After an exhilarating test drive, my wife and I have to decided to purchase an '08 Grand Touring AWD. Since we have two kids, we thought the Rear-Seat Entertainment System would really come in handy on road trips. I've searched all of the nearby dealer's inventories, and every GT AWD appears to have the moonroof instead of the RSES. Being that this is a vehicle aimed at families, I was surprised to see this. Is the RSES really that rare of an option?
Is the Rear-Seat Entertainment System really that rare?
- Thread starter gweempose
- Start date
I got the GT..and although I was no particular fan of a DVD system for kids, I did choose it over a moonroof that I would never use. And I dont regret it...the RSES is only $800 over the moonroof package but it is a gem! comes with AC 115 V outlet, inputs, 6CD MP3 changer...great headphones & remote..If you dont care for a moonroof, go for the RSES!
But the third row seems not to be able see the DVD. I got RSES in mine and my kids sitting at third row have no problem when they watch movie. This would be avoid boring for a long trip.
I just got back from the dealer. I walked around their lot, and they must have had at least 30-40 CX-9s in stock. Not a single one of them had the RSES. When I asked the salesperson about it, he said that most people weren't willing to give up the moonroof, and that they installed a lot of aftermarket units made by Alpine. I'm pretty sure it's this one he was referring to. My question is, if I decided to go this route, would there be anything I was sacrificing. For example, is there some type of functionality that I would lose because the unit isn't integrated into the car?
RSE from Alpine is also good, but it lacks of Dolby Digital or DTS output. It only has stereo out, so you dont have true Home Theater Sound when playing AC-3 5.1 DVDs. When I looked for my CX-9, RSES is the top one for my kids. 10.1 is its BOSE speakers configuration with built-in DD and DTS when playing 5.1 DVDs.
I doubt my 4-year-olds will really care if it's in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround.
It would bother me, however, if I wasn't able to enjoy the full audio experience as a driver when listening to CD's, Sirius, etc ... I assume the Bose system that comes with the moonroof is pretty much the same in this regard. I guess what I'm primarily concerned with is how well integrated the RSES is with the rest of the vehicle. For example, can you control a DVD (i.e. pause, stop, skip chapters) from the steering wheel or the NAV screen? Or how about the ability to turn on and off the RSES from the front seat? These are the types of features that I would be reluctant to give up.I doubt my 4-year-olds will really care if it's in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround.
DVD controls are all on remote controller with OEM RSES. Steering wheel only has VOL, track skipping for CD or channel skipping for Radio.
merritt001
Member
RSES Remote Controller
Hello everyone, I have a 08 CX9 GT that has the Bose RSES. Unfortunately, I misplaced the remote controller and I need to get a new one. The dealer has them fro $200, which I think is insane. Any suggestions where I can get new or used controller for less?
Any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Merritt
Hello everyone, I have a 08 CX9 GT that has the Bose RSES. Unfortunately, I misplaced the remote controller and I need to get a new one. The dealer has them fro $200, which I think is insane. Any suggestions where I can get new or used controller for less?
Any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Merritt
jdmitchell
Member
- :
- 2009 CX-9 GT with everything except nav
I have a 2009 GT with the moonroof and a dealer installed RSES. It is the gameboy version with the detatchable screen to play games. My kids love it and we have had 0 problems with it. Best freebie add-on while dickering with salesman that I have ever gotten. Out the door with remote start and every other option (except NAV) for $36K. I bought it in April of last year and we love it, we just want some extra storage space.
we were considering a model w/ RSES and navi when we bought our 08 last year. but the dealer wanted $4000 more for that model. I did not think those 2 options were worth $4000 more. Especially since we already had a Garmin nuvi 650 and a dvd player will only be useful on longer road trips. I ended up going to Bestbuy and bought an LG portable dvd player w/ headrest mount included for $179. Works great!
I would borrow a remote from someone, go buy a cheap programmable remote, and just program all the codes into that.
Heck, if the dealer has a return policy on the remote, just buy that, program the codes, and return it.
All dealerships have a policy against returns on SOP (special order parts) and/or electrical parts to minimize returns or discourage people like you (jabba) from doing what you just suggested merritt001 to do. This is why SOP parts are only ordered once they have been prepaid.
