It's been a busy few nights and single afternoon...
02-10-2007, 10:03 PM
#1
Slippy maybe...
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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It's been a busy few nights and single afternoon...
Despite being the coldest time of the year here in southern Ontario, the "tinker with car" bug refuses to let up its grip on me. For the last few nights (and part of this afternoon) I've completed two little projects I've been wanting to take on.
Project No. 1: Swap out old lens film with new
So I bought Rockblocker clear lens film for my fogs and headlights back in April and installed them on the 12th of that month. From the night I installed them the foglight covers started to give me grief bubbling from the heat. I took Rockblocker's advice and only used my fogs when the car was in motion (and, to be even more cautious, only when using them was warranted).
Well, after just over half a year, this is what they looked like:
They needed to be replaced. They were so burnt that they rendered the foglights nearly useless.
I decided to give the Lamin-X products a try and ordered a set of the yellow lens film at the beginning of this month. They arrived this past week, so Wednesday was the night to install.
Combined with the Nokya yellow bulbs I'm running, the foglights now throw off a clear and very distinct yellow light. Hopefully these hold up longer than the Rockblocker film did.
Project No. 2: Install Parrot CK3100 hands-free Bluetooth kit
Ever since I bought my Treo 700wx, I've been looking at adding a hands-free kit to my car. I refuse to pick-up a phone or make a call while driving it's a MAJOR safety hazard. There are times, however, when you need to make a call or receive a call while on the road, and a device like the Parrot was the ideal solution for my 2005 non-navi TSX. It offers voice recognition, auto-mute of radio, crystal clear sound, and proven technology.
So, after a lot of research, I ordered the CK3100 from a Canadian supplier and, based on the advice from a fellow TSX owner on Acurazine, ordered an amplified harness adapter from Quick Connect Products in the States. (If anyone else is considering a Parrot kit for their TSX, buy the QCHBB-HA it will save you a lot of headaches and allow you to adjust the baseline volume as the Parrot comes out loud on our amplified stock systems.)
When all the parts arrived, I started to wonder if this was something left to a professional there was a mass of wires and it all looked very intimidating. Fortunately, the harness adapter really simplified things, and after a lot of reading on Acurazine about people who've done self-installs of Parrots, radar detectors, XM kits, and iPod adapters, I was convinced I would be capable enough to tear apart the interior of my car; besides, I've installed my Dension ice>Link, OEM body kit, and OEM foglights on my own without problems (not to mention numerous other installs of things on my Civics).
The install commenced on Thursday night. First, the top bin: this was dead simple. I'd had it out before for the ice>Link, and it was just as easy this time around. Second was the centre console...
...NOT so easy. It was so hard to pop more than that first clip. I was so worried I was going to break something. I kept coming inside from the garage and double-checking the saved threads regarding taking it out. I was nearly convinced I wasn't going to get it out, but I gave it one last try and finally got those clips popping! The frontmost clip on the passenger side proved to be the most challenging. My hats off to the brave Acurazine members that discovered the plier handle trick!
From there, the job became much easier. I got the lower bin (the one with the NOT AN ASHTRAY bin and power outlet) out with ease. I took that part in and managed to pop out the Not An Ashtray bin with little challenge. A standard screwdriver in the right place unclipped it to allow it to come right out.
From there, I started trimming the plastic that was going to replace the Not An Ashtray bin. Once properly trimmed, off to the paint stage. Some black satin trim paint did the trick.
While the paint dried, I test fitted the Parrot kit & adapter and adjusted the audio levels on the adapter. At this point I was really excited the sound quality was superb. It was time to call it a night I still had another day at the office to get through and morning comes quick.
