meburdick

Greetings, All!

I've been lurking around the boards for a number of years, and have gotten some terrific ideas and help from them. I thought I'd give back with a pictorial of my installation process for the iSimple Media Gateway with the PGHHD2C cable.

A little background:

I did a lot of searching over the last year before finally settling on the Dice Electronics system. I found them at a reasonable price on eBay and set up my account to watch for them as the vendor was out of stock. They came back in, but I opted not to buy.

When I was ready to buy again, they were gone and never returned. I started my searching again and found the USASpec product. From their web site, I found a local vendor/installer and called him up. Ten minutes later, I was convinced that the PXAMG was the way to go.

Ordered up the kit from AutoToys.com ($145 with the PGHHD2C cable, free shipping if you use coupon code PAYPALFREE and pay with your PayPal account) on Friday. It came on Monday (that would be today).

Total installation time took about two hours, but that included time to stop and take pictures and a little head-scratching time to figure out how/where I wanted to route the connector cable for the iPod. What follows is the general way that I did it. Hope it's useful to you.

No complaining about the fact that the inside of the car is dirty - it's New England, and winter just ended. Gimme a break!



Open the rear deck lid and lift the "cover" from the compartment.



Once it's open, lift it away from the hinges.



Take the screws out of each of the hinges. One on each side.



Spin the two dials and remove this panel that holds the lug wrench.



Remove the plastic trim. There are four pins that hold it to the body, just pry it up carefully. It *will* come up, you may need to pry a little to get it out.



Look under the remaining "carpeted" trip, on the passenger side, and you will see the XM Tuner mounted underneath.



Remove the connector that's toward the front of the vehicle. All of the rest can remain. I didn't show it here, but the connectors on the PGHHD2C cable can only go in one way - connect one side to the tuner, and connect the cable that you previously removed from the tuner to the other side of the harness. I had a little trouble getting the connector to seat nicely in the tuner, so I tapped it in using a steel cylinder (like a thick screwdriver shaft) and a hammer. It locked perfectly.



The gateway says not to change the dip switches unless the manual says so. Guess what? The manual says so. Bend this sticker down to expose the switches.



Flip switch 2 to the down position and put the sticker back.



Remove the sticker covering the connector for the harness.



Plug in the harness and move the sticker to the upper portion of the gateway box.



Pry up the door sills on both passenger doors. No screws, just clips. Use a long flat-blade screwdriver. Pull up lightly to pop the outer portion, push down to pop the inner portion.



Open the glovebox. Locate the two "stops" that prevent it from coming out beyond a certain point (they're on the back, one on each side, molded to the outside of the glovebox).



Press the sides toward each other at the back, where the "stops" are locate, and allow the glovebox to come the rest of the way out.



Wire from front to back. I pushed the wire through a small space to the left of the glovebox, under the dash and began pulling it toward the rear. I left enough wire protruding to reach my cupholders, with a little slack to pick up the iPod. I created a "service loop" in the wire (folded it back on itself using the folds from where it was packaged) to allow for adding length without rewiring the car. Tie it off so it doesn't flop around. Be careful not to block access to your in-cabin air filter.



Pull back the side trim and bring the wire down along this path. Use electrical tape to strap it to the wire harness already running through there.



Take the trim off of the C-Pillar. Move the front seat all the way forward as this leaves a lot of extra room to work, and you will need it. No screws in any of this stuff... Just clips. Pry carefully, you won't have any issues.



Remove the small cap and the screw from the assist handle so that you can pull this trim away from the body slightly.



Use a cable snake to pull the wire through this last piece (around the wheel well). Insert it from the trunk area. Go directly in front of the tuner, coming around the wheel well on the side (don't go over the top). You may have to draw it back and push it through a few times to get it all the way to the other side, but it will definitely go. Attach the end to the connector cable being careful to ensure that the cable will pull straight through and not twist. When working the cable through to the rear, be careful not to pull too hard. If it snags, back it up and try again.

This is by far the trickiest part of the whole process, but it *will* go through.

Once you have the connector at the back, insert it into Port 1 of the gateway, tie up the cables, and replace everything in the reverse order of how you took it apart.

Tear-down / assembly tip: All of the trim pieces meet up with the rubber weather molding. Pull the molding away before you try and remove the vertical trim pieces, but remove the horizontal pieces before you pull the rubber trim off.

The rubber trim is actually an integral part of how the vertical trim pieces stay attached to the body, so be sure to take note of the little "clips" that should be up flush against the body when you're pressing the trim back in place.

Hope it works out as great for you as it did for me. It sounds terrific and is way nicer than using the RCA inputs. Not to mention that it also pauses my iPod when I get a phone call...

mdx_1976

Awesome instructions. Thank you.

mdx_1976

Just placed the order at AutoToys. Will report back once I have it installed on the MDX.
Where did you buy the cable snake from?
Cheers

mdx_1976

Just finished installing my PXAMG on Acura MDX 2008 with Tech/Ent. The only change that i made was - installed the cable to the centre console. I will post some pics of my install.

mdx_1976

If there are any MDX owners in the Atlanta area who want this installed, I can help guide or install it.

