Hello everyone,

A new 2008 MDX member here. I purchased a headrest DVD player for our 2 year-old. I thought it was going to be straight forward to install until I realized that I need to get the front seat-back covers off.

I did some searching for a while but could not find any info specific to the '08 MDX and I do not have access to the Service Manual. The best I got was this diagram:



The part I need to take off is #8 above. Could anyone help me with the best way to get the back off so that I can wire the headrest DVD?

Thanks so much,

Kaz

 

If it's anything like my TL it is held on by clips and is released by just pulling the back part off gently starting at the bottom. Not 100% sure but try to gently but firmly pull away starting at the bottom of the back cover.

 

Hi,

Tired to pull the cover off but it seems very firmly attached. Am going to investigatre further as to how it is attached.

Any further suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Kaz

 

A quick update. Just after writing this post, I tried again and I was able to pull the back cover off. You do need to pull it quite hard but once it starts to come off the rest was very easy.

Also just a note to others that the metal parts in the seat are very sharp. I ended up cutting myself as I was threading the cables through.

Thank you!

 

put up some pics when your done, i would love to see how this setup looks

 

Yes I was thinking about that. I plan to do one side and then document the other step-by-step. Then take some pics of the completed work.

Right now I am trying to figure out how best to power the units. The headrest came with just the regulator/fuse and two wires for the power. I am guessing that I will have to get the power from the center console.

Does anyone know how best to approach this? Any pointers would be much appreciated.

 

This is the unit I purchased and working to install.

Tan Pair Headrest 9" LCD Car Monitors with Region Free DVD player 2 Wireless Dual Channel Headphones Sony Laser Reader USB SD and 32 Bit & 8 Bit Game disks and 6 game controllers USB SD MP3 RCA Video input & RCA Video OutPut



I purchased from Amazon for $350. Very reasonably priced.

 

You have a link to the amazon ad?

 

Here is the link to the Amazon list.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&sear...AutoSoundSales
The exact item I purchased is out of stock but there are other similar items.

 

Here is a rough pic of the setup. Was raining today so had to take the picture inside.

 

Can you tell us how you routed the wires and where everything is plugged in? Looks awesome by the way!

 

OK Here is how I did it.

The headrest DVD unit comes pre-wired and you remove the back and run the cables and present the power and video cables at the bottom of the seat.

Since I have not found out how to dismantle the center console, plus I have a 2 year-old who couldn't wait for me to figure this out, I had to take a short cut.

So I went to RadioShack and purchased 2 items.

First is the 12V adapter to power the DVD.

Also since I have 2 units to power, I purchased a connector block


So currently the wires are all sitting under the floor mats until I can figure out how to make the final wiring routes.

FYI each headrest DVD come with both and input and output wires so the way I have it setup currently is that the right-hand-side DVD is feeding video to the left-hand-side unit. What you don't see is that the quality of the slave unit is not as good as the master for obvious reasons as the video is run through a composite feed.

It's not fancy but it got the job done for $360 all-in so not a bad deal.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the information and again, looks great.

 

Ok, so both can't play different DVD is what your saying?

If so it sounds like the portable DVD players we bought on black friday where the 1 unit has the actual dvd drive and the other is just another monitor to feed off it.

Do they have their own built in speakers?

 

They are both self contained units each with DVD player, FM transmitter, IR headphones etc. You can play 2 different DVD's but for my use, I have linked them up so that one slaves off the other. When we have child #2, then we will split so that they can watch age appropriate content.

Also they both have speakers which are loud enough for use while the car is moving.

 

kazh,

Can you show us what the front of the headrest looks like? I have not seen a dvd headrest that matches the unique MDX factory shape.

 

 

Kazh,

I'm also installing headrest DVDs in a 2008 MDX and having the same problem removing the back panels. It doesn't seem to give an I'm afraid I'll snap something.

Did you pull from the bottom first? Also, did you grab from the sides or the center of the panel? Any detail is greatly appreciated. Many thanks. anthony_217@hotmail.com

 

Right the seat backs a really firmly attached. I had to pull really hard from the bottom. You have to be super careful. The first went smoothly and I got a bit careless on the second and I broke the clips on the middle left and right. These are the key ones that keep the back in place so you do NOT want to pull too hard. You want to pry the bottom off and then carefully unclick one side and then the other and finally the top. The top comes off by gently sliding the back panel downwards and it should just slide off.

