Hello all,
I've been lurking here for a month while I picked through the collective of what's possible with the CU2. Last wednesday I finally found and pulled the trigger on an 09, 40K, PWP, Manual with the tech package. I couldn't be happier with the car considering what I'm moving from. I flew out from John Wayne airport on wednesday and arrived in Salt Lake, UT. One of the sales people picked me up at the airport and drove me the 15 minutes to the dealership. needless to say I was giddy with excitement.... at first.... The first thing I did was put down my bag and do a visual inspection of the exterior.. (ding here, ding there, but at a first glance nothing major). Then I got to the roof, and ding central (about 6 or 7, but almost all were shallow and about the size of a dime) My supposedly "flawless exterior" of a car had hail damage. The hood and the trunk lid suffered as well, but again all were very shallow with only about 3 that were the size of a quarter.These dealer ship guys said right away "oh, we never noticed that there was any hail damage on it" to which I replied, "you didn't notice that every major horizontal surface of this car has some ding?" The decision time came, should I have got on my phone to purchase a one way ticket back to Orange County, or try to get more money off the car. I've been looking on a daily basis for the last month and a half, and I was needing to bond with the car on a nice 700 mile jaunt. This damn car performed amazingly, and I can say with perfect confidence that it's the best damn ride I've had the privilege of owning.
I drove by Tustin Acura today to see if it was still under warranty, and I just lost my window since it's a late 08 production, so let the modding begin. The first mod I'm thinking about is the A-Spec bumpers because there just so damn aggressive, yet elegant at the same time. Then after the bumpers are on I'm driving it to South Dakota for the Sturgis motorcycle rally, and while I'm there I might just have some of those good ole boys take out that pesky hail damage (on a side note I was already calling PDR shops in CA when I was still picking up the car, but none of them wanted to even mess with it.... i.e. not knowing what their doing because there is no hail or seasons here) Then depending on time I might have to order some plastidip and get to work. Thats the plan for the month, and then I'll reassess.

Here is what I'm working with as of right now, but hopefully soon this thread will have more added to it.




Here it is sitting next to my previous ride, which so happens to be up for sale right now. (I had to have a right hand drive at some point in my life)


heres another one, and needless to say parking was easier with the mini.




Should be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you that make this community great.
(oh, and on another side note that made me pissed off at the dealership)
There was some of the plastic clips broken in the engine bay that holds on the plastic above the grill (number 9 in the pictures)

and I looked a bit closer, and someone had the front bumper off before and screwed it all up when trying to put it on (even part number 1 has the tabs broken off that the clips go into, so it's looking like I'm going to need to buy a new one of those. damn it.)


She just needs a little love.

 

The pictures doesnt appear to be working. Otherwise wonderful tale story!

 

I'm thinking it's because I don't have 5 posts yet, so I'm frantically trying to post and share what limited knowledge I have. It just didn't seem right to post anything until I actually had the car in my possession, but I'm trying to work on it... I don't think it's a photobucket issue.

 

Well hopefully later those pictures will come up, but its allowing me to follow them like their a link when right clicking and opening them in a new tab.
(Test)

 

You are posting the incorrect IMG code.

Don't copy the URL from your browser, but since you're using Photobucket, go to the right side menu under "Links to share this photo" and copy the code in the IMG box, and paste that in your posts to show the specific pictures.



And nice ride, congrats.

 

Puppet master... Thanks.


Here are the other pictures.
[IMG][/IMG]

 

[IMG][/IMG]

New car and old one
[IMG][URL=http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/TSX-Skiroy/media/5_zps95b63d06.jpg.html]

[IMG][/IMG]

And here are the broken tabs
[IMG][/IMG]

 

[IMG][/IMG]

 

is that the grille coming off the front in your "tabs missing" pic? wtf...what happened there? did you get more money off the car cuz of all the hail? i'm surprised you bought it. i'd be pissed as hell for not telling me before i bought a plane ticket out.

 

Needless to say I was pretty pissed, and I didn't notice that the tabs were broken off until last night. I did notice that some of the infamous Acura clips were mangled, but I didn't think it was that extensive. yeah I got them to come down on the price for the hail, but everything else was in great shape... lol just to show how attentive to details I am, I noticed in the pictures that there was some dirt on the driver side floor, and when I got there they said they just got done detailing the outside and inside. I lifted the floor mat, and low and behold there was the dirt... I guess thats what you get when going to a Mazda dealership for an Acura.

A-spec bumpers and new grill ordered today, pick up on thursday and install on saturday. The hard part is going to be waiting until saturday
more to come.

