| red1210 |
Ok I searched for hours, but can't find any concrete answers. It's also been a while based on the dates of the posts I found. I have a 2004 Touring and I want to replace the factory radio with one of the Kenwood or Pioneer 7'' units and 2 headrest monitors. I've read about all the ins and outs regarding the problems with installs. I have the Bose system also.
Can someone give me a synopsis of what I need to do and what's available? Are there any sites or shops regularly selling modified dash kits and harnesses? What if I decide to use Pioneer or Kenwood's nav system rather than Acura's? Would that make it easier? All I want is for both screens to function. I could only find one pic from someone on this forum and other that had the setup I want. however he didn't have a dash kit on the new unit. There wasn't a ring around the DVD unit. Please help, I can't search anymore!! |
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| slackass |
You can use pretty much any double din you want. You will loose some factory features like bluetooth, steering wheel controls. Which you can get external bluetooth and adapters to make the steering wheel controls work. Installing the double din is very easy. I can take my radio out in less than 5 minutes. The new double din bolts right to the factory bracket. The problem lies in that no one makes an off the shelf kit for installing a double din. So you will have to make or have made a trim ring to fill in the gaps around the new radio. You should use a Honda/Acura wiring harness to aviod any cutting of the factory wires and you are all set. Most head units will have a/v out. You run these to the headrest screens inputs. My headrest screen came with a central brain box if you will that controls what each screen gets. I only have the Alpine IVA-W505 hooked up to my screens and the video from DVD or iPod plays on the rear screens.
Hope that helps a little. |
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| red1210 |
| Thanks slack. What about the Bose system and audio from the factory nav? I was told you would have to run new wires to each speaker from the new head unit and that I would lose voice guidance. |
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| Joel in Van |
Hello,
I do not have much time right now but can add more detail later if you wish.
I have a 2003 MDX with a Kenwood DDX 6019 and the garmin hideaway nav system - very happy with it.
I also have: bluetooth and Ipod adapters, clarion headrest monitors with wireless headsets. Hoping to add Sirius soon.
The only drawbacks that I have encountered are that I could not get the after-market steering wheel control connection to work properly and there is a slight hiss (I understand it is from mixing the after-market and Bose equipment). There are ways to fix it but it does not bother me enough to spend the money.
Let me know if you still want more details. |
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| Joel in Van |
This is a copy of the email I sent to red 1210 in response to his question about how I got the Kenwood DDX 6019 into my '03.
I had a shop put the unit in but I just had the trim off and it looked like it fit right into the existing bracket. The trouble (as others have discussed) is getting the trim bracket.
The one I have now is the second one made for me by the shop that did the install. The first one broke. Both were custom made. They both fit well but are (to me) clearly not of the same material. I am going to live with it for a while and then possible investigate one I found on Ebay for $95. It looks like it would be a good fit and appears to be the same matt black plastic as the original trim material.
Search under "acura trim double" if you want to look at it. The ebay members name has "12 Volt" in it if that helps. He usually has trim pieces up although he may not have the MDX one on hand.
Let me know how your install goes. FYI - make sure the garmin software is up to date before you buy - mine was a year old by the time it got out of inventory at the store.
Joel |
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