Aftermarket Audio... Bad things happened

[cwaltrs]

I had a professional stereo company install a Pioneer AVH-4200NEX in my 2017 Civic Hatchback LX. Awesome head unit with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, hands-free calling, backup camera, and Sirius XM. All was working fine for a month, then the car's dashboard electronics started to fail: outside temp was not showing up, A/C stopped working, turning signal indicators stopped working. I took it to the dealership who said they were getting "b-can errors", and could not diagnose the cause unless I put the original radio back in. He said "with today's Honda, you should never add an aftermarket radio, because the electronics are all tied together". I went back to the stereo guy who said he'd never heard of such a thing, and disconnected the battery to reset the system. All is fine now, and has been fine for about a month.

I'm not a car guy, and I'm certainly not a car electronics guy. So, I have questions:

1. Any idea what caused this? Could this be due to the infotainment lockup issue I'm seeing with Civics?
2. Is there any truth to the aftermarket stereo being a mistake?
3. Will this cause me to have issues with dealer diagnostics in the future with routine maintenance?
4. Is there a way to reset without disconnecting the battery if this happens again?
5. My windshield washer fluid indicator does not work. Could this be related?

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[Civics4Ever]

Lol, professional stereo company. They are not technicians, they tied your system to something they shouldn't have. Probably power to the unit related.

 

[360glitch]

A properly installed aftermarket radio should not cause any issues. That aside, it should also not be difficult to temporarily put the OEM radio back in to allow the dealership to diagnose the car. It literally should be a five minute job. If you'be only had the issue one and it has been a month I would not worry about it. For what it's worth I have a 4100nex in my car, a very similar radio.

 

[cwaltrs]

Lol, professional stereo company. They are not technicians, they tied your system to something they shouldn't have. Probably power to the unit related.

Well, that's a possibility, but it seems unlikely to me. The company has been in business for over 40 years. They used commercially available wiring harness, etc. The system was working fine for over a month of daily use before things locked up, and has been working fine for over a month since the reset. That's why I'm thinking it might be related to the intermittent lock up that folks are experiencing with factory stereos.

 

[xcivicx]

i have the pioneer avh 5800. same kind of head unit but not as good. and my windshield washer fluid indicator does not work either. other than that no probs and this stereo has been in two different civic x's. the only thing to screw up is the back up cam, parking brake, and the illumination connections

 

[calonzo]

Well, that's a possibility, but it seems unlikely to me. The company has been in business for over 40 years. They used commercially available wiring harness, etc. The system was working fine for over a month of daily use before things locked up, and has been working fine for over a month since the reset. That's why I'm thinking it might be related to the intermittent lock up that folks are experiencing with factory stereos.

Agreed. The head units should be replaceable with after-market units. But there is always the possibility of an incompatibility. Or it could have just been a coincidence and may have happened with the OEM head unit.

 

[STiTCH87]

A properly installed aftermarket radio should not cause any issues. That aside, it should also not be difficult to temporarily put the OEM radio back in to allow the dealership to diagnose the car. It literally should be a five minute job. If you'be only had the issue one and it has been a month I would not worry about it. For what it's worth I have a 4100nex in my car, a very similar radio.

Any photos of it? I was looking at that exact unit.

 

[surge83]

this may be a dumb question, but how do you control the a/c in the aftermarket head units?

 

[STiTCH87]

this may be a dumb question, but how do you control the a/c in the aftermarket head units?

In my case I have an LX so it is separate. In any model higher (one that comes stock with the touchscreen unit)
I would think you would need to install the LX style HVAC controls, but I am not sure it would work, or even have the same plugs for that matter. But then you'd also lose the heated seat controls. So you'd probably have to install a button for the heated seats to the left of the steering wheel.

This is one reason among many why I decided to go for the LX. Didn't needs bells and whistles and didn't like not being able to customize things. Still wish I had a turbo though...

 

[surge83]

Ah that makes sense, I just looked up the LX interior unit, i see now. I actually miss the a/c knob. it sucks to turn on my car and not be able to set air until infotainment boots up

I was thinking about upgrading head unit for better stereo output but now knowing this, ill avoid the headache and buy a big amp, speakers and a sub.

 

[arhncmh]

this may be a dumb question, but how do you control the a/c in the aftermarket head units?

Rotfl you beat me to it.

So many posts about non-LX stereos, which was what I was assuming, then he lets the cat out of the bag...I had to chuckle at the irony.

 

[STiTCH87]

Good news! Both style climate controls take the same two plugs!

SHOULD be able to do a simple swap between the two.

Doesn't solve the heated seat button issue, but just move them to a different location. No biggie.