Friday night and it was on to the next bit: the microphone install. First, I found a place to clip the microphone onto the rearview mirror area. It's really neat the way that cover from the rearview mirror to the headliner comes out, and it also was the perfect size for one of the clips included with the Parrot kit (see photo at the end of this post). From there, I tucked the wire under the headliner and snaked it over to the driver's side A-pillar. Following the instructions some fellow Acurazine members had posted, I removed the cover from the A-pillar, and, using cable ties, ran the wire along the pre-existing cables to the dashboard. From there, I attached the end of the mic wire to a straightened wire coat hanger and snuck it under the dash through a gap.
At that point, it was time to pull off the plastic covers in the driver's footwell and route the cable to the centre stack. Again, cable ties and pre-existing wires were used to keep it clean. After that, I re-assembled the A-pillar cover and trim and called it a night.
This afternoon, all that was remaining were the final touches. My paint was dry, so I drilled a hole in the plastic piece to route the Parrot controller's wires through (I also re-ran the cable from the controller to exit out the back instead of the bottom). I did a final test fit of the plastic in the bin, ran the wire through a pre-existing hole in the bin (for a light for the REAL ashtray from what I understand), and then put some trim tape on the back of the controller to mount it to the plastic.
I took the bin out to the car, somehow managed to stuff all the wires and boxes out of the way and began re-assembly. Fortunately, re-assembly is A LOT easier!
Finally, I made a test call to my fianc้e. When I asked how it sounded on her end, she stated: "I can tell you're not talking on your phone, kind of like you're a bit of a distance from the microphone, but it's loud and clear." On my end, her voice sounded excellent it was just like talking to her with the phone up to my ear. I had adjusted the volume on the harness adapter so that on the Parrot's middle setting it was loud enough without being too loud... that way, if I'm on a noisy section of road, I can still increase the volume to hear the person I'm talking to.
So, all in all, I'm very satisfied with my work. A few times, I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but proved myself wrong! All that I have left to do is setup the voice commands (I did manage to program a few this afternoon!).
Here's the results of my work:
bins closed:
iPod exposed:
iPod and Parrot exposed:
overview:
close-ups:
A special thanks to all my fellow Acurazine members for being an invaluable resource! Hopefully this project puts my "tinker with car" bug to rest for a bit.
Project No. 1: Swap out old lens film with new
So I bought Rockblocker clear lens film for my fogs and headlights back in April and installed them on the 12th of that month. From the night I installed them the foglight covers started to give me grief bubbling from the heat. I took Rockblocker's advice and only used my fogs when the car was in motion (and, to be even more cautious, only when using them was warranted).
Well, after just over half a year, this is what they looked like:
They needed to be replaced. They were so burnt that they rendered the foglights nearly useless.
I decided to give the Lamin-X products a try and ordered a set of the yellow lens film at the beginning of this month. They arrived this past week, so Wednesday was the night to install.
Combined with the Nokya yellow bulbs I'm running, the foglights now throw off a clear and very distinct yellow light. Hopefully these hold up longer than the Rockblocker film did.
Project No. 2: Install Parrot CK3100 hands-free Bluetooth kit
Ever since I bought my Treo 700wx, I've been looking at adding a hands-free kit to my car. I refuse to pick-up a phone or make a call while driving it's a MAJOR safety hazard. There are times, however, when you need to make a call or receive a call while on the road, and a device like the Parrot was the ideal solution for my 2005 non-navi TSX. It offers voice recognition, auto-mute of radio, crystal clear sound, and proven technology.
So, after a lot of research, I ordered the CK3100 from a Canadian supplier and, based on the advice from a fellow TSX owner on Acurazine, ordered an amplified harness adapter from Quick Connect Products in the States. (If anyone else is considering a Parrot kit for their TSX, buy the QCHBB-HA it will save you a lot of headaches and allow you to adjust the baseline volume as the Parrot comes out loud on our amplified stock systems.)
