I decided to tackle most of my outstanding RL improvements yesterday and installed all of them in a long, but productive afternoon (I saved about $400 in installlation costs that I would have otherwise handed over to my dealer). I had also recently had the dealer do the recent TSBs (XM, OnStar, tranny firmware), so I wanted to take care of everything at the same time and move on to other projects. Here are a few notes from my experience (in no particular order):


Backup Sensors and Trunk Net

1. Doing the b/u sensors and the trunk net turned out to be a good idea-I had to remove the trunk liner for both, so doing it once saved me some duplicate effort.

2. Drilling the holes in the bumper for the sensors was not as traumatic as I had feared-there are clear, but faint, scribe marks on the inside of the bumper. Drilling the final sensor holes was a bit awkward by myself, since the bumper cover is a bit floppy. Go slowly and you will be fine. I used a 1/8 twist bit for the pilot hole (from the inside), and 7/8" and 1" Forstner bits for the corner and center final holes, respectively (from the outside). A Forstner bit leavs a much nicer hole edge than a hole saw, which can require more cleanup on plastic. I did my drilling on my family room floor, which is carpeted (the wife is out of town and is unavailable for comment on that method!). You could also use a blanket or old piece of carpet, or do it on a padded bench if you have one big (and clean) enough to hold the cover.

3. Inserting the sensors took longer than I anticipated-the 1" hole was just a hair too small, which was fiixed with careful trimming wiith an Xacto knife. I also had to monkey some with the metal clips on the top and bottom of the sensors to get the outside of the sensor tight against the surface of the bumper.

4. Routing the sensor harness was very straighforward-they were exactly as described in the instructions. The only exception was the cables to the center sensors (see below).

5. I had to reroute one of the harness-to-sensor cables after everything was installed. The cable had fallen down between the bumper cover and the bumper and was pushing the cover outward, causing a visible bulge. I pulled the cables back to the back side of the metal bumper, but I may remove the cover again and secure the cables so they don't potentially flap around.

6. Removing the bumper cover was much easier than I had anticipated (I did my Odyssey front bumper cover, and it was a beast by comparison). Only two screws and 4 clips, and all came out easily. Unhooking the cover from the body was awkward, but not difficult. Go slow is the best advice here.

7. The sensor instructions call for removal of the top trunk liner, but there is nothing installed in that area. Unfortunately, I only discovered that after I had already wrestled and partially removed the cover. All of the sensor install work occurs on the right and rear sides of the trunk, so don't waste your time with the top cover.

Wood Steering Wheel

1. Removal of the airbag was very easy-two Torx bolts on either side released it from the wheel frame, and it came out easily. You need to first disconnect the airbag and horn connectors, and be sure to leave about 5 minutes betwen the time you disconnect the battery and start work on the wheel; I'm not sure what would happen if one didn't, but taking off the lower cover eats up a couple of those minutes anyway if you haven't done it before. I had other things to prepare as well, so there was no down time.

2. Be sure to put the wheel in "top dead center" position, ie, front wheels straight, before you remove the wheel itself. You will need to fiddle with the position a bit after using the wheel puller-the torque of removing the wheel nut will move the wheel a bit . Then pull the wheel straight out from the cable reel. The reel should be oriented with "top" at the top; if it is not, there is a procedure in the instructions (which I didn't have to use) that walks you through recalibrating the reel.

3. Removing the switches from the old wheel was easy. Putting them on the new wheel was slightly more work, since you have to hold some of the switches in place while inserting and tightening their screws (three hands would be nice here!).

4. I noticed a terminated harness for the unused switch position on the wheel (lower right), so the 05s might be wired for an 06 accessory that requires a switch at that location (camera? collision avoidance?). Since I don't have anything there, I can't say for sure what the harness is for.

5. Reinstalling the airbag was fairly easy, but I had to move it around a bit before it seated in its home. Be gentle with the airbag and you will be fine.

6. I reused the airbag Torx bolts since I didn't have new ones (the wheel was used and didn't come with new bolts). Siince they are very easy to access, I will probably buy new ones and replace the old in the next week or so.

