jameStype

I hardwired my Valentine one and routed the wire through the driver side a-pillar when I had my RSX-S. It was a simple matter of popping off the interior panel from the A-Pillar.

I noticed on the 2nd Gen TSX, that the A-Pillar interior panel is labeled with the SRS Air Bag logo.

Does anyone know if there is any special precautions needed to remove this panel?

I want to be able to hardwire my Valentine ASAP when I pick up my TSX from the dealership next week.

Colin

The side curtain airbag does not come out from the a-pillar and I doubt there are any control wires there. However, I'd want to be sure if I were you! Find a service manual for a car and if not, look at a '08 to see how things were run on those cars.

jameStype

I don't want take the airbag out. I just want to pop the plastic panel off and run the wire from the radar detector through the a-pillar down under the dash to the fuse box.

I wanted to buy the service manual, but apparently these cars are so new, none are yet available, heh. catch 22

Colin, does the 2k8 also have the srs air bag label the a-pillar "cover"?

Colin

I understand exactly what you want to do. Your original post seemed to imply that you were concerned that popping the a-pillar cover would reveal an airbag. I was pointing out that this is not the case. Yes, the earlier TSXs and TLs have the same label on the a-pillar so I'd imagine you could draw some conclusions from these manuals.

jameStype

Ahh, thanks very much Colin. That's helps me out having that info as a reference.

davidspalding

Earlier GEN owners also tied their V1s into the rearview mirror power ... there might be a DIY here. Besides ensuring you pick the right wire (the wrong one loses power when you put it into reverse, apparently), it sounds pretty simple.

jameStype

Yea, I've seen a few posts around the web about wiring to the map light area.

I will have to use the A-pillar to route my wire because I am using a V1 concealment display that will be mounted on the steering column between the Tach and Speedometer. That's how I had it set up on my ol RSX.

The wire from the main V1 detector and the V1 Concealment display both share a hub, so I won't be able to get away with not running wire down the a-pillar.

My main concern was that there was an airbag in the pillar itself, but the few people that have commented on this are saying there is no actual airbag in the pillar itself and that the label on the pillar is just a feel good.

davidspalding

Um ... "no air bag, just a feel good?" Hrm. I don't think we're saying that. ... Take a look at pages 7, 23, and 31 of your OM and then tell me there's nothing in the A-pillar.

I'd only feel good taking the time to review a service manual before removing the pillar cover. Replacement of an accidentally deployed bag could ruin your little re-wiring project. I'm sure the 1GEN service manuals have details about taking the interior trim off the pillar.

gftgrill

I'm pretty sure that there is an airbag in all 4 pillars.

jameStype

Thank you David. You are the first person in the know to give me a straight answer. The goobers at the dealership who don't yet have the 2009 TSX manuals were telling me different as well as others I've asked.

I guess I will have to wait until the 09 manual comes out before removing trim panels on the pillar. Good times.

Colin

Ok, I'm a goober at a dealership and my tech is telling me that there there is no reason to worry if you remove the a-pillar cover. There may be control wires in there so caution is advised, but you can mitigate this if you disconnect the battery and wait 5-10 minutes before you start.

jameStype

You weren't the goober I was referring to Colin. I actually did talk to the some random guys in the werehouse at the dealership last night when I picked up the TSX and David gave me the impression that wasn't the case.

Hearing you reinforce what they said puts me at ease now. I don't plan on tapping into any of the control wires, so I'm good there. Thanks for correcting the misunderstanding.

If anyone cares, I can post an DIY of my hardwire project later when I have time to do it.

davidspalding

Definitely post pics. I strongly suspect that if a 2008 manual tells you what fuses to pull (or disconnect the battery completely as Colin suggests), that same procedural step would apply to the 2009. (BTW, the 2009 OM has clearer pics of the side curtain air bag than earlier years' OMs.)

I trust Colin's goober buddy's advice. I just wouldn't want us suggesting that anyone pull off the A-pillar cover with the impression that it's cool, and hear a few days later that someone blew their airbag by not being careful. It's not a "run out to the parts store for some more tie-wraps" kinda thing. Remember, what we post here stays up on the web a long, long, long time. You know what you're doing (having done it on your RSX), but some other kid comes along, reads a few of the posts, and then attacks his interior trim eagerly.... And who's to blame? Well, US OF COURSE, for having discussed it. I've seen it happen, many times.

Again, definitely take pics for a DIY post. There's no quicker route to the AZ Hall of Fame.

jameStype

Point taken, heh. Murphy's law hasn't been kind on the software projects I've been on, so no need to temp fate without the full picture before diving in.