I thought some of you might appreciate this thread so I decided to post a DIY.

The first thing you need is 2 audio knobs from a 05-08 Acura TL.

The part number is 39103-SEP-A11ZA. Buy 2 of them. I paid $26 for both shipped from curry acura. They are the cheapest to buy from since they offer free shipping.

I am not sure how the cars with navigation are setup or if this works for you since I don't have navi.

It will work for 2nd gen cl and tl, and the 6th gen accord. Not sure about any other honda/acura.

To remove the stock knobs you just pull it off and it looks like this. If you break or damage anything don't blame me.


The tl audio knobs won't work without modification, but it is fairly simple work.

Here is a pic of the knobs from behind. The one on the left is the tl knob unmodified. The middle is stock knob and the left is the modded tl knob.


If you notice the tab/clip area on the stock knob sticks out a lot more than the tl audio knob. The fix I found is to grind down the tl knob a lot until that rod can fit in the clip and have it snug without wiggling. Make sure not to grind down the white clip area when grinding down the outer section. You need all the length of that white section.

I also had to grind down those ridges that go out from the middle to the edge on the back of the tl knob so it would turn properly.

Here is a pic that shows how much I ground down the TL knob.


Here are pics of the knob installed. I think it came out amazing and looks great. It came out better than I ever expected. The tl knobs are plastic also but they are painted ssm and have a machined aluminum pattern and look to them.





I only did one knob so far. If you want a line on the knob like the stock one to know where the dial is you can just mask the knob and paint a black line on it. Not sure if I will do that or not. It doesn't really seem necessary.

 

Damn those look clean.. Nice job bud.

I would have to do that if I had aluminum trim in my CL for sure.

Many ppl will be following in ur footsteps

 

that looks nice. wish you had the rest of your interior in so i could see how the whole interior would look, lol.

what did you use to do the grinding?

 

Thanks. I removed my aluminum trim in my car but it does match my machined titanium shift knob. I would recommend it even without the aluminum trim. It just adds a level of class that was missing.

Sorry, lol.

I will go take some more pics of tools I used etc. Give me an hour or so to post. Almost done with the 2nd knob.

I could take a pic of the knob next to our trim to see how close it matches. Without comparing I think our trim is darker. The tl knobs are lighter, more like the satin silver metallic paint. So even if they don't match interior they match my exterior color and shift knob.

 

Doesn't have to be an exact match..

That would be really easy to grind down with my industrial belt sander I got for woodworking..

May have to sacrifice a belt but oh well.

I am kinda aching to do something to my car now that I have bin done modding for a year or two I think the car feels attention starved.

Probably why the check engine light came on.... It's pissed at me ha ha ha...

Maybe this will get us back on good terms

 

Always good to freshen it up. I start getting depressed if I don't work on my car or drive it for a few weeks. I need my fix.

 

Cool mod, Looks great. but damn that's a lot of material to hack off.

 

Here are the tools I used.


Before you start grinding, mask the knob with tape so you don't ding or scratch it. The tape line is also used to know where to grind up to.

I used an angle grinder with a sandpaper adapter and sandpaper. I used that for most of the grinding. Do the grinding at an angle to avoid hitting the white rear section. Once I got it down close to the line, I used 180 grit sand paper on a sanding block. I put tape over the white rear section to make sure I didn't sand it down. You want the white section to stick out slightly farther than the part you grind down. Then I used that fine grit sanding block to finish sanding. I used the dremel for grinding the splines on the back of the knob.

The knobs actually match the interior trim quite well. It matches better in person than in the pics. It would also kind of match the silver shifter trim piece on 6 speeds.


Here are both knobs installed.





If you just looked at the knobs you would not know they did not come with the car. They fit that good.

 

thnx. It is a lot to grind off, but I actually think they look better shorter like this than longer on the 3rd gen tl.

 

Cool mod. I like it a lot. I might do this in the spring....I have some console pieces to replace anyways.

 

awesome mod!

i scream and yell at people for not innovating. not the case here.
Great job.
and continue to innovate!

 

Cool idea, nice job Brian

 

Nice job Brian. Looks good. BTW you ever going to pm me back about your steering wheel. I'm still interested.

 

Looks good. great idea.

 

Thnx everyone.

Sorry about that. I will let you know. Right now I am just not sure if I want to sell it, just in case I ever go back to stock I still have all the parts. I know that will most likely never happen tho.

I plan on doing a lot of DIY's in the next few months.

I am gonna do a DIY for a trunk gas spring to replace tension bars and my trunk prop rod, lexan sunroof panel, molded ron jon lip kit, and maybe even some custom carbon fiber parts, plus lots more.

