A 2024 Honda Accord imported from Japan can have its factory multimedia system converted from Japanese to English, and Apple CarPlay keeps working afterwards. The FM tuner is a separate job: it stays on the Japanese 76–95 MHz band until it is recoded to the Irish 87.5–108 MHz range. This Accord was converted at the Radio King workshop in Dublin 11.
What was done on this 2024 Honda Accord
The factory multimedia system was converted from Japanese to English in software. Nothing was replaced and nothing was cut: the original Honda unit stays in the dash, the dashboard looks the way it left the factory, and the steering wheel controls work as before.
After the conversion:
- the multimedia interface reads in English;
- Apple CarPlay is operational;
- the main multimedia functions continue to work;
- the original factory system and dashboard appearance are retained.
For an owner of a Japanese-import Accord this is the cheapest route to a usable car: the language is the thing that makes the car awkward day to day, not the hardware. If the factory unit turns out to be locked to Japanese, the alternative is a CarPlay head unit for the Honda Accord, which keeps the camera and controls working.
Does Apple CarPlay still work after the conversion?
Yes. On this 2024 Honda Accord, Apple CarPlay was fully operational after the language conversion.
Through the factory display the driver keeps using:
- Apple Maps and Google Maps;
- Spotify and Apple Music;
- phone calls and messages;
- podcasts and other compatible CarPlay apps.
That matters more on an import than on an Irish-market car: CarPlay navigation replaces the Japanese sat-nav, which has no Irish maps. If the factory unit in your car has no CarPlay at all, that is a separate retrofit — see Apple CarPlay systems.
Why the radio still uses the Japanese FM band
Changing the interface language does not change the radio frequency range. They are separate systems inside the same head unit, and this is the single most common surprise after a conversion.
Japanese-market vehicles commonly tune 76–95 MHz. Ireland and the rest of Europe broadcast on 87.5–108 MHz. Only the 87.5–95 MHz section overlaps.
So after the language conversion this Accord still tunes the Japanese range, which means:
- Irish stations inside the 87.5–95 MHz overlap can be received;
- everything above 95 MHz — most of the Irish dial — cannot;
- the language conversion itself leaves the FM tuner untouched.
This is not a fault in the conversion. Getting the full Irish dial is a separate job: see Japanese cars FM coding.
Can the Japanese radio be converted to Irish frequencies?
Yes, on compatible vehicles, and there are two routes:
- Software region coding — the tuner region is changed in the head unit itself, so nothing is added to the car.
- FM band converter — a small module in line with the aerial shifts the Japanese range onto the Irish one.
Which route applies depends on the factory head unit, so compatibility is checked per car before the work is booked. Either way the original radio, the factory screen and the steering controls stay in place.
Why convert the factory system instead of replacing it?
Replacing a factory multimedia system is not always necessary. If the original unit already does what the driver needs, converting it keeps the factory look and costs less than a new head unit. Converting the original Honda system gives you:
- English-language menus;
- Apple CarPlay still working;
- the original Honda multimedia unit retained;
- factory-style dashboard, nothing cut or drilled;
- no need to move to an aftermarket unit.
Replacement makes more sense when the factory unit is locked to Japanese, when it has no CarPlay, or when the screen itself is the problem. Both routes are on the table when you send the photo.
What else a Japanese import usually needs
A language conversion is normally the first job on an import, not the only one. On the same visit we regularly look at:
- FM band coding so the radio picks up the full Irish dial;
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto where the factory unit has neither;
- speaker upgrades — JDM factory speakers are usually the base spec;
- sound deadening, as on this Honda Accord soundproofing and audio upgrade.
The full picture of what can and cannot be converted on an import is on our Japanese domestic market conversion page, and model-by-model work sits under Honda Japanese to English conversion in Dublin.
Honda Accord Japanese to English conversion in Dublin
Radio King converts Japanese-import Honda Accord multimedia systems at our workshop in Dublin 11, serving Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.
Language conversion, FM-band coding and Apple CarPlay are three separate functions, so the right combination depends on the individual car and the factory unit fitted to it.
Japanese to English conversion of the factory multimedia system starts from €300; FM band recoding is quoted separately. Send us the model, the year and a clear photo of the multimedia screen and we will confirm what can be converted, the exact price and when we can take the car. Get a quote or call the workshop.
Radio King Unit K4, Rosemount Business Park Dublin 11, D11 AP20 Get a quote · More recent work