T0L8

mdx_1976, can you post pics of your install?

mdx_1976

Back from vacation now. Will post pics soon.

ItsMyMDX

Hey meburdick & mdx_1976 (or anyone else that has installed the iSimple adapter):

I'm on the edge about wanting to buy one, but would like to actually see it in action first (probably not likely) and read experiences. My questions:

Are you happy with the iSimple interface?
Can you control the iPod via the steering wheel controls? (At least track up and down, I hope)
Does track info show up on your Nav screen and/or radio display (what I'm most interested in). Hopefully the standard fare - Song Title, Artist - anything else?
Can you play audio via other apps (eg., Pandora) through the iSimple interface? Or just stored music?


Thanks!

mdx_1976

My MDX is back from the dealer (6 days with the dealer fixing the TSBs). I should be able to post some pics in the next day or so.
Back to your questions:
Yes, I am happy with the iSimple interface. It does what it promises and some more.
You can control the track (Up and down), volume (up and down) from the steering wheel.
From the radio buttons, you can look at play list info, set repeat on/off, set random on/off etc.
The song metadata (title, track, artist) is available for display both on the LED display and the NAVI screen.
I have only tried stored music so far - so can't comment on other music.

Hope this helps. If you are in the Atlanta area, i can help install this on your MDX.

What year and trim is your MDX?

lowendz

Hmmm, great write up! But the install on my mdx was much simpler. Pluged right on the back of the deck. All I had to do was remove left and right trim of radio, 4 screws to let the radio out, unplugged the xm plug, add the y-adapter and ran aux and iPod cable. Took 20 minutes. I've got the USA-spec integration in mine and works wonderfully. Names, tracks, artists etc...

But that's an awsome write up, at least you've just showed me how to take the rear apart, Thanx!

mdx_1976

What year is your MDX? If you plugged it behind the radio, do you still have XM?

lowendz

I've got an 08' elite ( Canadian version) fully loaded with rear ent. And yes my xm still works. I have also wired up my rear ent. Unit with my iPhone to play movies without having to plug it in in the jacks in the back seat. I just have it coming out of the centre console. ( so my 2 year old can watch the cartoons I've downloaded)

romanone

Great post. Thank you.
This post inspired me to go for it too. I have ordered the same kit from autotoys.com last
friday. Can't wait to get it installed when I receive it.

Thanks

meburdick

Couple of updates here:

First - This device is designed for the MDX and TL units that came with Real Time Traffic capable XM units. That could be why lowendz didn't need to install it in the rear of the vehicle.

Second - While I'm happy to have a direct interface to my iPod and can control the unit from the steering wheel, no, I am NOT happy with this unit overall.

More often than not, when I press the XM button on my radio, the display on the radio face simply says "LOADING" instead of showing the artist / song info. I have flashed the firmware on the unit and it hasn't helped. Multiple attempts for assistance from iSimple / PAC Audio have yielded zero progress. The device will NOT operate my third generation iPod even though the manufacturer says "it should".

Based on my experience to date , I would not purchase this item again, nor would I recommend it to a friend.

I seriously think that at least part of my issue is the 25' cable that runs up to the front of the car. If I get a chance before I dump the MDX (coming soon), I'll try the stock short cable that it came with to see if it makes a difference.

romanone

I will get it this Wednesday. i will try the short cable first. Thank you.

mdx_1976

I agree with the "Loading" status. But, there are a few things you can do to get the title/information to display.
1. press the AM button and then the XM button
2. Press the phone button and then hit back
3. Power off the audio system and power it back again

Usually the problem occurs if you start the car with the audio system turned on.

With everything said, I think it is a very minor inconvenience. So far, i still like the unit.

Cheers.

romanone

I have done my installation two days ago, I used a long cable and installed it into a center armrest. Firs used a fishtape and worked the cable from center to rear right door and after to trunk. Then installed a PXAMG under the XM tuner. The "loading" does come up from time to time, I use AM-XM combination and it works great. Sound is great. Also my XM radio came back for one day after the installation?!? Now I miss it .
I listen to Pandora radio over my iPhone 4 and I am satisfied, although the sound is not so perfect with Pandora but it sure gives me a lot of different types of music to listen to.

skipersh

This is an awesome post. steps were easy to follow and installation went without a glitch. Unfortunatly I was able to get to my ipod once. From that point on all I get is either XM Loading or XM displayed on my radio. I have a 2008 MDX with NAVI no entertainment package. Has anyone seen this before? Thank you in advance.

meburdick

romanone: The XM Radio was turned back on for a brief period as a "promo". I can't recall if it was 7, 10, or 14 days in duration. I do believe, however, that it was right around the time of your post. So, I think that's what it was.

skipersh: It sounds like your iSimple is in "XM" mode and needs to be put back to "iPod" mode. Try pressing AM/FM button to bring up the regular radio. Then press XM to switch back to the iSimple. As soon as that switches over, turn your tuning dial until the display switches to say iPod and you should be good to go.