 

Just got back today from driving my ass all over southern California, but in the end it was worth it. **Teaser Pictures**
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Who needs a living room when you have fresh honda parts?
[IMG][/IMG]

more to come soon... the hard part is having to wait.

 

Nice, man...looking forward to the updates to follow!

 

damn, a manual, so rare!

 

Nice! I just ordered a rear aero and all i need is the side skirts.

 

oh man!!

 

Thanks, I might be going a bit overboard right off the bat, but sometimes that's the best way. More to come Saturday.

You're telling me. I looked every day for a month and a half, and I even gave up on the tech and manual. I figured I could toss in the aftermarket HU that some members installed and be happy. Then this one showed up and I jumped on it quick fast and in a hurry.

I think they were 350 for the sides, but instead of shipping I rented a big ass van and picked it up myself to offset shipping.

I'd say the same about all the things you've done to your car. You definitely have one sexy cu2.

 

No such thing!
If you can afford it, you're good!

 

So I'll have no problem selling my pwp manual, even though I paid less to get it?

 

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum.

I am assuming you purchased the aero/modulo bumpers for your 09. They can be ordered paint-matched PWP. A-spec (which is what we have in Canada)/or SE (USA) model uses different rear sports bumper/side skirts and cannot be ordered paint-matched.

Good luck on the install, recommend you go get one of those clip remover, I know vendor Heeltoe sells one from Honda http://www.heeltoeauto.com/honda-gen...roductid=65396, I got mine from a local auto part store for $12.

 

Well as it goes today, I started removing the bumpers in my college apartment parking lot.... needless to say everyone around thought I'd lost my damn mind, but what the hell. I started this project at 11ish, and I wasn't in a big hurry because I wanted to make sure I was doing everything correct, and learn more about my car.
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

The rear was pretty straight forward, and now knowing how it all works I'd say this could be done in 20 min, but I painted some bolts, and yadda yadda. so the back was the first to get done
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

I was thinking that the front and the sides were going to be the most tricky because of whatever the old owner did to the bumper before me, and the measurements needed to be right for the sides, so began the front........

[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

whoever had this car and took apart things jacked it up... 4 clips total on the bottom, and none on the top of the bumper that were salvageable. but continue I did. My philosophy is do it right the first time and I won't have to keep doing it. So while everything was off I ripped out the resonator and all the extra tubing that was just sitting in there... (sorry I stopped taking pictures because I was fighting to jimmy rig hardware because it was missing a lot). there are plenty of DIY on removal of the resonator, so not much missing. I drove up to LA yesterday from southern orange county at 2:00, and for anyone who doesn't know what that means it's 5 hours of bumper to bumper traffic... all for a lowly H11 Hid kit. again if your going to do it, might as well get it done in one shot.

I started to button everything up and got the front bumper seated to where it needed to go and I noticed that the driver side right under the headlight was hanging lower than the other, so back off the bumper went for investigation.... turns out that the "bumper retaining brackets" is suppose to have a bolt going vertical and connects to the headlight housing... and it wasn't there, so I put in another bold, and waaaaa.laaaanot ...... the threads must have been busted off, so no bolt is going there..... Trusty zip ties to the rescue.... after drilling a hole through where it would have gone originally.. heres a before... see how theres the gap..
[IMG][/IMG]

and here is the after.... no gap...
[IMG][/IMG]

I am planning on throwing on the sides tomorrow because I just ran out of time (I use to work on cars in the dark, but I'm getting too old for that crap)... wiring the HID, trying to rig stuff together, ripping out the resonator, replacing the grill and figuring how that goes together, fix previous mistakes, make some new mistakes, and learning a whole shit ton takes it's precious time... all while getting sun burnt in the lovely cancer causing CA sun. lol.

here are some pictures from getting some Hawaiian BBQ.
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]


One question before tomorrow though.... for the sides the directions say to use the template to place a mark 47 mm from this separation line
[IMG][/IMG]

but there is about a 5mm difference between the front of the line and the rear of the line, so I was wondering if anyone knew if the measurement was from the forward part or the more rear... I'm concerned because all the other measurements go off this starting line. thanks for listening to me rant, and there will be more tomorrow....
Now I have a hot date with a bottle of aloe vera...

 

Nice... Which fogs are those? They look really blue.

 

There XS 6000K... it's not as blue in person, but when I first tested them they were super green and I couldn't figure out why.. turns out blue and yellow (film on fogs) = crazy green.

