The garbage OEM (Foster) speakers in my base RDX are killing me. Has anyone figured out how to remove the door panels on this new generation RDX? I saw the instructions for the 1st gen & bought a trim/molding pry tool set from Harbor Freight Tools, but visually I am not seeing the same type of access points (with the exception of the one behind the door handle).

Should I call a local dealer and try to find out if one of their mechanics can assist/ or perform in their off time? Or, should I go to a Best Buy type of electronics & have them install? Or, a small custom installer (which would probably be more expensive)? I generally am pretty good with technical stuff, but I don't want to break my brand new ride...

 

I think I have instructions at home I willl have to check later this evening

 

So, I have successfully upgraded the right rear door speaker. OMG - what a pain!!! Sorry, no pictures, wifey took both the tablet and the camera home to Europe for the summer.

So far the door molding is not too difficult to remove, there are two screws behind the door release handle and additional screws inside the door handle (the silver/grey plastic) - no need to remove the armrest (its very difficult to do & unnecessary, though popping it up may assist in removing the cover for the door handle). Both areas have covers that pop off if using trim/molding removal tools - excellent deal on these from Harbor Freight Tools ~$7. Then the door trim has plastic releasing pushpins around the sides and bottom of the door that need to be pried out. The entire thing will then need to be lifted up because the trim hangs from the window cavity. You will need to be careful to disconnect the wire bundle, which is also connected to the door panel with electrical tape, which can be cut and retaped later.

The OEM speaker has one screw at the top, and upon its removal will slide up and out. Unfortunately, Honda/Acura has glued the OEM speaker to the mounting bracket, so it cannot be reused. You will need to use a to connect your new speaker, it only connects one way on both ends so polarity should not be a problem. The difficult part is now coming in how to properly attach the new speaker to the door. I considered doing a number of things to attach the speaker, but ended going with an adhesive backed rubber weather stripping product from Home Depot running around the speaker cavity (my speaker will not sit completely flush in the cavity due to the shape of the both the cavity and the speaker basket), so I am using the weather stripping to both reduce vibration and reduce the depth of the speaker in the cavity. I drilled holes in the metal surrounding the speaker cavity in line with the holes for my new speaker and used metal screws to attach.

A second set of hands came in handy with a lot of this. This weekend, I'm hoping to complete the remaining 3 speakers. Needless to say, Acura has not designed this to be easily performed...