 

Why do u need to replace them I use my car for service calls every day. They won't break I have tested those torsion bars....thousands of times lol.

I open my trunk and start my car on average 6-7 times a day.. Sometimes as much as 20. I shit u not. Somehow my Ignition switch is a champion. Amen to that

Gas struts seems like overkill. But it would be nice to keep the trunk open.. Every so often when it is windy the damn trunk closes on my head! Happens bout once a year.... Fuckin stupid trunk..

I will say tho... If u can find a way to just add on struts.. I will follow in ur footsteps pal...

Gladly.

As long as their is no welding. I got all the tools to getter done

 

I never said the torsion bars will break. The bracket that holds them on will tho if not reinforced. I already removed my torsion bars previously and sold them. I didn't like the noise they made over bumps. I am just using a trunk prop rod atm.

I already know what I am gonna do. It will only require 1 gas strut, 1 custom bracket and no torsion bars.

If you have the normal torsion bars with a spoiler this might help also instead of trying to find the stiffer torsion bars.

I am waiting for the gas strut in the mail. I should be able to knock it out in 1 day, then post a DIY. I would say around a week or so till DIY is posted.

I dont think a gas strut is overkill. It will only weigh 1 lb and not take up much space. I don't use my trunk much(mainly just transporting car parts), but I get nervous crawling thru my trunk to adjust the rear shocks with only a prop rod. With 2 bucket seats the only way to get to the rear shocks is thru my trunk.

 

Yea I just threw in two self tap screws in that middle support bracket for those torsion bars and its been problem free ever since. I did not know they can cause noise tho.

U mean like a rattling? Or a click or what

Cause I do have a weird noise when I go over bumps at lower speeds ever since putting in my coilovers but i am almost certain it's the lower bushing worn...

I would be delighted tho if it was those torsion bars... I doubt I am that lucky tho.

 

The noise from the torsion bars might not be that prevalent. Keep in mind my car is completely gutted tho so I can hear everything.

I don't think the noise you are referring to is from the torsion bars. It is from the suspension parts. I have also had the clunking over bumps from the rear since coils. I have had the coils rebuilt twice and problem is still there.

I think this might be the cause and solution for that clunking. I am either gonna buy these arms or have custom ones made myself.

http://www.6thgenaccord.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=47259

 

I am almost positive it is the lower rear coilover bushing area.. If u loosen the bolt a lot and drive the noise does not change.. And there is clearly play when the bolt is loosened up a few turns..

I took the bolts out. Had tack welds on them and ground it down to make a tight tight fit.. The noise went away. Then came back tho cause the tacks wore out.

If u go under the car and loosen that one bolt at the bottom. U can actually push on the wheel assembly and get the click to happen. There is also a few hundredths gap between the bolt and the wheel assembly.

When summer rolls around and I am done school I am going to get custom bolts made which will likely fix that fucking absolutely annoying noise.. I just cannot stand it, gotta have the music on.

But if u are going over 65 km/h it does not happen. And if it is over 20c it does not happen..

So damn weird. But I am going to fix that sucker and show it who is boss in a couple months when school is done and I have the desire to tackle it.

I have gone as far as removing the coils and putting a microfiber cloth between the top mount and the frame. I have removed everything in the trunk including the rear seats, storage thingy, the speaker cover and anything else that's back their... Noise still happened!

It is the one problem my car has lol

When I fix it tho I am going to re fall in love with it all over again

It will almost be weird when I do fix it.

I am 99% sure it's not those arms u are referring to... And I mean that with all do respect..

The second I put my coils on it happened, I find it hard to believe at that very moment those arms decided to start clanging around.

I don't believe in coincidences

 

When you install coils you are shortening the stroke and stiffening everything up. I wouldn't really call that a coincidence. My car makes no noise on koni shocks, but it does on coils. It might be that bolt you are referring to, but I know there is nothing wrong with my bushings and I have same issue.

 

Waiting on the gas shock DIY, my truck sucks at staying open.

Thanks in advance.

 

The gas struts came in the mail yesterday, so I will be able to start working on it tomorrow. I just hope I ordered one with the right force requirement otherwise I might need to order more. The bad part about being the Guinee pig is that you spend a lot more money but oh well.

 

I too am very much interested in your trunk shock mod (the guy you sold your torsion springs to).

 

No problem or hurry as it will be next winter or spring 2015 before I even need it.

 

Take your time. Thanks for starting these new projects and creating DIY. I really appreciate your help.

Happy modding.

Thanks again.