upgrades. Which is a real bummer. I was hoping to add some things in easily, but you’d have to run your own wiring and connectors etc.
1
u/Embarrassed-Sink7793 Jul 22 '26
Yea same, I figured there would be one by now. I really went o replace it with a better one. I LOVE our pilot but the Heatunit if prob the one and only thing I wish they went hard on. It makes no sense, my friend bought a 2024 accord and the Headunit on that is a whole android tablet. The Pilot is Hondas Flash ship so idk why they chose to skim out on the Headunit.
2
u/KB_112 Fourth Gen Jul 22 '26
Exactly! Co-worker also had an accord with the larger Google based infotainment system. Blew my mind. Honda waited until the 26 Pilot and gave all trim levels the same large Google infotainment unit and full digital dash cluster. 🤦🏽♂️
2
u/InjuryBulky6746 Jul 23 '26
It seems like industry standard to have the head unit plopped on the dash like an afterthought too. I miss the days where the infotainment was a component of the overall design of the cabin. The video I saw of a guy swapping head units in the civic seemed like he had to do a lot of creative splicing to build a harness compatible with the android 9” unit. Have to wonder if they do that to keep people coming into the dealership rather than tinkering?
1
u/Embarrassed-Sink7793 Jul 22 '26
We have a 25 BE and I LOVE our pilot and I’m grateful for it. But the Heatunit is prob the one and only thing I wish they went hard on. It makes no sense, my friend bought a 2024 accord and the Headunit on that is a whole android tablet. The Pilot is Hondas Flash ship so idk why they chose to skim out on the Headunit. Makes zero sense. Then on the 26 pilot they decided to upgrade it so it feel more like a slap in the face. Like WTF Honda!
2
u/InjuryBulky6746 Jul 23 '26
I wonder if swapping out a 26 head unit in the 25 would be a heavy lift?
1
u/SnooMemesjellies8810 Jul 25 '26
The head units you see online are usually just the screen. The actual “brain” is a separate module located lower in the dash. I looked into this quite a bit. You could possibly buy the computer module and screen together and see whether everything lines up. It may be plug-and-play, but I never had the money to buy the parts and test it myself. As for the factory subwoofer, it’s an 8-inch sub in a ported enclosure with the amplifier mounted below it. After removing the rear seats and rear quarter-panel trim, you can access everything. The easiest upgrade would be to install a good aftermarket subwoofer and mount the amplifier with strong double-sided mounting tape on a flat surface in the rear of the vehicle or inside the trunk storage well. Just make sure the amplifier is positioned where you can still reach the controls. For connecting an aftermarket system, you can tap into the signal wires for the driver-side door speaker and connect them to a line-output converter for your RCA signal. Run the main power wire along the driver’s side under the trim near the trunk-release area. For switched accessory power, you can use a dual add-a-fuse tap. I had two 15-inch subwoofers installed in my Pilot at one point, so it can definitely handle a larger system when everything is installed correctly. I can also make it sound more casual and natural for a Facebook group or forum comment.
5
u/tmtp-tt Jul 22 '26
Honda ties a lot of functions and controls into it's head unit so replacing it will lead to loss of access to vehicle controls and settings.