 

Is it this?
I'm looking for something a little more white then my current OEM super yellow fogs.

 

9005's are for the High beams or the running lights, and the H11 bulb is for fogs, but those are halogen bulbs. I'm not sure what upgraded halogen bulbs look like but mine is a HID kit from http://www.xenonsupply.com/acura-tsx...xenon-kit.html a little wiring and your good to go... guess the military did help train me in something. hope that helps

 

uci i assume? drive@ucr is coming to uci for a car meet at the DJ plaza tuesday. come!

 

If you don't mind, please post a DIY instruction on the side skirts. I plan on ordering them soon.

 

As per requested here is a DIY for the side skirts on the Modulo kit.

Step 1. get all the required materials together.. felt tip pen, template that comes in the kit, a 5/16 wrench, phillips screwdriver, tape, rubbing alcohol, and a utility knife.

Step 2. Get a beer because it makes everything better

[IMG][/IMG]

open the drivers side door and measure from the separation in the floor panel. The first measurement is 47mm, and you make a little inverted T with the felt tip pen.
[IMG][/IMG]
I extended the horizontal line because I thought it would make lining the rest of the metal bracket up (the next step) after making two more inverted T's
The measurements are 47mm, 667mm, and 1287mm from that beginning line.
The metal bracket step is next, so wipe down the area where the adhesive is going to be with a rag and rubbing alcohol.
[IMG][/IMG]
Flip that bad boy over (careful if it's been in the sun for awhile) cut off 20mm of adhesive cover from the steel so you can attach it to the car.
also cut the adhesive in the middle of the bracket, and tape part of the adhesive backing to the front so you can remove it later.

line up the inverted T right in the middle of the bracket that extends downward.
[IMG][/IMG]
and lightly "very lightly" press the forward adhesive onto the side panel.
then you move to the rear (line the T up again and firmly attach the rear)

Go ahead and detach the front, realign and firmly press it on.
[IMG][/IMG]

align the middle T (667mm) and start pulling back the adhesive backing to stick it to the car, but be careful not to push on these because if they get deformed you're screwed.
[IMG][/IMG]

Now it's break time because if you screwed up the first part it's going to be hard to rip off all that adhesive and start again, so no is a good point for another beer.

Turn the wheel counterclockwise and use two of the included self taping screws to put a hole in the bottom two wheel well clips, but do not leave those screws in there. They will be placed back when the sides are on.
[IMG][/IMG]

Prepare the skirt by taping the adhesive backing to the front, so your able to remove it when it's on the car.
[IMG][/IMG]

I found this next step to be better when only one person had their hands on the side skirts, just so you can feel when the metal bracket goes into the slot on the skirt. but you want to set it on the car and slide it rearward, while making sure that all 5 clips are in the slots..... ... ...

go back to the front wheel well and lightly hit it to make sure that the skirt is as close to the wheel well as possible, and loosely put in the self tapping screws.

almost done, just a couple more steps and you have yourself a nice set of side skirts..

there is a little bracket in the kit and it gets attached toward the rear of the skirt.
[IMG][/IMG]
Your going to have to remove some of the spray on weather matting stuff on the undercarriage so you have a clean mounting spot, but after you exacto that out you should be good. Then loosely attach the clamp bolt and sit up.
[IMG][/IMG]

next all you have to do is remove the adhesive backing on the skirt itself, but make sure that the rubber edging (on top of the skirt) is laying flat and isn't all jacked up. Then it's just peel and push onto the car. tighten up the self tapping screws and the clamp bolt.

rinse and repeat and you're done...

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

I did freak out a bit when I saw this... I thought the side might have wrapped around the rear fender well, but the tolerances seem to be too tight for that.
[IMG][/IMG]

overall I'm happy with how these last two days turned out, and with the resonator removed she sounds wonderful.
into the dealership to have the V-tech actuator replaced under the powertrain warranty due to the noise when cold start.

Led's are showing up next, or tomorrow, and more from heeltoe later in the week.

 

Nice work! Changes the whole look of the car!

 

very nice man!

 

Wow, those are held on a lot more firmly than the 3G

 

As I've posted probably 1000x before, that Aero front end looks awesome. Wish it was that simple of a conversation for my 2011.

 

well done! now go treat yourself to some more aloha Hawaiian!

 

The thing is I'm not sure if I can afford it, but these cars don't take much to look amazing, but it's going to be a little bit until the drop and wheels.... unless someone knows of an amazing deal.

