Hi, guys.

I have been driving a 2003 6-spd CL-S for the past 6 weeks, and I absolutely love it. It was purchased as a basket case, and as such some parts were missing/broken. The stereo had been torn out for some fancy booming thing at some point, judging by the factory amp bypass and the big thick wires going into the trunk and extra stereo ground wires all over the place. There was absolutely NO head unit in it at all when I bought it.

I have it back to as close to stock as possible without the OE head unit itself. Even re-soldered the original Molex connector for the amp and OE stereo, and am back to running off of the original amp in front of the scissor jack under the carpet in the trunk. The original Molex connector for the OE stereo has also had its wiring sorted and soldered back to how it came when the car was new.

I currently have an adapter kit plugged into that head unit connector, which plugs into a 15-year-old JVC single-DIN head unit (had it laying around; dunno where it came from tbh), and bought a $20 dash install kit for a CL to get rid of all of the holes in the dash. It works perfectly fine, and even though it's technically "period-correct" for the car, I hate it and I just want an OE Acura head unit like the one it would have rolled off the line with in 2003.

My question is whether or not I can use any head unit from and 2001-2003 Non-Navi Acura CL. As far as I can tell, they should be the same. I'm just not sure. And I don't want to drive 3 hours 1 way (where the closest one on car-part is) and pay $150 only to find out that a 2002 unit won't work in my '03.

Thanks in advance

 

From what I can see on the OEM online vendors, the 03 auto and 03 six speed share the same part # for the auto radio tuner assembly:
six speed:
https://www.acuraoemparts.com/v-2003...el--auto-radio
automatic:
https://www.acuraoemparts.com/v-2003...el--auto-radio

02 automatic CL-S part # is different:
https://www.acuraoemparts.com/v-2002...el--auto-radio

So, if you are absolutely set on replacing with a salvage yard OEM radio, get it from a 03 CL-S.

The 03 TL-S one has a different Part # as well:
https://www.acuraoemparts.com/v-2003...el--auto-radio

 

I can't imagine they're really different.

Keep in mind that you'll need to get the radio code, which can be a pain with a junkyard one.

I'm glad I ditched mine. New setup with a touchscreen looks very nice and works far better than the factory setups that were known to get the CDs jammed (mine did from time to time before getting rid of it years ago).

 

Can anyone confirm if USB 3.0 flash drives can be used? I know the map updater mentions 2.0....

 

For what? The factory navi system runs on a DVD and does not offer USB, nor does the factor stereo.

 

My bad...posted in wrong thread...

 

Hey, I think I just made the decision to go with an aftermarket radio. Would you mind telling me what you put in, and what else to look for in terms of compatibility? I'm in an 03 CL Base, no nav.

 

I'd certainly recommend going with double DIM, so it takes up the whole space.

I've got the AppRadio and enjoy it but I'd recommend something with CarPlay or Google's car deal.

You'll want the mounting kit and a harness kit. That'll make it simple to install the new radio, as it means you just connect the same color wires from the harness kit to the connector that comes with the radio. Then you just plug it into the factory harness.

Some of the screws can be frozen (especially after all this time) when removing the old radio. I tried an impact screwdriver (hit it with a hammer and it impacts and twists hard) and even with that and some penetrating oil they were frozen, so I just drilled them out. They were just to hold the old radio in and not used in the new one, so no issue losing them.

It's all pretty simple and straight forward. Should only be like $20-30 for the mounting kit and then another $10ish for the harness, plus the radio you want and you're set.

Mine did offer a rearview camera, so I grabbed a $10 one off Amazon and it's been just fine for years. Takes a little time to run the cable to the rear of the car. I tapped power from the navigation system in the trunk, so I didn't have to run it all the way from the radio. Without navi, you could potentially tap the reverse light power for it (the camera draws almost nothing in terms of power) or you could run it from the front at the radio or elsewhere. A 20ga power wire is all that's required for that, so it's not big, and you'd already be running an RCA cable for video. You'll also have to tap the reverse switch or lights for the reverse wire to the stereo so that it turns the camera on and switches to the camera view when you put it in reverse. Again, it's all pretty simple.

 

I replaced mine years ago with an aftermarket as well. A few other users back then told me to go through Crutchfield. They give you all the instructions and installation equipment you will need. I was able to get get it all done myself. It still works well after all these years I would definitely recommend it!