Hope that helps. (As for the pic, the weather in the Bay Area really sucks at the moment so will try and take the pic over the weekend when the weather is supposed to get better.)

 

It helps tremendously. Now I know what to expect.

Many thanks!

 

Vizualogic and Rosen make DVD headrests that match the MDX factory shape, including the colors. They cost a grip though, $1200-1400.

 

Success!! Your instructions were on the money.

I actually broke both bottom clips on both panels. It's amazing you were able to get a panel out without breaking the clips. Either way, they cost about $2 a piece online or your local dealer for about $4. Just slide on and they snap back in good as new.

Thanks again.

 

If you're really hung up on having the same headrest shape, then you'll be stuck with a smaller screen with no games for quadruple the price.

Otherwise, check out the amazing units at onfair.com for $300 or less.

 

I think the Rosen comes with games but it is definitely a lot pricier.

I was going to get a system like this installed, but I think I'll just get an OEM unit with our next vehicle, whenever/whatever it will be, probably an Odyssey.

 

Wow I didn't know that you could get the part so cheap. Could you please point me to the web or a part number that I can ask the service department guys?

 

I was thinking the same way until I realized how cheap you could get the unit these days. Also looking back at how easy it was to do the install, I would recommend people to buy aftermarket. OEM tech equipment tend to go out of date quickly as video technology is moving so fast and also players are commodity items and prices keep coming down.

Probably the next thing that will come along will be iPod/iPhone integration or at least get some form of HD/SSD built into the unit so you can access more video content and not have to keep switching DVD discs.

 

Kazh,

It's part 38 on your diagram above. Part# 91566-SP0-003

Website: http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/jsp/home.jsp

Input the part number on the home page.

 

I am currently installing 9" headrest dvd's, and have gotten as far as routing the cables down through the seat, but cannot find a disassembly diagram for the center console anywhere online! Does anyone know where to find such a diagram, or even step-by-step disassembly steps?

 

Kazh,
Any update on a permanent power source? I just ordered the the 7" headrest dvd players from onfair.com and I thought about doing it the way you did but I assume the issue with that is that when you turn off the car and then back on, the movie will not start from where you stopped but rather from the beginning again since the cigarette lighter is a switched source....and my kids find this very annoying.

 

Onfair looks to have nice quality at a very reasonable price. Those who have ordered from them, can you comment if you are happy with them, which model you purchased, and specifically which color you ordered and how well it matched the Acura interior.

 

Hi Cayman1,

No reason for concern. The DVD player should have a RESUME feature so that you start back right where you left off. The DVD player I purchased has this feature. My daughter is the same... She now tells us when the movie has ended so that we can use the remote to get back to the beginning. She is just 2 years old.

I still haven't found a permanent solution but since the MDX is a lease I may just leave it like it is as it seems to be working well. My only thing is that I need to buy the clips to put the back of the seat back on properly. keeps coming off!

Have fun!

Kaz

 

Thanks Kazh, I will have to check for the resume function. I have the 7" screens so it may not be an option on those. I tap my power source into the fuse box by wrapping the power wire around the fuse post for the "ACC" fuse (#32 in the tsx) and it is working great. I joined the ground and power wires from both players into one so I only have one power wire and one ground. I do notice that when playing a dvd and using the built in speakers, you can barely hear it even with the volume all the way up but when playing the video game disc it is very loud..not sure what's going on.

dvrice, I have a TSX with black interior and the headrest is not an exact match and not as shiny as my interior but i will try some leather conditioner and see how that looks. On the TSX they don't come as far forward as the stock headrests so your head goes back further before touching them which is not very comfortable but i rarely use my headrest from the front seats. The kids love it and i used the promotion code "onfairrocks" and the players were $215 shipped and you can't beat the price!

 

Seriously. That is an amazing deal. I have the same issue with the headrests being too far back. But then again as I am saving over $1000, I feel it is a compromise I can live with

 

Finally purchased the clips. For everyone to note, its worth ordering these in advance so that you can replace the seat backs correctly after the install. They are only a few $ each so buy a batch.