When all the parts arrived, I started to wonder if this was something left to a professional there was a mass of wires and it all looked very intimidating. Fortunately, the harness adapter really simplified things, and after a lot of reading on Acurazine about people who've done self-installs of Parrots, radar detectors, XM kits, and iPod adapters, I was convinced I would be capable enough to tear apart the interior of my car; besides, I've installed my Dension ice>Link, OEM body kit, and OEM foglights on my own without problems (not to mention numerous other installs of things on my Civics).
The install commenced on Thursday night. First, the top bin: this was dead simple. I'd had it out before for the ice>Link, and it was just as easy this time around. Second was the centre console...
...NOT so easy. It was so hard to pop more than that first clip. I was so worried I was going to break something. I kept coming inside from the garage and double-checking the saved threads regarding taking it out. I was nearly convinced I wasn't going to get it out, but I gave it one last try and finally got those clips popping! The frontmost clip on the passenger side proved to be the most challenging. My hats off to the brave Acurazine members that discovered the plier handle trick!
From there, the job became much easier. I got the lower bin (the one with the NOT AN ASHTRAY bin and power outlet) out with ease. I took that part in and managed to pop out the Not An Ashtray bin with little challenge. A standard screwdriver in the right place unclipped it to allow it to come right out.
From there, I started trimming the plastic that was going to replace the Not An Ashtray bin. Once properly trimmed, off to the paint stage. Some black satin trim paint did the trick.
While the paint dried, I test fitted the Parrot kit & adapter and adjusted the audio levels on the adapter. At this point I was really excited the sound quality was superb. It was time to call it a night I still had another day at the office to get through and morning comes quick.
Friday night and it was on to the next bit: the microphone install. First, I found a place to clip the microphone onto the rearview mirror area. It's really neat the way that cover from the rearview mirror to the headliner comes out, and it also was the perfect size for one of the clips included with the Parrot kit (see photo at the end of this post). From there, I tucked the wire under the headliner and snaked it over to the driver's side A-pillar. Following the instructions some fellow Acurazine members had posted, I removed the cover from the A-pillar, and, using cable ties, ran the wire along the pre-existing cables to the dashboard. From there, I attached the end of the mic wire to a straightened wire coat hanger and snuck it under the dash through a gap.
At that point, it was time to pull off the plastic covers in the driver's footwell and route the cable to the centre stack. Again, cable ties and pre-existing wires were used to keep it clean. After that, I re-assembled the A-pillar cover and trim and called it a night.
This afternoon, all that was remaining were the final touches. My paint was dry, so I drilled a hole in the plastic piece to route the Parrot controller's wires through (I also re-ran the cable from the controller to exit out the back instead of the bottom). I did a final test fit of the plastic in the bin, ran the wire through a pre-existing hole in the bin (for a light for the REAL ashtray from what I understand), and then put some trim tape on the back of the controller to mount it to the plastic.
I took the bin out to the car, somehow managed to stuff all the wires and boxes out of the way and began re-assembly. Fortunately, re-assembly is A LOT easier!
Finally, I made a test call to my fianc้e. When I asked how it sounded on her end, she stated: "I can tell you're not talking on your phone, kind of like you're a bit of a distance from the microphone, but it's loud and clear." On my end, her voice sounded excellent it was just like talking to her with the phone up to my ear. I had adjusted the volume on the harness adapter so that on the Parrot's middle setting it was loud enough without being too loud... that way, if I'm on a noisy section of road, I can still increase the volume to hear the person I'm talking to.
So, all in all, I'm very satisfied with my work. A few times, I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but proved myself wrong! All that I have left to do is setup the voice commands (I did manage to program a few this afternoon!).
Here's the results of my work:
bins closed:
iPod exposed:
iPod and Parrot exposed:
overview:
close-ups:
A special thanks to all my fellow Acurazine members for being an invaluable resource! Hopefully this project puts my "tinker with car" bug to rest for a bit.
02-11-2007, 12:37 AM
#3
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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nice job. thats what my rockblocker looked like after 3 months of use. i have my second yellow set on, been two months, but still flawless. could be the cold weather, but at stand still i turn my fogs off to prevent burning.