General Notes

1. Doing both of these installs saved me from doing the various resettings twice, although I was pleasantly surprised that most of the presets were there after I reconnected the power. I had to lock and unlock the car with my master fob (the old number 1), and I noticed that all my radio (including XM!) presets were restored. I had the power off for over 4 hours, so there must be some non-volatile flash ROM somewhere in the system that preserves there presets. Bluetooth connnectivity to my Treo 650 also worked the first time following restoration of power. The dealer told me that I would have to repair the phone after they did the other work, but it worked fine then without any additional effort.

2. The GPS reacquisition only took a few minutes, and the XM stations and Navtraffic was available as soon as the reaquire was complete.

That's all I can think of right now; I will add more notes if I remember anything else of significance.

 

Collision avoidance. The controls to set distance for cruise on the system go on the lower right-hand spoke of the wheel in an '06 with tech.

Nice work.... the time where I'd do that myself is long gone, but there is nothing quite like spending an afternoon tinkering on the car.

Gotta get myself something old and Italian again to fulfill that urge -- because it's only good when you don't *have* to tinker with it to go someplace.

 

When you installed the control module for the backup sensors was there any type of adjustment for distance available. Mine turn to a solid tone at about 12". I have another car where the tone turns solid at about 4", much better for parallel parking. I would like to be able to set the RL sensors to about the same distance.

Nice job doing the install yourself. I was tempted to do the same but ending up getting a good deal on labor so I just had them do it.

Kris

 

There was no obvious option for adjusting the sensor distance. It is probably somewhere on the control board, but I didn't look at it to see if there were any adjustable circuit components (potentiometers, etc). The module is enclosed in a plastic case, but it can probably be opened without damage. However, it is in a very difficult place to acess and would be a bear to remove-you have to mount the case to its mounting bar, then connect the harnes, THEN install the assembly into a hole in the inner trunk wall. I wish I had thought of inspecting the module before I installed it, but I wanted to make sure I got all my work done before sundown.

 

I didn't think there was any easy adjustments. The primary reason I got it was to keep the valet's in my office garage to keep from scratching the rear bumper when they are trying to pack cars into the garage. For that purpose I prefer the 12 inches vs. 4.

Thanks,

Kris

 

thanks for the post Acurafox! Did you happen to take any pictures?

 

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos. However, I need to readjust my steering wheel, as it is very slightly misaligned. When I do that (probably this weekend), I will at least take photos of that process and point out the things I did but don't plan to repeat (eg, removal of the various switches). I may also open up the trunk cover and take a few pics of the installed backup sensor module and harness. I'll let you know if I decide to remove the bumper again, but it was a lot of time and effort which I'm not sure I want to repeat! Hmmm...maybe I should buy some more accessories to justify tearing into the RL again! :-)

 

*bump*

Anyone have pictures of their installation? I'll be doing my install this upcoming weekend, but a bit nervous about the reel and airbag deployment.

 

I took some photos when I realigned the wheel, which involved removing the airbag and wheel a second time. I'll try to get my photos up in the next few days. As I said before, the airbag is scary in concept only-it was very simple to remove, and as long as you don't throw it around or drop it, you are okay. If you use a wheel puller and pull the wheel straight out, the reel won't move very much. It can move a little without causing any problems, but be sure to align it TDC ("top dead center) as depicted on the reel itself before you put the new wheel on. ALso, I reused the old airbag bolts, but I put a light coat of blue locktite on the threads before I reinserted them the last time. Otherwise, if you follow the directions, you will be fine.

 

Using the instructions provided and the tips from acurafox I installed the back-up sensors and cargo net today. All told I'd say it took me 4 hours going slow and carefully.

Detaching the trunk lining is tricky and I did tear off one of the stays on the back that attach to the anchor pins. When it was all back in though it is fine and there was no harm done. Also, it is difficult to decipher the instructions at times regarding which "vehicle harness" you need to move or attach the b/u sensor wire to. However, with a little snooping around I figured it out.

Always glad when I'm done and there are no left over parts and everything works!

 

Nice instruction...and thanks