Thanks for the congrats, and it's nice to be part of an excellent forum like this one. I was on vwvortex when I had my 06 A3, but no where near the help that you guys have put into these forums. I got some push pin pliers from harbor freight for 6 bucks, but there a little big, so some filing would help them out a lot. They work great as a beer bottle opener too... multi purposes.

Yeah I'm around that area, and I wish I could join you guys at the car meet, but unfortunately Acura has the car until late tomorrow. Vtech actuator and all that joy. I just hope they don't try to give me crap for removing the resonator. I know Audi would have tried some crap like that.

I completely agree. I like the front, but that ass is amazing... I've always been an ass man, but the grill needs to be nice as well

Thx

I'm not sure how their held on on the 3G, but it's the reason I measured and remeasured because if I got the adhesive wrong I'd be screwed.

don't you have to get the grill for the 09 or 10 and then it's a direct swap?

I swear by some katsu chicken, and they just give you so much damn food for 8 bucks it's ridiculous.

 

so I just picked up my Fastline maven shift knob, and a quick thanks to heeltoe for letting me pick it up in person. Well, I tried to fit the shift knob over the stock boot, but it didn't work.... apparently, the stock plastic stopper "don't know the technical term" had threads that didn't allow the maven shift knob to go low enough to be able to work. I ended up ripping everything up, and found that the shift boot looked like shit with the maven installed, not to mention it didn't keep to the bottom of the shift knob..... so I transported myself into the past where people did actual leather work....
[IMG][/IMG]
Don't mind the cutting board. it was the only place I had enough light to work.
First I removed the staples
[IMG][/IMG]

and I measured 31mm up from the bottom after it was off the plastic piece... all around... (note: tedious work ahead)
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

it's all fun and games until this part.....
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

I left the stitches for last, so I could take out the stitches out one at a time and tie them off where I thought it would be good for reinstall.
(sorry for not having pictures, but after all this work I was not in the picture taking mood). I'd say that 35mm would have been perfect, but it was super tight reattaching the leather to the plastic. I ended up getting some double sided tape, and a heavy duty stapler from walmart to secure it back onto the plastic. (I'd also like to thank my girlfriend for holding the leather secure while I stapled away... one or two staples might have gotten free).

at the top of the shift boot was the threaded "stop piece" and I ended up removing that and keeping the plastic exterior. I fought and ended up making 3 different trips (I was trying this in the parking lot) to Lowes, and a simple rubber band works best for securing the leather to the plastic piece.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

and here is the shift boot with the maven shift knob with 31mm removed from the boot.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

I also got some led's from VLED. it was their simple footwell kit, and I must say how easy that installation it was, and it even dims with the dimmer switch... I thought I was going to have to cut, splice, and add extra stuff just to be able to get this to work, so an fyi for others, just get the lights because you don't need the adaptor, y-splitter, ext. just the lights and your good. hindsight is always 20/20

I'd also like to thank Matt in the parts department of DCH Acura of Temecula because I had some color issues with the front bumper, so they ordered me a new one and it's going to be in tomorrow. They even are going to install it for me.... (don't know how I feel about others touching the car now..... it's like I'm a mother chicken with a whole gaggle of chicks in the hen house... You think they would appreciate it if I "helped" with the install? here are some pictures of the difference in color.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
here's how the rear matched.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

Thats all for now, and hopefully my other order from heeltoe comes in tomorrow so I can dig into the car again.

 

nice work

 

sweet shift knob

 

that discoloration concerns me when and if i get my aero kit.

 

Thanks.... I'm working towards fixing her up, but I feel like when I fix one thing I find 10 more that need to be done.
Thanks Ed, I was reading some posts on here about how hot, and cold it gets, but it seems fine to me.... I just can't hand off the car to the valet when I'm balling without first telling them that it's a 6-speed.
Jeroplex.... you shouldn't have any worries... turns out that the front of my car was repainted in the past..... wrong.......
I took the car to Temecula from Irvine, and the new bumper was the same.... so when someone "tried" to fix it all they did was create more of a headache...
really contemplating plastidiping the whole car now.
What do you guys think about whole cars that are dipped?

 

My word, what a great thread and car, please allow me to offer you a delayed welcome!

 

Thanks, I'm trying to be one of the gang, and your new wheels look good. I'm glad you finally pulled the trigger on them.


So I went on a vacation, and I ended up driving 1300 miles straight through. I started at 10am pacific, and it didn't end until 8:30 mountain... this car is a trooper and it didn't skip a beat... here are some pictures of the sunrise and the car.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

it's not every day that a college kid is up when the sun is peaking from it's slumber, so I might have went overboard.