02-11-2007, 05:40 AM
#4
Drifting
iv'e had my lamin-x yellow film on for about 7 months now...still looks new...like you said...the best thing to do is have them off when the car is not moving....heres what mine looks like...
02-11-2007, 07:28 AM
#5
TSX MFG Date Sep 2006
Join Date: Oct 2006
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Just so everyone knows, my GPS TomTom ver 510 (or above) has bluetooth, allowing you to pair your phone with it; admittedly though, the list of phones compatible with it is not as long as the one that came with my 2006's. But if it is compatible, I think this is the better way to go if you don't want to muck around with your car or have the know-how as the OP.
02-11-2007, 09:54 AM
#6
I have the Parrot in my car, too. I've had it for a year and a half and I have no complaints at all. I installed it in the little cubicle below my HVAC controls on my Scion tC. Here is a pic:
BTW, your job looks really clean. Good Job!
BTW, your job looks really clean. Good Job!
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12-18-2007, 03:44 PM
#8
1st Gear
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Does the car kit mute/pause the radio?
I'm working on fitting mine and as i can tell there is no mute pin on the OEM stereo.
Note that I'm in Australia and have a Honda Accors Euro Luxury, have a factory Matsushita (Panasonic) in-dash changer, but its got the same 20 pin plug that all later Honda's/Acura's have.
I'm working on fitting mine and as i can tell there is no mute pin on the OEM stereo.
Note that I'm in Australia and have a Honda Accors Euro Luxury, have a factory Matsushita (Panasonic) in-dash changer, but its got the same 20 pin plug that all later Honda's/Acura's have.
01-02-2008, 08:15 PM
#9
Slippy maybe...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Hi, sorry for the long wait for a response. I haven't been on the board for a while.
The kit does mute the radio but doesn't pause it. Have you installed yours yet? If not, and you're sure yours is the same as the Acura, then consider ordering the harness adapter from Quick Connect Products. Not only will the adapter keep you from having to cut any wires, it'll allow you to adjust the overall volume of the kit.
Oh, and on another note: I've retired the yellow bulbs and film. Once again the film went brown from the high heat, so I took a chance on a cheap 4300K HID kit to replace them. Here's the results.
The kit does mute the radio but doesn't pause it. Have you installed yours yet? If not, and you're sure yours is the same as the Acura, then consider ordering the harness adapter from Quick Connect Products. Not only will the adapter keep you from having to cut any wires, it'll allow you to adjust the overall volume of the kit.
Oh, and on another note: I've retired the yellow bulbs and film. Once again the film went brown from the high heat, so I took a chance on a cheap 4300K HID kit to replace them. Here's the results.
01-04-2008, 08:01 PM
#11
Slippy maybe...
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Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Originally Posted by zot09
Nice HID fogs! May I ask where you got them from and the price? Thanks!
Here's a link to the seller: http://myworld.ebay.ca/velocitygetter
He's got 100% feedback and seemed to be pretty sure of the product he was selling. I found that he had a website too, http://velocitygetter.com/site/index.php , and also did some Google searching. The name came up on a few other car forums and they were all happy with the product too.
I'll admit there were a few little annoyances with the kit (bulb base had to have the Dremel taken to it to fit properly, and I didn't receive H11 adapter plugs), but I'm quite handy with tools and with a soldering iron, so for $100 I was quite happy to do a little modification to get it to work. I even e-mailed the seller after I received the kit and told him about the problems. He was very receptive to the feedback and offered to try to fix the issue with the plugs (no charge), but I had already made my own solution using some quick connect plugs from an electronics supply shop.
Since installing them in November, they've worked flawlessly. The colour matches perfectly with the factory lamps. I'm tempted to try 3000K bulbs at some point to see if I can get back the yellow light (combined with yellow film), but for now this is great.
The best part: no more melting lens film!!!
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