[hwmonkey]

We have a 2008 EX-L that is reaching end of life for us (215k+ miles, some leather dying, tranny starting to make a squeak occasionally and resists downshifts for speeds under 40).

Looking at 2018 EX-L and there are not many with the RES:

• Anyone have recommendations for an aftermarket RES?
• Anyone have a guide for removing the headliner without damaging anything? Or can it be done without removal?
• Any tips for locating the crossmember, if installing without headliner removal?
• How did you handle audio? Are you running it to the 1/8" AUX audio port?

Trying to look at these few details before buying the vehicle. Thanks for the help!!!

 

[ArmyCa]

2018 only Elite trim. Others has a 9 speed transmission, which is not good. Elite has a 10 speed transmission, no issues.
You will get all RES and Cabin Watch.

 

[hwmonkey]

2018 only Elite trim. Others has a 9 speed transmission, which is not good. Elite has a 10 speed transmission, no issues.
You will get all RES and Cabin Watch.

The Elite trim seems extremely rare, and therefore $10K more. Is the 9-speed so unreliable that you would go with a different van?

Also, we have 5 kids. 5 ipads and charging them, etc introduces a different problem that we do not want to deal with.

 

[ArmyCa]

Is the 9-speed so unreliable that you would go with a different van?

Since 2020 Honda stopped to use 9 speed transmission, all Ody got 10 speed, so you can imagine how unreliable it was. Also elite has more charging spots and power outlets.
Check Touring trim, in Canada we don't have Elite, so here is Touring has 10speed transmission, maybe in US also Touring with 10...

 

[fuego]

Transmission Survey + 9/10 speed detailed info (One...

Not trying to beat this into the ground...just trying to be informative to the community and those that might be experiencing issues. Feel like this should've been created back in 2017/18. On top of that there are so many threads on specifically the 9 speed it can be confusing. Things to note...

www.odyclub.com

 

[airforceb2cc]

We have a 2008 EX-L that is reaching end of life for us (215k+ miles, some leather dying, tranny starting to make a squeak occasionally and resists downshifts for speeds under 40).

Looking at 2018 EX-L and there are not many with the RES:

• Anyone have recommendations for an aftermarket RES?
• Anyone have a guide for removing the headliner without damaging anything? Or can it be done without removal?
• Any tips for locating the crossmember, if installing without headliner removal?
• How did you handle audio? Are you running it to the 1/8" AUX audio port?

Trying to look at these few details before buying the vehicle. Thanks for the help!!!

I have a 2019 EXL with NAV/RES. Here are my two cents:

-I have had no issues with the 9-speed trans (currently at 37,000 miles)
-We got a hot spot that plugs into the OBD2 port that easily keeps up with running Disney+/Netflix on 4 tablets.
-We don't use the NAV near as much as we thought we would. We like using Carplay with WAZE much better than the factory Garmin system.
-Cabintalk is pretty neat but only works when everyone is watching the RES.
-The RES is good but wireless headphones are junk. We use nice headphones but there are only two jacks for the back seats that I have split to the front seats but the cables can pose a tripping hazard.
-If we were to do it again, I probably would not get the RES and get tablet mounts for the headrests and let each kid watch what they want to watch with bluetooth headphones.

 

[bandit400]

I was about to reply, but the previous post is almost exactly what I was going to say.

I totally don't get the hate for the 9-speed. Our EXL has shifted flawlessly and never misbehaved.
It seems like there are a few vocal people who are creating unwarranted fear.

The ZF 9-speed has been implemented by almost every manufacturer, and I would guess that millions have been produced.

 

[rmjse]

I also agree with the people above on the 9-speed transmission. While we've only owned our 2018 EX-L for 6 months, we've had no issues with the transmission. I definitely notice it shifting hard between 0-10mph and 35-40mph, but this does not indicate it is bad or about to fail. In fact if you look at the post above and review other posts on these forums since 2017, there have been more reported 10-speed failures than 9-speed.

To your actual question about an aftermarket RES....

My family also could not afford the price or Touring and Elite models when we were looking for a van. And the EX-L with Navi/RES was too rare of a find. All we could find were LX's, EX's, and EX-L's without RES.

We wound up getting a 2018 EX-L without RES. I bought an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet for $50 and bought a universal tablet mount that hangs off of the headrests off eBay for $5.The tablet is always charging thanks to the USB port in the rear of the center console. We download all my sons videos (Super Simple Songs, Pocoyo, Disney+ stuff, etc.) prior to a road trip.

The mount is hung on the drivers side headrest. It tilts up and down, left and right and turns 360 degrees. The front passenger can simply grab the tablet and change movies at any time.

If there is something we forgot to download prior to the trip, we simply turn on the hotspot on our phones, connect the tablet to it and we're online.

 

[Cheapengineer]

I was about to reply, but the previous post is almost exactly what I was going to say.

I totally don't get the hate for the 9-speed. Our EXL has shifted flawlessly and never misbehaved.
It seems like there are a few vocal people who are creating unwarranted fear.

The ZF 9-speed has been implemented by almost every manufacturer, and I would guess that millions have been produced.

I was at my local dealership getting the recalls done on my 2020 Odyssey, and on the menu board of services, they hand a specific service for the 9 speed for $500, and recommended every 30k miles. There was nothing on the board for the 10 speed, but maintaining the 9 speed is expense.

 

[airforceb2cc]

The fluid for the ZF is not cheap but if you drive 15k a year, $500 every two years for a pretty solid insurance policy isn't bad.

 

[bandit400]

The MM showed the code for a fluid change around 50-60K miles. I have no idea what the interval will be for the second change, but I would guess around 60k again. My change cost $350 at the dealership.

Not sure why your dealer is recommending 30K intervals, which goes against Honda's recommendation. I don't think I would use this dealership.

 

[hwmonkey]

The MM showed the code for a fluid change around 50-60K miles. I have no idea what the interval will be for the second change, but I would guess around 60k again. My change cost $350 at the dealership.

Not sure why your dealer is recommending 30K intervals, which goes against Honda's recommendation. I don't think I would use this dealership.

It looks like the first transmission fluid change is spec'd for 60K, then every 30K after that.

 

[hwmonkey]

It sounds like no one has tried mounting an aftermarket RES using the crossmember.

I understand the use of devices for people. I do. But 5 kids on a road trip means we exceed download limits with Hulu, Amazon, Neflix, and they are continually bickering over the charge cables. We have the RES in our 2018 and they have devices. We pretty much banned the devices in the car and discovered the drive was more peaceful. When the DVD drive died, we installed an old Wii (with motion sensor) with a sideloaded media player for movies. Movies are great. But the gaming gets comical. They cannot play many games well.

Looking at some generic branded RES units for $500 and less. Guessing I will run the audio to the AUX audio. Thinking I might try taking down the RES in the 2008 to measure the distance to the crossmember and assume it is the same for the 2018