| SCWells72 |
I apologize if this has been discussed before. I did a quick scan and didn't see anything, though. Has anyone determined the feasibility and cost of transplanting the '05 MDX XM and/or Bluetooth features into an otherwise equivalently equipped '04 MDX?
I think we're going to pick up an '04 MDX with Touring/Nav today for my wife and she's falling in love with the XM in my Audi S4. Obviously we can add one of any aftermarket XM tuners, but ideally we'd have the fully-integrated display and steering wheel controls now offered by Acura.
Feel free to point me to another thread if this has already been discussed.
Thanks in advance!
Scott |
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| renov8r |
Two main things prevent this from really been simple -- #1) Acura tends to make many more changes to the wiring harness and "systems integration" than are directly visible #2) Acura tends to charge very high prices for the various bit of electronics that you would need from an 05 to make this happen.
Together that means that you end up pulling out lots of the factory wiring to add something that might cost triple or more than aftermarket and really is not warranted the same as new...
There are many talented audio installers who can skillfully add an XM radio with minimal distuption. The signals that the high quality aftermarket units (like Alpine) often allow for at least integration with the steering wheel controls. These same folks can usually find aftermarket hardware that will make a BT phone work seemlessly with vehicle speakers and even offer excellent hand free performance.
If you truly want "total integration" you really ought to look at the 2005, but even that is not as well done as the RL -- I suspect that Acura MIGHT make that system available to the MDX in 06 or 07 (and they will likely upgrade the RL system too...) |
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| SCWells72 |
Okay, so that's good info, and not at all surprising. We did end up getting the '04 today and are loving it so far. However, my wife has already started asking about XM. So can anyone give me pointers to XM solutions for the MDX that would allow control from the steering wheel buttons at least and ideally might display on the nav screen? There is an aftermarket solution for my GS430 that is plug-and-play making the XM look like a secondary 10 disk changer and using CD Text support for the artist/song name on the nav display. Anything even close to that would be wonderful!
Thanks again... |
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| SCWells72 |
Okay, with a little searching I found info on BlitzSafe, SWI-V, and XM Commander (about which I already knew) or Roady. I don't have the DVD Entertainment System but I do have navigation. So let me see if I have this right...
1) I'd use BlitzSafe to connect the XM Commander/Roady sound output to the audio system.
2) I'd use SWI-V to allow control from the steering wheel? Two questions about this: 1) Do I even need this if I connect with BlitzSafe or does BlitzSafe somehow pass control info back to the XM Commander/Roady? 2) If not and I have to use it, how does the audio system know which "mode" I'm in to know when to send signals to the XM Commander/Roady?
Anything else? |
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| automag928 |
| I'd be interested in the Bluetooth possibilities... |
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| SCWells72 |
For what it's worth, my local dealer (Sterling Acura in Austin, TX) will install either XM Commander or Roady2 using FM modulation and will support it under the original factory warranty. They will NOT use BlitzSafe because they don't want to take reponsibility for a surge or other issue that might harm the head unit. To my wife the warranty piece is quite compelling.
Can anyone attest to the quality difference between FM modulated XM and direct-connect XM via BlitzSafe given the warranty consideration. And yes, I know about Moss-Magnusson and how there's little chance anything would happen with BlitzSafe, but we're talking WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) here which has high value if they're close to the same quality!
Thanks! |
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| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by SCWells72
For what it's worth, my local dealer (Sterling Acura in Austin, TX) will install either XM Commander or Roady2 using FM modulation and will support it under the original factory warranty. They will NOT use BlitzSafe because they don't want to take reponsibility for a surge or other issue that might harm the head unit. To my wife the warranty piece is quite compelling.
Can anyone attest to the quality difference between FM modulated XM and direct-connect XM via BlitzSafe given the warranty consideration. And yes, I know about Moss-Magnusson and how there's little chance anything would happen with BlitzSafe, but we're talking WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) here which has high value if they're close to the same quality!
Thanks!
I just did a "permanent" install of a Skyfi along with a Blitzsafe last night; used it with FM mod previously.
