We have an 03 Excursion now, and we are trying to decide about trading for an Expedition EL. I have been looking at some online and have a question about the factory entertainment system.

Correct me if I am wrong...seems like, up to 2010, they put a single monitor on the ceiling. After this, they have dual monitors in the back of the front seat headrests.

Now for the question, how do children sitting in the third row watch the tv's that are mounted in the headrests? What is everyone doing for the passengers in the last row?

 

That's correct. They're now in the headrests. I have a 2011 Expedition EL. It was my experience that basically NO dealerships around me had any of those installed in the vehicles on their lots. If I recall correctly, it's a $1700 upgrade to get the factory headrest/DVD players installed. I recently bought and installed a couple of the Audiovox aftermarket ones from Best Buy. They're not a perfect fit, and even with the plastic adaptors for the rods, they're still slightly loose and don't work with the adjustment system. BUT they are MUCH cheaper than the factory option. Our expedition has tan interior--the upholstery on the Best Buy ones matched it pretty well. If you get right down and look closely at the "leather", the grain is different, but not by much.

BTW, if you buy an Expedition without the factory installed DVD headrests, don't expect to find ready-to-go wiring behind the zip-up back cover of the front seats. At least in my case, they weren't pre-wired. I had to run my own power and ground wires that came with the kit.

As far as the kids in the 3rd row, it would depend on how big they are. If they're little toddlers, they're probably not gonna be able to see over the second row seats. BTW, the Best Buy DVD players have an option where the audio from them can be channeled through the FM radio. Hope this helps! When I asked this same basic question months ago, all I heard was crickets.

 

You could also install your own overhead screen. That's what I did in my '02 F250. It worked great and I had less than $500 in the whole setup (including the Pioneer head unit).

That is an 11.2" screen.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Doc - I like the way the factory player in our excursion works thru the radio, but if the kids in the 3rd row won't be able to see the screen it isn't worth the extra cost. I am glad to know about the Best Buy ones playing thru FM.

89LX306 - That is what I would like to have. With 4 kids, I would rather have one player to worry about at a time...and one movie going.

We may start looking at the ones without the factory systems. Just seems like the more reasonable way to go.

 

I don't blame you at all if you have four kids. One singular overhead mount would definitely be the best for you. The only other advantage that I can throw out with regards to the headrest DVD players is the fact that I can remove them before I trade the vehicle in, sell it, etc. and put the originals back in place.

 

I really like the functionallity of the integrated overhead system in our '07. With the Navigator, we can be listening to one source up front... say the radio, while the kiddies can have their wireless headphones set to 2 separate choices. So the older kids might be watching a movie and the little guy might be listening to Kids Place Live on Sirius.

We use our bus for several long family trips every year... 500 - 700 miles in a day is typical... and the audio/video system and wireless headphones are a real asset.