I'm dumping my MDX soon and will not be leaving this unit installed. Anyone interested in buying it can PM me about it. Make an offer.

xxmdx07xx

I had the Isimple IPOD / HD RADIO installed on my 2007 MDX couple months back. My navigation displays the stored station if i select it for about a few seconds and goes back to " preview ". how do i get it to display the stored stations permanently

meburdick

Sounds like you need tech support from iSimple.

Your setup is very different from mine and people are reading this thread for the "How To" aspect. So, it's unlikely you'll get help here very quickly.

xxmdx07xx

Agree thx but did you also have the same problem with the station changing to preview or did the station always display?

meburdick

I don't have HD Radio. And, the 07 is different from the 08 in that the 08 offers real-time traffic. Not sure if the just the cable is different, or if it's a different box. So, again, your setup is quite different from mine. iSimple is the best place to get help (although I'm pretty UNimpressed with their quality of tech support.

meburdick

Thought I'd follow up here briefly to say that I'm ready to trade out the "X" and go back to a TL. I'm almost certain to end up in a 2008 NAVI which uses the exact same hardware and cables to install this device. So, I pulled it out of the MDX as a preparatory step.

It took me all of about 20 minutes to completely remove it from the vehicle and restore the original configuration of the XM. I dropped the glove box to untie the cable, pulled the kick panel, the two door sills, and the B pillar cover (incorrectly identified in my original steps as a C pillar). I pulled up the rear cover and tray, removed the electrical tape from the wire, and drew it out through the rear of the MDX. Everything was snapped back in place and there are not leftover holes or marks of any kind.

I'm considering whether or not I will install this into my car in the spring, or into the Odyssey that we have as well.

MDX-Mike

Thanks for sharing your installation, great information!

meburdick

Never one to just let things "die"... I ended up with a 2008 TL NAVI 5AT (exactly as I expected). And, I installed the kit into it. It turns out that the install is exactly the same (in terms of the required hardware and cabling), but the functionality is different with regard to the Channel +/- buttons on the steering wheel.

In the MDX, you press the button on the wheel, let it go, and it skips songs forward or back. In the TL, you have to HOLD that button until you hear an audible beep through the stereo to achieve the same functionality.

PITA, but it works.

frequency

just picked up this device and plan on installing this weekend. I havent looked yet but for those of you who installed this to the center console, how did you run the ipod cable. trying to get a good Idea of the best way yo do it.

THanks

mrwilson99

Best way to do it IMO, is route the cable to the glove compartment. I had an ipod stolen when I routed to the center console. At least routed to the glove compartment I am able to lock it when I have to valet my car and such. Very simple install, just take your time to make sure you are not scratching anything.

frequency

just finished. i ended up installing it through the glove compartment. very easy. you do not have to remove the panels at all really. i just tucked the wire under the panels and didnt have to remove any.

mrwilson99

Congratz! I am pretty happy with the unit, just not too happy that I can't sort/search through my 160 gig of music as easy as I wanted to.

meburdick

I concur that the interface's very slow level of responsiveness makes scrolling through the lists of artists, albums, songs, and/or play lists a very tedious endeavor. An additional layer in the process that would allow you to jump immediately to a particular First Letter of one of the previous categories would make things infinitely faster... Especially since the scrolling doesn't "wrap" from Z back to A or backward to Z *from* A. Believe me... It takes forever to get to ZZ Top when you're still at AC/DC!

gmanrique

Hi Lowendz. If you don't mind, I am also in Canada and would like to as a couple of questions. You mentioned that you are in Canada and use the USA SPEC unit instead. Could you let me know which unit do you use? I got an MDX 09 with Navi and RES (Elite) and it seems it is the same unit as the 08 model. Since in Canada we don't get the units that support live traffic updates, it seem that from the 2 possible options from USA SPEC (PA15ACUXL and PA15HON3), the unit to use would be the PA15HON3. Is that the correct? (By the why, I tried to call USA Spec but they seem to be confused when you mentioned that the 09 Canadian model with NAVI, XM and RES does not support the traffic updates, so they did not know what to suggest)

Also, why did you install it directly to the radio vs. the back connector to the XM receiver? Was it convenience or maybe I am wrong and the units are different between the 08 and 09?

Lastly, how did you wire the extra stuff to have the ipod/iphone videos showing in the RES? extra connectors, docks, wires, etc?

csmeance

Installed this on my 07 MDX Sport/Entertainment and what a day!

It did not fit into the XM port like the OP did, my plugs were much different! I removed the radio (pretty easy)and hooked up the Y harness. Routed it to the glovebox and dip switch 2 in the ON position! Works pretty decent, the iphone cord works great, aftermarket not so much. Charges iphone X well! Lets see how long it works for! Thank you OP!

Get text/data about the song on the radio and the navi screen