The Blitzsafe is far superior, despite the generally good reviews of the new Delphi units' (Roady2, Skyfi2) FM mod. The volume is equal to other inputs (CD/FM/AM) with the Blitzsafe whereas it was lower with the FM modulation.
I read someplace (and don't know whether it's true) that FM modulation is restricted from something like 50Hz to 15000Hz, which basically takes out the low and high end. That would explain some of the loss of audio quality I also noticed with the FM mod.
I'd recommend the blitzsafe. It's an easy plug-and-play and if your radio fries (no one has reported that here), just unplug the Blitzsafe as if it never existed. ;)
Insofar as steering wheel integration, the PIE unit appears to be the only one. I think there's only one or two posts on the board re: that and the results weren't good given the manner in which Acura has implemented the steering wheel controls (variable frequency outputs or somesuch). The PE units are not hardwired to your XM unit; they use infrared. When doing research, I seem to recall PIE specifically indicating that their unit/IR repeater will not work with Delphi XM units.
I haven't seen any display integration for the X.
Good luck. |
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| vicpai |
quote:
Originally posted by SCWells72
I apologize if this has been discussed before. I did a quick scan and didn't see anything, though. Has anyone determined the feasibility and cost of transplanting the '05 MDX XM and/or Bluetooth features into an otherwise equivalently equipped '04 MDX?
I think we're going to pick up an '04 MDX with Touring/Nav today for my wife and she's falling in love with the XM in my Audi S4. Obviously we can add one of any aftermarket XM tuners, but ideally we'd have the fully-integrated display and steering wheel controls now offered by Acura.
Feel free to point me to another thread if this has already been discussed.
Thanks in advance!
Scott
......in the "general discussions". Retrofitting an Acura Nav system is EXTREMELY difficult, and PROHIBITIVELY expensive (trust me, I've researched this to death before because prior to now there was not a Navi system worth it's salt comparable to the OEM Honda Nav system, even the aftermarket versions of Alpine, the company that actually makes the Nav systems for Honda).....that was then.
If you can wait a couple months Alpine is coming out with a Nav system that is not only as good, but superior in many ways to the Honda system ....and the best part XM RADIO and XM NAVTRAFFIC will be integrated into the system. Here's the thread:
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...?threadid=20090 |
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| SCWells72 |
quote:
Originally posted by vicpai
If you can wait a couple months Alpine is coming out with a Nav system that is not only as good, but superior in many ways to the Honda system ....and the best part XM RADIO and XM NAVTRAFFIC will be integrated into the system.
Interesting. While our MDX already has nav and I'm in the process of adding aftermarket XM, this is very interesting to me for my Audi S4 which does not have navigation features. I've been leaning toward a TomTom GO Plus or Garmin Street Pilot C330, but I might consider waiting for this... |
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| vicpai |
quote:
Originally posted by SCWells72
Interesting. While our MDX already has nav and I'm in the process of adding aftermarket XM, this is very interesting to me for my Audi S4 which does not have navigation features. I've been leaning toward a TomTom GO Plus or Garmin Street Pilot C330, but I might consider waiting for this...
However, I've got a Garmin Streetpilot 2610 and while it's great as far as portables go (I use it while travelling and in my other commuter car), it is no comparison WHATSOEVER to either the OEM Acura Nav or the Alpine system, both of which I've used (and mind you I'm talking about the old Alpine system NVE-851A)....this new Alpine system is going to be light years ahead of what it replaces!! :eek:
....wonder how the c330 will be performance wise. Looks like the graphics will definitely be much better than the horrendous display of the 2610 (which, IMO is one of it's biggest shortcomings) |
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| duffin |
It looks like a Parrot CK3000 Bluetooth® wireless car kit is a potential solution to retrofit anything pre-2005.
If you click on the installation instructions to the left side of the screen, you can navigate to MDX install diagram.
I am going to pursue installation of this kit.
http://www.parrot.biz/products/index.php?id=ck3000 |
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